cair-net Digest of: get.1201_1300
Topics (messages 1201 through 1300):
CAIR-NET: Muslims Seek Political Voice/Israeli at Abu Ghraib
1201 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Bush Shouldn't Take Muslim Vote for Granted/'Islam Rooted in
Evil'
1202 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Bomb Explodes Outside Texas Mosque
1203 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Conducts Diversity Training for NASA
1204 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Voter Seminar in GA/Mayfield to Speak in FL
1205 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Applaud Court's Condemnation of Israeli Wall
1206 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Libertarians Reaches Out to Muslims/Thongs in Kabul
1207 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Arsonist Torches Muslim Store in Washington
1208 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Cross Burned at Home of Middle Eastern Family in WA
1209 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Foster Parents Sought/Sikh Beaten in NY
1210 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Help Get CAIR's PSA on Local TV Stations
1211 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Meet with FBI/Canadian Mosque Vandalized
1212 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Meet Pelosi/Cartoon Smears Islamic Civilization
1213 by: CAIR
ISLAM-INFONET: 'Aware' Primer will be Revised
1214 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: 'Aware' Primer will be Revised
1215 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Civil Rights Eroding/Iraqi PM Shot Prisoners
1216 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Ask Red Lobster to Resolve Muslim Bias Claim
1217 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Iowa Terror Arrests Appear Doubtful
1218 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Islam to be Banned in Norway?/Tragedy in Sudan
1219 by: CAIR
CAIR Election Update: Bush, Kerry on Mideast Policy
1220 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: California Muslim Detained in Egypt
1221 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Host DNC Delegates/MI Voters Back Adhan
1222 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: McKinney Wins/Muslims at DNC/Detainee Released
1223 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CIA Recruits Arab-Americans/FBI Holds 'Chats'
1224 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: UCLA Student Missing/CA Detainee Returns/Medical Expert
Sought
1225 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Radio Host Calls Islam a 'Murderous Organization'
1226 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Jewish Leader Warns of 'Growing US Moslem Community'
1227 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Delegates Gather at DNC Event
1228 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FBI Probe Sought for Attack on NY Muslims
1229 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim to Offer DNC Prayer/Kerry Can't Take Muslim Vote for
Granted
1230 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Seek a Voice at Democratic Convention
1231 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CA Muslims Decry 'Pressure Tactics' Used on Detainee
1232 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Feds Warn About Limits on Mosque/No Muslim Input on 9-11
Report
1233 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: DHS Given Census Data on Arab-Americans
1234 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Church Bombings Condemned/Mosque Voter Drives
1235 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Air Force Prevents Worship in Mosque/Islam in Vegas
1236 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Joins 'Call to Action' on Darfur Crisis
1237 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Constant Use of 'Islamist' Overlooks Real Threats
1238 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Voter Shift Could Hurt Bush/Israelis Train US Police
1239 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Calls Alleged NY Missile Plot 'Deeply Troubling'
1240 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Pro-Islam Resolution Sparks Debate/LA Muslims Rally for
Detainee
1241 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR and ACLU Offer Legal Help to FBI Interviewees
1242 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: GOP Rep Regrets Bogus Terror Plot Claim
1243 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Islam Enters U.S. Mainstream/Kerry Attacker Smears Islam
1244 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Eager to Vote/CAIR Trains First Responders
1245 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Urge End to Fighting Near Iraqi Shrine
1246 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Anti-Kerry Author Sorry for Islamophobic Slurs
1247 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FL Muslims Seek Probe of Teacher's Anti-Islam Remarks
1248 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Nader vs. the ADL/New Film May Stereotype Muslims
1249 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: TX Muslim Store Torched, NY Muslim Beaten
1250 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FL Muslim Voter Drive Swamps County Office
1251 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Charges in TX Mosque Bombing/Muslim Roots of the Blues
1252 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Both Parties Courting OH Muslims/Equality in Mosques
1253 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Illinois Muslim Worker Files Bias Suit
1254 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Vote and Bush Converts/American Mosques
1255 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FL Muslims Mobilize to Aid Hurricane Victims
1256 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: AZ Muslim Voter Drive/NY Muslim Harassed at JFK
1257 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Welcome Pentagon Report on Boykin's Speeches
1258 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Register Online for CAIR's Oct. 2-5 Banquet & Convention
1259 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CT Prison Guard Fired Over Racist Remarks
1260 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: 'Help the Needy' Case Politicized/Muslim FBI Agent Sues for
Bias
1261 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: 300 at CAIR-KY Kick-Off/Indictments a Political Game
1262 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Calls for Reversal of Prof's Visa Revocation
1263 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: NY Muslims Out on Bail - Lack of Evidence
1264 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FBI Gets Muslim Insight/CAIR PSA Reaches 2 Million
1265 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: NY Muslim Called 'Sand N*gger' During NJ Assault
1266 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Radical Jewish Groups Raise Funds in U.S.
1267 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Pakistanis Feel Most 9/11 Bias/Material Witness Statute
Misused
1268 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: President to Woo Muslims/AIPAC Spy Scandal
1269 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: NY Imam to Give Invocation at GOP Convention
1270 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Racist Note Left on AZ Muslim's Vandalized Car
1271 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Challenges of Secret Court/Ramadan Refutes Pipes
1272 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Who Gets Muslim Vote?/FBI Seizes AIPAC Computer
1273 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: IL Pastor Rips Muslims, Loses Polling Sites
1274 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Condemns School Killings in Russia
1275 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Get More Political/IA Mosque Vandalized
1276 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Suit Over Book on Islam Dismissed/Influential Muslim Women
1277 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: The Likudization of the World/'Criminals, Not Muslims'
1278 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Playing the Condemnation Game/CAIR 9/11 Events
1279 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FL University Accommodates Basketball Player's Hijab
1280 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Islamic Prayer Area Vandalized at AU in DC
1281 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Opens New Chapter in Connecticut
1282 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Urged to Vote/Sports About Unity, Not Hijab
1283 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FL Muslim Athlete Quits Over Team Attire
1284 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: NJ Issues New Halal Rules/Arab-Americans and Kerry
1285 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Immigrants and Voting/Muslim Scouts Hold Blood Drive/Golfers
Assaulted
1286 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Firebombs Thrown at TX Mosque/CA Muslims Attacked/Anti-Islam
Sign at PA Church
1287 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Texas Leaders Asked to Condemn Islamophobia
1288 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Must Vote/TX Rep Condemns Islamophobia
1289 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Calls for Release of All Hostages in Iraq
1290 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Internment of American Muslims?/Condemning Islamophobia
1291 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims React to Exclusion of Yusuf Islam
1292 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Asks President to Explain Exclusion of Yusuf Islam
1293 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Election Insights/Poll Shows Muslims Back Kerry
1294 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: James Yee to Speak at CAIR DC Dinner - Reserve Your Ticket
Today!
1295 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Say 'Killings Betray Our Faith'/Beheading Condemned
1296 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: GA Muslims Hold Service for American Killed in Iraq
1297 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Ohio Muslims Hold Town Hall Meeting on Elections
1298 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: MI Muslims to Hold Candidate Forum/Yusuf Islam's Statement
1299 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Pre-Election Arrests of Muslims?/Muslims Invite Bush, Kerry
to Swing State Meetings
1300 by: CAIR
---------------------------------
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--0-2073684868-1171822864=:63922
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/5/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: HOPE AND FEAR
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
- CAIR Launches Anti-Torture Campaign
* CAIR-FL: MUSLIMS URGED TO RENOUNCE TERROR (Sun Sentinel)
* MD: MUSLIM POLITICAL GROUPS SEEK UNIFIED VOICE (Balt Sun)
- CAIR-FL: Muslim Voters Recruited (Tampa Trib)
* CAIR-FL: MAN'S BOMB THREAT ARREST QUESTIONED (Sun Sentinel)
- CAIR-OH: Family Protests Treatment of Suspect (AFP)
- Canada: Muslim Subjected to Interrogation (Van Sun)
* CA: MUSLIM YOUTH SHARING THEIR FAITH (Fresno Bee)
* CAIR-AZ: QUESTIONS ON HOW FREE WE ARE LINGER (Arizona Trib)
* INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION (Orlando Sentinel)
- FL: Proud to be American (Orlando Sentinel)
* NB: FIREWORKS LOOK LIKE TERROR LEADERS (Sioux City Journal)
* AFGHAN MAN'S DEATH IS INVESTIGATED (NY Times)
* ISRAELI MIGHT HAVE WORKED AT ABU GHRAIB (AP)
- Israeli Soldier Filmed Abusing Palestinians (Haaretz)
- Israel Unleashed (Antiwar.Com)
- Israelis Kill 9-Year-Old Palestinian (AP)
- Israelis Say Sharon Is Expanding Outposts (AP)
* ARMY STAGE-MANAGED FALL OF HUSSEIN STATUE (LA Times)
- Boondocks Comic on Rumsfeld and Saddam
* FOR BANTU MUSLIMS, HARD-WON AMERICAN DREAMS (NY Times)
- Mutilating Africa's Daughters (New York Times)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: HOPE AND FEAR
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) visited a young man who was
dying
and asked him how he felt. The man replied: "I place my hope in God…but
I
am afraid because of my (past) sins." The Prophet then said: "(This
hope
and fear) cannot come together in a man's heart at such a time without
God
giving him what he hopes for and granting him security from what he
fears."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 504
-----
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
-----
CAIR-FL: MUSLIMS URGED TO RENOUNCE TERROR
Altaf Ali, Sun-Sentinel, 7/4/04
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/sfl-brmail794jul04,0,7747412.story
The Council on American-Islamic Relations-Florida calls on all Muslims
worldwide to sign our petition, "Not in the Name of Islam." The
petition
can be viewed at www.cair-florida.org. The petition reads:
"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.'"
-----
MD: MUSLIM POLITICAL GROUPS SEEK UNIFIED VOICE
Frank Langfitt, Baltimore Sun, 7/5/04
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.muslims05jul05,0,680827.story
When Baltimore City Council candidate Melvin Bilal held a fund-raiser
at a
local mosque in May, the black Republican drew 250 fellow Muslim
Americans,
including immigrants from India, Pakistan and the Arab world.
Among them was retailer Ahzar Ansari, originally from Karachi, who
donated
$1,000 to help put one of his brethren in office.
"We don't have any representative at all, anywhere in Baltimore City,"
said
Ansari, who plans to hang signs for Bilal's long-shot campaign in one
of
his Dollar Stores. "We have to start somewhere."
Bilal's fund-raiser captures what American Muslim political organizers
have
been working for: cooperation across ethnic lines. At a time when many
Muslims are anxious about civil rights and opposed to President Bush,
organizers want to develop a unified voice and gain a foothold in the
political system.
It's not easy. In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and
the
war in Iraq, the number of Muslims running for office nationwide has
dropped more than 80 percent.
Organizing American Muslims is also a challenge. Far from being a
monolithic group, they hail from about 80 countries and are often
divided
by linguistic, cultural and political differences that can outweigh
their
common faith.
Numbering from 3 million to 6 million - estimates vary widely - they
have
established a variety of public organizations. But none hold public
office
beyond the state level.
"There are so many groups, and they are so diverse," said Mohamed
Nimer,
author of The North American Muslim Resource Guide. "The major thing is
for
leaders in the community to start thinking of the Muslim population as
a
whole."
As the election approaches, Muslim activists are trying to do just
that.
In December, they created a national political umbrella organization,
the
American Muslim Task Force on Civil Rights and Elections, which
includes
the nation's nine largest Muslim groups. They're holding voter
registration
drives - with mixed results - and fielding seminars to teach political
organizing skills...
Muslims have had some success organizing across ethnic lines. The
Council
on American-Islamic Relations, a watchdog group, has drawn broad
support by
focusing on unifying concerns: civil rights and attacks on Islam....
SEE ALSO:
VOTERS RECRUITED AT MUSLIM CELEBRATION
KATHY STEELE, Tampa Tribune, 7/5/04
http://tampatrib.com/floridametronews/MGB2WG14AWD.html
TAMPA - A Sunday picnic in the park celebrated the nation's
Independence
Day with all-American ingredients: cotton candy, grilled chicken and a
basketball tournament…
But underlying the patriotic holiday event was a more serious purpose:
mobilizing Muslims to register and vote.
About 1,000 people were expected to attend the picnic on the campus of
the
Islamic Society of Tampa Bay on Sligh Avenue. The event was sponsored
by
the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a nonprofit Washington-based
advocacy group that is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Many national chapters of CAIR celebrated the anniversary in mid-June
but
Tampa's chapter combined it with the national holiday.
"It's a long weekend. We took advantage of that," said Ahmed Bedier,
Florida spokesman for CAIR.
The picnic included games and a performance by a Muslim hip-hop group,
The
Iron Triangle…
CAIR seeks to dispel stereotypes about Muslims and the Islamic faith,
but
Bedier said the attacks of Sept. 11 were a setback…
In typical July Fourth fare, political stump speeches were scheduled
about
7 p.m., although Bedier didn't know who would show up.
Hillsborough County Commissioner Pat Frank and Betty Castor, Democratic
candidate for U.S. Senate, were expected for speeches. Others invited
included Mayor Pam Iorio and U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, D-Tampa.
Local campaign workers in U.S. Sen. John Kerry's presidential bid
worked
the crowds.
"We're trying to inform them of what Kerry stands for," said Evita
Cheaib,
22, a member of CAIR, as she handed out papers on Kerry's position on
foreign policy and the economy.
A recent poll of Muslims showed Kerry with a lead among Muslims over
President Bush and Ralph Nader, Bedier said…
-----
MIAMI BEACH MAN'S BOMB THREAT ARREST QUESTIONED
Kevin Smith, Sun Sentinel, 7/3/04
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cprofile03jul03,0,2943757.story
Plantation · A Miami Beach man, arrested this week on charges he
threatened
to blow up an electronics store, was the victim either of a misguided
investigation or a misunderstanding, an advocacy group said Friday.
Plantation police, however, said the arrest was made only after a
complete
investigation, and the Broward County State Attorney's Office said it
was
reviewing the case before filing formal charges, as is common.
The arrest Tuesday of Taiser Okashah, 43, after a June 3 exchange that
was
reported to the police on June 5, was troubling, said Altaf Ali,
executive
director of the Florida office of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations.
"The community is very concerned that a very humble member of the
community, for asking a question about a rebate, can be put in jail,"
Ali
said during a news conference. Okashah, a Muslim, was being held
without
bond at Broward County Jail. He was charged by Plantation police with
threatening to detonate an explosive.
According to Ali, an arrest affidavit and a police report, the incident
began at 7:30 p.m. June 3, when Okashah went to the Best Buy store at
12301
W. Sunrise Blvd. and encountered sales representative Alejaundro
Schnakofsky. After discussing the purchase of a laptop computer,
Okashah
questioned whether he would get the rebate.
Schnakofsky said in a sworn statement that Okashah said, "I am going to
come back and blow up this place if I do not get my money this time."
But Okashah never introduced the idea of a bomb, according to Ali. "All
he
said was, `These rebates are a big lie,' and it appears the clerk
misunderstood that statement," Ali said...
---
FAMILY PROTEST US TREATMENT OF SOMALI TERROR SUSPECT
Agence France Presse, 7/4/04
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Relatives of Somali terror suspect Nuradin Abdi have
had a
hard time reconciling the man they know with the alleged bomb-plot
conspirator and dedicated jihadist that US authorities say he is.
But neither did they recognise the broken-down, at times incoherent
individual that appeared in court last month after six months in
solitary
confinement.
"He's the shell of the man we love and know," said his brother, Abdi
Karani, 27.
Abdi's relatives suspect that Abdi, 32, described as an outgoing
father-of-two, may have suffered a mental breakdown during his long
months
in custody. Some in this city's thriving Somali community of 30,000
question whether he was abused in prison.
"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," said Asma Mobin-Uddin, a physician and official with
the
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
"In America," she goes on in an editorial printed in the Columbus
Dispatch
newspaper June 24, "we considered the use of torture unacceptable in
civilised society.
"Has the war on terror changed our nation's values?"
Abdi was arrested in November 2003 on immigration violations, then
charged
in June with plotting to blow up a shopping mall in the US heartland
with a
convicted al-Qaeda conspirator...
Jad Humeidan, director of the Ohio chapter of CAIR, stressed that the
community's support was not unconditional. "We will not tolerate any
form
of terrorism or any act that jeopardizes the security of our nation or
the
world," he said.
But Humeidan said he feared that Abdi might simply be another unwitting
victim of over-zealous officials prosecuting the war on terror, much
like
the Oregon attorney Brandon Mayfield and the Muslim Army chaplain
Joseph
Yee...
---
A VANCOUVER RESIDENT WITH A MUSLIM NAME IS SUBJECTED TO AN HOUR-LONG
AIRPORT INTERROGATION, WHILE A TEXAS IMAM IS TURNED AWAY IN WHAT
CRITICS
SEE AS THE GROWING USE OF RACIAL PROFILING
Neal Hall, Vancouver Sun, 7/3/04
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/index.html
Vancouver resident Mohamed Khan was returning from London in May when
government airport officials checked his baggage and took him to a room
for
questioning, which lasted more than an hour.
"I was the only one out of 300 passengers to be thoroughly
interrogated,"
said Khan. "I was the only person taken to the side."
He feels the incident was the result of his name, which suggests he is
Muslim.
Previously, he said, he had been questioned about his reasons for going
to
Germany and the U.S., asked about where he stayed while overseas and if
he
was bringing more than $10,000 cash into Canada.
"I've been travelling since 1959," said Khan, a 71-year-old retired
travel
agent who calls himself a globetrotter. "I'm addicted to travelling."
But he is offended by the frequent questioning he has experienced at
Vancouver's airport, especially since the U.S. terrorist attacks of
Sept.
11, 2001.
He points out that he was born a British subject in Tanzania, his
parents
were born in India, he came to Canada in 1987 and became a Canadian
citizen
in 1991.
He has written letters of complaint about his treatment to Air Canada,
the
Canada Border Services Agency and Anne McLellan, the federal minister
of
pub-lic safety and emergency preparedness, who is in charge of border
security.
"It is racism and profiling based on a person whose name appears to be
Muslim," Khan said of his past experiences. He's not alone in that
sentiment...
-----
SHARING THEIR FAITH
Susie Vang, The Fresno Bee, 7/4/04
http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/8801879p-9688097c.html
Year after year, Zainab Munjy, 22, makes the drive from her Fresno home
to
join hundreds of Muslim families at Camp Green Meadows in Fish Camp.
About 250 people are expected to attend this year's 15th annual Youth
and
Adult Islamic Camp, hosted by the Muslim Society of Central California
near
the entrance to Yosemite National Park. The retreat, which began
Thursday
and ends Monday, attracts people of all races and nationalities who
share
the Islamic faith.
A few things have changed at the retreat since the 9/11 terrorist
attacks
and the war in Iraq, organizers said. There have been a few discussions
on
how Muslims could interact with and educate others about their faith.
And one of their new goals: Refute the misconception they say is
portrayed
by the media that Muslims are terrorists.
"Honestly, the majority of Muslims are very peaceful people," MSCC
President Hamid Akbar said. "They work hard."
There are about 20,000 Muslims in the San Joaquin Valley.
"One of the unique things about this camp is the dialogue between
different
nationalities," said Aslam Abdullah, editor-in-chief of two Muslim
publications. "We reflect the American pluralism."
Muslims come from New York, Montana and Florida to the tranquil
campground
neighboring one of America's most notable parks. Many of these American
citizens came from countries such as Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia,
India
and Lebanon. There are about 75 similar Muslim camps across the
country...
-----
QUESTIONS ON HOW FREE WE ARE LINGER FOR SOME IN THE E.V.
Gary Nelson, Tribune, 7/3/04
http://www.aztrib.com/index.php?sty=24188
Judging from the soft twang, a remnant of her Arkansas upbringing,
you'd
expect her to be, most likely, a Baptist. But you'd be wrong. Deedra
Abboud
is a Muslim, and she has tackled one of the toughest public relations
jobs
on the planet.
As executive director since February 2003 for the Arizona branch of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, Abboud defends Muslims from
infringements of their civil liberties and from the perception on the
part
of many Americans that all Muslims are somehow connected with
terrorism.
Many Valley Muslims are looking over their shoulders these days, Abboud
said from her Phoenix office.
"Any U.S. citizen or person who has a knock on their door from the FBI
that
'just wants to chat' is a little uneasy," Abboud said. That happened to
her
husband, a native of Iraq, once after Sept. 11, 2001, and once before
the
war in Iraq began last year.
It is not merely FBI agents making the visits, Abboud said. She's heard
reports that the short-handed FBI has delegated such investigations to
other law-enforcement agencies, and that Muslims are being questioned
at
work even though agents usually have the option to conduct such
interviews
in the subject's home.
"I can't even tell you how many calls I got last week, people saying,
'Oh, my God, I'm scared,'" Abboud said.
Her organization now counsels people not to speak to law officers more
than
once without a lawyer present, even though that can cost hundreds of
dollars. Interviews with lawyers on hand are a lot shorter, she said,
than
those where the subject tries to go it alone.
Muslims also are being singled out for extra attention at immigration
roadblocks on the way to San Diego and El Paso, Texas, she said. "It's
just
little things like this that gives us the perception that somehow
Muslims are second-class citizens."
Abboud believes Muslims also are being shouted down in the national
conversation about war, terror and other issues. "Pretty much, people
say
the only thing Muslims have a right to say in America is that we
condemn
terrorism. Beyond that, we're not supposed to say any thing," Abboud
said.
And more than 2 1/2 years after its passage, Abboud still gets the
willies
thinking about the USA Patriot Act.
-----
INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION PATRIOTIC PARTY
Brian Baskin, Orlando Sentinel, 7/3/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-locmuslimpatriots03070304jul03,1,7463251.story
There were sparklers and an enormous American flag at the Islamic
Society
of Central Florida's outdoor Fourth of July celebration Friday. There
also
were firefighters, a rock-climbing wall, potato salad and popcorn.
Then, an hour into the area Islamic community's first public
Independence
Day party, the sky opened up.
The party was hastily switched to an indoor affair to avoid wind gusts,
lightning and torrential rain.
Inside, there was still potato salad, a reading of the Declaration of
Independence and patriotic good cheer among the Muslims, Christians and
Jews who attended.
And most of the 100 people remaining after the storm died down couldn't
have cared less about the weather.
"I haven't stopped yet. The chicken keeps coming," said Keith Shaw, the
ISCF's official grill master and the only member wearing a cowboy hat.
"People are saying, `So what that it's raining? We want chicken.' "
The revelers gathered inside the ISCF community center in Orlando,
where a
local Boy Scout troop prepared to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, to
be
followed by speeches and more food.
The event was organized to remind people about the importance of giving
back, said Areej Zufari, ISCF communications director. Sandwiched
between
booths devoted to Muslim culture and food were opportunities to
register to
vote and donate blood...
ALSO SEE:
PROUD TO BE AMERICAN
Zaineh Khalil, Orlando Sentinel, 7/3/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-edpnewvoices03a070304jul03,1,294467.story
To me, being an American doesn't only mean the freedom and the liberty
given to me by the Founding Fathers. No, it's having the ability to
change
and influence what happens. It's giving what you have, and not
expecting
anything in return. It's smiling to your neighbor and volunteering at a
local home. It's eating barbecue chicken and watching the fireworks
over
Lake Eola.
I'm not of American origin, nor am I a Christian like the majority of
Americans. Rather, I'm of Arab descent and a Muslim. I don't like to
distinguish myself from other Americans, though. I like to say I'm an
American -- yes, indeed, a patriotic American Muslim.
You can never grow up in a country, and then say you're not part of it.
I
love America and all it has to offer. Living here, I've met some really
amazing people, and they've made me into a better person. I've learned
so
many things about life that I'm not sure I would have learned if I had
grown up in another country. Not only has my life in America taught me
tolerance, but it has also taught me to look at my cup as half full
rather
than half empty.
Recently, however, times and events have changed things. I start to
worry
about whether taking a jog alone would actually harm me rather than put
me
in better shape. Whether driving all the way to New York would be
easier
than taking a plane. Or whether helping a child up after he or she
falls
would be considered an act of kindness or a threat.
I really wish things didn't have to be this way. I've always had a pure
and
positive look at things; never have I assumed that being a patriotic
American could actually cause people to question who I am.
I love America, and I love being a Muslim....
-----
FIREWORKS IN LIKENESS OF TERROR LEADERS OFFERED AT NEBRASKA STANDS
Sioux City Journal, 7/3/04
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2004/07/03/news/regional/cd85d8f436413ff086256ec6001884fe.txt
PLATTSMOUTH, Neb. (AP) -- America's war on terrorism is playing out
this
Fourth of July at fireworks stands across the country with celebrants
being
offered a chance to figuratively blow up terror leaders.
The bin Laden Noggin, a cone-shaped firework decorated with a gun
wielded
on a green-faced cartoon of Osama bin Laden, has been a top seller at
Stars
and Stripes fireworks stands across Nebraska.
The business' owner, Keith Christensen, said he figured the bin Laden
Noggins would be popular, but not as popular as they have been.
"I've been busy trying to keep it on stands," he said.
When lit, the bin Laden cone erupts in blood red flames and screeches
loudly for 60 seconds, Christensen said. Bin Laden's so-called
execution
isn't complete until two shots blow his head off.
The cone sells for $1.99 each or $7.96 for a package titled "Exploding
Terrorists Heads," which also includes the likenesses of "Sadly Insane
(Saddam) Hussein," "Rag Hat (Yasser) Arafat" and "Cannibal (Moammar)
Gadhafi."
The terrorists fireworks also are distributed to vendors in Oklahoma,
Kansas, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana by Missouri-based Crazy Debbie's
Fireworks.
Lisa Myer of Papillion was appalled when she heard about the terrorists
fireworks while shopping at an Omaha-area stand for smoke bombs and
sparklers for her son.
"What are we trying to teach our children?" she asked.
Another fireworks shopper, Suzi Hoffman, thought the fireworks were a
good
idea.
"I thought they should have shot Saddam in the head when they found
him,"
she said. "So this is a great way to get your aggression out."
Hoffman, 40, said her husband returned home in May after spending eight
months working as an electrician in Baghdad.
Rabiah Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
in Washington, D.C., said she hopes the fireworks don't add to the
increased backlash Muslims have faced, particularly since the recent
beheadings of Americans in the Middle East.
"We have faith that most Americans using these fireworks can make a
distinction between a dictator and a terrorist and not to associate
them
with the religion or killing people," she said...
-----
AFGHAN MAN'S DEATH AT U.S. OUTPOST IS INVESTIGATED
Carlotta Gall, New York Times, 7/5/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/05/international/asia/05AFGH.html
ERESHK, Afghanistan - The American military is investigating the death
in
November of an Afghan man held in detention at an American military
outpost
here in southern Afghanistan.
There are now five deaths of Afghans in American detention that the
military is investigating.
The family of the dead man, Abdul Wahed, 28, charge that the Afghan
commander of security at the base was responsible for his torture and
death, and various local authorities back that account.
The Americans do not say whether their investigation is focusing on the
Afghan commander, Daoud Muhammad Khan, who is a figure about town and
can
be seen leading operations from the base.
American military spokesmen confirm that Mr. Wahed died on Nov. 6 at
the
base here. Some 70 American Special Forces soldiers at the base live
within
a perimeter of six bunkerlike positions maintained by an Afghan militia
force, who serve under murky lines of authority.
The American military has given few other details of the death...
-----
ISRAELI MIGHT HAVE WORKED AT ABU GHRAIB
Associated Press, 7/3/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4274209,00.html
The American general formerly in charge of Abu Ghraib prison says there
are
signs Israelis were involved in interrogating Iraqi detainees at
another
facility.
Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, who was suspended in May over allegations
of
prisoner abuse, said she met a man who told her he was Israeli during a
visit to a Baghdad intelligence center with a senior coalition general.
"I saw an individual there that I hadn't had the opportunity to meet
before, and I asked him what did he do there, was he an interpreter -
he
was clearly from the Middle East," Karpinski told British Broadcasting
Corp. radio in an interview broadcast Saturday. "He said, 'Well I do
some
of the interrogation here. I speak Arabic but I'm not an Arab; I'm from
Israel.'
"I was really kind of surprised by that ... He didn't elaborate any
more
than to say he was working with them and there were people from lots of
different places that were involved in the operation," Karpinski added.
Israel's Foreign Ministry told the BBC that reports of Israeli troops
or
interrogators in Iraq were "completely untrue." Israeli officials could
not
immediately be reached by The Associated Press.
The U.S. military has used private contract workers in the
interrogations
along with military personnel.
The presence of Israeli forces in Iraq would inflame opinion in the
Muslim
world, where many compare the abuse of prisoners by U.S. forces to
Israel's
treatment of Palestinian detainees...
SEE ALSO:
IDF FILMED PARATROOPER ABUSING PALESTINIANS
Haaretz, 7/7/04
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/447175.html
The Military Police last week arrested a sergeant in the Israel Defense
Forces Paratroopers Brigade on suspicion of abusing Palestinians when
he
commanded the Hawara checkpoint in the West Bank.
A crew from the IDF Education Corps filmed the sergeant's actions five
months ago, in the framework of a project to document military activity
at
the checkpoints.
The sergeant was dismissed from command two months ago by the commander
of
the Paratrooper Battalion in which he served.
The commander showed the sergeant the film, telling him he would not
hold a
command post, and was not even worthy of wearing the Paratroopers'
beret.
The sergeant was questioned by the military police last week, prior to
his
arrest, during which gave his version of the events.
The sergeant was filmed committing three separate acts of violence,
even
though he was aware that he was being photographed.
In one incident, he kicked a Palestinian man, while his wife and two
children were present. In a second incident, he slapped a handcuffed
Palestinian, then took him inside a nearby tent, where he beat him
further.
In the third instance, the sergeant was filmed shattering windows of
Palestinian cabs that had not queued in line at the checkpoint...
---
ISRAEL UNLEASHED
Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com, 7/5/04
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/
The Israelis just had to get in on the fun. But then the stories of
torture
- of hooded, humiliated inmates at Abu Ghraib and other facilities -
did
have a familiar air, as if the Israelis were tutoring their American
sock-puppets in the finer points of squeezing those ragheads until they
squealed. Torture - of the "mild" variety - has the official imprimatur
of
Israel's high court, and it makes perfect sense that the Israelis would
be
called in as "experts" in the art (science?) of corralling and
controlling
crowds of irksome Arabs, but this testimony from General Janis
Karpinski,
former commander at Abu Ghraib, explicitly fingers the Israelis:
Are Israelis among the interrogators in Iraq's prison camps? This
photo,
which we didn't publish until General Janis Karpsinski spilled the
beans,
strongly suggests that the answer is yes.
"I was visiting an interrogation facility one time - not under my
control,
but I was escorting a four-star. And he wanted to go back and observe
an
interrogation that was taking place. They asked me if I wanted to go
and I
said no. So I was standing there and, you know, the usual conversation,
just kind of chit-chat, there (were) three individuals there and two of
them had DCU pants on, one had a pair of blue jeans on, but they all
had
T-shirts on. They did not appear to be military people. And I said to
one
of the - one of them asked me, 'So what's new?' Or, 'What's challenging
about being a female general officer over here?' And I said, 'Oh! Too
long
a story, but it's all fun.' And I said to this guy who was sitting up
on
the counter, I said to him, 'Are you local?' Because he looked like he
was
Kuwaiti. I said, 'Are you an interpreter?' He said, 'No, I'm an
interrogator.' And I said, 'Oh, are you from here?' And he said, 'No,
actually, I'm from Israel.' And I was kind of shocked. And I think I
laughed. And I said, 'No, really?' And he said, 'No, really, I am.' And
-
but it was - I didn't pursue it, I just said, 'Oh, I visited your
country a
couple of years ago and I was amazed that there's so little difference
between the appearance of Israelis and Americans,' and - I really was
just
kind of making chit-chat at that point...
---
ISRAEL TROOPS KILL 9-YEAR-OLD PALESTINIAN
Ibrahim Barzak, Associated Press, 7/3/04
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040703_861.html
BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip - Israeli troops shot to death two Palestinian
boys
Saturday, pushing ahead with a broad military operation aimed at
preventing
militants from firing rockets at Israeli towns bordering the Gaza
Strip.
Nine-year-old Ehab Shatat was killed by machine gun fire, apparently
from a
tank-mounted gun, while standing near his home in Beit Hanoun in
northern
Gaza, Palestinian hospital and security officials said.
The army said it fired warning shots at a Palestinian mob that
approached
soldiers in a threatening manner, but it was not aware anyone was hit.
Hours later, troops killed a 16-year-old boy, who Palestinian hospital
and
security officials said apparently was shot by a machine gun.
---
ISRAELIS SAY SHARON IS EXPANDING OUTPOSTS
PETER ENAV, Associated Press, 7/5/04
JERUSALEM (AP) - In a display likely to increase U.S. displeasure with
Israel, an opposition lawmaker and former general Monday showed photos
of
four West Bank outposts he said proves the government is deceiving
Washington by expanding the enclaves instead of taking them down.
The settlement watchdog group Peace Now said it has counted 53 outposts
Israel is required to dismantle under the U.S.-backed ``road map''
peace
plan - or nearly twice the 28 named in a government list handed to the
Americans last week.
``There is a clear-cut case of flagrant deception and a breaking of the
promise to the Americans,'' legislator Ephraim Sneh from the Labor
Party
told reporters in displaying the ``before'' and ``after'' photos…
-----
ARMY STAGE-MANAGED FALL OF HUSSEIN STATUE
David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times, 7/5/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-na-statue3jul03,1,5285803.story
The Army's internal study of the war in Iraq criticizes some efforts by
its
own psychological operations units, but one spur-of-the-moment effort
last
year produced the most memorable image of the invasion.
As the Iraqi regime was collapsing on April 9, 2003, Marines converged
on
Firdos Square in central Baghdad, site of an enormous statue of Saddam
Hussein. It was a Marine colonel - not joyous Iraqi civilians, as was
widely assumed from the TV images - who decided to topple the statue,
the
Army report said. And it was a quick-thinking Army psychological
operations
team that made it appear to be a spontaneous Iraqi undertaking.
After the colonel - who was not named in the report - selected the
statue
as a "target of opportunity," the psychological team used loudspeakers
to
encourage Iraqi civilians to assist, according to an account by a unit
member.
But Marines had draped an American flag over the statue's face...
SEE ALSO:
BOONDOCKS COMIC ON RUMSFELD AND SADDAM
http://www.uclick.com/client/wpc/bo/
(See the July 5th comic.)
-----
FOR BANTU REFUGEES, HARD-WON AMERICAN DREAMS
By WILLIAM L. HAMILTON, New York Times, 7/5/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/05/national/05SETT.html
For Abkow Edow, a Bantu refugee from Somalia who now lives in Tucson,
the
Fourth of July was just another day. Though fireworks on the mountain
and a
reggae concert were scheduled, Mr. Edow was washing dishes at the
Westin La
Paloma Resort and Spa, wearing a baseball cap and thick rubber gloves
that
came up to his elbows. His wife, Madina Idle, was folding sheets and
towels
several corridors away in the vast underground complex below the desert
views, the fountains and the valet golf carts.
But work is good. If the Fourth was just another day, it was a day in
an
extraordinary year for the couple, their two children and a grandson.
Mr. Edow, 57, and Ms. Idle, 42, have found themselves, after 12 years
in
refugee camps, at the end of the rainbow: America.
"In Somalia, I dreamed of the United States, even though I didn't know
anything about it," Mr. Edow said, speaking through a translator like
the
other Bantu adults interviewed. America represents opportunity, Bantu
refugees say, which involves hard work, struggles with English,
discarding
cultural ways - like the physical disciplining of children and arranged
marriages - and a wary assimilation with Americans and other refugee
groups
in Tucson.
For them, independence is not a holiday but a daily engagement…
SEE ALSO:
MUTILATING AFRICA'S DAUGHTERS
TINA ROSENBERG, New York Times, 7/5/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/05/opinion/05MON3.html
One strategy that has proved effective is persuading religious leaders
to
dispel the widespread, erroneous belief that Islam calls for
circumcision.
Ms. Shuriye finally laid down her knife after Womankind brought liberal
Islamic clerics to see her, who convinced her that the practice was
nowhere
in the Koran. They also told her to apologize to her victims and offer
them
camels as compensation. Ms. Shuriye has no camels to give but has been
begging forgiveness from the women she cut. ''I now feel like I've
committed a sin against God,'' she says. In Mali, where local groups
are
very active, one of them, Sini Sanuman, just convinced one of the
country's
most important Islamic leaders to begin speaking out against it -- a
huge
victory.
-----
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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 - 7/6/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THE PROPHET'S SUPPLICATION
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
- CAIR Launches Anti-Torture Campaign
* INCITEMENT WATCH: 'ISLAM IS ROOTED IN EVIL'
* CAIR-MD/VA: Q&A ON POST 9-11 CIVIL LIBERTIES
- CAIR-CAN Featured in Program on Canadian Muslims
* CAIR-AZ: MUSLIMS SPEAKING AGAINST TERRORISM (EV Trib)
* BUSH SHOULDN'T TAKE MUSLIM VOTE FOR GRANTED (DM News)
- CAIR-CA: FBI to Expand Interviews with Arabs (AP)
* FL: MUSLIMS INVITE ORLANDO TO JULY 4TH PARTY (AP)
* CA: SCHOLARS IN LIMBO (Sac Bee)
- Jordanians Question U.S. Mideast Plan (Chicago Trib)
* US TROOPS KILL IRAQI CHILD AT CHECKPOINT (Reuters)
- More Than 100 Iraqi Children Imprisoned (Der Spiegel)
* NADER ASKS BUSH FOR FULL ACCOUNTING OF IRAQI DEATHS
* LOBBYING FOR THE PRO-ISRAEL CANDIDATES (Haaretz)
- Crooks' Bucks in Sen. Schumer's Coffers (NY Post)
* ISRAELIS PLEAD GUILTY IN NEW ZEALAND (JTA)
- Palestinian Professor, Son Killed In Raid (AP)
* AFGHAN DISTILLERY FACES STIFF CHALLENGES (WSJ)
* MD: MCC MUSLIM FAMILY DAY
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE PROPHET'S SUPPLICATION
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "O God, I seek refuge in
Thee from knowledge that does not (offer anything of) benefit, from a
heart
that does not fear (displeasing) You, from a soul that does not feel
contented, and from a supplication that is not answered."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1260
-----
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
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: 'ISLAM IS ROOTED IN EVIL'
CONSERVATIVE DARLING TIM BUELER CAN'T WAIT TO SLAUGHTER MUSLIMS
Gustavo Arellano, Orange County Weekly, July 2-8, 2004
http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/04/43/news-arellano.php
Like all incoming high school seniors, Tim Bueler has big plans after
graduation. The 17-year-old student at Rancho Cotate High School near
San
Francisco is acclaimed in conservative circles for starting the High
School
Conservative Clubs of America, an organization that is just what its
name
states. But instead of taking the next logical step and entering
politics,
Bueler plans to do what so many conservatives merely dream about: kill
Muslims.
Bueler revealed his after-graduation plans to an audience of about 130
at
the June 23 meeting of the Huntington Beach-based California Coalition
for
Immigration Reform (CCIR). He'd received nationwide attention after
establishing a "Conservative Hot Line" that urged Rancho Cotate
students to
rat out "the liberal traitors who call themselves teachers." The
ensuing
furor provoked 40 teachers to sign a letter challenging Bueler to cite
any
instances of liberal bias. Bueler took his story to the conservative
press,
which immediately transformed the lanky kid into a cause célèbre.
At the CCIR meeting, he took diligent notes as speakers launched into
the
group's usual anti-immigrant canards, snapping pictures of the elderly
crowd like a health inspector visiting a retirement home. In turn, the
CCIR
crowd doted on Bueler like a spoiled grandkid, especially after he
revealed
that his own family "no longer wants anything to do with me" because of
his
views.
"Over 3,000 of our own people died at the hands of illegal aliens and
their
religion of peace, Islam!" Bueler screamed. Soon after assuming the
podium,
he denounced George W. Bush as being soft on immigration, mocking him
for
expressing sympathy for migrants who die trying to cross the
U.S.-Mexican
border.
"The price of freedom, my friends, is paid in blood," Bueler boomed.
"The
blood of our ancestors. For hundreds of years, Americans have fought to
keep it and secure our freedom. And to extend the light of liberty to
other
countries. I'm not going to stand by and let some Third World illegal
immigrants from Mexico, the Middle East or any other country continue
to
destroy our language and our American culture.
"We're at a crossroads in America," Bueler continued. "If our
government is
not willing to enforce our immigration laws and uphold our laws, then
what
do we start to do? We take matters into our own hands."
That sentiment produced cheers from the crowd…
"Politics is not the answer," Bueler shot back. His eyes glinted as he
began explaining to the audience why he was no longer planning to
enroll at
a university. "I am tired of the religion of peace, Islam," Bueler
thundered. "I know that Islam is not peaceful-it's rooted in evil. And
these people have declared war against all of us, all of us being
Christians and Jews. And they want to do what they did to Daniel Pearl
and
Paul Johnson and Nick Berg to us. What I'm going to do is join the Army
Rangers…"
-----
CAIR-MD/VA: Q&A ON POST 9-11 CIVIL LIBERTIES
WHAT: On Saturday, July 10, the National Lawyers Guild and the Council
on
American-Islamic Relations Maryland & Virginia (CAIR-MD/VA) will
co-host a
Question & Answer Session on Post 9-11 Civil Liberties. Speakers will
discuss policies that impact the Muslim community post 9/11, including
special registration, immigration enforcement by state and local
police,
hate crimes, and detentions on immigration violations.
Speakers include:
* Shoba Sivaprasad, National Lawyers Guild, DC Chapter; Senior Policy
Associate, National Immigration Forum, Washington, DC
* Benjamin Johnson, Director, Immigration Policy Center, Washington, DC
* Jeanne Smoot, Public Policy Counsel, Tahirih Justice Center, Falls
Church, VA.
* Mujahid Idlibi, Director of Governmental Relations, Council on
American-Islamic Relations, Maryland-Virginia, Bethesda, MD
* Rizwan Mowlana, Executive Director of CAIR Maryland-Virginia
* Paromita Shah, National Lawyers Guild, DC Chapter; Detention Project,
Director, Capital Area Immigrants Rights Coalition, Washington, DC
(Tentative)
WHEN: Saturday, July 10, 2004, 2:00-4:00p.m. (Eastern Time)
WHERE: All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS Center), 46903 Sugarland
Road,
Sterling, VA Directions: http://www.adamscenter.org/Content.asp?ID=26
CONTACTS:
Shoba Sivaprasad, (202)-491-6520, shobikutti@worldnet.att.net
Mujahid Idlibi, (301)-986-1900, mujahid@cairmd.org
Parvez Khan, (703) 433-1325, ext. 101
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CAN FEATURED IN PROGRAM ON CANADIAN MUSLIMS
http://www.anewlife.ca/documentary/episode3.php
Dr. Sheema Khan is a founding director of the Muslim lobby organization
CAIR-CAN (Council on American-Islamic Relations Canada). She is a
tireless
volunteer and a national spokesperson for the Muslim community working
collectively with other interfaith and social action groups advocating
for
a more just and tolerant Canada. As a mother of three she is uses her
faith
in God to help her balance her family life, her career and her
volunteer
efforts.
-----
CAIR-AZ: MUSLIMS SPEAKING AGAINST TERRORISM
Deedra Abboud, East Valley Tribune, 7/3/04
http://epaper.aztrib.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:ArticleToMa
il&Type=text/html&Path=EVT/2004/07/03&ID=Ar02100
[Deedra Abboud is executive director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations of Arizona.]
We've heard over and over requests for moderate American Muslims to
speak
up and condemn terrorism. What we have not heard about are the large
number
of rallies, published opinions, newspaper ads, public service
announcements, press releases, and conferences initiated by Muslims and
Muslim organizations across the country doing just that.
Though many of us are speaking until our throats are hoarse, our
messages
do not seem to carry.
By all accounts, there are over 1 billion Muslims in the world. In
other
words, at least one in every five people on earth is a Muslim. Recent
Bombings in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq indicate that these
terrorists
will not discriminate between Muslims and non-Muslims to promote their
extremist ideology.
The recent abductions of Wassef Ali Hassoun, a U.S. Marine and Lebanese
Muslim, and Yusuf Amjad, a Pakistani Muslim employee of U.S. contractor
Kellogg Brown and Root, are further examples of this.
We've also heard that only Muslims can stop the extremists murdering
and
terrorizing the world in the name of Islam. In theory, this sounds
plausible.
However, in reality such is not the case.
If all it took to stop bad, evil, or sadistic behavior was a majority
condemning such actions, then child-sex tourism, child molestation,
domestic violence, discrimination, gangs and drug lords would be a
thing of
the past in the United States. A vast majority of Americans condemn
these
ills of our society…
-----
BUSH SHOULDN'T TAKE MUSLIM VOTE FOR GRANTED
WHAT'S ON MUSLIM MINDS?
William Mckenzie, Dallas Morning News, 7/6/04
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/columnists/wmckenzie/
stories/070604dnedintexasmuslims.a1f7a.html
I got to wondering what Muslim-Americans think about this year's
presidential election, especially given that so much has happened over
the
last four years. 9-11. Iraq. The Mideast. The Patriot Act. So I sat
down
with 11 North Texas members of this key religious swing group, and
here's
what I learned:
George W. Bush may have done well with Muslim voters in 2000, when he
won a
majority of Arab-Americans. But if the group I queried last week in
Richardson is any indication, he better not take their support for
granted.
It doesn't matter that the president has gone out of his way to say the
war
against terror is not a fight against Islam. The battle against
terrorism
feels that way to this group. "He needs a public campaign against
prejudice
against Islam," declared Uzma Feroze, a North Texan now living with her
children and husband in Dubai.
She's not alone. Participant after participant lambasted the way
America's
seen in the world, particularly in Muslim countries.
Then there's the Patriot Act. And the roundup of Muslims after 9-11.
Both
are far from forgotten.
After an hour of listening, it was no surprise to learn very few of
these
registered voters plan to support the president. The administration
could
dismiss this as an unscientific group. But their preferences track an
April
Zogby poll in the four states with the greatest Muslim populations…
ALSO SEE:
BUREAU TO EXPAND INTERVIEWS WITH U.S. ARABS
Larry Margasak, Associated Press, 7/6/04
http://www.examiner.com/article/index.cfm/i/070604b_terror
WASHINGTON -- Fearing terrorist attacks this summer and fall, the FBI
is
using its latest intelligence to expand interviews in U.S. communities
to
find al-Qaida operatives before they strike.
An FBI official said the interviews will be driven by information
gathered
by the 2004 Threat Task Force, composed of bureau agents and analysts
plus
experts from the intelligence community and Department of Homeland
Security.
The official said only a small number of interviews have taken place so
far, but they will be conducted on a larger scale in coming weeks.
A local activist said the Arab-American community in the Bay Area had
been
cooperative with the Justice Department in the past and was wary of the
stepped-up program of interviews.
"When will the suspicion end?" said Helal Omeira, the executive
director of
the S.F. Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"We've been so open, and three years later everyone is still a suspect.
We're just looking for that light at the end of the tunnel."
The FBI has conducted community interviews before, going into
Arab-American
neighborhoods after the Sept. 11 hijackings to seek information. And,
after
the United States invaded Iraq, the FBI interviewed thousands of
Iraqi-born
individuals living in the United States to try to uncover potential
terrorists and to protect the rest from hate crimes.
Omeira called local FBI agents "very professional" in their
interactions
with interviewees. However, citing cases of domestic attacks targeted
at
Muslims, he said the government was running a risk in continuing its
program of interviews. "It's a loss of credibility for the Department
of
Justice to focus on the Muslim community when there are so many other
things going on out there..."
-----
MUSLIMS INVITE ORLANDO TO JULY 4TH PARTY
Mike Schneider, Associated Press, 7/2/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Mus
lims%20Fourth%20of%20July
ORLANDO - After their afternoon prayers, members of the Islamic Society
of
Central Florida double-checked the moon-walk ride, unfolded American
flag
paper tablecloths and began barbecuing chicken for a Fourth of a July
open
house for the larger Orlando community.
The celebration, the first of its kind for central Florida's burgeoning
Muslim community, was as much about allowing non-Muslims to learn about
them as it was about fireworks and flag-waving.
"We're trying to break down stereotypes," said Areej Zufari, director
of
communications for the group.
The war in Iraq and the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks left many
American Muslims concerned about their acceptance in the United States.
Last month, a Muslim woman in Freeport, Ill. and a Muslim man in San
Diego
were reported to have been attacked by people who shouted anti-Muslim
slurs.
"There's a lot going on in the world, and we thought this was an
appropriate way to reaffirm our American values," Zufari said. During
the
celebration, a local broadcast personality read the Declaration of
Independence, firefighters allowed children to explore a fire truck and
children bounced on the moon-walk ride…
-----
SCHOLARS IN LIMBO
Lesli A. Maxwell and Emily Bazar, Sacramento Bee, 7/5/04
http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/9894099p-10816335c.html
Infected by a biting sand fly in the deserts of Iraq, hundreds of
American
soldiers are nursing unsightly sores known as the "Baghdad boil."
One of the world's leading experts on the fly - and the disease-causing
parasite it injects - conducts his research at the University of
California, Davis. But America's stepped-up visa scrutiny is preventing
Dia-Eldin A. Elnaiem from gathering the most critical component of his
research: the sand flies themselves.
After Elnaiem, a Sudanese national, was stranded in Brazil for more
than
six months awaiting permission to re-enter the country, he has become
too
fearful to travel abroad to collect samples or assume a coveted
position in
the World Health Organization.
His plight mirrors thousands of international students and scholars
afraid
to travel, delayed overseas or denied entry because of intense security
screening since Sept. 11, 2001.
The terrorist attacks and subsequent investigation into how they
occurred
exposed holes in an unwieldy exit and entry system that allowed
visitors to
abuse the terms of their visas.
Some who came to America on student visas never enrolled upon arriving
-
and the system for monitoring their whereabouts was spotty. Others did
enroll but stayed long after they were supposed to leave - again with
little consequence. At least one of the Sept. 11 hijackers entered the
country on a student visa but didn't attend the Oakland college to
which he
applied…
ALSO SEE:
JORDANIANS QUESTION U.S. MIDEAST PLAN
Ali Abunimah, Chicago Tribune, 7/6/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/
AMMAN - Every time I visit Amman, the U.S. embassy here seems to have
around it more high walls, concrete barricades and armored cars with
machine guns mounted atop. The massive building, bristling with
antennas
and satellite dishes, evokes a 21st Century version of the austere
windowless castles built here by European crusaders in the Middle Ages.
A short distance away is the official residence of the Israeli
ambassador,
ensconced in its own high walls. These two buildings, huddled together,
far
away from the bustle of the city and its people, make a good metaphor
for
the way the United States is increasingly seen here.
This is a tragedy, because Americans have always been welcomed in
Jordan,
and many I know have lived here happily for decades and still do.
Jordan is
no Saudi Arabia, and it remains a safe, cosmopolitan and tolerant
society
where one can live pretty much as one pleases as long as one shows
respect
for others.
Jordan, sandwiched between Palestine/Israel to the west and Iraq to the
east, is cited by American leaders as a "moderate" and "reforming" Arab
country in part because of these features, but primarily because it is
seen
as compliant with U.S. policies and has a peace treaty with Israel. Yet
this image is incomplete and misleading. While the Jordanian government
maintains very close ties to the United States, the views of ordinary
Jordanians, cutting across social classes, have never been more angry
at
and mistrustful of America, a recent poll by the Center for Strategic
Studies at Jordan University found.
The Iraq war ratcheted up these sentiments, but the central issue that
drives them is decades-long American support for Israel's policies at
the
expense of Palestinians…
-----
US TROOPS KILL IRAQI CHILD IN CHECKPOINT SHOOTING
Reuters, 7/6/04
http://www.bgnewsnet.com/story.php?sid=5918
BAGHDAD - U.S. soldiers killed an Iraqi child and wounded another when
they
fired on a car that failed to stop at a checkpoint in Baghdad, the army
said on Tuesday.
"Soldiers fired on the vehicle after the driver failed to obey verbal
and
visual instructions to stop, switched off the vehicle lights, and
forced
guards out of the way as he attempted to bypass the checkpoint," a U.S.
military statement said.
It said the incident happened late on Monday.
The statement said the mother and the wounded child were taken to
hospital
while the father, who was driving, was questioned by police.
Many Iraqis accuse U.S. soldiers of being too hasty to open fire and of
killing many innocent civilians. Baghdad residents say they often fail
to
notice poorly-lit and unannounced checkpoints while driving at night.
Power
cuts regularly plunge streets into darkness, making checkpoints even
harder
to spot…
ALSO SEE:
MORE THAN 100 CHILDREN IMPRISONED
Der Spiegel, 7/4/04
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6430.htm
According to information from the International Red Cross, more than a
100
children are imprisoned in Iraq, including in the infamous prison Abu
Ghraib.
The German TV magazine "Report" revealed that there has been abuse of
children and youth by the coalition forces.
Mainz - "Between January and May of this year we've registered 107
children, during 19 visits in 6 different detention locations" the
representative of the International Red Cross, Florian Westphal, told
the
TV station SWR's Magazine "Report Mainz". He noted that these were
places
of detention controlled by coalition troops. According to Westphal the
number of children held captive could be even higher.
The TV Magazine also reported of evidence and eye witness reports
according
to which U.S. soldiers also abused children and youthful detainees.
Samuel
Provance, a staff sergeant stationed in the now infamous Abu Ghraib
prison
said that interrogating officers had pressured a 15 or 16 year old
girl.
Military police had only intervened when the girl was already half
undressed. On another occasion, a 16 year old was soaked with water,
driven
through the cold, and then smeared with mud.
UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, confirmed the detention of
Iraqi children by foreign military according to "Report" which cited an
interim memorandum by the organization, The as yet unreleased report,
which
is dated June 2004, is quoted as follows: "Children who were detained
in
the cities of Kerbala and Basra because of alleged activities against
the
occupying forces were reportedly routinely sent to a detention camp at
Umm
Kasr. The classification of these children as detainees is worrisome
because it includes unspecified length of detention without contact to
their families pending further proceedings or legal actions"…
-----
NADER ASKS BUSH FOR FULL ACCOUNTING OF IRAQI DEATHS AND INJURIES
http://www.votenader.org/media_press/index.php?cid=87
Today, Independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader asked President
Bush
to provide the American public with a full accounting of American
casualties, illness and injury, physical and mental.
In the letter Nader notes: "the Pentagon does not have a comprehensive
accounting of the human toll of the war from the American side, not to
mention the larger toll on the Iraqi people." In particular Nader is
concerned about non-combat deaths and injuries as well as
disease-connected
sickness and mental illness.
Nader highlights "the gaping omissions in your Administration's
casualty
reporting" by noting "the disease known as Leishmaniasis"…
-----
LOBBYING FOR THE PRO-ISRAEL CANDIDATES
Nathan Guttman, Haaretz, 7/6/04
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/447265.html
Former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who is pro-Palestinian,
is
trying to get re-elected, and once again there is debate over the power
of
the pro-Israeli lobby in Washington.
On July 29, voters in the Fourth Congressional District in the state of
Georgia will decide who will represent the Democratic Party in the race
for
the district's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. This race, in
a
congressional district where most of the inhabitants are
African-American
and where there is only a tiny Jewish minority, is stirring great
interest
in the American Jewish community and reigniting - as it did two years
ago -
debates and accusations about over-intervention by Jews in the
political
system of the United States.
There is one reason for all of this: Cynthia McKinney, who is
contending
for the position.
McKinney is a well-known figure on the American political scene. A
member
of the House of Representatives for the Fourth District for five
consecutive terms, McKinney was considered one of the outstanding
spokeswomen for the African-American caucus in Congress.
However, her sharp tongue, her acute criticism of the administration
and
her clear pro-Palestinian line led, ultimately, to her failure in the
2002
elections. For the Jewish community, it was her problematic voting
record
on Israel and the Middle East, and for the moderate voices in her party
it
was her claim in the year following 9/11 that senior people in the
administration had known about Al Qaida's intention to carry out the
attacks, and that there are many who have profited from the war on
terror.
All of these elements came together in a coalition whose goal was
getting
McKinney out of Congress. This they achieved, getting Denise Majette
nominated and elected thanks to broad public support and a massive flow
of
donations.
But after serving only one term in the House, Majette has decided to
run
for the Senate - a move considered a very long shot by all the
political
commentators monitoring the candidates in Georgia. With the House seat
for
the Fourth District in Georgia now wide open, Cynthia McKinney is back
in
the picture, promising to re-conquer her seat in Congress after two
years
in political exile…
ALSO SEE:
CROOKS' BUCKS IN CHUCK'S COFFERS
NY Post, 7/6/04
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/26817.htm
ALBANY - Sen. Charles Schumer has accepted thousands of dollars in
campaign
donations from convicted criminals, The Post has found.
Only after told of the donations by The Post did the Schumer campaign
say
it would give $17,000 in questionable contributions to charity.
Schumer (D-N.Y.) received $10,000 from officials convicted in
connection
with an accounting scandal at Long Island-based Computer Associates,
including $4,000 between 1999 and 2003 from Ira Zar, the company's
former
chief financial officer, according to a review of Schumer's
campaign-finance records.
Zar pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy, securities fraud and
obstruction
of a federal probe into an accounting scandal at Computer Associates.
Schumer also received thousands of dollars from two other Computer
Associates execs: David Kaplan, a former VP of finance who pleaded
guilty
to obstruction and conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and Lloyd
Silverstein, a former finance executive who pleaded guilty to
obstruction
of justice.
The incumbent senator also accepted $2,000 from George Lindemann Jr.,
who
was convicted in 1996 of ordering the killing of a show horse in order
to
collect insurance money.
In addition, Schumer accepted $4,000 from Solomon Weiss, a former
Warner
Communications executive convicted of taking bribes.
And he received $1,000 from former Court of Appeals Chief Justice Sol
Wachtler, who was convicted of stalking his mistress and threatening to
kidnap her daughter.
A Schumer aide said the senator will give all six of the crooks'
contributions to charity.
Campaign aides to Schumer's Republican opponent, upstate Assemblyman
Howard
Mills, noted that the latest disclosure comes after Schumer agreed to
return nearly $20,000 to the federal government after billing taxpayers
for
35 trips that were political in nature.
"The more you know about Chuck Schumer, the more questions you have
about
how he conducts his affairs," said Mills campaign spokeswoman Caroline
Quartararo.
-----
ISRAELIS PLEAD GUILTY IN NEW ZEALAND
Henry Benjamin, JTA, 7/5/04
http://jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=Mossad+in+New+Zealand%3F&intca
tegoryid=2&SearchOptimize=Jewish+News
SYDNEY, Australia - Two Israelis suspected by New Zealand authorities
of
being Mossad agents have pleaded guilty to unlawfully attempting to
obtain
a New Zealand passport.
Uri Kelman, 30, and Elisha Cara, 50, pleaded guilty in Auckland's High
Court last week. They will remain in custody until a July 15 sentencing
hearing. The crime carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.
The men had been on bail since their first court appearance in April.
Two
other charges against the men of conspiracy for being part of an
organized
crime syndicate have been dropped.
The New Zealand Herald said the guilty plea was to prevent the
prosecution
bringing "diplomatically embarrassing" evidence that the men indeed
were
Mossad agents involved in criminal activity in New Zealand.
But a major New Zealand television station, TVN, sent a camera crew to
Israel to investigate the alleged Mossad connections, but they found
nothing definitive.
There have been rising tensions recently between New Zealand and
Israel.
Last month, the New Zealand Government openly criticized Israel's
policy of
bulldozing Palestinian homes and donated $534,000 to aid homeless
Palestinians.
In May, two officials from the Jewish Agency for Israel were detained
at
Auckland Airport on suspicion that the two were Mossad agents,
drug-runners
or illegally transporting food across borders. One of them reported
that he
had been told by a customs agent, "We are treating all you Israelis the
same - you are nothing but drug dealers and spies."
In the passport case, Kelman and Cara applied for a New Zealand
passport
using the birth certificate of a wheelchair-bound cerebral palsy
victim.
Two other men were suspected of being involved in the crime. Zev
William
Barkan, a neighbor of the cerebral palsy patient, has fled the country.
A
fourth man remains unidentified.
After an earlier hearing, Cara denied that he had any connections to
Mossad. But New Zealand's acting foreign minister, Jim Sutton, said at
the
time that the men were "representatives of the Israeli government."
The arrests spawned a diplomatic brouhaha between New Zealand and the
Israeli Embassy in Canberra, Australia, which is responsible for New
Zealand.
New Zealand media reported that the acting ambassador, Orna Sagiv, had
been
summoned to New Zealand where she was "read the riot act." The embassy
did
not respond to requests for interviews about the story.
Cara had been to New Zealand many times. He lived in Sydney, Australia,
where he allegedly ran a travel agency. His wife and children have
since
returned to Israel.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark has refused to comment until
after
sentencing, but observers said her government likely would re-evaluate
the
policy of granting visas to visiting Israelis following the hearing. At
present, Israelis do not need a visa to visit the country.
Sagiv also refused to comment on the case until after the sentencing.
Geoff
Levy, co-president of the Auckland Jewish Council and a lawyer on the
team
defending Cara, told JTA, "Jews in Auckland are not happy with the
attention the media has whipped up with regard to this case."
---
PALESTINIAN PROFESSOR, SON KILLED IN RAID
Ali Daraghmeh, Associated Press, 7/5/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slu
g=Palestinians%20Raid
NABLUS, West Bank - For two hours, Khaled Sallah and his family huddled
on
the floor of their apartment early Tuesday as the army poured machine
gun
fire into the building and helicopter gunships pounded the roof with
rockets, trading fire with a fugitive gunman.
But as Sallah, 50, tried to negotiate an exit from the building, a
single
bullet hit him in the neck, relatives said. His 16-year-old son
Mohammed
tried to rescue him when another bullet caught the teen in the mouth
and
killed him.
Sallah, an American-educated computer science professor, and his son
were
killed during an arrest raid by Israeli commandos in the Ein Beit Ilma
refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus. An Israeli officer and
two
Palestinian gunmen also were killed in the nightlong battle.
In nearly four years of fighting, hundreds of civilians have been
killed on
both sides. Gun battles often rage in crowded population centers, where
walls and doors offer little protection against large-caliber bullets.
Maj. Sharon Feingold, an Israeli army spokeswoman, said the military
regretted the deaths of the two civilians Tuesday. ``But any time the
terrorists use civilians as cover these things happen,'' she said,
adding
that the two militants killed in the fighting had been behind a string
of
attacks against Israelis.
Palestinians allege that troops often fire randomly in densely
populated
areas, with little regard for possibly injury to bystanders.
The latest incident began just after midnight when soldiers cornered
two
local leaders of the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine, a
violent PLO faction.
In the initial exchange of fire, the Israeli officer and a Palestinian
gunman were killed, Feingold said. The second fugitive fled into to the
building where the Sallah family lives...
-----
AN AFGHANISTAN DISTILLERY BREWS UP THE MEDICINE PEOPLE THERE STILL
CRAVE
Yaroslav Trofimov, Wall Street Journal, 7/6/04
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108907412346655730,00.html?mod=home%5Fpag
e%5Fone%5Fus
KABUL, Afghanistan -- As the pungent smell of fermenting raisins wafted
through the Supplementary Medical and Technical Materials Industry
Establishment here, Said Anwary spread a stack of yellowed bottle
labels on
his polished desk and recalled what this decrepit factory on the edge
of
Kabul made in its heyday.
"Whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, grappa, peach liquor, white wine, red wine
--
and, of course, brandy, the most famous of them all," he recited. "We
were
so good, we could hold our own against the best in the world. And we
can do
it again."
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, this distillery -- then known as
Afghan-Clemd
-- was renowned around Central Asia for its sticky brown brandy, and
for
the wines of Kandahar grapes that won a gold medal in Bulgaria.
Since then, Afghanistan has become one of the world's most pious Muslim
societies. And, while the radical Taliban theocracy is gone, President
Hamid Karzai's new Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan still
welcomes
visitors with a stern warning that all alcohol and pork products, both
forbidden by Islamic law, will be confiscated at customs. The one thing
the
plant is officially allowed to produce now is medical and technical
alcohol.
Mr. Anwary's open campaigning to start making brandy again shows just
how
far Afghanistan has already moved from its harsh recent past. The
distillery's limbo status is also proof that, after decades of brutal
jihad, the country is a long way from the level of tolerance it
displayed
before Afghanistan's gentle monarchy was overthrown 31 years ago.
The state-owned distillery was established with Italian help during the
reign of the last king, Zahir Shah. In 1968, he outflanked religious
objections by saying the booze it produced would be sold only to
non-Muslim
expatriates. But as the distiller was betting, Muslim Afghans quickly
became the main customers.
Under Mr. Anwary, Afghan-Clemd's top executive from 1977 to 1986, the
distillery rapidly expanded to become one of the main revenue sources
for
the Afghan state, contributing as much as $60 million (48.7 million
euros)
a year. The zenith came under Soviet occupation, as Kabul's Communist
rulers fought against Islamic "prejudices" and U.S.-backed Islamist
guerrillas known as the mujahedeen. At the time, Kabul was relatively
peaceful, and the city's streets -- where pale-blue burkas are common
today
-- were filled with unveiled women wearing high heels and miniskirts.
Mr.
Anwary was selling 5,000 bottles of liquor a day...
Indeed, a casual visitor to Kabul wouldn't guess that this is
officially a
dry city. With police only occasionally enforcing alcohol laws, and
with
thousands of aid workers, U.N. staff and other expatriates exempt from
the
booze ban, imported drinks -- and pork chops -- are openly served in
dozens
of city restaurants. ISAF even runs a special Kabul supermarket where
any
non-Afghan can buy duty-free liquor by the case...
-----
MCC MUSLIM FAMILY DAY
WHAT: The Muslim Community Center of Silver Spring, MD, will be hosting
its
annual Muslim Family Day at Six Flags. There will be reserved prayer
area
and Halal food
WHEN: Saturday, July 10
WHERE: Six Flags
Tickets are available ($20) from MCC, ICM, PGMA, Halalco, Adams Center
ICL, Indus Food
(Children 3 and under are free)
The Muslim Community Center, 15200 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring,
MD
20905, 301-384-3454 (Ext 10)
-----
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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
-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
BOMB EXPLODES OUTSIDE TEXAS MOSQUE
(HOUSTON, TX, 7/7/04) - The Houston office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston) and the Islamic Society of
Greater Houston will hold a news conference today to ask that local and
national law enforcement authorities investigate a weekend bomb attack
on
an area mosque as a possible hate crime.
WHEN: July 7, 2 p.m. (Central)
WHERE: Champions Masjid, 6700 Old Louetta Road, Spring, Texas
CONTACT: CAIR-Houston, 713-838-2247, 832-814-5554, 832-656-0449
According to police reports and eyewitnesses, a home-made bomb exploded
on
Sunday in the mailbox of Champions Masjid in Spring, Texas. Muslim
children
who saw two white men place the bomb in the mailbox narrowly missed
being
injured in the attack.
"Law enforcement authorities need to determine whether this attack was
random criminal behavior tied to the Fourth of July holiday or was
instead
motivated by anti-Muslim bias," said CAIR-Houston Executive Director
Iesa
Galloway.
Sunday's bombing was just the latest in a series of suspicious
incidents at
the same mosque. In June, a number of dead fish were dumped near the
entrance of the mosque. Worshipers have also reported verbal harassment
in
the recent past.
Other Islamic institutions and businesses in Texas have been targeted.
Earlier this year, a man was arrested for threatening an El Paso
Islamic
center, 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.
Incidents targeting Muslim individuals and Islamic centers have
occurred
recently across America. A Muslim woman driver in Illinois and a Muslim
shopper in California were assaulted at the end of June by attackers
shouting anti-Muslim and racist slurs.
In Florida, vandals wrote "Kill all Muslims" inside the Islamic
Community
Center in the Tampa suburb of Lutz. The FBI is also investigating
vandalism
and threatening messages targeting the Islamic Community of Southwest
Florida in Charlotte Harbor. In Missouri, vandals painted a Nazi
swastika
and the word "die" on an addition under construction at the Islamic
Foundation of Greater St. Louis. Three Miami Islamic centers were
vandalized.
In response to these incidents, CAIR published a "Muslim Community
Safety
Kit." The safety kit may be obtained by e-mailing pubs@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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/7/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: MANY FORMS OF CHARITY
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
- CAIR Launches Anti-Torture Campaign
* CAIR CONDUCTS DIVERSITY TRAINING FOR NASA
* CAIR ELECTION UPDATE #11: ECONOMY AND VP SELECTION
* REP. JACKSON LEE CONDEMNS BOMB ATTACK ON TX MOSQUE
- CAIR: Bomb Explodes Outside Texas Mosque
* CON ARTIST TARGETS MUSLIMS IN FL AND CA
* CAIR-OHIO: MED CENTER PERMITS HEAD SCARVES (CD)
* FL: HE FOUND TRUTH IN ISLAM (Hernando Today)
* REP EXPECTS BIAS VICTIM'S FAMILY TO GET PERMITS (AP)
- Rescuing What Hatred Tried to Kill (NY Times)
* CHRISTIAN ZIONISTS: MIXING PROPHECY AND POLITICS (CSM)
- The Price of Brainwashing (Haaretz)
* CHINA USES WAR ON TERROR TO PERSECUTE UIGHURS (AFP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: MANY FORMS OF CHARITY
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Charity is prescribed
for
each descendant of Adam every day the sun rises." He was then asked:
"From
what do we give charity every day?" The Prophet answered: "The doors of
goodness are many...enjoining good, forbidding evil, removing harm from
the
road, listening to the deaf, leading the blind, guiding one to the
object
of his need, hurrying with the strength of one's legs to one in sorrow
who
is asking for help, and supporting the feeble with the strength of
one's
arms--all of these are charity prescribed for you."
He also said: "Your smile for your brother is charity."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 98
-----
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
-----
CAIR CONDUCTS DIVERSITY TRAINING FOR NASA
CAIR's Civil Rights Department today conducted a sensitivity and
diversity
training workshop, entitled "Understanding Islam and Muslims," at NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The workshop was also
broadcast live to other NASA employees.
CAIR Civil Rights Department staffers Khadija Athman, Tariq Mangru and
Engy
Abdelkader presented the workshop, which focused on basic Islamic
beliefs,
the accommodation of religious practices in the workplace, issues
related
to anti-Muslim stereotyping and bias, and the common values shared by
all
religions.
-----
CAIR ELECTION UPDATE #11: ECONOMY AND VP SELECTION
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/jul062004.asp
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1) RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE
Economy
- Fed Raises Key Interest Rate
- Bush Campaign: 1.5 Million New Jobs Created Over Past Ten Months
- Bush, Kerry Position on Taxes Compared
Perspective
- Economy Still Improving, But at Somewhat Lower Rate
- Service Base Drives June's Job Growth
- Most States Out Of Financial "Crisis Mode" As Tax Revenues Rebound
VP Selection:
- Kerry Picks Edwards as Running Mate
- Bush Campaign Describes Edwards as Kerry's Second Choice
Iraq
- Kerry Calls for a Realistic Path in Iraq
- Nader Asks Bush for Full Accounting of Iraqi Deaths and Injuries
Urges
Kerry to Join in this Request
Ethnic Outreach
- Churchgoers Get Direction from Bush Campaign
- Bush Campaign Wants Church Lists
- Baptists Angry at Bush Campaign Tactics
- Courting Minorities, Kerry Promises Expanded College Access
Civil Rights
- Administration Changing Review at Guantánamo Bay
- Statement of John Kerry on the 40th Anniversary of the Civil Rights
Act
of 1964
Immigration
- Kerry against Licenses for Illegal Immigrants
- Kerry Vows Action for Migrants
Government Reform
- Badnarik says Congress taking away citizens' rights
Health Care
- Kerry Campaign Statement on Health Care Costs
Energy
- Nader Highlights His Energy Policy
Family
- Kerry Says He Believes Life Starts at Conception
Farmers
- Bush Campaign's Policy Memo on Rural America
- Kerry Pledges to Support Farmers
2) COMMUNITY ACTIVISM
- Michael Badnarik Meets with the American Muslim Task Force for Civil
Rights and Elections
- Muslim Political Groups Seek Unified Voice
- FL: Muslim Voters Recruited
- CA: Activist Plans Faith-Based Panel on Middle East Peace
3) NATIONAL, STATE & LOCAL
- Coalition seeks Ashcroft's Resignation
- Group to Ask Libraries about Government Requests for Patron Records
- GAO Judges Iraq War Efforts Harshly
- GA: Iraq Looms Large in 4th District Primary
- CT: Rep. Shays Stands by his Position That Invading Iraq was Right
- CA: San Francisco Group Wants to Put a "Bring the Troops Home"
Resolution
on the November Ballot
- FL: Graham Defends Castor in Al-Arian case
- Online Porn Law Blocked by Court
- PA: Governor Rendell Signs Slot Bill
To send local news stories, feedback, and comments please email:
politics@cair-net.org
-----
CON ARTIST TARGETS MUSLIMS IN FLORIDA AND CALIFORNIA
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
is
warning Muslims in Florida and California about a con artist who seeks
money by impersonating well-known personalities in the Muslim world.
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.
Today CAIR received a report from a Muslim institution in Florida that
stated: "Our Imam knew immediately that we were dealing with the
impostors
due to the email information from CAIR about similar incidents that
happened in other cities."
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
-----
CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE CONDEMNS BOMB ATTACK ON HOUSTON-AREA
MOSQUE Congresswoman Stands with Muslim Community against Hate Crimes
http://www.jacksonlee.house.gov/
Congresswoman Jackson Lee stated today, "Its sickening to me that
people
could commit acts of violence against a peaceful community simply
because
of their faith. It is imperative that Houston area law enforcement in
conjunction with the FBI immediately investigate this matter as a
possible
hate crime...It is saddening to me that there are Americans who would
commit hate crimes against Muslim-Americans, but their bigotry will not
deter our nation from treating people of all faith with equality and
dignity."
SEE ALSO:
BOMB EXPLODES OUTSIDE TEXAS MOSQUE
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1100&page=NR
-----
OSU MED CENTER PERMITS HEAD SCARVES
Robert Ruth, Columbus Dispatch, 6/7/04
http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2004/07/07/20040707-B3-01.html
An upcoming change in the dress code for the janitorial staff of the
Ohio
State University Medical Center had worried female employees who wear
head
scarves as part of their Muslim faith.
But concerns that the hijabs would be banned were shortlived.
A phone conversation last week between David Abbott, director of the
hospital s facilities services, and Ahmad Al-Akhras, president of the
Ohio
chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, quickly resolved
the
issue.
Yesterday, Abbott called it a misunderstanding.
By mid-August, the hospital will require its 200 housekeeping employees
to
wear black-and-gray uniforms, but the institution never intended to
outlaw
hijabs, he said.
However, several of the hospital s Somali women, hired through a
temporary
employment agency, were told the scarves would be outlawed, Al-Akhras
said.
Al-Akhras praised the hospital for quickly clearing up the confusion.
"We are very encouraged by the willingness of the . . . medical center
to
accommodate the religious needs of its workers," he said.
Similar misunderstandings crop up periodically in the central Ohio
business
world, Al-Akhras said.
Many of the area s Muslims are recent immigrants employed in low-paying
jobs, he said. They often are apprehensive about speaking up.
"Our Islamic faith mandates women cover their heads," he said. "We want
to
bring this issue to the larger community. As long as hijabs are not
creating a hardship on an employer, they should be allowed. Banning
them
represents religious discrimination."
The hospital s current dress code requires janitors to wear blue pants
and
white striped shirts. The code does not mention head scarves, Abbott
said.
Not only will the new code make it clear hijabs are acceptable, Abbott
said, but his department also will require supervisors to attend
seminars
about Islamic culture.
-----
HE FOUND TRUTH IN ISLAM
Ray Reyes, Hernando Today, 7/5/04
http://www.hernandotoday.com/MGBXINB6BWD.html
SPRING HILL - His life's journey brought him here, to this place of
contentment. To this small business, Custom Computer Repair &
Networking,
LLC, at 6203 Deltona Blvd. To this space behind a glass counter, where
the
frazzled innards of computer monitors and hard drives receive their
remedies. Here, Lance McElmurry patches up processors gone buggy, or
offers
network solutions for the home or office. Here, McElmurry often prays.
After nearly a decade of searching, McElmurry, once a Christian, at one
time a soldier in the U.S. Army, finally found God. "Alhamdulillah,"
McElmurry said. It means, "Praise be to God." McElmurry, 33, began
saying
that phrase of thanks in 1996, when he converted to Islam. He had
thirsted
for truth. It was slaked after his conversion, McElmurry said. "When I
started reading the Qur'an, everything started making sense," McElmurry
said. "I already had most of (Islam's) beliefs. I just didn't know the
proper names."
'Searching for the truth'
When Lance McElmurry talks, his voice twangs. It's an earthy tone, as
grounded as the hot acres of a South Carolina tobacco farm, where he
was
born and raised.
He grew up in a Southern Baptist family, outside the small town of
Darlington, S.C., close to the buckle of the Bible belt. In his early
adulthood, McElmurry was always at church on Sundays. "All kinds of
Christian churches," he said. "Searching for the truth."
He found it while assigned to the U.S. Army's 160th Special Operations
Aviation Regiment. McElmurry accepted Islam while he was in Bosnia on a
peacekeeping mission. His ex-wife is Muslim, McElmurry said, so while
he
was married to her for two years, he became familiar with the religion.
All
the pieces clicked in his head and in his heart when he was in Bosnia.
He
said Islam resonated closely with his personal philosophies about life.
Did
his conversion form a strain on the rest of his Southern Baptist
family?
"My mother's fine with it," McElmurry said. "She wishes our religions
were
still the same, but we both believe that all things come from God."…
-----
CONGRESSMAN EXPECTS BIAS VICTIM'S FAMILY TO GET PERMITS
Associated Press, 7/6/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--backlashvictim0706jul06,0,6695268.story
WASHINGTON - Lawmakers have approved legislation that would grant
permanent
residency to the widow and daughters of a Pakistani national slain in a
post-Sept. 11 hate crime.
The private relief bill _ a type of legislation that affects only a
specific person or group of people _ has been called a last chance for
Waqar Hasan's wife and children to remain in the United States.
The measure sponsored by Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., was approved Tuesday
by
the House of Representatives and now goes to the U.S. Senate.
"I believe that there is no more crucial time to demonstrate to Muslims
in
America and around the world that we are a tolerant and sympathetic
people," Holt said. "We must seize opportunities to showcase America's
commitment to the democratic values that we are making great sacrifices
to
promote overseas."
The 46-year-old Hasan was shot to death in a Dallas convenience store
he
owned, four days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks…
ALSO SEE:
RESCUING WHAT HATRED TRIED TO KILL
Peter Applebome, NY Times, 7/7/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/07/nyregion/07towns.html
DURI HASAN was in her car on the way to the halal meat market in
Highland
Park when the call came from Representative Rush D. Holt's office in
Washington.
"Do you know what happened two minutes ago?'' the caller asked. Mrs.
Hasan
could guess, but she was too scared to speak the words. "The House of
Representatives passed the bill.''
Mrs. Hasan offered her thanks and then began frantically calling her
sister
and her daughters, wondering to herself if this really might be it -
the
guarantee three years after her husband was murdered in the aftermath
of
Sept. 11, 2001, that his death would not kill his dream. If so, it's a
rare
island of unity and good will, of disparate people coming together to
do
the right thing, in the sea of division and rancor 9/11 helped bring
about.
On Sept. 15, 2001, a young man named Mark Anthony Stroman walked into a
convenience store in Dallas and shot Waqar Hasan, 46, a Pakistani
immigrant, in the face. He said he did "what every American wanted to
do
but didn't" - commit a murder to avenge 9/11. He picked Mr. Hasan, who
was
beginning a convenience store business as a prelude to moving his wife
and
four daughters to Texas, because Mr. Hasan's face, the gunman decided,
was
the face of America's enemy.
But along with the tragedy of her husband's death, Mrs. Hasan and her
four
daughters soon learned they faced another nightmare - since his family
had
come to the United States on his visa, their applications for visas and
green cards died when he did. Under federal immigration law, they were
subject to deportation, with no alternative path to legal residency...
-----
MIXING PROPHECY AND POLITICS
Jane Lampman, Christian Science Monitor, 7/7/04
http://csmonitor.com/2004/0707/p15s01-lire.html
Christian Zionists are growing in influence - even as they fight for
policies their critics say work against peace in the Mideast. For these
believers, it's all about fulfilling biblical prophecy.
JERUSALEM - Ray Sanders and his wife, Sharon, grew up on farms in the
American Midwest, but Israel has long been their home. Their journey
began
in the 1970s, when they read Hal Lindsey's apocalyptic bestseller, "The
Late Great Planet Earth," which laid out a scenario for the end of the
world according to a literal interpretation of Bible prophecies.
"That awakened our understanding to Israel and its prophetic role in
the
Last Days," Mr. Sanders explains in his spacious Jerusalem office.
"That
was a real paradigm shift in our lives."
That shift spurred the couple to leave their jobs, attend Bible college
in
Texas, and move to Jerusalem, where in 1985 they helped found a
biblical
Zionist organization called Christian Friends of Israel (CFI).
With a handful of similar groups here they are marshalling financial
and
moral support from evangelical Christians around the world, and
particularly in the United States, to fulfill what they see as their
role
in an unfolding final drama.
Christian Zionists, an Evangelical subset whose ranks are estimated at
20
million in the US, have in the past two decades poured millions of
dollars
of donations into Israel, formed a tight alliance with the Likud and
other
Israeli politicians seeking an expanded "Greater Israel," and mobilized
grass-roots efforts to get the US to adopt a similar policy.
Christian Zionist leaders today have access to the White House and
strong
support within Congress, including the backing of the two most recent
majority leaders in the House of Representatives.
For many Jews, the enthusiastic support of these evangelical Christians
is
welcome at a time of terrorism and rising anti-Semitism. Several
Israeli
leaders have called them "the best friends Israel has."
But other Jews and Christians have begun speaking against the alliance,
which they see as a dangerous mix of religion and politics that is
harmful
to Israel and endangers prospects for peace with the Palestinians…
SEE ALSO:
THE PRICE OF BRAINWASHING
Daniel Ben-Simon, Haaretz, 7/6/04
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/447719.html
MONTREAL - Meeting with Jewish communities overseas nowadays yields
quite a
few surprises. They saw anxious and pained Israelis in the shadows of
terror attacks and mourned with them. The years of intifada brought
Diaspora Jews closer to Israel because they felt that the existential
crisis for Israel was as great as it was in the days of the Yom Kippur
War.
That's the reason they increased their financial donations and even
sent
their children to Israel on visits. There's nothing like a crisis to
intensify solidarity between Israelis and Diaspora Jewry. "Whenever
there's
a terror attack," said Haim Musicant, secretary general of the CRIF,
French
Jewry's umbrella organization, "French Jews feel as if it happened to
them.
Everything that happens in Israel affects them and their lives. They
feel
like Israelis."
Ever since the failure of the Camp David summit of 2000, the Jewish
communities have been absolutely to the right of Israeli governments,
marketing the state's official policy that Israel has no partner for
negotiations. As in Israel, the Diaspora communities regarded
compromise as
defeatism, and those in favor of dialogue and agreement with the
Palestinians were condemned for bringing down the terrible intifada
upon
Israel. Ariel Sharon became a hero, and the Jews spoke of him as if he
were
King David. Even French Jewish intellectuals who were sickened in the
past
by his very name, embraced him. Bernard Henri-Levy praises him, Alain
Finkielkraut rediscovered him, Marek Halter wanted very much to meet
him
during a visit to Jerusalem.
It seems that the Jews were caught unprepared when they heard about
Sharon's disengagement plan. They read about the intention to quit Gaza
and
were particularly astonished by the plan to evacuate settlers. For
years
they had heard something different from official Israeli spokesmen, and
they always adopted the Israeli policy as if it were Torah from Sinai.
Thus, while Sharon may have changed his spots, the Jews haven't. The
man
who raised the settlements onto a holy pedestal managed to convince
Diaspora Jewry that Israel would not exist without the settlements,
that
Tel Aviv would not exist without Netzarim. Nearly every Israeli
ambassador
bent to those policies and blindly recited the chapter and verse on how
important the settlements - all the settlements - are to Israel. The
Jewish
Agency was so identified with the settlement vision that it named a
settler, Menachem Gur Ari, to head its fiefdom in France. The years of
brainwashing turned the organized Jews of the Diaspora into loyal
soldiers
enlisted in official Israel's cause…
-----
AMNESTY SLAMS CHINA FOR USING WAR ON TERROR TO PERSECUTE UIGHURS
Agence France Presse, 7/7/04
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/94301/1/.html
BEIJING - China is using the global war on terror to justify repression
of
its Uighur community who face torture and execution when forcibly
returned
from neighbouring countries, Amnesty International said Wednesday.
"China has repackaged its repression of Uighurs as a fight against
'terrorism,'" Amnesty said in a new report.
"Since the 11 September 2001 attacks on the USA, the Chinese government
has
been using 'anti-terrorism' as a pretext to increase its crackdown on
all
forms of political or religious dissent in the region."
The rights watchdog said many Uighurs have fled to neighbouring
countries,
but growing numbers "were being forcibly returned to China where they
face
torture and execution".
Over the last three years, tens of thousands of people are reported to
have
been detained on grounds of "anti-terrorism" in the Xinjiang Uighur
Automonous Region in northwest China.
This is despite a claim by the head of the regional government in April
that "not one incident of explosion or assassination took place in the
last
few years".
"The Chinese government continues to detain prisoners of conscience --
who
have never used or advocated violence -- showing that China's policies
of
repression in the region stretch far beyond combating acts of violence
or
'terrorism,'" said Amnesty.
In December China issued its first publicized list of "terrorist"
organizations and "terrorists," which included four groups of the
Turkic-speaking Uighurs advocating for an independent state in the
natural
resource-rich region.
The list also named 11 Uighur Muslims, most of whom are living
overseas…
-----
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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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/8/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: PRAISE GOD
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
- CAIR Launches Anti-Torture Campaign
- Rep. Tom Davis Responds to Anti-Torture Campaign
* CAIR-GA: MUSLIM VOTER SEMINAR IN ATLANTA
- CAIR-FL: Mayfield to Speak at Civil Rights Event
* TX: BOMB LEFT IN MOSQUE'S MAILBOX (Houston Chronicle)
* NV: FEDERAL OUTREACH TO MUSLIM COMMUNITY (KLASTV)
* CIVIL LIBERTIES SEEN AT RISK (Telegram)
- Daniel Pipes Uses Guilt by Association (West News)
* PA: TROUBLING TIMES FOR AMERICAN MUSLIMS (Delco Times)
- Bridges TV: Television Relevant to Muslims (KC Star)
- MO: West County Muslims (West News)
* PAKISTAN FOR BUSH: JULY SURPRISE? (The New Republic)
* PRO-ISRAEL ACTIVISTS START MEDIA CAMPAIGN (Forward)
* US TORTURE ON UK TERRITORY CLAIM (BBC)
- Suspects 'Were Tortured In US Camps'(Times)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: PRAISE GOD
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "During the Night
Journey
(to Jerusalem) I met Abraham, who said to me, 'O Muhammad, convey my
greetings to your community, and tell them that Paradise is of pure
land,
its water is sweet, and its expanse is vast, spacious and even. And its
plants are 'glory be to God,' 'praise be to God' and 'there is no deity
but
God.'"
The Prophet also said: "There are two phrases that are light on the
tongue
but heavy on the scale of rewards…These are, 'all glory is to God and
all
praise to Him' and 'glorified is God, the Great.'"
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 4, Number 103
-----
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
Have you sent a card to your Congressman yet?
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
---
REP. TOM DAVIS RESPONDS TO CAIR'S ANTI-TORTURE CAMPAIGN
http://tomdavis.house.gov/
Let me begin by saying that like you, I am very disturbed by the images
from Abu Ghraib. This is a serious issue, and we must act quickly to
resolve it.
First and foremost, a swift and thorough investigation is needed, and
needed now. For those responsible, justice must be swift and strong, as
their conduct directly contradicts and undermines our mission in Iraq.
As to how this investigation is carried out, at this time I am
monitoring
the internal military process that is being conducted pursuant to the
Uniform Code of Military Justice. I am hopeful that it will be carried
out
in a professional, methodical fashion, and that those who are guilty of
crimes will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. If, however,
I
see that this process is biased or flawed, I will not hesitate to
invoke my
congressional oversight authority as Chairman of the Committee on
Government Reform. In addition, I am intently watching the hearings
that
have been called by my colleague and friend, Senator John Warner,
Chairman
of the Senate Armed Services Committee, to see where there was a
breakdown
in the chain of command and what we in Congress can do to ensure that
it
does not occur again in the future.
From a geopolitical perspective, we must do everything possible to
reassure the world community that all those things we take as
self-evident
- the honor of our military, our intentions in Iraq, our respect for
human
rights - remain as strong as ever. The vast majority of our troops,
who
perform heroically every day, are the best evidence of these tenets.
Finally, please let me close by saying that in the wake of this crisis,
we
must also remember that there are 138,000 Americans in uniform who
uphold
the highest standards of professionalism every day. They do so in the
face
of extreme danger and hardship, and we should not let the egregious
acts of
a very small group overshadow the integrity of our soldiers nor deter
our
nation from its overall objective of developing a democratic Iraq.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. Should you have any
questions or further concerns, please let me know.
----
CAIR-GA: MUSLIM VOTER SEMINAR IN ATLANTA
(ATLANTA, GA, 7/8/04) - On Sunday, July 11, CAIR's North Georgia office
(CAIR-NGA) and the Muslim Professional Network will host a Muslim Vote
2004
Political Seminar at Atlanta's Holiday Inn Select Perimeter (4386
Chamblee
Dunwoody Road at I-285) from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Some 20 candidates representing both federal and state elections have
confirmed their attendance. The event is free and open to the public.
It is
an excellent opportunity to become more active in the political process
and
to make the candidates aware of what issues are important to the local
Muslim Community.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: 770-220-0082 or 404-216-7929
-----
CAIR-FL: CIVIL RIGHTS SYMPOSIUM
WHAT: The Florida office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR-FL) invites you and your family to a Civil Rights Symposium,
titled
"The Principles of American Democracy," on Saturday, July 17, in Ft.
Lauderdale. Join us for this important dialogue as we journey in
search
for answers to the current status of civil rights in America.
Panelists for the event include:
AMY GOODMAN
An internationally acclaimed journalist and a media phenomenon. She has
received several top journalism awards, and in addition to her daily
radio
show 'Democracy Now', Goodman speaks around the country on university
campuses, as well as to human rights, church and community groups about
media activism.
DAVID COLE
The Nation's legal affairs correspondent and a professor at Georgetown
University Law Center, is the author of 'No Equal Justice: Race and
Class
in the American Criminal Justice System', co-author of 'Terrorism and
the
Constitution: Sacrificing Civil.
BRANDON & MONA MAYFIELD
Oregon lawyer and convert to Islam, was arrested in May 04 in
connection
with the deadly train bombing in Madrid. The FBI falsely alleged they
had
identified him from a fingerprint found near the scene. Was held for
two
weeks and was released when the FBI acknowledge a mistake.
LUCY A. DALGLISH
Executive Director of the Reporters' Committee for Freedom of the
Press.
Previously she worked as a Reporter and Editor for 13 years, and as a
lawyer for five years.
DR. PARVEZ AHMED
Board Member, CAIR-National
WHEN: Saturday 7/17/2004 @ 12:30 pm (sharp)
WHERE: Wyndham Ft. Lauderdale Airport
1870 Griffin Rd., Ft. Lauderdale
I-95 & Exit 23 ~ hotel #: 954-920-3300
LIMITED SEATING/Event Fee: $10 per person
Pre-Registration required by phone or online: Tel: (954) 916-5661
Click here to register now: http://www.cair-florida.org/events
CONTACT: Ahmed Bedier 813-731-9506
-----
BOMB LEFT IN MOSQUE'S MAILBOX INVESTIGATED
Robert Crowe, Houston Chronicle, 7/7/04
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2668598
SPRING, TX - The celebration of a new baby at a mosque in Spring was
interrupted July Fourth when a small, handmade bomb exploded in the
mailbox.
Children attending the event at the Champions Masjid in the 6700 block
of
Old Louetta said they saw a white man in his 20s place something in the
mailbox around 8:30 p.m. before fleeing in a car with another white
male
inside.
The device, made of a two-liter soda bottle and other, unknown
materials,
exploded about 30 seconds later as the children walked toward the men
to
find out what they were doing. No one was injured, but the metal
portion of
the mailbox, surrounded by brick, was destroyed.
Authorities with Harris County and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives are investigating the incident.
"If there are any federal charges, we'll consult with the district
attorney
and U.S. attorney's office," said Franceska Perot, an ATF spokeswoman.
She did not know whether it was a hate crime or a random case of
criminal
mischief. But local Islamic leaders don't believe it was a coincidence
because the mailbox sits near a sign for the mosque…
Najat Elsayed of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Houston said
that on June 18, the day engineer Paul Johnson was beheaded in Saudi
Arabia, someone left a package of headless fish near the mosque's
entrance.
-----
NV: FEDERAL OUTREACH TO VALLEY MUSLIM COMMUNITY
Edward Lawrence, KLASTV, 7/7/04
http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2011184&nav=168XOYuF
The federal government wants to build bridges between the Muslim
community
and federal authorities. That's why agents from a number of law
enforcement
organizations have reached out to Muslims in Las Vegas through meetings
at
local mosques.
The meetings started about a month ago at mosque in downtown Las Vegas.
Eyewitness News has learned this is part of a nationwide effort from
the
Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security. The hope is to open
a
dialogue that could prevent terrorism
Fateen Seifullah is the Imam or spiritual leader of the Masjid as-Sabur
Mosque. He received the call from federal authorities asking to meet
his
followers. "The community is open and receptive, but still reserved in
terms of trust," Seifullah said.
Mujahid Ramadan added, "Is there some suspicion? Yes. Is there some
distrust? Yes. Is there some trust? Yes." Mujahid Ramadan says federal
agents must do more than just meet. He would like to see some sort of
gesture that says agents are serious about working with the community…
-----
CIVIL LIBERTIES SEEN AT RISK
Richard Nangle, Worcester Telegram, 7/7/04
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040707/NEWS/40707002/1025
WORCESTER -- A Worcester family, who worship in the Muslim faith,
report
being told by a bus driver that they will have to produce their birth
certificates in order to board a bus bound for another city.
A student from Pakistan, who has been attending the University of
Massachusetts at Boston, fails to complete his exit registration form
at
Logan International Airport before flying home, then is detained by
U.S.
Immigration authorities when he returns to this country. He is sent
back to
Pakistan and is twice refused applications for a new visa. When he
finally
returns to Boston, he has missed more than six months of study.
A jail guard in another county responds to an Arab immigrant's request
for
assistance by suggesting he "call on Mohammed to help."
ALSO SEE:
DANIEL PIPES USES GUILT BY ASSOCIATION
DEFENDING MUSLIMS
Kamal Yasin, West News Magazine, 7/8/04
http://www.westnewsmagazine.com/letters.html
I was dismayed when I read the editorial, "If You Are Muslim, You Are
Suspect," by Daniel Pipes (June 16).
The main reason I was dismayed was that West Newsmagazine allowed such
an
article filled with hate and improper twisted logic to be there. The
second
reason is that in spite of Pipes' Islam-aphobic position he takes in
every
word he writes or utters, using all that twisted logic, some still are
willing to quote him.
Pipes used a lot of methods to get to his own conclusion that he has
"all
the time," that "It is absolutely alright to do any injustice to a
person,
even it was unwarranted, illegal, or unconstitutional, if he or she is
a
Muslim."
That preconceived conclusion has driven him - again - to write this
piece,
the same way he wrote many more before. His main, and maybe only,
motivation to write is his Islam-aphobia.
He has used guilt of association as his way to say that it is
absolutely OK
to falsely accuse and jail a person based on the fact that he is
Muslim.
Since when in this country are we guilty because of disagreeing with
the
government?
Based on Pipes' notion, millions of Americans who disagree with the
Patriot
Act or some other government position should go to jail. But we have to
find enough jail space first for them. That would be even worse, if we
follow Pipes' logic.
Kamal Yassin
Town & Country
-----
PA: COUPLE FINDS TROUBLING TIMES FOR AMERICAN MUSLIMS
Patti Mengers, Delcotimes, 7/7/04
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1675&dept_id=18171&newsid=12242773&PAG=461&rfi=9
At Masjid Al-Madinah in Upper Darby, where as many as 400 Muslims can
be
found praying on a Friday night, there is no talk of the beheading of
hostages in the Middle East.
It is understood that these are gruesome deeds and that, contrary to
what
the executioners would have the world believe, they are alien to
Islamic
teachings.
"There is no way it can be condoned. It is outside Muslim, it is
outside
Islam," declared Abu Rahman, who has been president of the mosque for
more
than five years.
The 52-year-old Marple resident moved to the United States with his
wife,
Shelly, from Bangladesh 30 years ago. They both have been American
citizens
for 25 years and, like all other Americans, they are horrified by the
beheading of hostages in Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
"This is a criminal act. It is unbelievable that people would do such
things. They are doing it because that's all they have. Showing a
beheading
on a Web site generates fear. It's like dropping the atom bomb," said
Mr.
Rahman.
Since the beheadings began with journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan in
2002
and with each case since, Mrs. Rahman has become increasingly
disheartened.
"My personal feelings are, where are we going? What's happening to the
world? It's like we're competing with each other. I feel like it's 100
years ago," she said.
Mrs. Rahman experienced first-hand the disdain citizens of other
countries
have for the United States due to its military involvement in Iraq. In
March, when she visited her native land, her reception was not warm.
"It's the first time I've gone when people are wondering if the
American
dream has faded away," said Mrs. Rahman…
ALSO SEE:
TELEVISION RELEVANT TO MUSLIMS
Zulfiqar Malik, Kansas City Star, 7/8/04
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascitystar/
I subscribe to a TV channel that does not exist yet.
There is a dream and efforts are being made to allow "Bridges TV" to
make
its debut in the fall, I hope before the start of Ramadan -- the Muslim
holy month of fasting that will begin on Oct. 15.
A few months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, Muzammil Hassan
and
his wife were driving to Detroit for a business meeting. They were
listening to a radio talk show on the topic of how bad Muslims are.
His wife was offended by the comments and suggested that Hassan could
help
develop a medium that could help their children grow up feeling
self-confident about their identity.
So Hassan, a 39-year-old former banker with a master's in business
administration from the University of Rochester, wrote a business plan
for
an English-language nationwide television channel directed at American
Muslims. It would be available on satellite and cable.
The main target audience for this new channel is the estimated 8
million
American and Canadian Muslims. The Muslim population of the Kansas City
area is estimated to be 20,000...
---
WEST COUNTY MUSLIMS
Laura Saggar, West News Magazine, 7/9/04
http://www.westnewsmagazine.com/cover.html
Many Muslims have come to America - the great melting pot, a nation of
immigrants who have come here from many foreign lands - for that same
promise of a life of opportunity, hope and freedom that the Founding
Fathers sought.
To that end, many in the Muslim population have become productive
members
of the West County community, contributing a great wealth of knowledge
as
well as a unique spiritual and cultural perspective on the world. These
contributions are what many Muslims who live, work and worship in West
County hope that people will remember instead of what the terrorists
who
claim to have Muslim ties have done in the rest of the world.
Muhammad Nur Abdullah, an imam, or the spiritual leader of the
Daar-ul-Islam mosque and Islamic Center of St. Louis located in West
County, estimates that there are 70,000 Muslims in St. Louis, with
1,500
individuals regularly attending the mosque every week. There are an
estimated 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide.
While many West County residents might look at local Muslims as
foreigners,
that is not the case in most instances. Many of the members of the
religion
(and all of those interviewed for this story) were born in the United
States or call this country home because they have lived here the
majority
of their lives. They also are U.S. citizens.
In an effort to bring about more awareness of this culture and all the
Muslim community has to offer, several of them recently spoke to West
Newsmagazine about what life is like in West County as well as their
perspective on the current climate about Muslims who live here and
around
the world.
First, it is important to get a better understanding of the religion as
well as the history of the Muslim community in St. Louis...
-----
JULY SURPRISE?
John B. Judis, Spencer Ackerman, Massoud Ansari, New Republic Online,
7/8/04
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040719&s=aaj071904
Late last month, President Bush lost his greatest advantage in his bid
for
reelection. A poll conducted by ABC News and The Washington Post
discovered
that challenger John Kerry was running even with the president on the
critical question of whom voters trust to handle the war on terrorism.
Largely as a result of the deteriorating occupation of Iraq, Bush lost
what
was, in April, a seemingly prohibitive 21-point advantage on his
signature
issue. But, even as the president's poll numbers were sliding, his
administration was implementing a plan to insure the public's
confidence in
his hunt for Al Qaeda.
This spring, the administration significantly increased its pressure on
Pakistan to kill or capture Osama bin Laden, his deputy, Ayman Al
Zawahiri,
or the Taliban's Mullah Mohammed Omar, all of whom are believed to be
hiding in the lawless tribal areas of Pakistan. A succession of
high-level
American officials--from outgoing CIA Director George Tenet to
Secretary of
State Colin Powell to Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca to
State
Department counterterrorism chief Cofer Black to a top CIA South Asia
official--have visited Pakistan in recent months to urge General Pervez
Musharraf's government to do more in the war on terrorism. In April,
Zalmay
Khalilzad, the American ambassador to Afghanistan, publicly chided the
Pakistanis for providing a "sanctuary" for Al Qaeda and Taliban forces
crossing the Afghan border. "The problem has not been solved and needs
to
be solved, the sooner the better," he said.
This public pressure would be appropriate, even laudable, had it not
been
accompanied by an unseemly private insistence that the Pakistanis
deliver
these high-value targets (HVTs) before Americans go to the polls in
November.
-----
PRO-ISRAEL ACTIVISTS START MEDIA CAMPAIGN
Ori Nir, Forward, 7/9/04
http://www.forward.com/main/article.php?ref=staff200407071152
WASHINGTON - Hundreds of American Jewish activists launched a concerted
pre-emptive media campaign this week to minimize negative publicity for
Israel, as the International Court of Justice in the Hague rules on
Israel's West Bank security fence.
The activists set off a newly created network and applied skills that
they
acquired during a three-day pro-Israel media advocacy conference, held
last
week here. Graduates of the seminar contacted local news organizations
across America to argue - in advance of Friday's ICJ's decision - that
Israel has the right to fend off terrorists, and that polls show most
Americans support Israel's security barrier. Their messages were
carefully
crafted and orchestrated by the Israel Project, a Washington-based
pro-Israel advocacy group, which organized the seminar.
"When the news cycle gives you lemons, you need to make lemonade," said
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, president of The Israel Project. "By using
proven
sound-bites and images, we can take what could be a bad press situation
and
turn it around."
Last week's conference in Washington brought hundreds of Jewish
activists,
mainly senior officials in Jewish federations and community-relations
councils across America. Participants learned how to deal with the
media
locally and agreed on ways to distill a coordinated, uniform message to
react to developments pertaining to Israel, and sometimes to even
pre-empt
them.
Shoshana Cardin, national chair of the Israel Project, kicked off the
seminar with a declaration of war.
Cardin sought to galvanize the Jewish activists who gathered from as
far
away as Argentina and the Dominican Republic to do battle on behalf of
an
Israel that she and other speakers portrayed as damaged by its
depiction in
the press.
The event "is the largest effort to begin to have a war of words,"
Cardin
said. "We are in a war. We may not have realized it yet."
A new arsenal was introduced to the troops: role-playing sessions to
simulate successful television appearance techniques; coaching on how
to
effectively craft and deliver pro-Israel messages for call-in radio
shows;
prescriptions for contacting reporters and editors, influencing them,
building relationships with them and closely monitoring their work to
detect anti-Israel slants; crash courses in public relations; lists of
"positive" stories on Israel to pitch to the media; and much more…
-----
US TORTURE ON UK TERRITORY CLAIM
BBC, 7/7/04
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3873291.stm
The UK's Indian Ocean territory could be being used to interrogate
terror
suspects in a US facility known as "Camp Justice", MP Tom Brake has
said.
The Liberal Democrat frontbencher raised the issue during a Westminster
Hall about British treatment of the people of Diego Garcia.
They were forcibly removed in the 1960s to make way for a US military
facility.
Mr Brake called for reassurance the base was not being used "to
secretly
hold and interrogate terror suspects".
He described a satellite photo of the base which included "very large
hangers".
'Reassurance demand'
"There are claims that prisoners are being held there by the Americans
for
so-called 'rendering' which other people have described as torturing,
at
least holding and questioning before being transferred to Camp X-Ray,"
he
said.
Earlier in a statement Mr Brake said there was a "huge question mark"
over
the use of the facility and he called on the government to reassure the
public it was not being used for holding and interrogating prisoners.
"The existence of a US airbase on the island of Diego Garcia has
consistently brought controversy on the government," he said.
"After the recent prisoner abuse scandals in Iraq and Camp X-Ray, the
British people have the right to know whether suspects in Bush's War on
Terror are being held on British soil…
ALSO SEE:
INTERNED TERRORIST SUSPECTS 'WERE TORTURED IN US CAMPS'
Sean O'Neill, The Times, 7/8/04
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/
ISLAMIST terrorist suspects have been interned without trial in Britain
on
the basis of evidence extracted by torturing detainees at the US prison
camp in Guantanamo Bay, the Court of Appeal was told yesterday.
The use of such methods is morally repugnant in the English legal
system,
claimed lawyers for ten Muslim men held under emergency powers
introduced
after the September 11 atrocities.
Yet British government officials had been present during some of the
interrogations of inmates at the US detention centre in Cuba.
The foreign terrorist suspects, most of whom are held at Belmarsh
prison in
southeast London, are contesting rulings by the Special Immigration
Appeals
Commission that their detention is lawful.
The SIAC has held that it is entitled to consider evidence which may
have
been obtained under torture or ill-treatment at Guantanamo Bay, Bagram
airbase in Afghanistan, or other US detention facilities...
-----
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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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MUSLIMS APPLAUD COURT'S CONDEMNATION OF ISRAELI WALL
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/9/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today applauded a ruling by the highest U.N. court that
Israel's wall in the occupied West Bank violates international law and
should be torn down.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also criticized the
Bush
administration for dismissing the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
ruling. (An administration spokesman said today that the issue of the
wall
should be addressed through the Middle East peace process.)
In its ruling, the ICJ stated: "The court is of the view that the
United
Nations, and especially the General Assembly and the Security Council,
should consider what further action is required to bring to an end the
illegal situation resulting from the construction of the wall."
The court dismissed Israeli arguments that the barrier was essential
for
its security and said the wall infringed on Palestinian freedom. It
also
ordered Israel to pay reparations to Palestinians directly impacted by
the
wall and to return land seized for its construction.
Even the lone dissenting judge on the 15-member panel, American Thomas
Buergenthal, acknowledged that Israel's wall might violate
international
law. (The other judges were from China, Madagascar, France, Sierra
Leone,
Russia, Britain, Venezuela, the Netherlands, Brazil, Jordan, Egypt,
Japan,
Germany, and Slovakia.)
In its statement, CAIR said:
"Today's ruling is a historic victory for international law and
justice.
Unfortunately, we once again see our own government swimming against
the
tide of world public and legal opinion to defend Israel's neo-Apartheid
policies. How long will America's international image and interests be
held
hostage by a powerful domestic lobby for a foreign government? And when
will the Palestinian people deserve inclusion in America's drive for
freedom and justice worldwide?"
The Washington-based group's statement reflected similar comments in
response to the ruling from world leaders. European Union foreign
policy
chief Javier Solana said today: "The wall not only results in
confiscation
of Palestinian land and causes untold humanitarian and economic
hardship,
but also could prejudge future negotiations and hinder a just political
solution to the conflict."
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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/9/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A GENTLE GRANDFATHER
* CAIR-FL: RACIAL PROFILING COMMUNITY FORUM
- CAIR-Houston Meets with FBI-DOJ
- CAIR-Dallas: Muslims Allege Selective Prosecution
* WI: LIBERTARIAN PARTY REACHES OUT TO MUSLIMS
* DEMOCRATS ENDORSE KEY PRO-ISRAEL POSITIONS (JTA)
- Kerry Backs Israeli Wall
- U.S. Church Leaders Support World Court Ruling
* CAIR-FL: 'AWARENESS' COULD MEAN PROFILING (Orlando)
* C.I.A. OFFICER CRITIQUES TERROR POLICY (NY Times)
- Senate Report Strikes Heart of Iraq War (AP)
* HOUSE LEAVES PATRIOT ACT AS IS (AP)
* VA: ISLAMIC SCHOOL DROPS PLAN FOR CAMPUS (AP)
* MI: MUSEUM GIVES ARAB-AMERICANS RECOGNITION
- MI: Residents Debate Prayer Call (Free Press)
* ISRAELI INTERROGATORS IN IRAQ (Janes.Com)
- Palestinians Talk of One-State Solution (Reuters)
- Israel's Chemical Weapons (Antiwar)
* BEER AND THONGS IN KABUL (NY Times)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A GENTLE GRANDFATHER
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prayed while carrying his
grand-daughter Umama. When he prostrated in prayer, he put her down,
and
when he stood, he put her on his neck.
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Hadith 495
-----
CAIR-FL TO DISCUSS RACIAL PROFILING AT COMMUNITY FORUM
On Monday, June 12, Montgomery County (Md.) Police Chief Charles A.
Moose
will lead a discussion of racial profiling and civilian oversight of
the
police in a Tampa, Fla., community forum.
Other speakers include: Ahmed Bedier, Florida Communications Director
for
the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and Dalia Hashad, the Arab,
Muslim, South Asian Advocate for the American Civil Liberties Union.
WHEN: 6:30 p.m., Monday, July 12
WHERE: Auditorium of the John F. Germany Public Library, 900 North
Ashley
Drive, Tampa, Florida
CONTACT: Ahmed Bedier 813-514-1414, E-Mail: abedier@cair-florida.org
-----
HOUSTON MUSLIMS MEET WITH FBI-DOJ TO DISCUSS CONCERNS
CAIR-Houston and ACLU-TX initiate positive dialogue
(HOUSTON, TX)- The Houston office of Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR-Houston) and the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas
(ACLU-TX)
met with representatives of the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ)
on
Tuesday to discuss issues of mutual concern, including protection
against
anti-Muslim hate crimes, the FBI's counterterrorism efforts and ways of
improving cooperation between law enforcement and the American Muslim
community.
The meeting included three top officials of the Houston District Office
of
the FBI, Special Agent in Charge Roderick l. Beverly, Supervisory
Special
Agent Norman Williams of the Hate Crimes unit and Supervisory Special
Agent
Steve Gentry. The meeting was also attended by Justo Garcia, Outreach
Coordinator of the Department of Justice, who offered insights on
encouraging community support for law enforcement.
The meeting was one of many CAIR-Houston is conducting with various law
enforcement agencies to build constructive relationships and to voice
the
Muslim community's concerns.
CONTACT: CAIR-Houston, 713-838-2247, 832-814-5554, 832-656-0449
---
LOCAL MUSLIM LEADERS SPEAK OUT AFTER ELASHI VERDICT
KIM HORNER, Dallas Morning News, 7/9/04
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/090704dntexelashi.a3b46.html
Local Muslim leaders spoke out Friday against what they called
selective
prosecution in the recent convictions of five Richardson brothers for
illegally shipping high-tech goods to nations deemed sponsors of
terrorism.
"We believe that these convictions indicate a growing disparity and
climate
of injustice for Muslims, who we feel are being selectively prosecuted
and
given unfair sentences precisely because they are Muslim or Arab," said
Khalil Meek, who serves on the board of directors of the Dallas-Fort
Worth
Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The group held a
news
conference about the case at its Dallas office.
Mr. Meek said the federal government has imposed administrative fines
rather than criminal convictions on non-Muslims who have admitted
similar
export violations.
"This is not justice," Mr. Meek said. "This growing trend of selective
prosecution only furthers much of the community's view that this is
nothing
but a witch-hunt against the Muslim community."
A federal court jury on Wednesday convicted the five brothers of
conspiring
to use their Richardson computer services business to make illegal
shipments of high-tech goods to Libya and Syria, two nations deemed
state
sponsors of terrorism.
After deliberating more than 18 hours over three days, the jury of nine
women and three men concluded that Ghassan Elashi and his brothers,
Bayan,
Basman, Hazim and Ihsan, repeatedly violated U.S. export laws between
1995
and 2000.
The jury's verdict was mixed. While the brothers were convicted of
making
shipments to Syria and Libya and conspiring to undervalue shipments to
other countries, all but Basman Elashi were acquitted on most charges
alleging individual false statements.
A spokesman for the team of prominent defense attorneys has said an
appeal
of the convictions is likely…
-----
WISCONSIN LP REACHES OUT TO MUSLIM COMMUNITY
Libertarian Party, 7/8/04
http://www.lp.org/lpnews/0408/muslim_wisconsin-outreach.html
Those who regularly attend the Muslim Professional Association's annual
Independence Day picnics in Milwaukee, Wisconsin are accustomed to
hearing
from politicians. But this year's picnic brought something new:
Libertarians.
As a Muslim man and a small business owner, Arif Khan -- Wisconsin's
Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate -- has deep ties to the Muslim
community and with this professional organization. His involvement paid
off
with an invitation to address the 150 picnic attendees, many of whom
are
small business owners themselves.
Politicians often show up to this picnic to do their usual campaigning;
sometime they are invited and sometime not.
"They know how critical the Muslim vote is in Wisconsin, especially
Milwaukee," Khan said. "But the Muslim community wanted to hear
something
different this year -- something that is actually in line with our
Muslim
beliefs of individual rights and non-interventionism.
"That is why they invited [Libertarian vice presidential candidate]
Richard
Campagna and me to address their issues and concerns."
The members of the Muslim Professional Association, who have yet to
endorse
a candidate for U.S. senator or president, enjoyed hearing from the
Libertarian candidates.
"I just recently became a U.S. citizen and I can't wait to make my
first
vote Libertarian," said Umar Akram, a college student whose family
moved
from Pakistan to the United States in 1997.
Akram was one of the more than 25 attendees who requested more
information
regarding the Libertarian Party and its candidates.
Libertarian National Committee member Jeremy Keil said he was amazed at
the
excitement the Libertarian candidates generated.
-----
DEMOCRATS ENDORSE SOME KEY PRO-ISRAEL POSITIONS
Matthew E. Berger, JTA, 7/8/04
http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=Democratic+platform+eyes+Israel+&intcategoryid=5
WASHINGTON - The Democratic Party wants to send the right message to
the
American Jewish community about its priorities in the Middle East, but
its
platform fails to include several positions Jewish groups recommended.
The platform, being revised this weekend in Miami, resolves to uphold
the
close relationship between the United States and Israel, according to
sources who have reviewed the relevant sections. It also negates a
Palestinian refugee "right of return" to Israel and says the armistice
line
ending Israel's 1948 War of Independence - known as the Green Line -
cannot
be the basis for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians,
implicitly recognizing some Israeli claims to the West Bank.
"It is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status
negotiations
will be a full and complete return to the armistice line of 1949," the
draft reads.
However, the platform ignores calls from several Jewish organizations
to
explicitly endorse the "road map" plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace,
support Israel's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and part of the
West
Bank and justify Israel's West Bank security fence.
"A party platform is not supposed to specifically negate or support
every
item of a country's agenda at the moment," said Rep. Robert Wexler
(D-Fla.), who helped write the Middle East section of the platform.
"The
language that is contained in the platform is entirely consistent and
supportive of the 'road map.' "
The American Jewish vote is being watched closely in this year's
presidential election largely because of President Bush's support for
Israel and Jewish approval of the policy positions Bush has laid out in
the
Middle East.
The platform could be an opportunity for Democrats to solidify their
traditional base of American Jewish support with policy positions that
match Bush administration support for Israel.
The American Jewish Committee and Anti-Defamation League laid out
policy
recommendations for both political parties last month that included
support
for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan.
No word is expected on the Republican platform until next month - the
Republican convention isn't until the end of August, a month after the
Democratic one - but Bush already has endorsed Sharon's plan.
The American Jewish Committee also advised the platform committees to
endorse the road map that the United States crafted with the United
Nations, European Union and Russia, and to express support for Israel's
right to construct its security fence. The fence has drawn fire because
it
juts beyond the Green Line in some areas into land the Palestinians
want
for a future state.
SEE ALSO:
STATEMENT BY JOHN KERRY ON INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE RULING
REGARDING
ISRAEL'S SECURITY FENCE
BEAVER, W.V., July 9 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Senator John Kerry released
the
following statement today regarding the International Court of Justice
ruling on Israel's security fence:
"I am deeply disappointed by today's International Court of Justice
ruling
related to Israel's security fence. Israel's fence is a legitimate
response
to terror that only exists in response to the wave of terror attacks
against Israel. The fence is an important tool in Israel's fight
against
terrorism. It is not a matter for the ICJ.
"I have made very clear from the start that I do not believe that the
ICJ
should even be considering this issue given that they do not have
jurisdiction.
"We were right to oppose the resolution in the General Assembly and to
convey this opinion to the ICJ. Several months ago, I joined in
sending a
letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urging him to "act so that
the
ICJ does not...issue an advisory opinion on the legality of the
security
fence Israel is building."
"Our nation is rightly discussing with Israel the exact route of the
fence
to minimize the hardship it causes Palestinians. And Israel's own
Supreme
Court has looked at the very same issues and we should respect that
process."
Web: http://www.johnkerry.com
---
CHURCH LEADERS ASK FOR COOPERATION WITH U.N. TO RESOLVE BARRIER ISSUE
AND
RESUME PEACE NEGOTIATIONS
WASHINGTON, July 9 /U.S. Newswire/ -- U.S. Church leaders appealed to
their
government to support the International Court of Justice's advisory
opinion
on Israel's separation barrier. The court said earlier today that it is
against international law for Israel to build its barrier in the
occupied
territories and that it should be dismantled. For nearly a year, the
U.S.
churches that work together through Churches for Middle East Peace have
advocated for the United States government's intervention to stop
Israel's
building of the barrier beyond the 1967 "green line" on occupied land
in
the West Bank and in East Jerusalem.
"We are grateful that the humanitarian consequences for the Palestinian
people of this massive barrier are no longer being ignored," was the
response of Episcopal Bishop Barry Howe of the Diocese of West
Missouri. Howe was part of a delegation of seven U.S. Episcopal
bishops
who viewed the barrier on a trip to Palestine and Israel in May. "The
International Court opinion as well as that of the Israeli Supreme
Court
ruling on June 30 emphasizes the humanitarian dimension as well as that
of
the rule of law." Recognizing that the Israelis argue that they needed
the barrier for protection from violent terrorist acts, Bishop
Howe continued: "The security that Israel seeks, and deserves, will
be found in resolving the conflict through a negotiated solution with
all
concerned and the establishment of a Palestinian state with peace and
security for all in the region."
Franciscan Sister Florence Deacon, director of Franciscans
International
(an NGO at the United Nations in New York), noted that Franciscans have
had
custody of Christianity's traditional Holy Land shrines for 800 years.
She
appreciated the Court's emphasis on the role of the United Nations in
negotiating a just and lasting peace in that land sacred to all the
children of Abraham. "For the past 50 years, the United States has been
a
trusted friend of the state of Israel while also caring about the
Palestinian people's welfare, and more recently their political rights.
Our
government needs to use these historic ties to push both sides toward
serious negotiations without further delay." She urged the United
States
"to be a partner with the global community and work within the United
Nations' system to bring security to both peoples. We cannot have two
sets
of standards for upholding international law."
Dennis Frado, director of the Lutheran Office for World Community at
the
United Nations, said, "All Members of the United Nations should
respect
today's advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice.
This is
a particularly important principle for all of the parties seeking an
end to
the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians." Referring to
the
Lutheran churches' historical involvement with Namibia, he said, "We
recall
the ICJ's opinion in 1971 that South Africa was illegally occupying
Namibia. That dispute unfortunately continued to take too many lives
and
cause unnecessary hardships on both sides before it was resolved. The
religious community is called to redouble our efforts for peace with
justice in this region as well."
Churches for Middle East Peace is a Washington based program of the
Alliance of Baptists, American Friends Service Committee, Antiochian
Orthodox Archdiocese, Catholic Conference of Major Superiors of Men's
Institutes, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Church of the
Brethren, Church World Service, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America, Franciscan Mission Service, Friends Committee on
National Legislation, Maryknoll Missioners, Mennonite Central
Committee,
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, Presbyterian
Church
(USA), Reformed Church in America, Unitarian Universalist Association
of Congregations, United Church of Christ and the United Methodist
Church
(GBCS & GBGM). For more information see http://www.cmep.org
http://www.usnewswire.com
-----
SOME FEAR 'AWARENESS' COULD MEAN PROFILING
Brian Baskin, Orlando Sentinel, 7/9/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-loccapfolo09070904jul09,1,6344312.story
Local and national civil-rights groups predict that a plan to train
firefighters, cable repairmen and others to ferret out terrorism, drug
trafficking and child pornography for local police will result in
racial
profiling and innocent citizens being subjected to terrorism
investigations.
"We're afraid law-abiding members of our community will be targeted
simply
because of their appearance," said Taleb Salhab, president of the
Arab-American Community Center of Central Florida.
Chief among the organizations' concerns is a brochure intended to be
distributed to Citizen Awareness Program trainees that lists "multiple
adult males living together, usually of Middle Eastern appearance and
between the ages of 18 and 45, with little or no furnishings," as one
of
five signs of international terrorism.
Arab-American leaders are worried that racial profiling could result.
Orange-Osceola State Attorney Lawson Lamar, one of CAP's architects,
dismissed charges levied by four groups, including the American-Arab
Discrimination Committee and the American Civil Liberties Union of
Florida,
that innocent citizens who look Arab could come under suspicion through
the
program.
"I think this thing will get some legs even though there are some
people
who are more concerned with being politically correct than saving
lives,"
Lamar said Thursday.
An estimated 5,000 brochures have already been printed, at a cost of
$500
to the Sheriff's Office, Chief Steve Jones said.
The sheriff's intelligence unit, which would receive all tips generated
by
the program, is trained to screen out bad leads, Lamar said. He
contends
that would eliminate the risk that innocent people will become suspects
in
terrorism investigations.
Salhab said such safeguards have failed to prevent innocent
Arab-Americans
from being singled out for surveillance or detention in the past.
"How much heartache would an individual have to go through before they
verified that a person is innocent," he said. "Without a doubt, it's
going
to be our community who will be most affected."
The groups' concerns echoes the fallout from Operation TIPS, a similar
program proposed in July 2002 by President Bush, then abruptly
withdrawn in
the ensuing uproar from civil-liberties organizations.
"Seems like Central Florida agencies . . . are taking a step back and
trying things that have already failed at the federal level," said
Ahmed
Bedir, communications director for the Florida chapter of the Council
of
American-Islamic Relations. "It doesn't make any sense why they're
doing
this now…"
-----
C.I.A. OFFICER CRITIQUES TERROR POLICY
Michiko Kakutani, New York Times, 7/9/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/09/books/09BOOK.html
Imperial Hubris," the scalding new book by a current Central
Intelligence
Agency officer - who was able to publish the book on the condition that
his
real name not be revealed - is an assessment of America's war on terror
that is bound to provoke large heapings of controversy, on both the
right
and the left, among hardliners on Iraq and critics of the
administration
alike. Readers will doubtless contest some or many of the things
Anonymous
has to say, but he pulls few punches in this book and gives us a
fascinating window on America's war with Al Qaeda - at least as framed
by
one senior analyst, who seems to have put all bureaucratic niceties
aside.
It is a book that not only slings all manner of arrows at America's
political, military and intelligence establishment (going back to the
mid-70's, with the qualified exception of President Ronald Reagan and
his
C.I.A. director, William J. Casey), but a book that also calls for a
complete re-evaluation of the nation's foreign policy toward Muslims
and
the Middle East.
In its pages, prescient analyses of recent developments in the Persian
Gulf
and Middle East (informed by the author's experience in the mid-1990's
as
head of a C.I.A. unit assigned to tracking Osama bin Laden) jostle for
space with incendiary calls for a Shermanesque exercise of American
military power in a potential war with the Muslim world; maverick
assessments of Islamic attitudes toward the United States, with shrill
exhortations for America to adopt a neo-isolationist stance based on
narrowly defined self-interest.
If the country's foreign policy remains status quo, Anonymous warns,
"America's military confrontation with Islam" will broaden "with
escalating
human and economic expense." He predicts that Al Qaeda "will attack the
continental United States again, that its next strike will be more
damaging
than that of 11 September 2001, and could include use of weapons of
mass
destruction."
In addition, Anonymous accuses United States leaders, elites and media
of
being in denial about the nature of the Qaeda threat and the balance
sheet
on the war on terror: he argues that America must stop using the
terrorist
paradigm for Al Qaeda and accept "the fact" that the group is "leading
a
popular, worldwide, and increasingly powerful Islamic insurgency," and
he
asserts that United States victories against Al Qaeda have thus far
been
tactical ones that have failed to slow "the shift in strategic
advantage
toward al Qaeda."
SEE ALSO:
SENATE REPORT STRIKES HEART OF IRAQ WAR
Ken Guggenheim, Associated Press, 7/9/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1152&slug=Intelligence%20Claims
WASHINGTON -- After hundreds of American soldiers have died and
billions of
U.S. dollars have been spent, a Senate panel is saying the
justification
for the war in Iraq was wrong.
"In the end, what the president and the Congress used to send the
country
to war was information that was provided by the intelligence community,
and
that information was flawed," said Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan.
Roberts said the war might have still been justified on humanitarian
grounds. But Congress never debated going to war to stop Saddam
Hussein's
brutality. The debate was over Saddam's chemical and biological
weapons,
his ability to deliver them, his nuclear ambitions and his ties to
terrorism.
The Bush administration told the American public - and the world - that
Saddam had to be stopped before he used his weapons of mass destruction
or
before they fell into terrorists' hands.
"The facts and Iraq's behavior show that Saddam Hussein and his regime
are
concealing their efforts to produce weapons of mass destruction,"
Secretary
of State Colin Powell told the United Nations on Feb. 5, 2003, just
weeks
before the war.
Powell's speech was the culmination of months of warnings by top
administration officials on the dangers posed by Saddam - warnings the
panel is now rejecting...
-----
HOUSE LEAVES PATRIOT ACT AS IS
Alan Fram, Associated Press, 7/8/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/09/opinion/O9LAMB.html
WASHINGTON - The Republican-led House bowed to a White House veto
threat
Thursday and stood by the USA Patriot Act, defeating an effort to block
the
part of the anti-terrorism law that helps the government investigate
people's reading habits.
The effort to defy Bush and bridle the law's powers lost by 210-210,
with a
majority needed to prevail. The amendment appeared on its way to
victory as
the roll call's normal 15-minute time limit expired, but GOP leaders
kept
the vote open for 23 more minutes as they persuaded about 10
Republicans
who initially supported the provision to change their votes.
Shame, shame, shame," Democrats chanted as the minutes passed and votes
were switched. The tactic was reminiscent of last year's House passage
of
the Medicare overhaul measure, when GOP leaders held the vote open for
an
extra three hours until they got the votes they needed.
"You win some, and some get stolen," Rep. C.L. Butch Otter, R-Idaho, a
sponsor of the defeated provision and one of Congress' more
conservative
members, told a reporter.
Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., said he switched his initial "yes" vote to
"no"
after being shown Justice Department documents asserting that
terrorists
have communicated over the Internet via public library computers...
The effort to curb the Patriot Act was pushed by a coalition of
Democrats
and conservative Republicans. But they fell short in a showdown that
came
just four months before an election in which the conduct of the fight
against terrorism will be on the political agenda.
Besides successfully fending off the effort to weaken the law, the veto
threat underscored the administration's determination to strike an
aggressive stance on law enforcement and terrorism...
-----
ISLAMIC SAUDI SCHOOL DROPS PLAN FOR CAMPUS IN LOUDOUN
Associated Press, 7/8/04
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0704/157834.html
Ashburn - An Islamic school funded by the Saudi government has scrapped
plans to build a campus in Loudoun County.
The Islamic Saudi Academy already has two campuses in Fairfax. It
wanted to
open 3,500 student campus on about 101 acres in Ashburn. Now the
academy
says it will sell the land. County officials tell The Washington Post
they
have approved plans to buy it for $13.5 million as a site for public
schools.
The Ashburn project was approved by county supervisors six years ago,
after
months of heated public debate. Residents raised concerns about Saudis
moving to the area, and contended that the school could be a target of
terrorist attacks. Others complained about the Saudi government's human
rights record.
----
MUSEUM GIVES ARAB-AMERICANS LONG-OVERDUE RECOGNITION
Barbara Karkabi, Houston Chronicle, 7/7/04
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/headline/features/2667943
Houston - The voice on the tape is strong, even though the recording
was
made some 50 years ago.
It is the "life of the old man," as Najeeb "Jim" Jamail calls it -- 25
minutes' worth of thoughts and memories, in English and Arabic.
Jamail, a Lebanese immigrant who died in 1957 at the age of 72, was the
owner with his sons of Jim Jamail & Sons Food Market. The once
nationally
known grocery store closed in 1990 but is remembered by many longtime
Houstonians. A grandson, another Jim Jamail, carries on the family
tradition at the Jamail Family Market on Airline Drive.
Their story became part of the fabric of Houston's history and will
soon be
displayed along with other memorabilia in the Arab American National
Museum. The museum is scheduled to open in late April 2005, in
Dearborn, Mich.
The Detroit-Dearborn area has the highest concentration of
Arab-Americans
in the country, and the fastest-growing...
ALSO SEE:
RESIDENTS UNITE AMID DEBATE ON PRAYER CALL
Cecil Angel, Detroit Free Press, 7/9/04
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/call9_20040709.htm
Dozens of people came together Thursday evening at the Al-Islah Islamic
Center in Hamtramck to talk about what they have in common in the
religiously divided city.
They talked about being immigrants or the children of immigrants. They
talked about how Christians, Muslims and Jews all believe in one God.
"I really feel this is the key to bringing peace and harmony," said
William
Hood, a longtime resident.
The event was billed the Unity in the Community open house, an
opportunity
for Christians, Muslims and other residents in the city to get to know
each
other.
Hamtramck has been divided largely along religious lines over a noise
ordinance that allows the Al-Islah to broadcast the call to prayer via
a
loudspeaker.
Some residents opposed the broadcasting of the call to prayer, which
traditionally is said five times a day, because they said it adds to
noise
pollution and imposes Islam on them. The controversy has attracted
worldwide attention.
In a special election on July 20, voters will decide whether to appeal
the
ordinance that regulates the call to prayer and church bells in the
city.
The ordinance, which the City Council approved in April, has been on
hold
pending the outcome of the election.
Even though the ordinance is on hold, Al-Islah has been broadcasting
the
call to prayer three times a day since May 28 -- the earliest and
latest
prayers are not broadcast. Mosque leaders said they won't say prayers
early
in the morning or late at night because they are honoring the intent of
the
ordinance…
-----
ISRAELI INTERROGATORS IN IRAQ
Janes, 7/7/04
http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/fr/fr040707_1_n.shtml
At least one aspect of the occupation of Iraq was well planned by
Washington. The USA needed help conducting mass interrogations of
Arabic-speaking detainees. Foreign Report can now reveal that, to make
up
for this shortfall, the USA employed Israeli security service (Shin
Bet)
experts to help their US counterparts 'break' their captives.
The USA could have approached other friendly regimes in the Middle
East,
such as Egypt or Jordan, which have vast experience interrogating
Muslim
fundamentalists. The Israelis may be brilliant linguists, but they
cannot
match Arabs speaking their own language. But there is a significant
difference between the Egyptian and Jordanian interrogation techniques
and
those of the Israelis. For the Egyptian and Jordanian secret services,
physical torture is an essential part of interrogation and a key
element in
breaking the prisoner's will and making them co-operative.
In the past, Shin Bet would use torture when it interrogated prisoners.
But
20 years ago, an Israeli government committee investigated the security
service's practices and the use of torture was subsequently banned,
forcing
Shin Bet to adopt a variety of techniques that did not cause physical
damage. These new methods are much more palatable to US sensibilities.
They
also brought faster and more convincing results.
Foreign Report has learnt that top Shin Bet interrogation experts were
sent
to Iraq to help with the most difficult interrogations, such as the
captured heads of the Iraqi intelligence - and perhaps with former
president Saddam Hussein. US sources say that in spite of the
incidences of
abuse in Abu Ghraib prison, such events are not representative of the
sophisticated methods that Shin Bet used in Iraq…
ALSO SEE:
PALESTINIANS TALK OF SCRAPPING CALL FOR STATE
Cynthia Johnston, Reuters, 7/8/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=ourWorldNews&storyID=5620798
JERUSALEM - The Democratic State of Israel-Palestine?
That is the vision of a small but growing number of Palestinians and
Israeli Arabs debating whether to end decades of demanding an
independent
Palestinian state and to push instead for one homeland for Arabs and
Jews.
The chances of ever getting Israeli acceptance are as good as nil. Most
vehemently oppose a "bi-national" state because a higher Arab birth
rate
would kill Israel's character as a Jewish state.
But the idea has started rumbling among Palestinians, especially
intellectuals who argue that Israeli policies make a viable state
impossible and who think it could be time for a shift in strategy…
Jewish settlements and a West Bank barrier that Israel says it needs to
keep out suicide bombers will leave Palestinians with cantons
surrounded by
Israeli-controlled land instead of the state they want, the
intellectuals say.
Israel's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) has
only
heightened their worries. They fear that in exchange for Gaza, Israel
will
use its barrier to annex far larger parts of the West Bank, which it
also
captured in a 1967 war...
---
ISRAEL'S CHEMICAL WEAPONS
By James Brooks, Antiwar, 7/8/04
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/brooks.php?articleid=2957
"On June 10th, 2004, the two clinics in Al-Zawiya treated 130patients
for
gas inhalation. The patients were children, women,old people and young
men.
Dr. Abu Madi related that there was a high number of cases of [tetany],
spasm in legs and hands, connected to the nervous system. Pupils were
dilated. ... Other symptoms included shock, semi-consciousness,
hyperventilation, irritation and sweating."
Thus reads a report by medical units serving the West Bank village of
Al-Zawiya, where nonviolent resistance to Israel's impending wall has
been
extraordinarily resolute. According to the medical report (procured by
the
International Middle East Media Center [IMEMC]), "the gas used against
the
protestors is not tear gas but possibly a nerve gas."
The following day, Israel's "Peace Bloc," Gush Shalom, began a press
release with the following quote from Al-Zawiya:
"What the army used here yesterday was not tear gas. We know what tear
gas
is, what it feels like. That was something totally different. ... When
we
were still a long way off from where the bulldozers were working, they
started shooting things like this one (holding up a dark green metal
tube
with the inscription "Hand and rifle grenade no.400" - in English).
Black
smoke came out. Anyone who breathed it lost consciousness immediately,
more
than a hundred people. They remained unconscious for nearly 24 hours.
One
is still unconscious, at Rapidiya Hospital in Nablus. They had high
fever
and their muscles became rigid. Some needed urgent blood transfusion.
Now,
is this a way of dispersing a demonstration, or is it chemical
warfare?"
The incident in Al-Zawiya appears to be the tenth attack by Israeli
soldiers using an "unknown gas" against Palestinian civilians since
early
2001. We have photographs of the canisters. We have film of victims
suffering in the hospital. We have interviews with Palestinian and
European
doctors who have treated the victims. And we presumably have hundreds,
perhaps thousands, of survivors. But we know nothing of their fate.
Despite
the evidence, we have not inquired.
Though it is a state secret, Israel's development of chemical and
biological weapons has been known and analyzed for decades. From the
typhoid poisoning of Palestinian wells and water supplies in 1948 to
the
conversion of F-16s into nerve gas "crop dusters" in 1998, Israel has
always demonstrated a strong interest in developing CBW agents and
methods
for their dispersal…
-----
THE TWO SIDES OF KABUL
Christina Lamb, New York Times, 7/9/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/09/opinion/O9LAMB.html
KABUL, Afghanistan
Look, the swimming pool is in the shape of a martini glass," boasts
Alex,
as he shows several visitors around his soon-to-be-opened
hotel-cum-blackjack lounge. Alex, an Afghan-American who used to be a
mortgage broker in Las Vegas, is really named Omar Zamadi, but he
thinks
that is too complicated for foreigners - and foreigners are his market.
Mr. Zamadi, who returned to his homeland a year ago, says he has
invested
$200,000 in his hotel, the Peacock Lounge. A pink-and-gold colonnaded
extravaganza, which he describes as "Roman style" but probably owes
more to
Caesars Palace, the Peacock Lounge sticks out on a street in which
families
sleep in bombed-out houses with no roofs or windows and dusty-faced
children walk to a well to collect water.
"Expats need a place where they can wear thongs, eat hot dogs and drink
beers," Mr. Zamadi says. "You can make a lot of money here."
On the other side of the city, two Britons have set up Afghanistan's
first
cocktail bar, serving margaritas and Tora Bora specials to Westerners
at
$10 a drink. Their bar, the Elbow Room, is packed every night. So is a
restaurant called Lal Thai where Lalita Thongngamkam's green chicken
curry
is served up by slinky waitresses from Bangkok in slit-to-the-thigh
silk
skirts with pistols in their garters.
These are just a few of the many establishments for Westerners that
have
sprung up in postliberation Kabul, capital of the land cited by Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as a model and described by President Bush
last
month as the "first victory in the war on terror." Not only would the
Taliban's leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, have a fit, but many who
supported
the war to oust the Taliban regime need wonder if an invasion of bars
and
restaurants for Westerners is really what it was for.
Although aid workers, contractors and security consultants have every
right
to enjoy themselves, there is mounting resentment among ordinary
Afghans,
who feel the West has been busier opening drinking holes than
rebuilding
their nation…
-----
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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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARSONIST TORCHES MUSLIM STORE IN WASHINGTON
CAIR calls for FBI probe, condemnation of Islamophobic bias
(SEATTLE, WA, 7/10/04) - The Seattle office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Seattle) today called on local and
national leaders to address the issue of growing Islamophobic prejudice
following an arson attack on a Muslim-owned business in Washington
State.
CAIR-Seattle also called on the FBI to investigate the fire as a
possible
hate crime.
According to media reports, white crosses and "F U Arab" were
spray-painted
inside a Middle Eastern grocery store in Everett, Wash., that was
heavily
damaged by an intentionally-set fire early Friday morning. (The owner
of
the store is from Pakistan.) Firefighters found a gas can inside the
store.
Investigators estimate the damage at $90,000.
SEE: "Everett Arson Might Have Been Hate Crime"
http://www.komotv.com/stories/32123.htm
"If a bias motive is proven in this case, it will be yet another
indication
that our nation's leaders need to more forcefully address the rising
level
of anti-Muslim prejudice in America," said CAIR-Seattle Board Chair
Samia
El-Moslimany.
On Wednesday, CAIR's Houston office called on law enforcement
authorities
to investigate a bomb attack on an area mosque as a possible bias
crime.
Suspects have been apprehended in that case, but the motive has not yet
been established.
Earlier this year in Texas, a man was arrested for threatening an El
Paso
Islamic center, 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.
Incidents targeting Muslim individuals and Islamic institutions have
occurred recently across America. A Muslim woman driver in Illinois and
a
Muslim shopper in California were assaulted at the end of June by
attackers
shouting anti-Muslim and racist slurs.
In Florida, vandals wrote "Kill all Muslims" inside the Islamic
Community
Center in the Tampa suburb of Lutz. The FBI is also investigating
vandalism
and threatening messages targeting the Islamic Community of Southwest
Florida in Charlotte Harbor. In Missouri, vandals painted a Nazi
swastika
and the word "die" on an addition under construction at the Islamic
Foundation of Greater St. Louis. Three Miami Islamic centers were
vandalized.
In response to these incidents, CAIR published a "Muslim Community
Safety
Kit." The safety kit may be obtained by e-mailing pubs@cair-net.org.
(Include name, address and phone number when requesting the safety
kit.)
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Seattle, Samia El-Moslimany, 206-409-3407, E-MAIL:
samia@cair-seattle.org; Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726,
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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
BREAKING NEWS
CONTACT: CAIR-Seattle, Samia El-Moslimany, 206-409-3407, E-MAIL:
samia@cair-seattle.org; Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726,
cair@cair-net.org
[NOTE: The U.S. Supreme Court last year upheld a Virginia law that
banned
cross burning as a form of racial intimidation.]
-----
CROSS BURNED AT HOME OF MIDDLE EASTERN FAMILY IN WA
Katherine Schiffner and Theresa Goffredo, Everett Herald, 7/10/04
http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/04/07/10/loc_arson001.cfm
(A) cross was burned at the home of a Middle Eastern family in Edmonds,
police there reported Friday.
The Edmonds investigation so far indicates that the malicious act may
have
been done by a former longtime friend of the homeowner's teenage son,
Edmonds police said.
Apparently, the former friend "had a parting of the ways" with the
teenage
son, Edmonds police Sgt. Jeffrey Jones said Friday.
The cross was made of wood and about 5 feet tall. It was set on fire in
the
front yard of the home in the 16000 Block of 75 Place W., and the
flames
charred some shrubs but didn't do any extensive damage to the house.
In the Edmonds incident, police arrived at the home about 9 a.m.
Friday.
The cross was placed at the house sometime between 11:45 a.m. and 11
p.m.
on Thursday. The homeowners were not home at the time and no one
reported
the incident until the family returned home Friday.
The victim's son, who was with his parents on vacation and out of town,
received a call from a friend who told him about a cross burning in his
front yard. The homeowner contacted a family friend to check the house
on
Thursday night. She located the cross, which was no longer burning, and
returned to her home without calling police.
The incident is still under investigation. If anyone has any
information
that can help apprehend those responsible for this crime, they can call
Edmonds detectives at 425-771-0200 during normal business hours Monday
through Thursday.
-----
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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/12/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: RESPECT FOR FOSTER-PARENTS
* CAIR-CLEVELAND: MUSLIM FOSTER PARENTS SOUGHT IN OHIO
* CAIR-OHIO: MUSLIM FAITH UNDER FIRE (Canton Rep)
- WA: Cross Burning Possible Hate Crime (KOMO)
- CAIR-Seattle: Bias Motive Possible at Fire
* MOST MUSLIMS BACKING KERRY (Deseret Morning News)
* NY: MUSLIMS CALL FBI REQUEST 'RACIAL PROFILING' (WOKR TV)
- NY: Sikh Victim May Have Been Mistaken for Muslim (NY Times)
- NY: Sikh Leaves Hospital After Bias Beating (Newsday)
* FL: MUSLIM CULTURE IS INGREDIENT IN MELTING POT (Sun-Sentinel)
* CIA INSIDER: THE THREAT WE REFUSE TO GET (Wash Post)
- Saudi Students Speak Of FBI Mistreatment (Arab News)
* IL: ISLAMIC SOCIETY'S VISIBILITY GROWS (Daily Herald)
- CA: Bigotry Shut Out As Jews, Muslims Play Ball (OC Reg)
- VA: Muslim School Joins Theological Group (Wash Post)
- A Growing Muslim Identity (LA Times)
* NC: MUSLIMS HOST OPEN HOUSES AT MOSQUES (Observer)
* WOMEN OF COVER (KC Star)
* U.S. JEW DENIED ENTRY INTO ISRAEL (AP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: RESPECT FOR FOSTER-PARENTS
Narrated AbutTufayl - "When a woman who came forward approached the
Prophet
(peace be upon him), he spread out his cloak for her (as a sign of
respect), and she sat on it. I asked: 'Who is she?' The people said:
'She
is his foster-mother.'"
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 2441
-----
CAIR-CLEVELAND: MUSLIM FOSTER PARENTS SOUGHT IN OHIO
EMPTY NEST
Andale Gross, Beacon Journal, 7/12/04
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/local/9134442.htm
The tall, brown house resembling a mosque is quieter and emptier now.
Glenda and Herbert Hill's children are no longer home.
Their presence made the shabby, oddly structured abode appealing. They
were
the nine reasons for moving into the home underneath the All-America
Bridge
in North Akron.
But earlier this year, authorities tore the family apart. The Summit
County
Children Services Board gained temporary custody of the children after
determining that the house in which they were living was unfit and
without
sufficient food.
Herbert and Glenda Hill insist they aren't bad parents, just poor ones.
And
it's not right, they say, to lose their children.
During the last two months, an Akron Beacon Journal reporter and
photographer have followed the Hills as they have struggled to do what
they
must to reunite their family.
The Hills were charged with multiple counts of child endangering.
Police
and social workers accused them of having a dirty home with electrical
problems, glassless windows and no edible food besides pita bread.
"They come in and see a house messed up, but we were fixing it up,"
Herbert
Hill said.
The house was in decent shape for them to be such a large family,
Glenda
Hill said…
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group with an
office in Cleveland, has been working with CSB to find Muslim foster
families.
"I know (CSB) is looking out for the best interests of the children,
but
they need to look out for the religious rights of the children and make
sure those rights are protected," said the council's Cleveland office
director, Julia A. Shearson.
"This would be a great chance for the interfaith community to pull
together
to restore the sanctity and dignity of a family…"
CONTACT: CAIR-Cleveland, Julia Shearson, 216-830-2247, 216-440-2247,
E-mail: julia@cair-ohio.com
-----
CAIR-OHIO: MUSLIM FAITH UNDER FIRE IN WORLD OF TERROR
Charita M. Goshay, Canton Repository, 7/10/04
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=8&ID=171275&r=0
When Christian extremist Eric Rudolph was arrested and charged with
bombing
two abortion clinics, Centennial Olympic Park and a gay nightclub, no
one
blamed mainstream Christians for his alleged crimes.
Yet, when similar acts are committed by Islamic extremists, American
Muslims say they are tagged as terrorists.
Reports of harassment and attacks on Muslims have risen dramatically
since
Sept. 11, 2001. According to the FBI, the reported number of
anti-Muslim
incidents rose from 28 in 2000, to 481 in 2001.
Jad Humeidan, executive director of the Ohio office of CAIR, the
Council on
American-Islamic Relations, said harassment of Muslims seems to
fluctuate
with the news.
"We see good days and bad days," he said. "It's sad that people clump
all
Muslims together and just automatically have suspicions. People tend to
forget that American Muslims have been in this country for hundreds of
years. We're proud of this country."
Humeidan said Muslims in Ohio reported a 20-percent increase in
harassment
from 2002 to 2003.
There are approximately 150,000 Muslims in Ohio, the largest
concentration
being in Cuyahoga County.
"For 2004, we're already on track to see a 50 percent increase from
2003,"
Humeidan said. "Before 9/11, we averaged three to four open cases at
any
given time. Currently, we have in Ohio 120 open cases, ranging from job
discrimination, denial of public accommodations, housing,
discrimination by
financial institutions. It runs the gamut."
"Part of the reason for the hate has to do with lack of information and
a
lack of knowledge," said Dr. Ihsan ul-Haque, a Pakistani Muslim who has
lived in Cleveland for 25 years…
ALSO SEE:
CROSS BURNING INVESTIGATED AS POSSIBLE HATE CRIME
Komo News, 7/10/04
http://www.komotv.com/stories/32133.htm
EDMONDS - Police here want to know who left a flaming symbol of hate
right
in front of a family's home.
The Middle Eastern family, including a teenage son, was away on
vacation.
Thursday when someone placed the cross in their yard and set it on
fire.
The family thinks one of the teen's former friends with some sort of
grudge
is responsible.
Police are investigating this as a possible hate crime.
"It's pretty frightful to think somebody would do this to you," said
Sgt.
Jeff Jones with the Edmonds Police Department. "It's a tactic that's
been
used for years as an intimidation tool. It's obviously something that's
not
acceptable to us..."
---
MUSLIM LEADER CITES POSSIBLE BIAS FOR FIRE AT MARKET
Seattle Post, 7/12/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/181731_everettfire12.html
EVERETT - A leader in the American Muslim community has called for an
FBI
investigation and more forceful leadership to deal with "Islamophobic
prejudice" following the burning of an Everett store owned by a
Pakistani man.
"If a bias motive is proven in this case, it will be yet another
indication
that our nation's leaders need to more forcefully address the rising
level
of anti-Muslim prejudice in America," said Samia El-Moslimany, board
chairman of the Seattle office of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations.
It was not clear yesterday whether authorities would do what
El-Moslimany
asked.
Firefighters estimate there was $90,000 damage on Thursday from the
fire at
the Continental Spices Cash and Carry market. The fire was being
investigated by Everett authorities as an arson and possible hate
crime.
The market is operated by Mirza Akram, a Pakistani and longtime
resident of
the area.
Investigators found a gas can and incendiary device inside the store,
which
is located in a strip mall on East Casino Road. In addition, white
crosses
and an anti-Arab message were found spray-painted inside…
-----
MOST MUSLIMS BACKING KERRY
Deborah Bulkeley, Deseret Morning News, 7/11/04
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595076555,00.html
Shahid Bahadur of South Jordan was in the minority among Muslims four
years
ago -- most voted for President Bush, he didn't.
This November, however, Bahadur could be voting with the majority of
Muslims when he casts his ballot.
A new survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations suggests many
Muslim voters are shifting their support from Bush to Democratic Sen.
John
Kerry.
"Kerry seems to be more in line with what people want, what I want in a
president," said Bahadur, 29. "I'm hoping he just leads this country in
a
better path. Too much emphasis has been on the war."
CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said exit polls in 2000 showed 55 percent
of
Muslims voted for Bush. However, only 2 percent of those Muslims
surveyed
in June said they'd vote for Bush today.
CAIR, a nonprofit organization established to promote an accurate image
of
Islam and Muslims in America, sent the questionnaire to subscribers of
its
e-mail list and received 1,161 responses from 43 states.
Hooper said while the survey is "admittedly unscientific," it is a
"pretty
good indication of trends within the Muslim community."
Kerry got the most support -- 54 percent; 26 percent favored Ralph
Nader,
and 14 percent were undecided.
To understand why Muslims may not back Bush this November, Hooper said
it's
important to look at the issues. The No. 1 domestic issue in the survey
was
civil rights, followed by the economy and health care. The top
international issue was U.S. Middle East policy…
-----
MUSLIM LEADERS CALL FBI REQUEST "RACIAL PROFILING"
Gavin Reynolds, WOKR-TV, 7/11/04
http://www.wokr13.tv/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=9650D495-98A6-40A8-BCCD-45858A4E5EE3
ROCHESTER - With recent warnings of possible terrorist attack this
summer,
FBI agents are asking Muslims to alert them of any terror activity
within
their communities. Muslim leaders in Rochester call the request
offensive
and a form of racial profiling.
Hanif Abdul Wahid and ten of his friends patrol the streets of
Rochester
twice a week. They focus on the area known as the "Crescent," which
some
believe has the highest crime rate in the city. Their group, called
RAIN--Rochestarians Against Illegal Narcotics--is made up of those in
the
Islamic faith.
"It's to promote public safety in the neighborhood, good citizenship.
We
try to help curb the violence in the city," he said.
Recently FBI agents have been told to establish contacts with Muslims
across the county. The US government believes this could stop an
attack.
While he volunteers for pubic service, Wahid says the FBI's request
directed at Muslims is offensive. He believes it sends the message that
all
Muslims are terrorists, which, he says is far from the truth.
"Some part of me says that they shouldn't have to do that, because
naturally Muslims are law-abiding citizens, and they cooperate on the
side
of what's just," Wahid said…
SEE ALSO:
3 ASSAILANTS SOUGHT IN BEATING OF SIKH MAN
Thomas J. Lueck, New York Times, 7/12/04
http://www.nytimes.com
A Sikh man wearing the turban and beard that are symbols of his faith
was
confronted by three men drinking cocktails on a Queens sidewalk
yesterday
and beaten into unconsciousness, according to the victim and two
witnesses.
The police said last night that the beating, which occurred outside an
Italian restaurant in an enclave of Sikh immigrants in Richmond Hill,
was
under investigation, but was being treated as a simple assault, not a
bias
crime, because there was insufficient evidence that ethnic slurs had
been
used. They said three men were being sought.
The Sikh man, Rajinder Singh Khalsa Ji, 54, a limousine driver who
immigrated with his family to Queens from India in the mid-1990's, was
taken by ambulance about 5:30 p.m. to Jamaica Hospital. In a telephone
interview from his hospital bed, he said he had multiple cuts and
bruises,
and might have a broken nose.
He said he and a fellow Sikh, Singh Gurcharan, were approached by three
men
in their early 20's, all of whom appeared drunk, as they walked past Il
Palazzo di Villa Russo, a catering hall at the corner of Lefferts
Boulevard
and 101st Street.
The young men ridiculed both Sikh men by referring to their turbans as
dirty curtains and telling them to take them off, Mr. Gurcharan said by
telephone last night.
"He cussed at me, and I told him that this is not a curtain, this is my
turban and it is a religious symbol," said Mr. Gurcharan, the owner of
a
nearby restaurant, Tandoori Express, where he and Mr. Khalsa Ji
intended to
have tea when they left their car on the street and walked past the
catering hall.
The sidewalk confrontation reflected a vulnerability of Sikhs in New
York
City and elsewhere, particularly since the 9/11 attacks, to being
singled
out for discrimination or attacks because they appear to be Muslims.
"I tried to explain to them that we are not Muslims, and that we cover
our
heads out of respect for God," said Mr. Khalsa Ji, who is an honorary
priest among Queens Sikhs and who frequently speaks in Sikh temples on
the
importance of the Sikh traditions and culture…
---
SIKH LEAVES HOSPITAL AFTER BIAS BEATING
Loretta Chao, Newsday, 7/12/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/nyc-sikh0713,0,5462527.story?
A Sikh honorary priest returned home from the hospital Monday morning
after
three men allegedly beat him unconscious in Richmond Hill Sunday night.
Rajinder Singh Khalsa Ji, 54, said he was on his way to have tea in his
cousin's restaurant when three unidentified men who were at a party
next
door began ridiculing his cousin's turban. When Khalsa Ji came to his
cousin's defense he said the men, who appeared to be drunk, told them
to go
back to their country and proceeded to beat him.
His cousin, Gurcharan Singh, 51, said that as he passed the men they
said,
"This is my curtain, give it to me," referring to the turban that Singh
and
the Khalsa Ji wear as a symbol of their religion.
"I called 911. When I called they got more angry and they started to
abuse
[curse] me again," Singh said. "Five to six people came to me, punching
me.
When they started punching me, my cousin told them, 'Leave him alone'
...
They started punching him and pushed him on the floor, punching,
kicking,
his face was all bloody and he was unconscious."
Khalsa Ji, who regained consciousness in an ambulance, said he will
need to
return the hospital several times over the next few months to treat his
injuries, including a fractured nose and multiple fractures in his
face...
-----
MUSLIM CULTURE IS INGREDIENT IN MELTING POT
Shabbir Motorwala, Sun-Sentinel, 7/12/04
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-15forum12jul12,0,3265420.story
There has been a false perception among Americans that American Muslims
are
not against terrorism as they have not protested in the streets against
terrorism and not answered why Islam breeds terrorism.
To reply to the first one: If large numbers of protesters can change
people's minds, then what happened to millions of people who protested
against the war in Iraq? Our elected leaders ignored the pleas of
millions
of people who came out in the streets, to no avail. If our elected
people
didn't listen to their electorate, what makes one think that these
terrorists will listen to our voices?
Why does Islam breed terrorism? Terrorism is not unique to Islam. Eric
Rudolph is not Muslim, he was fed the right-wing Christian philosophy.
Meir
Kahane and his group have been labeled terrorists by the U.S. State
Department. Babri Mosque was destroyed by right-wing fanatic Hindus.
The
Oklahoma City bombing was an act of a deranged Christian. By the way,
Hitler was a devout Christian.
The time has come that we American Muslims have to stop apologizing for
the
ignorant acts of a few. We do not support terrorism, in any form or
shape,
among anybody, anywhere -- and that should say it all. Islam doesn't
condone the acts of these deranged people. Terrorists have no religion
as
we have seen in the acts of terrorism on fellow Muslims in Pakistan,
Saudi
Arabia and India.
The recent book by an anonymous CIA agent reveals that terrorism in the
Arab and Muslim world will decline if Arab-Palestinian issues are
resolved
and the U.S. government played a more neutral role in that conflict,
instead of a biased policy toward the right-wing Israeli
administration.
Why is the patriotism of American Muslims called into question whenever
there is a terrorist act anywhere in the world? Nobody asks the
American
Jewish population which side they are on whenever there is a conflict
between Israeli and U.S. policies (though it rarely happens).
I am asked why Muslims around the world hate America, or where did we
go
wrong? Being an immigrant and now a U.S. citizen who has listened to
the
gripes of people back home, I can answer that question.
We have gone wrong by supporting corrupt and authoritarian regimes in
the
Arab and Muslim world against the wishes of their populace. We were
wrong
when we made Osama bin Laden a hero by fighting our war to get the
Russians
out of Afghanistan. We were wrong when we supplied Saddam Husain with
WMD
and supported him when he was gassing Iranians and his own people.
That's
where we have gone wrong…
Shabbir Motorwala is a Miami resident and a member of the Institute for
Islamic Education and Research.
-----
CIA INSIDER: THE THREAT WE REFUSE TO GET
Washington Post, 7/11/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40428-2004Jul10.html
He may be the best-known "Anonymous" man in Washington these days. Over
the
past two weeks, he has appeared for interviews -- always in the
shadows,
his face unseen -- on almost every national television network. He is a
23-year veteran of the CIA and the author of a new book, "Imperial
Hubris:
Why the West Is Losing the War on Terror." As a CIA employee, he had to
submit his manuscript for agency review. The CIA allowed him and his
Virginia publisher, Brassey's, to go ahead with the book on the
condition
that he maintain his anonymity.
By requiring him to withhold his identity but allowing him to publish
as
Anonymous, the CIA has actually drawn attention to the book (it briefly
alighted on Amazon.com's best-selling top 10 last week). That prompted
the
Washington speculation machine to wonder whether the book somehow
serves
the CIA's interests.
At this point, his name is about the only basic biographical detail
that
hasn't become known. He writes in his book that he has spent most of
his
career at "headquarters," where he has worked as an analyst for the
past 17
years, "focusing exclusively on terrorism, Islamic insurgencies,
militant
Islam and the affairs of South Asia." Other biographical details come
from
reporters and published reports: From 1996 until he was transferred in
1999, he was in charge of a special office set up to oversee the
intelligence effort on Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. His transfer
wasn't
voluntary; his blunt manner and strident views apparently did not sit
well
with some in the intelligence community, and he was taken off the al
Qaeda
portfolio. He returned to the counterterrorism field on Sept. 12, 2001,
but
not specifically to the al Qaeda desk. He has told interviewers that he
wrote "Imperial Hubris" to send a message, and he minces no words in
his
criticism of White House and CIA leadership. An example: He scorns
"senior
leaders" as "moral cowards" for ignoring warnings he says they received
about al Qaeda…
ALSO SEE:
SAUDI STUDENTS SPEAK OF FBI MISTREATMENT
Sanad Esteita, Arab News, 7/12/04
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=48228&d=12&m=7&y=2004
RIYADH - Saudi students returning from the US have spoken of shocking
treatment at the hands of the FBI. Among other things, they complain of
discrimination against them once they identify themselves as Saudis.
Ibrahim Al-Toeimi, a finance and banking student at the University of
Tampa, Florida, told Arab News the FBI would conduct random searches of
his
home once or twice a month. "They would come and knock on my door any
day
at any time... there was one occasion when they came to my house at
eight
o'clock on a Sunday morning." Without any warrants or justification,
the
FBI would proceed to search the apartment with a fine toothcomb.
"They used to open my closet and search the pockets of my clothes to
make
sure I wasn't hiding anything. They would go through my drawers and
even
check my shoes," Ibrahim continued.
"Once they took all my CDs and played them one at a time to check
what's on
them." When he asked them why, he was told: "It is part of our
procedure."
He went on to describe how agents would search his bathroom, kitchen
and
even checked under the carpet. "When they finished searching the place
they
would question me where I'd been and what I'd done.... they would ask
me
where my money came from and what I'd spent it on," Ibrahim said. "The
thing is that they know every detail about you but they ask you anyway
just
to make you nervous..."
-----
ISLAMIC SOCIETY'S VISIBILITY GROWS
Michael Puente, Daily Herald, 7/11/04
http://www.dailyherald.com/search/main_story.asp?intid=3817945
Last weekend, a group of youngsters belonging to Boy Scout Troop 786
marched in the Rolling Meadows Fourth of July parade.
Not a big deal for most, but for this new troop, it was something to
get
excited about. The troop is composed of children whose parents belong
to
the Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs in Rolling Meadows.
The society has called the city home for some 20 years. But because the
170
members keep a low profile, many long-time residents didn't realize the
society was even here until a few weeks ago.
That's when officials of the society approached the Rolling Meadows
City
Council, asking for permission to move the Islamic community center to
a
larger building - not far from its current location at 3890 Industrial
Ave.
on the city's west side….
After calling Rolling Meadows home for two decades, Mohammad Salam,
president of the society, didn't think getting the approval would be
such a
big deal, "because we are already here."…
The debate has been conducted in a polite manner.
In contrast, things weren't so polite recently in Orland Park.
A public outcry erupted late last month when Muslims sought permission
to
build a mosque in that South suburb. More than 400 people crowded into
the
civic center in Orland Park to argue over the proposal - including
officials with the U.S. Justice Department...
ALSO SEE:
BIGOTRY SHUT OUT AS JEWS, MUSLIMS PLAY BALL
Jeff Rowe and Tim Burt, Orange County Register, 7/11/04
http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2004/07/11/sections/local/local/article_164666.php
IRVINE - Sometimes, the players teach the coaches.
As relationships between Muslim and Jewish students at the University
of
California, Irvine, deteriorated this spring into angry exchanges,
young
Muslim and Jewish baseball players a few miles away not only figured
out
how to get along, they were becoming friends…
From day one, it seemed that the players and their families were a big
hit
together.
One mother, Sarah Catz, was an assistant coach and her son, 9-year-old
Ojo
Weiss, was one of the team's pitchers.
Catz and her son, both Jewish, said they immediately found the
experience
of being on a team with Muslims and those of other nationalities
rewarding.
"I remember the first real game, and I'm taking a look out at the team
and
I said, 'This is a microcosm of Orange County, this is beautiful," said
Catz, who moved from Laguna Beach to Irvine about three years ago…
As Fiedler's team was bonding during the season, it was getting ugly at
UCI.
Muslim-Jewish relations deteriorated as violence escalated between
Israelis
and Palestinians in the Middle East, and by graduation time last month,
the
two sides were so polarized that they communicated through university
officials or the media. Some Muslim students' decision to wear sashes
with
an Islamic inscription, along with their caps and gowns, boiled into a
national debate...
---
IN A FIRST, MUSLIM SCHOOL JOINS U.S. THEOLOGICAL GROUP
Bill Broadway, Washington Post, 7/10/04
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/living/religion/9103640.htm
WASHINGTON - The Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in
Leesburg, Va., has joined the Washington Theological Consortium,
marking
the first time that a Muslim school has become part of a major group of
U.S. seminaries and schools of religion.
"While our primary mission is advancing Christian unity, one of the key
objectives is promoting interreligious understanding," said the Rev.
John
Crossin, executive director of the consortium. "The unanimous vote of
the
consortium to bring together theological schools representing these two
great faiths is a good first step in the process."
The Muslim school is an affiliate member of the consortium, as is the
Interfaith Conference of Washington. The 10 member schools, all
Christian,
are the school of theology at Catholic University, the Dominican House
of
Studies, the Howard University School of Divinity, Washington
Theological
Union and Wesley Theological Seminary, all in the District of Columbia;
Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria; the Lutheran Theological
Seminary in Gettysburg, Pa.; and three schools in the Richmond (Va.)
Theological Consortium. There are also four associated members….
---
A GROWING MUSLIM IDENTITY
Shibley Telhami, Los Angeles Times, 7/11/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-op-telhami11jul11,1,4117623.story
COLLEGE PARK - One of the most stunning moments after the collapse of
Saddam Hussein's regime was the rush of tens of thousands of
celebrating
Iraqi Shiites into the streets in response to the call of their most
revered leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani. It was a stark
demonstration
of Shiite power, one that may have unnerved those Americans who believe
in
the possibility of a secular, democratic Iraq.
The moment was also a harbinger of a larger trend across the Middle
East,
one that poses difficult, long-term challenges for U.S. foreign policy:
More and more Arabs identify themselves as Muslims first.
This trend is evident in a survey I conducted last month in six Arab
countries - Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon and the
United
Arab Emirates. It is related to another, more enduring phenomenon: the
Arab
public's perception of their mostly authoritarian governments.
Respondents to my survey believe that the war in Iraq has made the
region
even less democratic. A possible - and remarkable - consequence of this
perception is that most Arabs polled said that they wanted the clergy
to
play a bigger role in politics…
-----
MUSLIMS HOST OPEN HOUSES AT 4 LOCAL ISLAMIC CENTERS
Ken Garfield, Charlotte Observer, 7/10/04
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/living/religion/9122744.htm
Charlotte - The Charlotte area's Muslim community will host a series of
open houses at its places of worship throughout July.
Muslim Women of the Carolinas is coordinating the events to bring
people of
different faiths together "to break bread," as one organizer said. The
first open house is from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Ash Shaheed
Islamic
Center, 22717 Tuckaseegee Road in Charlotte. Open houses follow from 2
to 5
p.m. next Saturday at Islamic Center of Charlotte, 1700 Progress Lane;
6 to
8 p.m. July 24 at Islamic Center of Charlotte-South, 559 N. Polk St. in
Pineville; and 6 to 8 p.m. July 31 at Islamic Center of Greater
Charlotte,
7025 The Plaza in Charlotte.
The Charlotte area is home to 8,000 to 10,000 Muslims. The free open
houses
will feature food. Details: (704) 578-0481.
-----
WOMEN OF COVER
Bill Tammeus, Kansas City Star, 7/11/04
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/living/9100175.htm
Kansas City -…Muslim women in America have faced both acceptance and
discrimination, especially since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by
terrorists
who claimed to be acting in the name of Islam. But Kadir says much of
the
reaction is mere curiosity….
Kadir, 25, explains her hijab decision this way: "In the Qur'an, it
says in
not one but many places that people who believe in God and the Prophet
Muhammad have to show themselves as Muslims and not be afraid to do so.
That's part of faith. I believe that hijab is the easiest way to
identify
myself."…
Awn, the Columbia University religion professor, notes that "concern
with
women's modesty was equally prevalent among Christians and Jews (in
earlier
times) as among Muslims. In classical patriarchal environments, for
example, certain parts of a woman's body were considered erotically
charged
and, therefore, they needed to be guarded from public view. Hair was
universally recognized as such, and thus head coverings were mandated."
He says older Roman Catholic women today no doubt "remember that they
used
to be obliged to cover their heads before entering a church. Why?
Because
this was one of the last remnants in Roman Catholicism of this same
attitude toward women's hair. Even today, the Vatican has serious
restrictions on what a woman can wear if she is to attend an audience
with
the pope. In Orthodox Judaism, many women adhere to these same
restrictions
and wear head scarves or wigs to cover their hair..."
As these Muslims seek their place in American culture, the hijab will
become more prominent, especially if Muslim women adopt the position of
former Kansas Citian Aminah Assilmi, director of the International
Union of
Muslim Women, a private nonprofit group based in Taylorville, Ky.: "To
ask
me to go without my hijab would be like asking a nun to go topless."
-----
U.S. JEW DENIED ENTRY INTO ISRAEL
Dan Waldman, Associated Press, 7/11/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Israel%20Activist%20Barred
JERUSALEM - A Jewish American was denied entry to Israel because she
belongs to a pro-Palestinian group, her lawyer said Sunday - a rare
case of
a Jew banned from the Jewish state.
Jamie Spector, 32, a social worker from San Francisco, arrived in
Israel on
Saturday to protest the West Bank separation barrier Israel is
constructing. She has been held in detention since defying the order to
leave, said her lawyer, Yael Berda.
The separation barrier was ruled illegal in an advisory opinion on
Friday
by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. Israel
dismissed the nonbinding ruling as one-sided, charging that it
encourages
terrorism.
Israel says the barrier is needed to keep Palestinian attackers out of
the
country, but Palestinians call it a land grab because it dips into the
West
Bank.
Spector was denied entry because of her affiliation with the
International
Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian group active in the West Bank
and
Gaza Strip, Berda said. The group's members often place themselves in
between Palestinians and Israeli forces to prevent the army from
carrying
out operations...
-----
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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 - 7/13/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: FEED THE NEEDY
* HELP GET CAIR'S PSA ON LOCAL TV STATIONS
- INCITEMENT WATCH: 'Islam is Rife with Cruelty'
* CAIR-SEATTLE: FBI WILL ASSIST PROBE OF STORE ARSON
- CAIR-Seattle Calls for FBI Probe of Arson
- WA: Education May Deter Hate (Seattle Times)
- MI: Halabi Says Worship Was Denied (Detroit Free Press)
* AN IMMIGRANT, A LIST, A DAY TRIP GONE WRONG (NY Times)
- CA: Attorney Creates ME Advocacy Group (CC Times)
* STUDY: ISLAM NOT OBSTACLE TO DEMOCRACY (UPI)
* DISABLED MAN DIES IN GAZA RUBBLE (BBC)
- Palestinians Trudge Out of Besieged Town (Reuters)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: FEED THE NEEDY
Hast thou ever considered [the kind of person] who denies the Judgment
(to
come)? Behold, it is this [person] who drives the orphan away with
harshness and feels no urge to feed the needy.
The Holy Quran, 107:1-3
-----
HELP GET CAIR'S PSA ON LOCAL TV STATIONS
PSA part of effort to reduce anti-Muslim stereotyping
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/13/04) - CAIR is asking for the help of local
Muslim
activists to promote the distribution and broadcast of the "I am an
American Muslim" television public service announcement (PSA).
TO VIEW THE PSA, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/default.asp?page=PSAJun2004
CAIR's 30 and 60-second PSA, which is designed to challenged
anti-Muslim
bias, features American Muslims of European, African-American,
Hispanic,
and Native American heritage. Each person in the PSA states how they
and
their families have served America and ends by saying, "I am an
American
Muslim." (See the INCITEMENT WATCH below for an example of Islamophobic
stereotyping.)
The PSA was first distributed by satellite to television public service
directors in June. It will be rebroadcast to television stations
nationwide
on Wednesday, July 14.
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED:
1. Please call each of your local television stations and ask to speak
to
the person who handles public service announcements.
2. Explain to that person why it is important to help reduce
anti-Muslim
bias in our society and how this PSA could assist in that goal.
3. Ask that the PSA be recorded from the following satellite feed:
DATE: Wednesday, July 14th
TIME: 2:00pm - 2:15pm ET (11:00am - 11:15am PT)
SATELLITE COORDINATES: C-BAND, AMC 9, Transponder 22, D/L 4140 H
4. Contact Rabiah Ahmed (rahmed@cair-net.org, 202-488-8787,
202-439-1441)
if the public service director requires a hard copy of the PSA or if
you
need more information about the campaign.
SEE ALSO:
INCITEMENT WATCH: 'ISLAM IS RIFE WITH CRUELTY'
ISLAM IS RIFE WITH CRUELTY
DICK CORNELIA, News Journal, 7/12/04
http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/opinion/rebuttal/07122004a.html
The repression of women proves that Islam is not a cultural system of
peace
and compassion. Honor killing of females for perceived indiscretions,
polygamy, acid burning, genital mutilation and other horrors do not
constitute care and understanding…
Dick Cornelia, of Hockessin, teaches at the University of Delaware's
Academy of Lifelong Learning.
NOTE: Cornelia teaches a course called "Islam: A Threat to the West?"
SEE:
http://www.continuingstudies.udel.edu/academy/courses/humanities.shtml
(Scroll down.)
SEND POLITE COMMENTS TO THE NEWSPAPER AND TO THE UNIV. OF DELAWARE:
NEWSPAPER: http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/opinion/index.html
UNIV. OF DELAWARE: jbroom@udel.edu, judyc@udel.edu, dthorpe@udel.edu
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
-----
WA: FBI WILL ASSIST PROBE OF GROCERY-STORE ARSON
Seattle Times, 7/13/04
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001978061_dige13m.html
The FBI will help Everett police and the federal Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigate the arson Friday that
destroyed a Pakistani-owned grocery store.
Everett police said they had not determined whether the fire was a hate
crime. However, FBI spokeswoman Robbie Burroughs said yesterday agents
are
usually brought in to help other agencies when it appears that a crime
may
be "based on race or religious orientation."…
Samia El-Moslimany, a spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations in Seattle, said she has asked the FBI to investigate the
fire as
a possible hate crime.
SEE ALSO:
ARSONIST TORCHES MUSLIM STORE IN WASHINGTON
CAIR calls for FBI probe, condemnation of Islamophobic bias
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1107&page=NR
---
EDMONDS OFFICIALS HOPE EDUCATING MAY DETER FUTURE HATE CRIMES
Javacia N. Harris, Seattle Times, 7/13/04
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001978059_cross13m.html
EDMONDS - Pastor Jason Martin can empathize with the Edmonds family
that
was victimized by a recent cross-burning.
The black minister awoke to find the same terrifying symbol early one
morning in March at his Arlington home.
"Pull together as a family and know that everybody in the city of
Edmonds
is not that way," Martin said yesterday, offering advice to the Edmonds
family.
Edmonds police on Friday were called to investigate the cross-burning
outside a house in the 16000 block of 75th Place West. According to
police,
the cross was believed to be placed at the house sometime on Thursday
while
the family, which is of Middle Eastern descent, was on vacation. After
the
victim's son received a call from a friend who told him a cross was
burning
in his front yard, the homeowner asked a family friend to check on the
house. The friend found the cross, which no longer was burning, but did
not
call the police. The family called police when they returned home.
Edmonds police have not ruled out race as a motive, but they are
looking at
the possibility that a former friend of a teenage boy in the home may
be
responsible. Police yesterday said they were continuing to investigate
the
incident. The family could not be reached for comment.
The incident is similar to the cross-burning at Martin's home that
sparked
local outrage. Two white teenage boys later convicted for the act said
they
had burned a cross on Martin's lawn because of a dispute with Martin's
teenage son.
In April, the city of Edmonds adopted a proclamation decrying the
Arlington
cross-burning and even proclaimed a week of "Brotherhood Days"
encouraging
Edmonds citizens to deepen their understanding and acceptance of people
of
all backgrounds. "I think this is an isolated incident," Edmonds Mayor
Gary
Haakenson said of the recent cross-burning…
ALSO SEE:
DEARBORN MAN SAYS WORSHIP WAS DENIED
Tamara Audi, Detroit Free Press, 7/13/04
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/tside13_20040713.htm
Lawyers for Ahmad Al-Halabi, the Air Force senior airman accused of
spying
while he was stationed as a translator at the military base at
Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba, have filed a complaint against the Air Force for refusing to
allow the Dearborn man to worship in a mosque.
Al-Halabi, a Muslim originally from Syria, is confined to Travis Air
Force
Base near Sacramento, Calif., while awaiting military trial on charges
that
he improperly handled sensitive material while working as a translator
in
the camp. His trial is scheduled for September.
The complaint alleges that military officials have made no provisions
for
Al-Halabi to practice his religion, in violation of the 1993 Religious
Freedom Restoration Act.
Al-Halabi, who attended high school in Dearborn, is asking for $57,000
in
damages, plus $1,000 for each day he is denied the right to worship,
according to the complaint…
-----
AN IMMIGRANT, A TERRORIST LIST AND A DAY TRIP GONE WRONG
Seth Kugel, New York Times, 7/13/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/13/nyregion/13stranded.html
At 12:01 Thursday morning, Irfan Ahmed, a 35-year-old Indian immigrant
living in Forest Hills, Queens, left on a bus to Montreal for a
whirlwind
visa renewal tour. His plan was to arrive at the United States
Consulate
for his 8:30 a.m. appointment, wait for his paperwork, then take the
4:15
home to New York and be back at his city job the next day. He had done
it
twice before, with no glitch.
But yesterday, four days later, Mr. Ahmed was still in Montreal, hoping
to
clear up an apparent case of mistaken identity after his name came up
as a
match on a government watch list. That delayed the renewal of his work
visa, which can be issued immediately only by an American consulate in
a
foreign country.
At the consulate, a visa officer handed him a letter that stated,
''Please
be aware that this review may take one month or more to complete,'' and
he
was advised not to leave Montreal.
His story is hardly extreme -- he was not thrown in jail, just stranded
in
a French-speaking city that he barely knows but that is home to the
foreign
American consulate that is closest to New York.
He is exasperated and panicked, however, to be away from work as a
computer
consultant for the city's Human Resources Administration and to miss
classes at Mercy College, where he is studying education.
''What's the big deal having a name Irfan Ahmed?'' he said in a phone
interview. The name is common among South Asian Muslims. ''Everyone has
this name. Irfan Ahmed is like John Smith.''
To Monami Maulik, the director of Desis Rising Up and Moving, a South
Asian
immigrant group in Queens where Mr. Ahmed volunteers, it is
distressingly
unsurprising.
''What's happening with Irfan is something that's happening pretty
frequently since Sept. 11, especially to Muslim men like him,'' she
said.
His problem seems particularly ironic, she said, because of his
volunteer
work for her organization and for the Internal Revenue Service, where
he
helps low-income residents file tax returns. (To make matters worse, he
could have simply filed the renewal application by mail, but he said he
thought that would take too long.)…
SEE ALSO:
ATTORNEY CREATES MIDDLE EASTERN ADVOCACY GROUP
Jack Chang, Contra Costa Times, 7/13/04
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/9141909.htm?1c
SAN FRANCISCO - An attorney who has defended hundreds of Middle
Easterners
and Muslims is starting what she says will be a lead organization
championing communities put on the defensive by suspicion and
investigation
after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Attorney Banafsheh Akhlaghi said the National Legal Sanctuary for
Community
Advancement will address the plight of Muslims and other communities as
a
civil rights matter, similar to the internment of Japanese-Americans
during
World War II and the disenfranchisement of African-Americans.
"There is another group that has now come forward as a group with the
light
shined on them, rounded up and shackled," said the Iranian-born
attorney.
"It's time to turn up the volume on the voices of our clients, and I
believe America's ready to hear it."
Akhlaghi said she plans to model the new organization on the venerable
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which has
defended African-Americans for nearly a century.
Representatives of the new group will lobby lawmakers, defend
individual
clients, argue legal cases that could set broad public policy and
educate
the public about affected communities.
Since Sept. 11, Akhlaghi has been one of the nation's most visible
defenders of immigrants embroiled in federal responses to the attacks,
having represented more than 600 clients, many threatened with
deportation
after obeying mandates to register with immigration authorities.
She said the legal sanctuary group will serve any community, from
Indian
Sikhs to Lebanese Christians to African-American Muslims, affected by
post-Sept. 11 policies…
-----
STUDY: ISLAM NOT OBSTACLE TO DEMOCRACY
Nathalie Lagerfeld, United Press International, 7/12/04
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040712-024310-4157r
WASHINGTON - Islam is not the greatest obstacle to democracy in Muslim
countries, according to a report from the Islam Program at the Center
for
Strategic and International Studies.
Powerful militaries, poverty and a weak private sector, not religion or
culture, are the real problems, the study found.
Islam "is neither a tremendous help nor a hindrance" in promoting
democracy, said Shireen T. Hunter, director of the CSIS Islam Program,
who
prepared the report.
The report, "Modernization and Democratization in the Muslim World:
Obstacles and Remedies," is based on research by three different study
groups of scholars. Each investigated a category of possible causes for
the
lack of democracy in the Muslim world: cultural, internal and external
factors.
Many ideas in Islam support democracy rather than discourage it, said
Hunter. She cited the concept of baya, or consultation (sic), which
"means
giving support and acceptance to a leader. And also withdrawing that if
the
leader did not perform for the benefit of society."
The report calls for "reviving the spirit of earlier democratizers and
reformers in the Muslim world" and promoting the rationalist and
progressive traditions of Islam as a way to promote democracy.
"If there is going to be peaceful change, there needs to be change
through
the cultural tradition of the society," said Hunter…
-----
DISABLED MAN DIES IN GAZA RUBBLE
BBC, 7/12/04
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3885725.stm
A disabled man in his 70s died when Israeli troops demolished a
building
where he was living in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical sources say.
They say the death occurred when tanks and bulldozers began removing
buildings near the town of Khan Yunis at the southern end of the strip.
The Israeli army said it was removing flimsy shacks and unfinished
buildings.
Palestinian witnesses said it was possible that the troops were unaware
that the man was inside the building.
'No warning'
The man, named as 70-year-old Mohammed Khallas, apparently did not hear
calls to evacuate and was found dead in rubble shortly after the
demolition.
His daughter, Mona, told the BBC that she rushed out into the darkness
to
plead for more time to get her father out of the house but the soldiers
did
not listen to her.
An Israeli military spokesman said the army was investigating the
reports.
Israel has demolished the homes of thousands of people in the West Bank
and
Gaza since it began the policy of destroying the homes of Palestinian
militants in August 2002.
Often those who lived in the houses say they were given just minutes to
gather their families and flee…
ALSO SEE:
PALESTINIANS TRUDGE OUT OF BESIEGED GAZA TOWN
Cynthia Johnston, Reuters, 7/13/04
GAZA - Palestinians complaining of food shortages trudged out of a
sealed
Gaza Strip town on Tuesday for the first time since the Israeli army
invaded two weeks ago to stop rocket attacks on southern Israel.
They returned to Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza in the afternoon on
donkey
carts laden with flour, potatoes, rice and bread as Israeli forces
briefly
let townspeople through.
"The kids need tea, bread, food. We just had a bit of flour and rice
left.
There were no vegetables," said Hania Muhammad Muslih. She sat on a
donkey
cart loaded with sacks of flour to feed an extended family of more than
20
people. The Israeli army moved into Beit Hanoun last month in response
to
rocket fire that killed two Israelis, including a three-year-old boy,
in
the town of Sderot. It said it could stay for months.
Fifteen Palestinians -- eight militants and seven civilians including a
nine-year-old boy -- have been killed since the siege began.
Doctors said a pregnant Palestinian woman was shot and seriously
wounded on
Saturday when she tried to leave to get food for her family.
Israel had previously conducted periodic raids into Palestinian areas
while
maintaining a regular presence mainly in the vicinity of Gaza's 21
Jewish
settlements, which Israel plans to evacuate by late 2005.
-----
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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 - 7/14/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: ALLEVIATE SUFFERING
* MUSLIMS MEET WITH FBI IN AZ, NY
- CAIR-FL: Muslim Group to Host Civil Rights Forum
- CAIR-FL: Dangers of Profiling (SP Times)
- CAIR-CAN Participates in National Conferences
* CAIR ELECTION UPDATE #12: ETHNIC OUTREACH
* FREED SWEDE SAYS WAS TORTURED AT GUANTANAMO (Reuters)
- Red Cross Suspects U.S. Prisoner Stash (AP)
* GA: PRAYER PULLS HINDU, MUSLIM CLOSER (Journal-Constitution)
- Heeding Stereotypes Hinders Effort (Sun News)
* IA: ANOTHER HITCH FOR MUSLIM CAMP (Des Moines Register)
- IL: Islamic Group Allowed To Move (Daily Herald)
* CANADIAN MOSQUE VANDALISM MAY BE FAITH-RELATED (Spectator)
- Documentary on Canadian Muslim Experience
* ISRAELIS PUT ROTTING CHICKENS IN PALESTINIAN WELL (Haaretz)
- Settlers Suspected Of Polluting Wells (Maarivintl)
- Judgment on the Israeli Wall (SF Chronicle)
* 'THE GRID': TERRORISM-FUELED MINISERIES (USA Today)
* DC: ISLAMIC ART FROM THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: ALLEVIATE SUFFERING
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "He who alleviates the
suffering of a brother...God will ease his...suffering on the Day of
Resurrection. He who finds relief for one who is hard pressed, God will
make things easy for him in the Hereafter, and he who conceals (the
faults)
of a Muslim, God will conceal his faults in this world and in the
Hereafter."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1245
-----
MUSLIMS MEET WITH FBI IN AZ, NY
Meetings seek to initiate positive dialogue
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/14/04) - The Arizona office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Arizona) and the American Civil
Liberties
Union of Arizona (AzCLU) met Tuesday with representatives of the FBI to
discuss concerns about recent interviews of local Muslims, ongoing
counterterrorism efforts and ways to improve cooperation between law
enforcement and the American Muslim community.
Representatives of CAIR's New York office (CAIR-NY), along with other
Muslim community leaders, met with FBI Assistant Director in Charge,
Pasquale J. D'Amuro, Tuesday at the Muslim Youth Center in Brooklyn to
discuss issues of concern to the Islamic community. Topics of
discussion
included the criteria used for opening an investigation, building trust
in
the Muslim community and the possibility of sensitivity training for
FBI
personnel.
"Arizona's Muslim community, as well as other Muslim communities across
the
country, are ready, willing and able to work with law enforcement
authorities for the safety and security of our nation," said CAIR-AZ
Executive Director Deedra Abboud.
"The Muslim community in New York wants to play a positive role in
protecting our nation's security, but that role is made more difficult
if
the FBI is perceived as pursuing suspects much more actively than it is
searching for community partners," said CAIR-NY Executive Director
Wissam Nasr.
Both meetings were part of CAIR's efforts to build constructive
relationships with local, state and national law enforcement agencies
and
to voice the Muslim community's concerns about religious and ethnic
profiling.
CONTACT: CAIR-Arizona, Deedra Abboud at 602-262-2247, E-Mail:
director@cairaz.org; CAIR-NY: Wissam Nasr at 212-870-2002, 917-751-1017
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-FL: MUSLIM ADVOCACY GROUP TO HOST FLORIDA CIVIL RIGHTS FORUM
(FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 7/14/04) - On Saturday, July 17, the Florida office
of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) will hold a civil
rights forum, called "Principles of American Democracy," designed to
raise
awareness on civil rights as an issue of importance to all Americans.
WHAT: The Principles of American Democracy - A Symposium on Civil
Rights
WHEN: Saturday, July 17, 2004, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Wyndham Ft. Lauderdale Airport, 1870 Griffin Rd, Ft., Lauderdale
PANELISTS FOR THE SYMPOSIUM:
Amy Goodman, An internationally acclaimed journalist and host of
'Democracy
Now'
David Cole, Legal affairs correspondent for 'The Nation' and Professor
of
Law at Georgetown University. Author of 'Terrorism and the
Constitution'
Lucy A. Dalglish, Executive Director of the Reporters' Committee for
Freedom of the Press.
CONTACT: Altaf Ali, 954-298-8214, E-Mail: altaf@cair-florida.org; Ahmed
Bedier, 813-731-9506, E-Mail: abedier@cair-florida.org
---
MOOSE WARNS OF DANGERS OF PROFILING
Saundra Amrhein, St. Petersburg Times, 7/13/04
http://www.sptimes.com/
He has a doctorate degree, led a police force outside the nation's
capital
and studied with the FBI.
And still, said Charles Moose - who was Montgomery County police chief
during the Washington, D.C.-area sniper shootings - he's been pulled
over
because he's black.
"Racial profiling does exist,'' he said."It is real. It is painful. It
happens to people like me.''
But it takes more forms than traffic stops, Moose told about 70 people
who
gathered Monday night at the John F. Germany Public Library to hear him
discuss ways to improve police and community relations in the wake of
the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Racial profiling destroys community policing by alienating some
residents
who could actually help police solve crimes, Moose said.
"In communities where there is racial profiling . . . eventually,
people
stop participating with police,'' he said."Police are looking at
everyone
as (if) somehow they're all bad.''
The event was sponsored by the Racial Justice Project of the American
Civil
Liberties Union of Florida, which is taking Moose on tours and speeches
throughout the state. Moose spoke in favor of proposed federal
legislation
to help stop racial profiling and force local police to keep statistics
on
whom they stop and why.
Joining Moose for his address were Guadalupe Lamas, the parish nurse
and
advocate for migrant farmworkers at San Jose Mission in Dover; and
Ahmed
Bedier, communications director for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations in Florida…
---
CAIR-CAN PARTICIPATES IN NATIONAL CONFERENCES
Topics Include Discrimination Prevention, Civil Liberties and Human
Rights
(Ottawa, Canada - 14/07/04) - Alhamdulillah, (to God belongs all
praise),
the Canadian Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) has
participated in two national conferences in June, and will feature
prominently in a third later this summer.
In June, CAIR-CAN Executive Director Riad Saloojee served as a panelist
at
the annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences (CFHSS) held
at
the University of Manitoba on June 5. Mr. Saloojee joined University of
Victoria political science professor Reg Whitaker to speak on the issue
of
"Security vs. Liberty Post-9/11: Are We Losing Our Balance?"
The conference brought together over 90 associations and more than
6,000
scholars from the international academic community. It featured
interdisciplinary symposia, cultural events, public discussions and
attracted major media coverage.
In June, Saloojee was also panelist at the annual conference of the
Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies (CASHRA), an
organization established to provide an effective communication link
between
governmental agencies working in the field of protecting and promoting
human rights. Hosted by the Canadian Human Rights Commission, this
year's
conference theme was "The Everyday Work of Promoting and Protecting
Human
Rights in Canada." Saloojee spoke on the issue of "Discrimination
Prevention."
On Sunday, August 15, 2004, CAIR-CAN Chair Sheema Khan will join
Professor
Janice Gross Stein, Director of the Munk Centre for International
Studies
at the University of Toronto, and broadcaster Ann Medina for the
Opening
Panel of the Canadian Bar Association's (CBA) annual conference,
"Engaging
Communities: Human Rights in Context?"
The panel will be preceded by an opening address from UN Special Envoy
Stephen Lewis. (For more on the program, please visit:
http://www.cba.org/CBA/annualmeeting/2004_annual/ )
The CBA Canadian Legal Conference and Expo is the premiere annual event
for
legal professionals in Canada. The CBA represents some 38,000 lawyers,
judges, notaries, law teachers, and law students from across Canada.
CONTACT:
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
-----
CAIR ELECTION UPDATE #12: ETHNIC OUTREACH
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/jul142004.asp
-----
FREED SWEDE SAYS WAS TORTURED AT GUANTANAMO
Reuters, 7/14/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5665599
STOCKHOLM - A Swede released from Guantanamo Bay last week said he had
been
tortured by exposure to freezing cold, noise and bright lights and
chained
during his 2-1/2-year imprisonment.
Mehdi Ghezali, the son of an Algerian-born immigrant, told Swedish
media in
interviews published or aired on Wednesday that he was interrogated
almost
every day at the U.S. naval base on Cuban soil.
The 25-year-old man, who was arrested in Pakistan where he says he was
studying Islam, was released on July 8 after pressure from Sweden.
Ghezali told Dagens Nyheter daily and Swedish public radio he had
cooperated for the first six months but stopped talking when his
interrogators kept asking the same questions.
In April the military changed their tactics, he said.
"They put me in the interrogation room and used it as a refrigerator.
They
set the temperature to minus degrees so it was terribly cold and one
had to
freeze there for many hours -- 12 to 14 hours one had to sit there,
chained," he said, adding that he had partially lost the feeling in one
foot since then.
Ghezali said he was also deprived of sleep, chained for long periods in
painful positions, and exposed to bright flashes of light in a darkened
room and loud music and noise.
"They forced me down with chained feet. Then they took away the chains
from
the hands, pulled the arms under the legs and chained them hard again.
I
could not move," he said…
ALSO SEE:
RED CROSS SUSPECTS U.S. PRISONER STASH
Naomi Koppel, Associated Press, 7/14/04
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20040713-111332-1645r.htm
GENEVA - The international Red Cross said yesterday it suspects the
United
States is hiding detainees in lockups across the globe, though the
agency
has been granted access to thousands of prisoners in Iraq and
elsewhere.
Terror suspects reported by the FBI as captured have never turned up in
detention centers, and the United States has failed to reply to agency
demands for a list of everyone it's holding, Antonella Notari,
spokeswoman
for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in an
interview with the Associated Press.
"These people are, as far as we can tell, detained in locations that
are
undisclosed not only to us but also to the rest of the world," Mrs.
Notari
said.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said yesterday he was "looking
further into" the Red Cross concerns and added: "We do work closely
with
the Red Cross on all detainee issues." He did not concede a problem
exists.
At the Pentagon, spokesman Bryan Whitman said, "The International
Committee
of the Red Cross has access to all Defense Department detention
operations."
However, in his report into claims of abuse at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib
prison,
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba found that military police there
had
"routinely held persons brought to them by other government agencies
without accounting for them, knowing their identities, or even the
reason
for their detention..."
-----
PRAYER PULLS HINDU, MUSLIM CLOSER
Namita Devidayal, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/14/04
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/atlanta_world/0704/14woman.html
She lived in my neighborhood in Bombay, India, and worked as a sales
representative for an international business. She was Muslim. I was
Hindu.
We had common friends, and no one was particularly aware of religion as
a
measure of identity. We both got married, moved away and disappeared
into
the United States.
My husband's software business took him to Marietta two years ago. The
first day I enrolled my son in play school, I noticed a dark-haired
little
boy crying inconsolably. I picked him up and rocked him for a minute.
He
immediately grew quiet. "What's his name?" I asked the teacher.
"Irfan,"
she drawled. "He's from Iraq. He doesn't seem to understand English."
My son, Chait, and Irfan became buddies - to the extent 2-year-olds can
be.
They probably connected on some visceral level to each other's sameness
in
a school otherwise populated by flaxen-haired toddlers. I secretly
delighted in the fact that my son's best friend was of Iraqi origin and
was
already revealing his cosmopolitan leanings in a world that had grown
hideously xenophobic.
A few weeks later, I met Irfan's mother as she was dropping her son off
at
school. I would have recognized her right away, but she was wearing a
black
head scarf. I couldn't believe it. Little Irfan was no "Saddam-ling,"
as
his teacher had presumptuously thought, but the son of my friend from
Bombay. In a strange twist of circumstance, she had also moved to
Marietta,
and our sons were exactly the same age and had ended up in the same
church
school.
I was a little shocked to see her under a head scarf. Why had she
decided
to flaunt her Islamic faith, especially while living in a country where
many believe that this particular religion epitomizes evil?
"9/11 changed everything," she said softly. She invited me to join her
for
Friday prayers. I did another double-take. This was someone who never
went
to mosque in Bombay. Suddenly, she comes to America and turns into this
veiled wonder...
ALSO SEE:
HEEDING STEREOTYPES HINDERS EFFORT
Moustafa Bayoumi, Sun News, 7/14/04
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/sunnews/news/opinion/9149095.htm
The Bush administration says it wants to win the hearts and minds of
the
Iraqi people. But it is relying on a poor and biased guide.
Veteran journalist Seymour Hersh recently reported in the New Yorker
magazine that the "bible" of a powerful pro-war group of conservatives
in
Washington is a 1973 book called "The Arab Mind," by Raphael Patai.
This
book says that "Arabs only understand force" and that the "biggest
weakness
of Arabs is shame and humiliation."
According to the London Guardian, "The Arab Mind" is "probably the
single
most popular and widely read book on the Arabs in the U.S. military"
and is
"even used as a textbook for officers at the JFK special warfare school
in
Fort Bragg, [N.C.]." Hersh alleges that the book was a kind of manual
for
the abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison.
But "The Arab Mind" [should have] no place in U.S. military schools or
policy circles. Serious scholars have long discredited the book because
of
its racist character.
"The Arab Mind" follows a genre of books popular in the 19th century
that
said race defines human behavior. These books reduced the histories,
politics and cultures of huge groups of people into simple instinct or
an
unchanging personality.
Imagine if our officials were basing government policies on a book that
told them the African mind has an "aversion to work that involves
dirtying
one's hands," or that the Jewish mind has an "all-encompassing
preoccupation with sex." Substitute the word "Arab" for "African" and
"Jewish" in these two examples, however, and you have the wisdom in
this
noxious text used by the military.
So why have the military and influential pro-war pundits taken this
book to
heart?...
-----
ANOTHER HITCH FOR MUSLIM CAMP, BUT GROUP'S PLANS MOVE FORWARD
Jordan Schrader, Des Moines Register, 7/14/04
http://www.dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040714/NEWS08/407140343/1010
North Liberty residents in 2002 objected to plans to build the nation's
first Muslim youth camp . The residents worried that the camp would be
a
sprawling development in their rural neighborhood. Others went further
in
their protests, equating the proposed summer camp with a terrorist
enclave.
More than a year after it was told to scale back its plans, the group
formed to build the camp still has not obtained the go-ahead from
federal
officials.
When leaders of the drive to build a Muslim youth camp in eastern Iowa
were
told this summer that their latest plan exceeded its boundaries, it
must
have felt a bit familiar.
It was more than a year ago that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told
them
to cut the scope of their proposed camp in half, amid pressure from
local
officials and neighbors concerned about how the camp might change their
way
of life.
Muslim Youth Camps of America is back at the drawing board, revising a
proposal it submitted two months ago. The Corps rejected that plan
saying
its buildings extended outside the area approved for the camp's use.
It's one more setback for the Cedar Rapids-based nonprofit group in its
quest to create a Muslim summer camp on 106 acres of federal land along
Coralville Reservoir, just northeast of North Liberty.
Nevertheless, it's a small obstacle compared with the hurdle the group
cleared in June 2003 when the Corps allowed it to proceed despite
complaints from next door and around the country...
ALSO SEE:
IL: ISLAMIC GROUP ALLOWED TO MOVE
Michael Puente, Daily Herald, 7/14/04
http://www.dailyherald.com/cook/main_story.asp?intID=3818210
The Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs will be allowed to relocate to
a
larger facility within a manufacturing district in Rolling Meadows.
By a 4-3 vote, a majority of the Rolling Meadows City Council approved
amending a city zoning code to allow places of worship to operate under
a
special use permit in a manufacturing district.
"It is the right thing to do, and I am glad the council did the right
thing. We are very grateful to the council," Mohammad Salam, president
of
the Islamic Society, which has called Rolling Meadows home for the past
two
decades.
The society, now at 3890 Industrial Avenue, wants to move to a facility
three times in size - but just doors away - at 3950 Industrial Avenue.
Prior to the vote, a number of supporters addressed the council urging
changing of the city code and granting of a special use permit to the
society.
"I would hope that tonight, without any further delay, the citizens of
Rolling Meadows would be recognized as a city that welcomes and
encourages
diversity," resident Carol Melby said.
Guy Austrian, of the Jewish Council of Urban Affairs of Chicago, urged
the
City Council to support the efforts of the Islamic Society...
-----
MEMBERS SAY MOSQUE VANDALISM FAITH-RELATED
Natalie Alcoba, Hamilton Spectator, 7/14/04
www.thespec.com
Yunus Baig has had to clean egg stains from his east-end mosque's
window
three times too often.
They're still there.
"When it dries up, it becomes difficult (to clean). You have to scrub
it
properly," said Baig.
Three times in the last two weeks, eggs have been thrown at the back
and
side windows of the Umar Mosque on Rennie Street. Dirt has been left at
the
entranceway. Police were informed of the vandalism Monday and a report
has
been forwarded to the hate crime unit.
Mosque members believe vandals have targeted their place of worship
because
of their faith. Other buildings in the area haven't received the same
treatment, noted Baig. This is the first time that eggs have been
thrown at
the mosque.
"We do believe it is targeted," said Baig, a member of the mosque. "It
is
faith-related, we believe," he said.
Sergeant Mike Senchyshak said the incidents are being investigated.
"The
possibility that there is a hate crime element would be part of (the
investigation)."
An incident report has been forwarded to the police's hate crime unit.
Sandra Wilson, community relations co-coordinator with the Hamilton
police,
said police will look at all motivations for the vandalism, but said
it's
too early to label the incident as hate-motivated. She said an upcoming
information session with the Muslim community will provide an
opportunity
to discuss the incident, and to encourage reporting of similar
crimes...
SEE ALSO:
BROADCAST OF FIRST-EVER DOCUMENTARY ON CANADIAN MUSLIMS
http://www.anewlife.ca/documentary/episode3.php
A unique project that represents the history and dynamics of the
Canadian Muslim community, the three-part educational series was
created by
producer Michael Milo at the Division of Media and Technology of
University
of Saskatchewan. It is hosted by internationally-renowned
singer/songwriter
Dawud Wharnsby Ali and written by educator Saira Rahman.
The three-part series chronicles the history, religious life and
contributions of Muslims in Canada's multicultural fabric.
"At any given mosque throughout the country, you might find up to fifty
different ethnic and cultural groups. The Muslim community in Canada
is a
microcosm of Canada's multicultural make-up and the videos try to
celebrate
that diversity," said producer Michael Milo.
"A New Life in a New Land fills a critical gap in providing a
well-researched and elegantly presented snapshot of the presence and
contribution of Canadian Muslims," added CAIR-CAN Executive Director
Riad
Saloojee…
-----
SETTLERS SAID TO HAVE PUT ROTTING CHICKENS INTO VILLAGE WELL
Jonathan Lis, Haaretz, 7/14/04
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/450926.html
Palestinians in a West Bank village south of Hebron complained of
settler
harassment on Tuesday after six rotting corpses of chickens were found
in
their central well.
Residents of a-Tawna said they saw settlers throwing the chickens into
the
well, which supplies drinking water to the local school.
Judea and Samaria regional police are investigating the incident and
have
reported a notable increase in Palestinian complaints of harassment in
the
last few months. There has been a 15 percent rise in the number of
investigations opened this year, police said.
The majority of the complaints involve theft of equipment, destruction
of
property and attacks on Palestinian passers-by, according to police.
About a month ago, five young Jewish women attacked a Palestinian woman
near the Hazon David settlement between Hebron and Kiryat Arba. The
victim
was lightly wounded…
ALSO SEE:
JUDGMENT ON THE WALL
George Bisharat, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/14/04
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/07/14/EDGVN7KDL51.DTL
Last week's judgment by the International Court of Justice on Israel's
West
Bank separation barrier -- known to Palestinians as the apartheid wall
--
may emerge as the most important development in the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict in years. While advisory in nature, the conclusion that the
barrier is illegal may spawn actions by the international community to
compel Israeli compliance. In 1971, just such an opinion regarding
South
Africa's illegal occupation of Namibia led to diplomatic pressure,
boycotts
and other forms of nonviolent resistance against the apartheid regime,
eventually contributing to peaceful democratic transformation.
Israel began construction of the barrier in 2002. It consists of a
road,
trenches, barbed-wire fencing, electronic sensors and a concrete wall
as
high as 24 feet. Palestinians, together with much of the world, suspect
this is a step in an Israeli plan to permanently annex much of the West
Bank. (Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, but the United Nations
has
designated the territory for Palestinian national self-determination.)
Meanwhile, the officially announced purpose of the wall was to prevent
infiltration by Palestinian attackers from the West Bank.
While some might have preferred negotiations to enforced segregation,
no
legal quarrel would have erupted had Israel placed the barrier along
its
roughly 200-mile West Bank border. But it chose to build the barrier
substantially within the West Bank, on Palestinian land.
The planned wall is not linear, with Israelis on one side and
Palestinians
on the other. Instead, if completed, the barrier will stretch some 400
miles and completely encircle Palestinian population centers in the
West
Bank. Israel will control all access of people and goods in the
Palestinian
enclosures. About 43 percent of the West Bank will remain outside the
Palestinian areas under Israel's control. In several places, the
barrier
cuts deep into Palestinian territory to protect Israeli settlements,
long
condemned as illegal by the international community...
-----
'THE GRID': TERRORISM-FUELED MINISERIES
Bill Keveney, USA Today, 7/14/04
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-07-13-grid_x.htm
When Julianna Margulies watched 9/11 testimony detailing squabbling
among
government agencies, she had a feeling of dj vu. She had already acted
in
scenes with a similar theme in TNT's six-hour terrorism thriller, The
Grid.
In The Grid, which opens with a two-hour premiere Monday (9 p.m.
ET/PT),
Margulies' character, counterterrorism director Maren Jackson, must
overcome such infighting to lead an interagency team against a global
terror cell of Muslim extremists…
Alexander wanted to show the range of Muslim life. One U.S. agent is a
Muslim; other Muslims express a range of views that, Alexander says,
aren't
always shown…
-----
PALACE AND MOSQUE: ISLAMIC ART FROM THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM
http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/upcoming.htm#islamic
WHAT: Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Victoria and Albert
Museum
The Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London has one of the most
renowned
Islamic art collections in the world. Over 100 works from the V&A, many
exhibited for the first time outside that museum, convey the richness
of
Islamic art on a scale and quality hard to find in any collection
outside
the Middle East. The exhibition's themes start with "The Written Word,"
featuring calligraphy from the 10th to 18th century. Considered the
noblest
and most distinctive form of Islamic art because of its association
with
the Qur'an, beautiful calligraphic writing pervades Islamic art.
"Courts
and Courtiers" introduces art made for the secular realm of the ruling
elite. Two royal courts that flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries
will
be featured--the court of the Ottoman dynasty that ruled from Istanbul
and
the Safavid dynasty in Iran. "Mosques, Shrines, and Churches" will
examine
works created for religious establishments, including a 20-foot high
pulpit
(minbar) made for a mosque in Cairo in the 15th century. The section
also
includes works produced by Islamic artists for Christian churches,
reflecting the religious tolerance that has characterized Islamic
culture
from its beginnings in the 7th century. "Artistic Exchange," the final
section, includes works of Islamic, European, and Chinese manufacture.
As
the textiles and ivories demonstrate, the wealth of interaction between
the
Islamic Middle East and Europe was such that some works of art cannot
be
easily assigned to one culture. Timothy Stanley, senior curator, Middle
East, at the Victoria and Albert Museum, is exhibition curator and the
principal author of the book that accompanies the exhibition, Palace
and
Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East.
Organization: This exhibition was organized by the Victoria and Albert
Museum, London, in association with the National Gallery of Art,
Washington.
Sponsor: The exhibition at the National Gallery of Art is generously
sponsored by H.R.H. Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Ambassador of Saudi
Arabia to
the United States.
The international tour of this exhibition has been made possible by the
generosity of Mohammed Jameel, the benefactor of the V&A's Jameel
Gallery
of Islamic Art, which is dedicated to the memory of Mr. Abdul Latif
Jameel,
the late founder of the Abdul Latif Jameel Group, and his wife Nafisa.
The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on
the
Arts and the Humanities.
WHEN: July 18, 2004 - February 6, 2005
Schedule: National Gallery of Art, July 18, 2004 - February 6, 2005;
Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, April 3 - September 4, 2005;
Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo, October 22 - December 11, 2005; Millennium
Galleries, Sheffield, January 14 - April 16, 2006
WHERE: East Building, Upper Level
Passes: Passes are not required for this exhibition.
-----
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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 - 7/15/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: PREVENTING EVIL
* CAIR: MUSLIMS MEET WITH HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER
- Democratic Leaders Hold Roundtable with Muslims
* CAIR-HOUSTON MEETS WITH POLICE CHIEF
- TX Muslims Attend DOJ Training Event
* INCITEMENT WATCH: CARTOON SMEARS ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION
* MUSLIMS SAY FELLOW AMERICANS ARE LASHING OUT (Chicago Trib)
* MUSLIM LEADERS WANT 'TERROR-FREE' LABEL (Newsday)
- CA: The War on Terror Begins at Home. (OC Weekly)
* MI: IMAM A CHAMPION FOR ISLAM'S FUTURE (Free Press)
- MI: Prayer Call at the Heart of Election (Free Press)
* THE CIA'S PRISONERS (Wash Post)
- PA: Detained Cleric Baffled By Raid (Phil Inq)
* GA: LAWSUITS ACCUSE UNIVERSITY OF DISCRIMINATION
* PROTESTANT GROUP OKS DIVESTMENT FROM ISRAEL (Forward)
- UK: BNP Filmed Admitting Muslim Attacks (Reuters)
- Chirac: No Regrets for Blaming 'Attack' on Muslims
* IL: MUSLIMS ESTABLISH RELIEF FUND FOR SUDAN REFUGEES
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: PREVENTING EVIL
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) related a parable comparing
those
who obey God's commands to those who do not. He said they are like
people
who draw lots for seats in a ship. "Some of them got seats in the upper
part, and the others in the lower. When the latter needed water, they
had
to go up to bring water (and that troubled the others), so they said,
'Let
us make a hole in our share of the ship (and get water) and save those
who
are above us from being troubled.' If the people in the upper part left
the
others do what they had suggested, all the people of the ship would be
destroyed, but if they prevented them, both parties would be safe."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 673
-----
MUSLIMS MEET WITH HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/15/04) - Representatives of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), along with a number of other
American
Muslim leaders, met yesterday with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
(D-CA) in the U.S. Capitol.
Rep. John D. Dingell (D-MI), Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Charles
Rangel
(D-NY), and other congressional Democrats also took part in the
roundtable
discussion, which focused on the defense of civil liberties.
"We appreciate the opportunity to interact with national leaders and to
share the Muslim community's concerns on issues of mutual concern,"
said
CAIR Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar, who participated in yesterday's
meeting. CAIR Northern California Government Affairs Director Dahlia
Eltoumi was one of three participants selected to make a presentation
to
the panel of elected officials.
Other national Muslim groups represented at the meeting included the
Islamic Society of North America, Indian Muslim Council, Muslim Public
Affairs Council, Muslim American Society, Association of Pakistani
Physicians of North America, Muslim Bar Association, National
Association
of Muslim Lawyers, and the Universal Muslim Association of America.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
CONTACT: Arsalan Iftikhar, 202-415-0799; Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787,
202-744-7726, cair@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
PELOSI, DEMOCRATIC LEADERS HOLD ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION WITH MUSLIM
AMERICAN
LEADERS
http://democraticleader.house.gov
WASHINGTON - House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Congressman
John
D. Dingell (D-MI), Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), Congressman Charles
Rangel (D-NY), and other Congressional Democrats were joined yesterday
by
national leaders of the Muslim American community in a roundtable
discussion on issues of mutual concern to Democrats and Muslim
Americans.
The discussion centered on working together to defend civil rights and
to
restore civil liberties.
"This discussion is only the first in an ongoing dialogue between
Congressional Democrats and Muslim Americans," Pelosi said. "We share a
fundamental principle - the belief that diversity is the backbone of
our
communities. Generations of Muslims have made positive contributions in
every aspect of American life. We must now work even more closely to
navigate through the challenges we face as a nation."
"Since September 11th, many Muslim Americans have been subjected to
searches at airports and other locations based upon their religion and
national origin, without any credible information linking individuals
to
criminal conduct," Pelosi continued. "Racial and religious profiling is
fundamentally un-American and we must make it illegal.
"When the Patriot Act was enacted, it was intended to be accompanied by
strong Congressional oversight to prevent abuses of our civil
liberties.
That oversight has not occurred, particularly with the mass detention
campaign ordered by Attorney General Ashcroft, which to date has led to
more than 5,000 foreign nationals being detained since September 11th.
Moreover, individuals' assets have been frozen on the basis of secret
evidence that they have no opportunity to confront or rebut, and such
processes are a fundamental denial of due process. We must correct the
Patriot Act to prevent abuses of our civil liberties."
Working with Conyers, the Ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary
Committee, Democrats have introduced legislation to end racial
profiling,
limit the reach of the Patriot Act, and make immigration safe and
accessible. Leader Pelosi is a proud cosponsor of the End Racial
Profiling
Act, the Security and Freedom Ensured Act (SAFE), and the Safe,
Orderly,
and Legal Visas Enforcement Act (SOLVE).
"These measures are long overdue, and we call on the Republican
leadership
in Congress to bring them to a vote now," Pelosi said. "As we protect
and
defend the American people, we must protect and defend the Constitution
and
the civil rights that define our democracy. Ours is a country of great
diversity and we must stand together as one America."
The following Democrats also participated in the discussion: former
Democratic Whip David Bonior (D-MI), Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY),
and
Congressman Nick Joe Rahall (D-WV).
-----
CAIR-HOUSTON MEETS WITH POLICE CHIEF
Houston-Area Muslims Strengthen Support for Law Enforcement
(HOUSTON, TX) - The Houston Chapter of Council on American-Islamic
Relations recently hosted a dinner for Houston Police Department (HPD)
Chief Harold Hurtt. The dinner was designed to strengthen the
relationship
between the Houston Muslim community and law enforcement officials.
The event was the second with Chief Hurtt and one of many CAIR-Houston
plans to conduct with various law enforcement agencies. Houston City
Councilman M.J. Khan and Alamdar Hamdani of the American Civil
Liberties
Union of Texas (ACLU-TX) also attended the dinner.
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM ACTIVISTS ATTEND DOJ TRAIN THE TRAINER EVENT
Representatives from CAIR-Houston and ICNA to Train Law Enforcement
(DALLAS, TX) - Representatives from the Islamic Circle of North America
in
Houston (ICNA) and the Houston office of the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-Houston) participated recently in the Justice
Departments
Community Relations Service (CRS) initiative in building a cadre of
trainers capable of delivering training on Arab Americans, American
Muslims, Islam, Sikhs and Sikhism. The program, entitled "Building
Cultural
Competency," will be presented by CRS in partnership with and developed
by
Connecting Cultures and the Sikh Media Watch and Resource Task Force
(SMART).
CONTACT: CAIR-Houston, 713-838-2247, 832-814-5554, 832-656-0449
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: CARTOONIST SMEARS ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION
A Pat Oliphant political cartoon distributed nationwide on July 9th
apparently suggested that Islamic civilization has achieved nothing but
the
taming of the camel. The cartoon depicts stereotypically-dressed and
hook-nosed men named "Mohammed" and "Ahmed" riding camels in the
desert.
TO VIEW THE CARTOON, SEE:
http://www.ucomics.com/patoliphant/2004/07/09/
SEE ALSO: http://www.ucomics.com/patoliphant/bio.phtml
The men engage in the following conversation:
On man says: "IS IT NOT WONDROUS, MOHAMMED, THAT BY THE GRACE OF ALLAH,
MANKIND HAS BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE SUCH AMAZING EXPLORATIONS OF DEEP
SPACE?"
Another responds: "NOT MANKIND, AHMED - INFIDELS!"
A third man says: "DEATH TO THE INFIDELS!"
A small figure in the corner of the cartoon (a signature of Oliphant's
cartoons) then say: "WE TAMED THE CAMEL DIDN'T WE?"
Another small figure responds, "THAT'S AN ACHIEVEMENT. THEN WHAT?"
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.)
Pat Oliphant's cartoons are distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
(UPS).
Contact UPS to express your concerns about the overtly racist and
bigoted
content of this particular cartoon.
CONTACT: lsalem@amuniversal.com, sroush@uexpress.com,
gmelvin@uexpress.com,
amcdermott@uexpress.com
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
Lee Salem
Executive Vice President and Editor
Universal Press Syndicate
4520 Main Street
Kansas City, MO 64111-7701
TEL: (800) 255-6734, (816) 932-6600
WEB: http://www.amuniversal.com/ups/
-----
MUSLIMS SAY FELLOW AMERICANS ARE LASHING OUT
Geneive Abdo, Chicago Tribune, 7/15/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0407150256jul15,1,1523384
.story
Law-enforcement officials in the U.S. say they've seen an increase in
hate
crimes as Muslims grapple with harassment believed to have been
prompted by
beheadings in Iraq, Saudi Arabia
Through all the tense moments since the Sept. 11 attacks, Samar Jarrah
thought her small Islamic community in Port Charlotte, Fla., had
remained
at peace with its non-Muslim neighbors.
The town's Muslim doctors often treat homeless and impoverished
immigrants
free of charge. And Jarrah went out of her way to teach residents about
Islam, sometimes giving talks two or three times a week in synagogues
and
churches.
But three weeks ago, a caller left a message on the mosque's answering
machine at the Islamic Community of Southwest Florida, shattering the
perception of harmony with the community: "You barbarians. Lucky to be
alive." Then the caller warned that if any attacks occurred in the
United
States, he would retaliate.
Since Islamic extremists began beheading foreigners in the Middle East
two
months ago, a spate of hate crimes against Muslims has emerged, said
law-enforcement officials and Islamic leaders, sparking renewed fears
among
American Muslims who believed they had made progress in enlightening
Americans about their religion after Sept. 11, 2001...
Whether it is a telephone threat, graffiti scrawled on a Muslim's
house, or
menacing e-mail messages sent to Islamic organizations, Muslims fear
this
wave of harassment is different from those in the past. Not only are
American Muslims being blamed for extremists' attacks a world away, but
there is a feeling that even some Americans who tried not to generalize
about Islam now are turning against the community...
Annual reports by law-enforcement agencies and Islamic organizations
indicate that hate crimes have been on the rise since Sept. 11, 2001.
Muslims in the U.S. reported more than 1,000 incidents of alleged
harassment, violence and discrimination in 2003, an increase of 70
percent
over 2002, according to a study released in May by the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, a national group based in
Washington,
D.C….
-----
MUSLIM LEADERS WANT 'TERROR-FREE' LABEL
Ron Howell, New York Newsday, 7/15/04
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/manhattan/nyc-mus0715,0,4199010.story
Facing a fall off in donations since Sept. 11, 2001, local Muslim
leaders
asked federal officials Tuesday night to come up with a seal of
approval
that would assure potential donors that a group does not have ties to
terrorism.
The Muslims said the matter was critical, because many immigrant
Muslims
are afraid that if they contribute to an Islamic group they may be
accused
at some point in the future of supporting terrorism.
Charitable groups and mosques are hurting, they said.
"I would suggest to you that most of the organizations here rely on
public
donations," attorney Khurrum Wahid told FBI agents at a Bensonhurst
catering hall where the Muslim American Society has offices.
Pasquale J. D'Amuro, the FBI agent in charge of the New York City
office,
told the several dozen Muslim leaders that he doubted a stamp of
approval
could be developed, but he left open the possibility that FBI officials
might discuss the matter with counterparts at the U.S. Department of
the
Treasury.
"We can raise these questions," D'Amuro said.
D'Amuro and several other FBI agents met with several dozen Muslim
leaders
for three hours Tuesday night. The Muslim told the agents they would
like
to have regular, perhaps monthly, meetings in the future...
ALSO SEE:
THE WAR ON TERROR BEGINS AT HOME. MY HOME.
Nadia Afghani, OC Weekly, 7/9/04
http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/04/44/cover-afghani.php
So I might be a terrorist, but I'm not completely sure; I'm still
waiting
for the government to let me know. Like many Orange Countians-150,000,
give
or take-I fit the description of a possible terrorist. What's that
exactly?
Does she walk around with a .38 Smith & Wesson, slaying heathenish
infidels? Nope. Does her normal wardrobe include an "I [heart] Osama"
T-shirt? No way; I tossed that out with my "I [heart] the New Kids on
the
Block" shirt ages ago. Does she conveniently create fictitious wars
around
election years? Not me.
I don't feel like a terrorist, but who am I to question the
sophisticated
methods used in our nation's counterterrorism agencies, as infallible
as
our nation's leaders. With new, cutting-edge advancements in
technology,
today's terrorists can be easily tracked down based on two factors:
their
last name and their country of origin. Forgive me, Big Brother, for I,
having the last name of "Afghani" and my father being from, well,
Afghanistan have thusly sinned twice. My being Muslim is simply an
added
bonus.
My family was contacted last August via post card-I suppose our Morse
Code
machine must have been down at the time. The piss-colored post card was
addressed from Detective Boyd of the Los Angeles Police Department and
asked us to "PLEASE CONTACT."
My father, the original Afghan in the family, had the honor of placing
the
call to the Anti-Terrorist Division at the LAPD. The conversation
between
my father and the detective basically resulted in the understanding
that
we, the Afghani family, were on some sort of a list that their highly
developed computers had created. The detective wanted us to set up a
meeting with him sometime in the near future. Where? Well, it seems the
preferred meeting place for police and enemies of the state can now be
found at your local coffee shop-doughnuts were not discussed...
-----
IMAM QAZWINI: A CHAMPION FOR ISLAM'S FUTURE
David Crumm, Detroit Free Press, 7/15/04
http://www.freep.com/news/religion/imam15_20040715.htm
Imam Hassan Qazwini bent over newborn Gabriel Haidar to whisper the
infant's first Muslim call to prayer. Only a few inches separated the
imam's lips from Gabriel's ear, but Qazwini understood that he was
calling
to the child across a vast gulf of centuries and continents, praying
that
he would grow up to take his place in the tradition of Islam.
"God is great!" the imam called to him softly in Arabic.
Great care is required to save each young, American-born Muslim from
the
host of other appeals showering down on them from television, cell
phones
and the Internet, Qazwini repeatedly warns his congregation.
This imam, whose time is prized by presidential candidates, community
leaders and his thousands of followers, faced a half-dozen demands on a
busy Friday at the Islamic Center of America in Detroit. But, when
Gabriel's proud father hurried up to him after his weekly sermon, the
infant instantly became Qazwini's top priority.
Gesturing proudly at the baby, Qazwini turned the moment into a lesson
for
the adults surrounding him. "This is our future," he said.
The story of Qazwini, who is emerging as one of the nation's top
Shi'ite
leaders and whose family ties extend to the heart of Islam in Iraq and
Iran, is a story of the daily friction between two cultures in the
United
States.
The result of that friction is surprising. The American stereotype of a
foreign-born imam is that of a stern ambassador of a rigid faith.
Instead,
Qazwini represents a dynamic branch of Islam. And he recognizes that
he's
caught up in a powerful struggle in which American culture is reshaping
him
and his followers as much as they are able to change life in the United
States...
ALSO SEE:
CALL TO PRAYER IS AT THE HEART OF ELECTION
Cecil Angel, Detroit Free Press, 7/15/04
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/dham15_20040715.htm
Voters in Hamtramck will weigh in Tuesday on two controversial issues:
a
noise ordinance to regulate the broadcast of the call to prayer from
mosque
loudspeakers and the recall of three school board members.
For some, the vote they cast in the special election on the noise
ordinance
will be about religious freedom or ethnic tolerance. For others, it
will be
about confronting Islam or stopping noise in the city.
"I'm going to oppose it," resident John Rush, 40, said Wednesday as he
walked on Holbrook. "I don't like it. I think it's imposing religion on
everybody."
Across town on Conant, Mohammad Islam, 31, said the call to prayer,
which
has been broadcast at the Al-Islah Islamic Center since May 28, should
continue.
"It's just a simple prayer thing," he said. "It's like the sounds that
come
from the church."
But no matter how residents vote on the issue, the call to prayer will
continue to be broadcast from the Al-Islah mosque. The reason: City
officials say they do not have the right to deny any mosque the ability
to
broadcast the prayers. They only want the authority to regulate the
sound...
-----
THE CIA'S PRISONERS
Washington Post, 7/15/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50490-2004Jul14.html
FOR DECADES the United States led the denunciation of despots whose
enemies
"disappear" -- vanish into official custody, with no accounting for
their
whereabouts or treatment, no notification of their families and
sometimes,
no acknowledgement that they are being held. Now that same term is
being
applied to prisoners held by the Bush administration in the war on
terrorism. According to the International Red Cross, a number of people
apparently in U.S. custody are unaccounted for. Most are believed to be
held by the CIA in secret facilities outside the United States.
Contrary to
the Geneva Conventions, the detainees have never been visited by the
Red
Cross; contrary to U.S. and international law, some reportedly have
been
subjected to interrogation techniques that most legal authorities
regard as
torture. According to the independent group Human Rights Watch, this
exceptional practice is "perhaps unprecedented in U.S. history." Like
the
Pentagon's mishandling of Iraqi detainees, it cries out for
congressional
review and reform.
At least a dozen of the CIA detainees are senior figures in the al
Qaeda
organization, such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, an alleged organizer of
the
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and Abu Zubaida, the group's operations
chief.
Few question their status as dangerous enemy combatants or the need to
interrogate them about al Qaeda's networks and plans for attacks -- and
no
one suggests that they have been murdered, like many of the
"disappeared"
in other countries. But some of these men have been held incommunicado
since before April 2002, or long past the time when urgent questioning
or
strict seclusion might have been necessary. Yet still the
administration
refuses to reveal where they are or allow visits by the Red Cross --
something the United States often has advocated for prisoners elsewhere
in
the world, including other terrorists...
ALSO SEE:
DETAINED CLERIC BAFFLED BY RAID
Gaiutra Bahadur, Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/15/04
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/9156085.ht
m
The Muslim cleric arrested six weeks ago by federal authorities in a
raid
of his East Frankford mosque and home said yesterday he was bewildered
by
the events that led to his detention.
"I've played it in my mind a thousand times," Mohamed Ghorab said by
telephone from York County Jail, where he is being held. "I don't know
why.
There is nothing going on in our mosque."
The interview was his first since dozens of federal agents with rifles,
dogs, and a search warrant for bank, wire-transfer and other financial
records took him into custody on immigration charges.
Ghorab, 45, has not been charged with a crime. He was being held for
overstaying the visitor's visa that brought him from Egypt in 2000.
Today, an immigration judge is to rule at a closed hearing whether the
Muslim preacher can again be granted bond.
Although such hearings are usually open, Judge Grace A. Sease has
issued in
Ghorab's case a protective order - used when an ongoing investigation
or
national security might be compromised...
-----
LAWSUITS FILED BY 2 FORMER PROFESSORS ACCUSE GEORGIA SOUTHWESTERN STATE
U.
OF DISCRIMINATION
Kendra Nichols, Chronicle of Higher Education, 7/15/04
http://chronicle.com/temp/email.php?id=z1b8balxkyc943v2726qv1dvjfikuw9y
Two former professors at Georgia Southwestern State University have
filed
federal lawsuits accusing the university of discriminating against them
on
the basis of race, religion, and ethnicity. Both men are seeking
compensatory and punitive damages. Their lawsuits also ask for
positions
comparable to their previous jobs at the university.
Bhanu Prasad, a former assistant professor in Georgia Southwestern's
School
of Computer and Information Sciences, said in his lawsuit that three
officials -- Boris V. Peltsverger, dean of the school; Michael L.
Hanes,
the university's president; and Thomas C. Meredith, chancellor of the
University System of Georgia, of which Georgia Southwestern is part --
had
conspired to discriminate against him based on his status as a black
man of
Indian descent in the United States on a work visa.
Mohammad A. Saheb, a former associate professor in the same school and
an
American citizen, said in a separate lawsuit that he had faced
discrimination based on his religion, Islam, and his Iranian
background.
The same three officials are named as defendants in his lawsuit.
In both suits, which were filed last month in U.S. District Court in
Atlanta, the university and the university system are also defendants.
Spokesmen for both the university and the university system said they
could
not comment on pending litigation. Mr. Peltsverger did respond to
repeated
calls seeking comment.
Mr. Saheb, who received notice that his contract would not be renewed
in
November 2002, is currently unemployed. Mr. Prasad, who resigned from
the
university last summer, is now teaching at Florida A&M University.
Mr. Saheb said in an interview that while he and Mr. Prasad had faced
several derogatory comments from the dean, the problems that prompted
their
lawsuits go beyond racial discrimination and include larger issues like
nepotism and academic fraud. "It's not a matter of just being a race
card
here," he said…
-----
CHIRAC: NO REGRETS FOR BLAMING 'ATTACK' ON MUSLIMS
Michel Zlotowski, Jerusalem Post, 7/15/04
PARIS - French President Jacques Chirac was not remorseful for
condemning
the Muslim community following what appeared to be an anti-Semitic
attack
on a 23-year-old woman in Paris last week, but was later revealed to be
a
complete fabrication.
"I have no regrets about what I said," said Chirac during the annual
Bastille Day interview broadcast live on French television on
Wednesday.
"We are in a time where undoubtedly, we are witnessing racist events
involving our Jewish and Muslim compatriots and others, too. Sometimes
just
simple Frenchmen are attacked because they do not belong to such or
such
community. This is unacceptable. This is against our social contract,
our
ethics. And when there is a manipulation, the manipulator must be
punished
according to the full weight of the law," said Chirac.
Chirac had been criticized by groups like the The Movement Against
Racism
and For Friendship Amongst Peoples (MRAP) for unjustly rushing to
condemn
France's Muslim community for perpetrating the "anti-Semitic
aggression."
Marie-Leonie Leblanc, 23, claimed in a police report that she and her
baby
were attacked by several young Arab men who believed she was Jewish on
a
suburban train on the outskirts of Paris on Friday. She said they had
painted swastikas on her stomach, cut her shirt and her hair and stolen
some of the contents of her handbag. She also said they overturned her
stroller, causing her baby to fall out. She also claimed that no
passengers
came to her assistance. The story was reported throughout the world and
invoked hasty condemnation by French officials...
-----
PROTESTANT GROUP OKS DIVESTMENT FROM ISRAEL
Eric J. Greenberg, Forward, 7/15/04
http://www.forward.com/main/article.php?ref=greenberg200407141104
In an unprecedented victory for pro-Palestinian activists, leaders of
the
largest Presbyterian denomination officially equated the Jewish state
with
apartheid South Africa and have voted to stop investing in Israel.
With the decision, approved in a 431-62 vote at the 216th annual
General
Assembly of Presbyterian Church (USA), the church, boasting nearly 3
million members, is believed to be the largest organization or
institution
to join the fledgling divestment campaign against Israel. It is the
first
Christian denomination to do so, according to Sister Patricia Wolfe,
executive director of the Interfaith Center for Corporate
Responsibility,
coalition of 275 Christian denominations.
"This now raises the issue," Wolfe said, "and will cause ICCR to have a
discussion."
In 2001 the combined value of the church's foundation and pension fund
was
estimated at $7 billion.
Leaders of Presbyterian Church (USA), a mainline Protestant church,
approved several other anti-Israel resolutions at their gathering in
Richmond, Va., and also refused to halt funding for "messianic
congregations" that target Jews for conversion.
The Presbyterian resolutions came just as Jewish organizations were
hailing
the results of a historic international interfaith meeting in Buenos
Aires
last week, where Roman Catholic officials for the first time signed on
to a
document equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism…
SEE ALSO:
BNP MEMBERS FILMED ADMITTING MUSLIM ATTACKS
Andrew Cawthorne, Reuters, 7/15/04
LONDON - A TV documentary to be shown today shows members of the
far-right
British National Party calling Islam "wicked" and confessing to
assaults on
Muslims.
The BBC expose, to be aired on Thursday and released in advance to
other
media, has infuriated Muslims and undercut the BNP's efforts to
cultivate a
more moderate image.
It may also lead to criminal prosecutions.
In secretly recorded footage in the northern town of Keighley, BNP
leader
Nick Griffin -- who recently hosted French National Front leader
Jean-Marie
Le Pen -- rails against the Koran and acknowledges his views are
legally
dangerous.
"That's the way that this wicked, vicious faith has expanded through a
handful of cranky lunatics about 1,300 years ago until it's now
sweeping
country after country," he says at one point…
-----
CHICAGOLAND MUSLIMS ADDRESS HUMAN TRAGEDY IN DARFUR, SUDAN COUNCIL
ESTABLISHES RELIEF FUND FOR SUFFERING REFUGEES
www.ciogc.org
The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC), an
umbrella organization serving over 400,000 Muslims throughout
Chicagoland,
has initiated an Awareness/Relief program to (1) inform
Americans-Muslims
and those of other faiths - about the suffering of hundreds of
thousands of
Sudanese refugees escaping persecution in the Darfur region of Western
Sudan, and (2) raise funds for their assistance. An apparent ethnic
cleansing campaign there has uprooted over an estimated one million
people
from their homes; these refugees are now barely surviving in makeshift
camps, with little access to food or medical care. Their plight is
certain
to become more desperate as the onset of the rainy season makes local
roads
impassable and obstructs incoming relief supplies. The United Nations
has
called the situation in Darfur "the world's greatest humanitarian
crisis,"
and has estimated that up to 300,000 may perish if nothing is done.
Expressing deep concern about this crisis, Council Chairman Kareem
Irfan
stated: "The CIOGC and Chicago Muslims are distressed at the unfolding
human tragedy in Darfur and the severe plight of hundreds of thousands
of
innocent civilians, including women and children, who have been
assaulted,
lost their homes and property, and brutally thrown out of their
villages as
part of a pogrom apparently targeting ethnic, non-Arab Sudanese. It is
an
urgent moral imperative of the U.S. and the international community to
work
with the Sudanese authorities to halt this human tragedy, guarantee the
security and fundamental human rights of all Sudanese, and cover the
immediate needs of displaced refugees."
The Council has established a special Darfur Relief Fund* for pooling
tax-deductible, charitable donations in support of these refugees.
Mosques
and Islamic centers across Chicago will focus on the situation in
Darfur
and its victims during Friday sermons and other congregational events,
and
raise charitable funds for this cause. We urge Muslims and fellow
Americans of all faiths to spread awareness of the desperate situation
in
Darfur, contact their elected representatives in Congress to condemn
the
violence in Sudan, and press for urgent humanitarian intervention by
the
U.S. and the global community.
-----
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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 - 7/16/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: TWO WORTHY OF ENVY
* 'AWARE' PRIMER WILL BE REVISED (Orlando Sentinel)
- ID Program for Fliers Is Grounded (Star-Telegram)
* CAIR-SAC VAL: MUSLIMS MEET WITH FBI
- CA Muslims to Hold Community Picnic/Voter Reg Drive
* 'SECRET FILM SHOWS IRAQ PRISONERS SODOMISED' (Indep)
- MI Attorneys Fight for Muslim Civil Rights (NPR)
* PAUSE FOR HINDSIGHT (NY Times)
* ARAB-AMERICAN VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY BACK KERRY (Reuters)
- Arab-Americans Turn against Bush in Key States (FT)
* IL: ROLLING MEADOWS APPROVES MOSQUE (Chicago Tribune)
* RARE ISLAMIC ART ON SHOW IN WASHINGTON (Daily Times)
* MUSLIM HOMESCHOOLERS MEET IN MA
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: TWO WORTHY OF ENVY
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Avoid envy except in
two
cases: a person who God has given wealth and he spends it in the right
way,
and a person who God has given wisdom and he makes his decisions
according
to that wisdom and teaches it to the others."
Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol 2, Hadith 490
-----
FL: 'AWARE' PRIMER WILL BE REVISED
Brian Baskin, Orlando Sentinel, 7/16/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-loccapfolo16071604jul16,1,3324058.story
A program that will urge workers in Orange County such as cable TV
installers and firefighters to report suspicious or illegal activities
they
spot in private homes will be rewritten after complaints the plan would
target Arab-Americans.
The Orange County Sheriff's office has already printed 5,000 training
brochures outlining the Citizen Awareness Program, which seeks to train
workers who regularly enter private homes to identify signs of
terrorism,
drug trafficking and child pornography. But law enforcement officials
will
now scrap the brochures -- one week after the Florida ACLU and others
labeled the effort as an attempt to create a citizen spy network that
would
infringe on privacy rights.
The sharpest criticism came from Arab-Americans, who said language in
the
brochure amounted to racial profiling because it said several adult
males
"usually of Middle Eastern appearance" who live together with little or
no
furnishings could be a sign of international terrorism.
The brochures will be rewritten and references to specific ethnic
groups
will be removed from the final version, said Joyce Dawley, regional
director for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and co-chairman
of
the Central Florida's Domestic Security Task Force, which oversees the
program…
The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations tried
and
failed to get a copy of the program brochure from the Orange County
Sheriff's Office, according to spokesman Ahmed Bedir. The group is
still
trying to schedule a meeting with FDLE to discuss the plan.The Florida
ACLU
is also largely in the dark, said Scott Rost, Central Florida chapter
chairman. But he said the Citizens Awareness Program is probably
unfixable.
ALSO SEE:
ID PROGRAM FOR FLIERS IS GROUNDED
Bryon Okada, Star-Telegram, 7/16/04
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/9169332.htm?1c
The controversial, high-dollar effort to create a vast data-mining
computer
network that ranks air travelers based on the likelihood that they're
terrorists has stalled, maybe for good.
The next-generation Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System, or
CAPPS II, is not dead, federal officials said. But the program's
problems
have caused officials to hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete, and they are largely
starting
anew.
"Homeland Security is redesigning the program, and certainly this new
proposal is a significant undertaking -- and is still being developed,"
said Amy von Walter, spokeswoman for the Homeland Security Department's
Transportation Security Administration.
Federal officials were still scrambling Thursday to address a USA Today
report that Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge had called CAPPS II
"dead" while moving his hands as if he were driving a stake through his
heart.
CAPPS II was supposed to be the high-tech crown jewel of the nation's
domestic response after the 9-11 terrorist attacks. It was also
envisioned
as the key component of a strategy to screen passengers before they get
to
the airport.
The system was expected to feed each passenger's basic data -- name,
address, telephone number and birth date -- into private and public
databases to verify identity and generate a color-coded score. Greens
would
be OK. Yellows would need more screening. Reds would be the bad guys…
-----
SACRAMENTO VALLEY MUSLIMS MEET WITH FBI
Meeting initiated by FBI to discuss concerns of the Muslim Community
(SACRAMENTO, CA, 7/16/04) - Leaders of the Sacramento Valley Islamic
community met yesterday with the FBI to discuss issues of concern to
local
Muslims.
The meeting with Special Agent in Charge Keith Slaughter, facilitated
by
the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR-SV), addressed issues related to anti-Muslim hate crimes, racial
profiling, security in Sacramento, and the FBI's counterterrorism
efforts.
Suggestions to improve communication between law enforcement and the
Muslim
community were also discussed.
In the near future, CAIR-SV will hold town hall meetings between the
Muslim
community and the FBI in other parts of the Sacramento Valley.
The meeting included leaders representing more than a dozen Islamic
organizations in the Sacramento Valley region, including members of
CAIR-SV, Farooqia Islamic Center of Lodi, Islamic Society of Folsom,
Masjid
As-Sabur, Masjid Ibrahim, Masjid AnNur Islamic Center, Muslim Mosque,
SALAM, Qoba Foundation, South Sacramento Islamic Center, and the Davis
Islamic Center.
CONTACT: CAIR-SV Executive Director, Basim Elkarra (916) 289-3748
ALSO SEE:
SACRAMENTO VALLEY MUSLIMS HOLD ANNUAL COMMUNITY PICNIC
WHAT: Annual Muslim Community Picnic will host voter registration drive
to
be held during the picnic
On Saturday, July 17, 2004 Muslim communities from across the
Sacramento
Valley will gather for an annual picnic. The picnic is sponsored by a
number of organizations:
Council of Sacramento Valley Islamic Organizations (COSVO), Islamic
Society
of Folsom, Masjid As-Sabur, Masjid Ibrahim, Masjid AnNur Islamic
Center,
Muslim Mosque, SALAM, Qoba Foundation, Islamic Jafaria Association,
South
Sacramento Islamic Center, and Islamic Center of Davis.
An important feature of the Annual Community Picnic will be the Voter
Registration Drive sponsored by CAIR-Sacramento Valley. CAIR has
initiated
the “National American Muslim Voter Registration Drive” to register
100,000
new voters by the November 2004 election.
WHEN: Saturday, July 17, 2004 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
WHERE: Hagan Park, Lot B2 and B3, Rancho Cordova, California.
Directions: From 50 East take the Mather Field Exit. Turn left on
Mather
Field. Turn right on Folsom Blvd. Turn left on Coloma Rd. Turn left on
Chase Dr. (Second traffic light). Go straight to Hagan Park Gate.
Contact: Farouk Fakira, President Masjid AnNur Islamic Center (916)
717-1006, Basim Elkarra, Executive Director, CAIR-SV (916) 289-3748
-----
'SECRET FILM SHOWS IRAQ PRISONERS SODOMISED'
Charles Arthur, Independent, 7/16/04
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=541472
Young male prisoners were filmed being sodomised by American soldiers
at
the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, according to the journalist who
first
revealed the abuses there.
Seymour Hersh, who reported on the torture of the prisoners in New
Yorker
magazine in May, told an audience in San Francisco that "it's worse".
But
he added that he would reveal the extent of the abuses: "I'm not done
reporting on all this," he told a meeting of the American Civil
Liberties
Union.
He said: "The boys were sodomised with the cameras rolling, and the
worst
part is the soundtrack, of the boys shrieking. And this is your
government
at war."
He accused the US administration, and all but accused President George
Bush
and Vice-President Dick Cheney of complicity in covering up what he
called
"war crimes.”
ALSO SEE:
ATTORNEYS FIGHT FOR MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS IN U.S.
Alex Chadwick, National Public Radio, 7/15/04
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=3424008
The abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq have created a need for a new
kind
of lawyer: a Muslim civil rights attorney. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports on
one
such lawyer working in Michigan.
One of those drawn into the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in Baghdad
is a
Muslim-American civil rights lawyer who, 10 years ago, was an
accountant.
His name is Shereef Akeel. NPR's Ari Shapiro has the story of how he
went
from accountant to Abu Ghraib abuse attorney and how his career
paralleled
the emerging Muslim civil rights movement in this country.
ARI SHAPIRO reporting:
Shereef Akeel has a positive take on life. He can even find the
positive
side of the torture scandal at American-run prisons in Iraq.
Mr. SHEREEF AKEEL (Civil Rights Lawyer): The wonderful thing about
what's
happening right now, even though these are difficult times for America,
is
that you see the process working, the democratic process working, and I
feel like I'm a part of it right now. You know, the Senate hearings are
doing their thing with respect to military, the Army is doing their
thing
and I'm doing my thing in the civil arena to serve as a check. And this
will send a message around the world that this is America.
SHAPIRO: After eight years working as an accountant, Shereef went
tonight
school for law. When he graduated in 1996, Akeel joined two other
attorneys
in a firm that mostly handled personal injury claims. They were a Jew,
a
Christian and a Muslim--Melamed, Dailey, and Akeel. He'd been in
practice
with them for five years, and then came September 11th.
Mr. AKEEL: I never imagined that when these planes hit the World Trade
Center that they would have such an immense impact on my life.
SHAPIRO: On the morning of September 12th, a Yemeni man named Ahmed Esa
arrived to work at the Detroit construction company where he'd been a
welder for 15 years. Esa's boss fired him that day, shouting racial
slurs
and calling Esa a terrorist. Esa made his way to the Michigan office of
the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, where Horace Ahmad (ph)
was
working as executive director. At that point, CAIR had had little
experience with discrimination cases. Ahmad turned to his Rolodex.
Mr. HAARIS AHMAD (Council on American-Islamic Relations): Honestly,
there
was just a card there, you know--that this is the attorney that we've
worked with in the past for different things, just to ask general
questions
on. And that was the first person I called..
-----
PAUSE FOR HINDSIGHT
New York Times, 7/16/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/16/opinion/16FRI1.html
Over the last few months, this page has repeatedly demanded that
President
Bush acknowledge the mistakes his administration made when it came to
the
war in Iraq, particularly its role in misleading the American people
about
Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and links with Al Qaeda.
If we
want Mr. Bush to be candid about his mistakes, we should be equally
open
about our own.
During the run-up to the war, The Times ran dozens of editorials on
Iraq,
and our insistence that any invasion be backed by ''broad international
support'' became a kind of mantra. It was the administration's failure
to
get that kind of consensus that ultimately led us to oppose the war.
But we agreed with the president on one critical point: that Saddam
Hussein
was concealing a large weapons program that could pose a threat to the
United States or its allies. We repeatedly urged the United Nations
Security Council to join with Mr. Bush and force Iraq to disarm.
As we've noted in several editorials since the fall of Baghdad, we were
wrong about the weapons. And we should have been more aggressive in
helping
our readers understand that there was always a possibility that no
large
stockpiles existed.
At the time, we believed that Saddam Hussein was hiding large
quantities of
chemical and biological weapons because we assumed that he would have
behaved differently if he wasn't. If there were no weapons, we thought,
Iraq would surely have cooperated fully with weapons inspectors to
avoid
the pain of years under an international embargo and, in the end, a war
that it was certain to lose.
That was a reasonable theory, one almost universally accepted in
Washington
and widely credited by diplomats all around the world. But it was only
a
theory. American intelligence had not received any on-the-ground
reports
from Iraq since the Clinton administration resorted to punitive
airstrikes
in 1998 and the U.N. weapons inspectors were withdrawn. The weapons
inspectors who returned in 2002 found Iraq's records far from
transparent,
and their job was never made easy. But they did not find any evidence
of
new weapons programs or stocks of prohibited old ones. When American
intelligence agencies began providing them tips on where to look, they
came
up empty...
-----
ARAB-AMERICAN VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY BACK KERRY
Rolando Garcia, Reuters, 7/16/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=5684415
WASHINGTON- Concern about civil liberties and the war in Iraq have
pushed
President George W. Bush's already low support among Arab-American
voters
in key battleground states even lower, a survey showed on Thursday.
In a poll of Arab-American voters in the key states of Michigan, Ohio,
Pennsylvania and Florida only 24 percent said they would vote for Bush,
a
dip from 30 percent in April, while 51 percent supported Democratic
nominee
John Kerry.
In the poll, conducted between July 9 and 11, 13 percent supported
independent candidate Ralph Nader, who is of Lebanese descent.
"Maybe if Bush said 'I'm sorry' and fired (Attorney General John)
Ashcroft
and (Vice President Dick) Cheney, that might make a difference," said
James
Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, which commissioned the
poll.
Ashcroft has been targeted by rights groups for security measures
introduced since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, some of which have
impacted
Arab-Americans, and Cheney is criticized by opponents for unwavering
support for invading Iraq.
Bush narrowly won the Arab-American vote in 2000, but 69 percent in the
latest poll said Bush did not deserve to be re-elected, including 30
percent of those who identified themselves as Republicans...
ALSO SEE
ARAB-AMERICANS TURN AGAINST THE PRESIDENT IN KEY STATES
Alex Barker, Financial Times, 7/16/04
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1087373753720
A growing number ofArab-American voters in four battleground states
opposethe re-election of President George W. Bush, according to a poll
released yesterday.
The survey underscores the difficulties the president faces with a
community that broadly supported his election campaign in 2000.
In a three-way race, 51 per cent of those surveyed by the Arab American
Institute (AAI) said they would vote for John Kerry, the Democratic
presidential candidate, and 13 per cent for Ralph Nader, the
independent
aspirant of Arab-American heritage. Only 24 per cent planned to vote
for Mr
Bush in November.
Five hundred voters were surveyed in the swing states of Florida,
Michigan,
Ohio and Pennsylvania, where an estimated 1.1m Arab-Americans live.
A sharp drop in support for Mr Bush is evident when yesterday's survey
is
compared with polling conducted four years ago.
Exit polls from 2000 indicated that 45 per cent of all Arab-Americans -
about two-thirds of whom are Christian - voted for Mr Bush, as did 58.5
per
cent of Muslim voters...
-----
ROLLING MEADOWS APPROVES MOSQUE
Jamey Fry, Chicago Tribune, 7/16/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/north/chi-0407150220jul15,1,4878316.story
Rolling Meadows will let a growing Islamic community center relocate
within
a manufacturing district, a move that caused no public opposition but
created a legal dilemma for the City Council.
To allow the Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs of Chicago to move
two
doors to a larger building, the council on Tuesday had to rewrite its
zoning regulations and authorize a special-use permit for the opening
of a
mosque.
Now the council intends to amend the regulations again so no other
religious group can move into the district.
"No responsible citizen should be 100 percent comfortable with a
council
that would do that," said Ald. Tom Rooney, who opposed the rewriting of
the
zoning regulations but approved the special-use permit.
"If for any group less worthy than this group, people would be all over
us," he said. "It's a frustrating position to be in."
Mohammed Salam, the society's president, said after the vote he was
happy
and relieved.
"There's been a lot of anxiety for a long time," Salam said. "I think
the
city looks good presenting the values of tolerance and acceptance...”
-----
RARE ISLAMIC ART MASTERPIECES ON SHOW IN WASHINGTON
Daily Times, Daily Times, 7/16/04
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_16-7-2004_pg7_42
WASHINGTON- Thanks to Saudi generosity, a touring exhibition of more
than
100 works from one of the most renowned Islamic art collections in the
world opens at the National Gallery of Art, from July 18 through 6
February.
Selected from a collection of more than 10,000 objects, ‘Palace and
Mosque:
Islamic Art from the Victoria and Albert Museum’, as the exhibition is
named, will convey the richness of the Islamic art of the Middle East
on a
scale and at a level of quality hard to find in any collection outside
the
region, according to the National Gallery of Art.
Organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London, in
association
with the National Gallery of Art, Washington, the exhibition is taking
place while a new gallery for art of the Islamic Middle East is under
development at the V&A.
The exhibition will also travel to the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth,
Texas (April 3-September 4, 2005); the Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo,
Japan
(October 22-December 11, 2005); and the Millennium Galleries,
Sheffield,
England (January 14-April 16, 2006).
The exhibition at the National Gallery of Art has been made possible by
a
generos donation by Prince Bandar bin Sultan, ambassador of Saudi
Arabia to
the United States. The international tour of this exhibition has
benefited
through contributions by Mohammed Jameel, president of the Abdul Latif
Jameel Group, the benefactor of the V&A’s Jameel Gallery of Islamic
Art,
which is dedicated to the memory of Abdul Latif Jameel, the late
founder of
the Abdul Latif Jameel Group, and his wife Nafisa. The exhibition is
supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the
Humanities…
-----
MUSLIM HOMESCHOOLERS MEET IN MA
The New England Muslim Educator's Network (NEMEN) will hold it's first
Muslim Educator's Potluck Picnic and Book Fair Saturday, August 21,
2004 at
Al-Hamra Academy in Shrewsbury, MA. NEMEN serves all Muslim educators
in
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and
Vermont.
Beyond the all day networking, fellowship, job fair, great food and
educator's book fair, two special information sessions have been set
up:
2:00pm - If you are interested in starting an Islamic school come and
speak
to those who've done it. Get pointers and tips.
3:00pm - New to home schooling or interested receive an information
packet
and ask questions from veteran Muslim homeschoolers. and answer
questions
about home schooling.
For more information visit the NEMEN website http://www.nemen.net
For additional information about home schooling
http://www.muslimhomeschool.com or more about Islamic schools
http://www.4islamicschools.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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/16/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: TWO WORTHY OF ENVY
* 'AWARE' PRIMER WILL BE REVISED (Orlando Sentinel)
- ID Program for Fliers Is Grounded (Star-Telegram)
* CAIR-SAC VAL: MUSLIMS MEET WITH FBI
- CA Muslims to Hold Community Picnic/Voter Reg Drive
* 'SECRET FILM SHOWS IRAQ PRISONERS SODOMISED' (Indep)
- MI Attorneys Fight for Muslim Civil Rights (NPR)
* PAUSE FOR HINDSIGHT (NY Times)
* ARAB-AMERICAN VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY BACK KERRY (Reuters)
- Arab-Americans Turn against Bush in Key States (FT)
* IL: ROLLING MEADOWS APPROVES MOSQUE (Chicago Tribune)
* RARE ISLAMIC ART ON SHOW IN WASHINGTON (Daily Times)
* MUSLIM HOME SCHOOLERS MEET IN MA
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: TWO WORTHY OF ENVY
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Avoid envy except in
two
cases: a person who God has given wealth and he spends it in the right
way,
and a person who God has given wisdom and he makes his decisions
according
to that wisdom and teaches it to the others."
Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol 2, Hadith 490
-----
FL: 'AWARE' PRIMER WILL BE REVISED
Brian Baskin, Orlando Sentinel, 7/16/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-loccapfolo16071604jul16,1,3324058.story
A program that will urge workers in Orange County such as cable TV
installers and firefighters to report suspicious or illegal activities
they
spot in private homes will be rewritten after complaints the plan would
target Arab-Americans.
The Orange County Sheriff's office has already printed 5,000 training
brochures outlining the Citizen Awareness Program, which seeks to train
workers who regularly enter private homes to identify signs of
terrorism,
drug trafficking and child pornography. But law enforcement officials
will
now scrap the brochures -- one week after the Florida ACLU and others
labeled the effort as an attempt to create a citizen spy network that
would
infringe on privacy rights.
The sharpest criticism came from Arab-Americans, who said language in
the
brochure amounted to racial profiling because it said several adult
males
"usually of Middle Eastern appearance" who live together with little or
no
furnishings could be a sign of international terrorism.
The brochures will be rewritten and references to specific ethnic
groups
will be removed from the final version, said Joyce Dawley, regional
director for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and co-chairman
of
the Central Florida's Domestic Security Task Force, which oversees the
program…
The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations tried
and
failed to get a copy of the program brochure from the Orange County
Sheriff's Office, according to spokesman Ahmed Bedir. The group is
still
trying to schedule a meeting with FDLE to discuss the plan.The Florida
ACLU
is also largely in the dark, said Scott Rost, Central Florida chapter
chairman. But he said the Citizens Awareness Program is probably
unfixable.
ALSO SEE:
ID PROGRAM FOR FLIERS IS GROUNDED
Bryon Okada, Star-Telegram, 7/16/04
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/9169332.htm?1c
The controversial, high-dollar effort to create a vast data-mining
computer
network that ranks air travelers based on the likelihood that they're
terrorists has stalled, maybe for good.
The next-generation Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System, or
CAPPS II, is not dead, federal officials said. But the program's
problems
have caused officials to hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete, and they are largely
starting
anew.
"Homeland Security is redesigning the program, and certainly this new
proposal is a significant undertaking -- and is still being developed,"
said Amy von Walter, spokeswoman for the Homeland Security Department's
Transportation Security Administration.
Federal officials were still scrambling Thursday to address a USA Today
report that Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge had called CAPPS II
"dead" while moving his hands as if he were driving a stake through his
heart.
CAPPS II was supposed to be the high-tech crown jewel of the nation's
domestic response after the 9-11 terrorist attacks. It was also
envisioned
as the key component of a strategy to screen passengers before they get
to
the airport.
The system was expected to feed each passenger's basic data -- name,
address, telephone number and birth date -- into private and public
databases to verify identity and generate a color-coded score. Greens
would
be OK. Yellows would need more screening. Reds would be the bad guys…
-----
SACRAMENTO VALLEY MUSLIMS MEET WITH FBI
Meeting initiated by FBI to discuss concerns of the Muslim Community
(SACRAMENTO, CA, 7/16/04) - Leaders of the Sacramento Valley Islamic
community met yesterday with the FBI to discuss issues of concern to
local
Muslims.
The meeting with Special Agent in Charge Keith Slaughter, facilitated
by
the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR-SV), addressed issues related to anti-Muslim hate crimes, racial
profiling, security in Sacramento, and the FBI's counterterrorism
efforts.
Suggestions to improve communication between law enforcement and the
Muslim
community were also discussed.
In the near future, CAIR-SV will hold town hall meetings between the
Muslim
community and the FBI in other parts of the Sacramento Valley.
The meeting included leaders representing more than a dozen Islamic
organizations in the Sacramento Valley region, including members of
CAIR-SV, Farooqia Islamic Center of Lodi, Islamic Society of Folsom,
Masjid
As-Sabur, Masjid Ibrahim, Masjid AnNur Islamic Center, Muslim Mosque,
SALAM, Qoba Foundation, South Sacramento Islamic Center, and the Davis
Islamic Center.
CONTACT: CAIR-SV Executive Director, Basim Elkarra (916) 289-3748
ALSO SEE:
SACRAMENTO VALLEY MUSLIMS HOLD ANNUAL COMMUNITY PICNIC
WHAT: Annual Muslim Community Picnic will host voter registration drive
to
be held during the picnic
On Saturday, July 17, 2004 Muslim communities from across the
Sacramento
Valley will gather for an annual picnic. The picnic is sponsored by a
number of organizations:
Council of Sacramento Valley Islamic Organizations (COSVO), Islamic
Society
of Folsom, Masjid As-Sabur, Masjid Ibrahim, Masjid AnNur Islamic
Center,
Muslim Mosque, SALAM, Qoba Foundation, Islamic Jafaria Association,
South
Sacramento Islamic Center, and Islamic Center of Davis.
An important feature of the Annual Community Picnic will be the Voter
Registration Drive sponsored by CAIR-Sacramento Valley. CAIR has
initiated
the “National American Muslim Voter Registration Drive” to register
100,000
new voters by the November 2004 election.
WHEN: Saturday, July 17, 2004 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
WHERE: Hagan Park, Lot B2 and B3, Rancho Cordova, California.
Directions: From 50 East take the Mather Field Exit. Turn left on
Mather
Field. Turn right on Folsom Blvd. Turn left on Coloma Rd. Turn left on
Chase Dr. (Second traffic light). Go straight to Hagan Park Gate.
Contact: Farouk Fakira, President Masjid AnNur Islamic Center (916)
717-1006, Basim Elkarra, Executive Director, CAIR-SV (916) 289-3748
-----
'SECRET FILM SHOWS IRAQ PRISONERS SODOMISED'
Charles Arthur, Independent, 7/16/04
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=541472
Young male prisoners were filmed being sodomised by American soldiers
at
the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, according to the journalist who
first
revealed the abuses there.
Seymour Hersh, who reported on the torture of the prisoners in New
Yorker
magazine in May, told an audience in San Francisco that "it's worse".
But
he added that he would reveal the extent of the abuses: "I'm not done
reporting on all this," he told a meeting of the American Civil
Liberties
Union.
He said: "The boys were sodomised with the cameras rolling, and the
worst
part is the soundtrack, of the boys shrieking. And this is your
government
at war."
He accused the US administration, and all but accused President George
Bush
and Vice-President Dick Cheney of complicity in covering up what he
called
"war crimes.”
ALSO SEE:
ATTORNEYS FIGHT FOR MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS IN U.S.
Alex Chadwick, National Public Radio, 7/15/04
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=3424008
The abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq have created a need for a new
kind
of lawyer: a Muslim civil rights attorney. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports on
one
such lawyer working in Michigan.
One of those drawn into the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in Baghdad
is a
Muslim-American civil rights lawyer who, 10 years ago, was an
accountant.
His name is Shereef Akeel. NPR's Ari Shapiro has the story of how he
went
from accountant to Abu Ghraib abuse attorney and how his career
paralleled
the emerging Muslim civil rights movement in this country.
ARI SHAPIRO reporting:
Shereef Akeel has a positive take on life. He can even find the
positive
side of the torture scandal at American-run prisons in Iraq.
Mr. SHEREEF AKEEL (Civil Rights Lawyer): The wonderful thing about
what's
happening right now, even though these are difficult times for America,
is
that you see the process working, the democratic process working, and I
feel like I'm a part of it right now. You know, the Senate hearings are
doing their thing with respect to military, the Army is doing their
thing
and I'm doing my thing in the civil arena to serve as a check. And this
will send a message around the world that this is America.
SHAPIRO: After eight years working as an accountant, Shereef went
tonight
school for law. When he graduated in 1996, Akeel joined two other
attorneys
in a firm that mostly handled personal injury claims. They were a Jew,
a
Christian and a Muslim--Melamed, Dailey, and Akeel. He'd been in
practice
with them for five years, and then came September 11th.
Mr. AKEEL: I never imagined that when these planes hit the World Trade
Center that they would have such an immense impact on my life.
SHAPIRO: On the morning of September 12th, a Yemeni man named Ahmed Esa
arrived to work at the Detroit construction company where he'd been a
welder for 15 years. Esa's boss fired him that day, shouting racial
slurs
and calling Esa a terrorist. Esa made his way to the Michigan office of
the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, where Horace Ahmad (ph)
was
working as executive director. At that point, CAIR had had little
experience with discrimination cases. Ahmad turned to his Rolodex.
Mr. HAARIS AHMAD (Council on American-Islamic Relations): Honestly,
there
was just a card there, you know--that this is the attorney that we've
worked with in the past for different things, just to ask general
questions
on. And that was the first person I called..
-----
PAUSE FOR HINDSIGHT
New York Times, 7/16/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/16/opinion/16FRI1.html
Over the last few months, this page has repeatedly demanded that
President
Bush acknowledge the mistakes his administration made when it came to
the
war in Iraq, particularly its role in misleading the American people
about
Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and links with Al Qaeda.
If we
want Mr. Bush to be candid about his mistakes, we should be equally
open
about our own.
During the run-up to the war, The Times ran dozens of editorials on
Iraq,
and our insistence that any invasion be backed by ''broad international
support'' became a kind of mantra. It was the administration's failure
to
get that kind of consensus that ultimately led us to oppose the war.
But we agreed with the president on one critical point: that Saddam
Hussein
was concealing a large weapons program that could pose a threat to the
United States or its allies. We repeatedly urged the United Nations
Security Council to join with Mr. Bush and force Iraq to disarm.
As we've noted in several editorials since the fall of Baghdad, we were
wrong about the weapons. And we should have been more aggressive in
helping
our readers understand that there was always a possibility that no
large
stockpiles existed.
At the time, we believed that Saddam Hussein was hiding large
quantities of
chemical and biological weapons because we assumed that he would have
behaved differently if he wasn't. If there were no weapons, we thought,
Iraq would surely have cooperated fully with weapons inspectors to
avoid
the pain of years under an international embargo and, in the end, a war
that it was certain to lose.
That was a reasonable theory, one almost universally accepted in
Washington
and widely credited by diplomats all around the world. But it was only
a
theory. American intelligence had not received any on-the-ground
reports
from Iraq since the Clinton administration resorted to punitive
airstrikes
in 1998 and the U.N. weapons inspectors were withdrawn. The weapons
inspectors who returned in 2002 found Iraq's records far from
transparent,
and their job was never made easy. But they did not find any evidence
of
new weapons programs or stocks of prohibited old ones. When American
intelligence agencies began providing them tips on where to look, they
came
up empty...
-----
ARAB-AMERICAN VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY BACK KERRY
Rolando Garcia, Reuters, 7/16/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=5684415
WASHINGTON- Concern about civil liberties and the war in Iraq have
pushed
President George W. Bush's already low support among Arab-American
voters
in key battleground states even lower, a survey showed on Thursday.
In a poll of Arab-American voters in the key states of Michigan, Ohio,
Pennsylvania and Florida only 24 percent said they would vote for Bush,
a
dip from 30 percent in April, while 51 percent supported Democratic
nominee
John Kerry.
In the poll, conducted between July 9 and 11, 13 percent supported
independent candidate Ralph Nader, who is of Lebanese descent.
"Maybe if Bush said 'I'm sorry' and fired (Attorney General John)
Ashcroft
and (Vice President Dick) Cheney, that might make a difference," said
James
Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, which commissioned the
poll.
Ashcroft has been targeted by rights groups for security measures
introduced since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, some of which have
impacted
Arab-Americans, and Cheney is criticized by opponents for unwavering
support for invading Iraq.
Bush narrowly won the Arab-American vote in 2000, but 69 percent in the
latest poll said Bush did not deserve to be re-elected, including 30
percent of those who identified themselves as Republicans...
ALSO SEE
ARAB-AMERICANS TURN AGAINST THE PRESIDENT IN KEY STATES
Alex Barker, Financial Times, 7/16/04
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1087373753720
A growing number ofArab-American voters in four battleground states
opposethe re-election of President George W. Bush, according to a poll
released yesterday.
The survey underscores the difficulties the president faces with a
community that broadly supported his election campaign in 2000.
In a three-way race, 51 per cent of those surveyed by the Arab American
Institute (AAI) said they would vote for John Kerry, the Democratic
presidential candidate, and 13 per cent for Ralph Nader, the
independent
aspirant of Arab-American heritage. Only 24 per cent planned to vote
for Mr
Bush in November.
Five hundred voters were surveyed in the swing states of Florida,
Michigan,
Ohio and Pennsylvania, where an estimated 1.1m Arab-Americans live.
A sharp drop in support for Mr Bush is evident when yesterday's survey
is
compared with polling conducted four years ago.
Exit polls from 2000 indicated that 45 per cent of all Arab-Americans -
about two-thirds of whom are Christian - voted for Mr Bush, as did 58.5
per
cent of Muslim voters...
-----
ROLLING MEADOWS APPROVES MOSQUE
Jamey Fry, Chicago Tribune, 7/16/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/north/chi-0407150220jul15,1,4878316.story
Rolling Meadows will let a growing Islamic community center relocate
within
a manufacturing district, a move that caused no public opposition but
created a legal dilemma for the City Council.
To allow the Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs of Chicago to move
two
doors to a larger building, the council on Tuesday had to rewrite its
zoning regulations and authorize a special-use permit for the opening
of a
mosque.
Now the council intends to amend the regulations again so no other
religious group can move into the district.
"No responsible citizen should be 100 percent comfortable with a
council
that would do that," said Ald. Tom Rooney, who opposed the rewriting of
the
zoning regulations but approved the special-use permit.
"If for any group less worthy than this group, people would be all over
us," he said. "It's a frustrating position to be in."
Mohammed Salam, the society's president, said after the vote he was
happy
and relieved.
"There's been a lot of anxiety for a long time," Salam said. "I think
the
city looks good presenting the values of tolerance and acceptance...”
-----
RARE ISLAMIC ART MASTERPIECES ON SHOW IN WASHINGTON
Daily Times, Daily Times, 7/16/04
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_16-7-2004_pg7_42
WASHINGTON- Thanks to Saudi generosity, a touring exhibition of more
than
100 works from one of the most renowned Islamic art collections in the
world opens at the National Gallery of Art, from July 18 through 6
February.
Selected from a collection of more than 10,000 objects, ‘Palace and
Mosque:
Islamic Art from the Victoria and Albert Museum’, as the exhibition is
named, will convey the richness of the Islamic art of the Middle East
on a
scale and at a level of quality hard to find in any collection outside
the
region, according to the National Gallery of Art.
Organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London, in
association
with the National Gallery of Art, Washington, the exhibition is taking
place while a new gallery for art of the Islamic Middle East is under
development at the V&A.
The exhibition will also travel to the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth,
Texas (April 3-September 4, 2005); the Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo,
Japan
(October 22-December 11, 2005); and the Millennium Galleries,
Sheffield,
England (January 14-April 16, 2006).
The exhibition at the National Gallery of Art has been made possible by
a
generos donation by Prince Bandar bin Sultan, ambassador of Saudi
Arabia to
the United States. The international tour of this exhibition has
benefited
through contributions by Mohammed Jameel, president of the Abdul Latif
Jameel Group, the benefactor of the V&A’s Jameel Gallery of Islamic
Art,
which is dedicated to the memory of Abdul Latif Jameel, the late
founder of
the Abdul Latif Jameel Group, and his wife Nafisa. The exhibition is
supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the
Humanities…
-----
MUSLIM HOMESCHOOLERS MEET IN MA
The New England Muslim Educator's Network (NEMEN) will hold it's first
Muslim Educator's Potluck Picnic and Book Fair Saturday, August 21,
2004 at
Al-Hamra Academy in Shrewsbury, MA. NEMEN serves all Muslim educators
in
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and
Vermont.
Beyond the all day networking, fellowship, job fair, great food and
educator's book fair, two special information sessions have been set
up:
2:00pm - If you are interested in starting an Islamic school come and
speak
to those who've done it. Get pointers and tips.
3:00pm - New to home schooling or interested receive an information
packet
and ask questions from veteran Muslim homeschoolers. and answer
questions
about home schooling.
For more information visit the NEMEN website http://www.nemen.net
For additional information about home schooling
http://www.muslimhomeschool.com or more about Islamic schools
http://www.4islamicschools.org
-----
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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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/18/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: LEADERS OF THE RIGHTEOUS
* CAIR-FL: CIVIL RIGHTS ERODING, MUSLIMS SAY (Sun-Sentinel)
* FBI STARTS TO QUESTION MUSLIMS IN U.S. (LA Times)
- Interviews of Muslims to Broaden (Washington Post)
* NY: FBI OFFICIAL, MUSLIM LEADERS MEET (Staten Island Advance)
* KY: MUSLIM ACCUSES AIRPORT CONTRACTOR OF BIAS
* NJ: MUSLIM GROUPS PUBLISH ADS TO CONDEMN TERRORISM (AP)
- CAIR Launches 'Not in the name of Islam' Petition Drive
- Sign the Petition
* MI: NEW GRAD TO LAUNCH MUSLIM YOUTH GROUP (Flint Journal)
- VA: Scouts' Mission Based on Faith (Daily Press)
* MI: VOTE THIS WEEK ON MOSQUE'S CALL TO PRAYER (AP)
* IRAQ'S PM ALLAWI SHOT SIX BLINDFOLDED PRISONERS (Sunday Herald)
- Special Report: Iyad Allawi (Sunday Herald)
* CORRECTION: FBI OFFICIAL'S NAME MISSPELLED
------
VERSE OF THE DAY: LEADERS OF THE RIGHTEOUS
And [know that true servants of God are only] those who never bear
witness
to what is false, and [who], whenever they pass by [people engaged in]
frivolity, pass on with dignity. Who, whenever they are reminded of
their
Sustainer's messages, do not turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. And who
pray:
"Our Lord! Make our wives and our children to be the comfort of our
eyes,
and make us leaders of the righteous."
The Holy Quran, 25: 72-74
-----
CIVIL RIGHTS ERODING, MUSLIMS SAY
Georgia East, Sun-Sentinel, 7/18/04
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cdemocracy18jul18,0,5109918.story
DANIA BEACH · Before more than 200 people gathered to discuss civil
rights
Saturday, Kussay Al-Sabunchi told his harrowing tale.
He was half naked when federal agents pulled him from his Orlando home
last
April, pinned him to the ground and arrested him, he said. He had
failed to
disclose on his 2001 immigration application that he was found guilty
in
1997 of violating his ex-wife's restraining order by sending her
flowers.
The oversight landed Al-Sabunchi, 40, in court facing deportation to
his
native Iraq. A judge found him not guilty of purposely lying on his
immigration documents and three months ago charges were dropped.
Al-Sabunchi, a computer engineer, advised the Muslims in the audience
to be
careful.
"It was very, very difficult. They really freaked me out. We still have
post-stress syndrome," he said after the program, referring to himself
and
his wife.
Members of the Council on American Islamic Relations-Florida said
Al-Sabunchi is one of countless others who have been victims of
overzealous
authorities.
Providing security while preserving the rights of foreign-born U.S.
residents is one of the biggest challenges for democracy in the United
States in the post-9-11 climate, speakers at the symposium said. They
included Randall Marshall, legal affairs director at that American
Civil
Liberties Union of Florida; David Cole, a lawyer and law professor at
Georgetown University; and Amy Goodman, host of the radio show
Democracy Now.
Many Muslims who attended Saturday's event said they still think they
are
under scrutiny since the 9-11 attacks.
"Muslims in America have been made the scapegoats in the witch hunt
that
ensued after 9-11," said Parvez Ahmed, chairman of the board for the
council in Florida. "Our freedoms have been compromised by invoking
fear
and paranoia."
Speakers criticized the Patriot Act, which has been used to expand law
enforcement's surveillance powers. The provision allowing FBI agents to
search public library records and conduct secret searches without a
warrant
were called most troubling.
Cole said what is taking place in the country now is "the most massive
campaign of ethnic profiling since World War II," and that the United
States is setting double standards by allowing one set of rules to
apply to
foreign-born residents who are not American citizens.
Cole questioned why about 5,000 people were detained after 9-11 as part
of
the government's preventive campaign. "Could you imagine if 5,000
American
citizens were picked up and held without any charges?" he asked…
-----
FBI STARTS TO QUESTION MUSLIMS IN U.S. ABOUT POSSIBLE ATTACKS
Richard B. Schmitt and Donna Horowitz, Los Angeles Times, 7/18/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-muslims18jul18,1,84284.story
WASHINGTON - FBI agents are beginning another round of interviews with
Muslims and Arab Americans around the country as part of an effort to
root
out a possible terrorist attack in the U.S. this summer or fall, civil
rights activists and attorneys for some of the people questioned said
Saturday.
The interviewing program was announced in late May at a news conference
by
U.S. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III.
Officials are concerned that terrorists may seek to disrupt the
national
political conventions in late July and late August or the general
election
in November, among other possible targets. But the actual questioning
of
people has taken weeks to get off the ground.
Muslim advocacy groups and lawyers said that, in recent days, the FBI
had
begun interviewing dozens of people in Virginia, Florida, New York and
California, among other states. The individuals questioned include a
U.S.
citizen of Iranian descent in Missouri and a Yemeni college student in
Arizona. None of the people interviewed so far had been told that he or
she
was a suspect in a terror investigation.
To many, the interviews are a bewildering case of déjà vu. The FBI
interviewed thousands of Muslims and Arab Americans after the Sept. 11
attacks and in the walk-up to the war in Iraq last year, fueling
accusations of racial profiling by the government. Hundreds of people
were
jailed or deported for alleged visa and immigration violations after
the
Sept. 11 roundup.
FBI officials said in announcing the latest set of interviews in May
that
they would work to ensure that the process would be driven by specific
intelligence rather than race or ethnicity. The approach recently was
cited
by one bureau official as a reason why the interviewing had taken so
long
to begin.
But Muslim leaders said Saturday that they were concerned that the FBI
was
repeating mistakes of the past.
Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, or CAIR, in Washington said his office had received dozens
of
reports of Muslims being questioned at their workplaces and homes by
the
FBI. He criticized the operation, saying it inexplicably seemed to
target
even respected community leaders.
"The way it's being done stigmatizes the entire community and makes
Muslims
objects of suspicion to their neighbors and co-workers," Awad said.
"This
is not right. This is more politics than security."
He said he hoped to meet with FBI officials on Monday to express his
concerns and appeal to them to more closely cooperate with the
community
during their investigations.
"Muslims should be enlisted in the war on terror, not blacklisted," he
said...
Deedra Abboud, the director of CAIR's Arizona office, said she met with
the
FBI in Phoenix on Tuesday after receiving phone calls from people who
had
been recently approached by the bureau for questioning.
The FBI is "really stressing that these people are not under
investigation,
and that this is just a friendly chat," Abboud said. "We tried to get
them
to understand they are not having friendly chats with non-Muslims."
Abboud said the FBI told her that it was trying to identify people who
may
have crossed paths with individuals who could be of use to
investigators,
including "people who may be six degrees of separation away from
somebody
who at some point in time may have been under investigation."
She said officials in Arizona told her they were moving ahead
aggressively
with interviews in part because a proposed presidential debate is
planned
for Tempe in October…
SEE ALSO:
INTERVIEWS OF MUSLIMS TO BROADEN
Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 7/17/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56080-2004Jul16.html
FBI agents have launched a series of interviews of Muslims and Arab
Americans in the Washington area and across the country, hoping to
glean
information that could prevent a major terrorist attack during this
election year.
A few dozen voluntary interviews of community leaders, students,
businesspeople and others have been conducted so far, according to
attorneys and Muslim activists. Authorities said they do not know how
many
people will be contacted, but the effort is expected to expand
significantly in the next week or so.
The new round of questioning is also far more targeted than an earlier
program of voluntary interviews with men from Arab and Muslim
countries,
which followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and was criticized
for
being ineffective and using profiling.
"This is not a general population. They are identified by intelligence
or
investigative information," said an FBI official who spoke on condition
of
anonymity, in line with department policy. He added that the
questioning
did not signify that the people were under investigation themselves.
The questions being posed vary widely, according to attorneys,
activists
and interviewees. Several people in California and Arizona have been
asked
whether they knew anyone who had recently been in the Pakistani border
region of Waziristan, regarded as a possible refuge for al Qaeda
figures.
They were also asked about Abu Nour, which agents identified as a
mosque
and school in Syria that was popular with American converts to Islam,
the
attorneys and activists said…
Those being sought for interviews appear to represent a broad spectrum.
Attorneys and activists said they had heard from students, high-tech
professionals, Muslim leaders and others who had been contacted. Most
were
immigrants, but at least one African American Muslim and some U.S.-born
residents were also included.
"Within two days, I received 10 calls from people freaking out because
the
FBI was contacting them," said Deedra Abboud, executive director of the
Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
She said that the FBI agents went out of their way to be low-key but
that
Muslims were fearful when they got the calls, worrying that they were
under
investigation themselves.
Leaders of Muslim and Arab American organizations have been trying to
build
bridges with federal officials since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the
World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Many say that the earlier
interviews
cast too wide a net and reflected the wrong approach…
-----
FBI OFFICIAL, MUSLIM LEADERS MEET
YOAV GONEN, Staten Island Advance, 7/16/04
http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1089985522116710.xml
Muslim cultural and religious leaders from across the city flocked to
the
Muslim Majlis Mosque in Concord last night to meet the head of the
FBI's
New York office for the first time.
Continuing a dialogue begun by his predecessor, Kevin Donovan, who left
the
FBI last year, Pasquale J. D'Amuro met with the Muslim community over
dinner at the mosque to answer questions, allay any fears, and ask for
help
in the war on terror.
"We're asking them to work with the FBI in trying to identify any
element
that they may be aware of that raises some suspicion," said D'Amuro.
D'Amuro -- who said he's been working closely with the Muslim community
in
New York since 1997 -- also came to remind everyone that the FBI is
working
to protect their rights as American citizens.
"Since 9/11 there have been a lot of concerns in their community about
their safety and their civil rights. We want them to know the FBI
investigates that also," said D'Amuro.
About 75 community leaders and members, mostly of Pakistani origin,
welcomed the opportunity to continue building a strong relationship
with
the FBI, following the mistrust that pervaded the community immediately
after the terrorist attacks in 2001.
"In a democratic society such as ours, dialogue is an essential
ingredient
in reaching comprehensive understanding and the meeting of the minds,"
said
Dr. Suhail Muzaffar, chairman of the mosque's board of trustees. "There
is
no better alternative than to sit across the table and listen and be
listened to."
Some of the concerns Dr. Muzaffar relayed were the fear of sending
money
abroad through a charity, the presumed but often false affiliation of
someone who prays at a mosque with that mosque itself, and the fear
that
Pakistani tourists now have of taking pictures of landmarks.
"The use of a camera, an innocent instrument, has become problematic
for
us," Dr. Muzaffar told D'Amuro, citing a Pakistani-American who was
recently accused of taking surveillance photos for use in terrorist
operations. The man was eventually cleared of those charges.
Taking questions from the audience, D'Amuro unexpectedly stumbled onto
a
touchy subject when he used the term "Sunni extremists" in one of his
responses.
Several audience members spoke out to alert him of their sensitivity to
that term. They said associating Sunni -- the largest denomination of
Islam
-- with extremists created an implication that a majority of Muslims
are
extremists, or terrorists.
"For him to say 'Sunni extremists,' you can't use those terms and get
away
with it," said Dr. Abdul Rehman, director of religious affairs for the
mosque.
But Dr. Rehman added that this was precisely why the meetings were
important: Both groups still need to learn about one another, and to
keep
building up a level of trust…
-----
MUSLIM ACCUSES AIRPORT CONTRACTOR OF BIAS
The Associated Press, 7/17/04
HEBRON, Ky. (AP) - A Muslim is accusing a contractor at
Cincinnati/Northern
Kentucky International Airport of denying him a security job based on
his
religion and national origin.
Ahmed Mohamed, 29, filed the discrimination lawsuit July 9 against Air
Serv
Corp., an Atlanta-based contractor to Delta Air Lines.
Mohamed, a native of Mauritania, said he initially filed a complaint
with
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after applying for a
security
job checking airline cabins. He was offered a janitorial position
instead.
"Typically, we don't comment on things that are litigated," Air Serv
chief
financial officer Paul Freischlag said Friday.
The lawsuit seeks the job offer Mohamed says he was denied, back pay to
October 2003 and unspecified damages…
-----
MUSLIM GROUPS TAKE OUT NEWSPAPER ADS TO CONDEMN TERRORISM
Associated Press, 7/17/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--muslimanti-terror0717jul17,0,7273640.story
WEST PATERSON, N.J. -- Five Muslim organizations and seven mosques have
taken out advertisements in three New Jersey newspapers to condemn acts
of
terrorism.
The ads, which featured a banner "Not in the Name of Islam," said the
killing of Americans does not represent Islam, just as the Iraqi
prisoner
abuse scandal does not represent America or Christianity.
"No injustice done to Muslims can ever justify the killing of innocent
people, and no act of terror will ever serve the cause of Islam," the
ad's
text read. "We repudiate and disassociate ourselves from any group or
individual who commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts."
Waheed Khalid, chairman of the state chapter of the American Muslim
Union,
said the ads that appeared in newspapers Friday were needed following
the
beheadings of Americans in Saudi Arabia and Iraq...
The ads, which cost a combined $14,000, appeared in the Herald News,
The
Record of Bergen County and The Star-Ledger of Newark.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR LAUNCHES 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION DRIVE
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1071&page=NR
SIGN THE PETITION
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
-----
NEW GRAD TO LAUNCH YOUTH GROUP FOR MUSLIMS
George Jaksa, Flint Journal, 7/18/04
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1090059649319700.xml
FLINT TWP. - Aishah Aslam wants to start a support group for Muslims in
public schools to help them remain faithful to Islam.
"I am hoping to start something to support Muslim youth who may be
tempted
to waver from Islamic teachings because of other influences," said
Aslam,
who graduated with high honors from Carman-Ainsworth High School June.
Aslam, 18, should know. She attended Genesee Academy, an elementary
school
in the same Clayton Township building as the Flint Islamic Center,
before
transferring to Carman-Ainsworth as a ninth-grader. She said if
students
coming out of the protected environment of the school aren't careful,
they
may slide away from the principles of their faith.
While at Carman-Ainsworth, Aslam was a member of the school's Muslim
student association. She also was part of the Islamic Center's youth
group,
which did community service, including helping to repaint a Salem
Housing
Community Development Corp. house near downtown Flint…
SEE ALSO:
SCOUTS' MISSION BASED ON FAITH
MICHAEL D. WAMBLE, Daily Press, 7/17/04
http://www.dailypress.com/features/religion/dp-42508sy0jul17,1,4769248.story
Aboard the USS Wisconsin, seven boys and two girls talk before their
Saturday morning Sea Scout meeting.
Scaffolding blocks the teens from using their usual room on the docked
battleship. With the ship undergoing repairs, they gather under a white
tent that shields them from the noontime sun and choppy winds.
Decked out in their dress blacks or seafaring summer whites, they
unroll a
map of the Norfolk Harbor and the Elizabeth River and answer questions
about navigating these waters. It's less exciting, says Montez Burton,
15,
than the previous week when the group, Sea Scout Ship 671, learned
rescue
techniques from the Virginia Beach Power Squadron.
The meeting ends with a prayer from the chaplain aide. Abdul Malik
Squire,
12, of Hampton bows his head and closes his eyes, as he begins the
Al-Fatiha, the opening prayer of the Qu'ran.
The prayer, and the crescent-and-star emblem on Squire's uniform, are
signs
that he's not just a Sea Scout, he's an Islamic Sea Scout, says adult
scout
leader Abdul S. Al-Um'matallah.
First chartered by the Tidewater Council of Boy Scouts of America in
2002,
this Sea Scout unit is one of eight such units in the Tidewater and
Colonial Councils. It is the area's only Sea Scout unit sponsored by a
Muslim group.
The unit is simultaneously part of a national shift in scouting and a
return to a founding pillar of Boy Scouts of America.
Boy Scouts founder Lord Baden-Powell once said of scouting, "There is
no
religious 'side' of the movement. The whole of it is based on religion,
that is, on the realization and service of God."
Matthew Tucker, a district executive of the Tidewater Council, said the
faith-based mission of scouting is sometimes discounted, but it
shouldn't be.
"We are a youth ministry," Tucker said.
If so, it is a youth ministry among a variety of different religions -
Judaism, Islam, Buddhism - that have emblems representing their
beliefs.
Christian groups also have denomination-specific emblems.
Most of the sponsors in the Tidewater Council are churches. The same is
true for the Colonial Council of Boys Scouts of America, which extends
from
the Peninsula into Mathews County.
"We don't define religious beliefs," said Dick Collins, scout executive
of
the Colonial Council. "But we do require our members have a belief in a
Supreme Being."
That's the case for Sea Scout Unit 671, whose charter partner is
Muslims
and Friends in Scouting, ICS United Community of Chesapeake...
-----
HAMTRAMCK TO VOTE THIS WEEK ON MOSQUE'S CALL TO PRAYER
Associated Press, 7/18/04
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. - Residents of this historically Polish enclave plan
to
vote Tuesday on whether to reverse the City Council's decision to allow
the
Islamic call to prayer to be broadcast by mosques.
The referendum was added to a previously scheduled recall election
ballot,
The Detroit News reported.
The controversy began after members of the predominantly Bangladeshi
al-Islah mosque approached City Council for permission to begin
broadcasting the two-minute Arabic chant from loudspeakers. Some
residents
argued it would create too much noise while others contended that being
forced to hear an Islamic declaration of faith would be a violation of
their own freedom of religion as Christians.
In April, City Council unanimously approved an amendment to Hamtramck's
noise ordinance allowing the call to prayer, which is traditionally
performed five times a day. But a petition signed by more than 630
people
opposing the amendment meant that the change was suspended until
residents
could vote on the issue…
-----
IRAQ'S PM ALLAWI SHOT SIX BLINDFOLDED PRISONERS 'AS EXAMPLE', SAY
WITNESSES
David Pratt, Foreign Editor, and Torcuil Crichton, Sunday Herald,
7/18/04
http://www.sundayherald.com/43458
Iraq's Prime Minister Iyad Allawi shot dead as many as six suspected
insurgents last month, just days before Washington handed political
control
over to his new government.
Two separate witnesses said that the prisoners, blindfolded and
handcuffed,
were lined up against a wall in a courtyard next to a maximum security
cell
at al-Amariyah prison in Baghdad. Allawi then pulled out a pistol and
shot
them in the head, telling policemen that he was setting an example on
how
to deal with resistance fighters. Allawi is said to have told onlookers
that the men "deserved worse than death".
Some 30 witnesses are said to have been present in the compound when
Allawi
paid a surprise visit to the security facility to reassure police
officers
that they would be protected from reprisals if they killed insurgents
in
the course of their duty.
The claims, first published in the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday and
written by the distinguished Australian journalist Paul McGeough, have
raised fears that Dr Allawi is returning to the cold-blooded tactics of
his
predecessor, Saddam Hussein, and has led to urgent calls for the Red
Cross
to launch an investigation…
SEE ALSO:
SPECIAL REPORT: IYAD ALLAWI
Sunday Herald, 7/18/04
http://www.sundayherald.com/43475
Iyad Allawi, the new Prime Minister of Iraq, pulled a pistol and
executed
as many as six suspected insurgents at a Baghdad police station, just
days
before Washington handed control of the country to his interim
government,
according to two people who allege they witnessed the killings.
They say the prisoners handcuffed and blindfolded were lined up
against
a wall in a courtyard adjacent to the maximum- security cell block in
which
they were held at the Al-Amariyah security centre, in the city's
southwestern suburbs.
They say Dr Allawi told onlookers the victims had each killed as many
as 50
Iraqis and they "deserved worse than death".
The Prime Minister's office has denied the entirety of the witness
accounts
in a written statement to The Sydney Morning Herald in Australia,
saying Dr
Allawi had never visited the centre and he did not carry a gun. But the
informants told the newspaper that Dr Allawi shot each young man in the
head as about a dozen Iraqi policemen and four Americans from the Prime
Minister's personal security team watched in stunned silence.
Iraq's Interior Minister, Falah al-Naqib, is said to have looked on and
congratulated him when the job was done. Mr al-Naqib's office has
issued a
verbal denial.
The names of three of the alleged victims have been obtained by the
Sydney
Morning Herald. One of the witnesses claimed that before killing the
prisoners Dr Allawi had told those around him that he wanted to send a
clear message to the police on how to deal with insurgents.
"The prisoners were against the wall and we were standing in the
courtyard
when the Interior Minister said that he would like to kill them all on
the
spot. Allawi said that they deserved worse than death but then he
pulled
the pistol from his belt and started shooting them."
Re-enacting the killings, one witness stood three to four metres in
front
of a wall and swung his outstretched arm in an even arc, left to right,
jerking his wrist to mimic the recoil as each bullet was fired. Then he
raised a hand to his brow, saying: "He was very close. Each was shot in
the
head."
The witnesses said seven prisoners had been brought to the courtyard,
but
the last man in line was only wounded in the neck, said one witness;
in
the chest, said the other.
Given Dr Allawi's role as the leader of the US experiment in planting a
model democracy in the Middle East, allegations of a return to the
cold-blooded tactics of his predecessor are likely to stir a simmering
debate on how well Washington knows its man in Baghdad, and precisely
what
he envisages for the new Iraq.
There is much debate and rumour in Baghdad about the Prime Minister's
capacity for brutality, but this is the first time eyewitness accounts
have
been obtained.
A former CIA officer, Vincent Cannistraro, recently told The New
Yorker:
"If you're asking me if Allawi has blood on his hands from his days in
London, the answer is yes, he does. He was a paid Mukhabarat
[intelligence]
agent for the Iraqis, and he was involved in dirty stuff."
In Baghdad, varying accounts of the shootings are interpreted by
observers
as useful to a little-known politician who, after 33 years in exile,
needs
to prove his leadership credentials as a "strongman" in a war-ravaged
country that has no experience of democracy.
Dr Allawi's statement dismissed the allegations as rumours instigated
by
enemies of his interim government.
But in a sharp reminder of the Iraqi hunger for security above all
else,
the witnesses did not perceive themselves as whistle-blowers. In
interviews
with the Sydney Morning Herald they were enthusiastic about such
killings,
with one of them arguing: "These criminals were terrorists. They are
the
ones who plant the bombs."
Before the shootings, the 58-year-old Prime Minister is said to have
told
the policemen they must have courage in their work and that he would
shield
them from any repercussions if they killed insurgents in the course of
their duty. The witnesses said the Iraqi police observers were "shocked
and
surprised". But asked what message they might take from such an act,
one
said: "Any terrorists in Iraq should have the same destiny. This is the
new
Iraq.
"Allawi wanted to send a message to his policemen and soldiers not to
be
scared if they kill anyone especially, they are not to worry about
tribal
revenge. He said there would be an order from him and the Interior
Ministry
that all would be fully protected.
"He told them: 'We must destroy anyone who wants to destroy Iraq and
kill
our people.' At first they were surprised. I was scared but now the
police seem to be very happy about this. There was no anger at all,
because
so many policemen have been killed by these criminals."
Dr Allawi had made a surprise visit to the complex, they said.
Neither witness could give a specific date for the killings. But their
accounts narrowed the time frame to on or around the third weekend in
June
about a week before the rushed handover of power in Iraq and more
than
three weeks after Dr Allawi was named as the interim Prime Minister.
They said that as many as five of the dead prisoners were Iraqis, two
of
whom came from Samarra, a volatile town to the north of the capital,
where
an attack by insurgents on the home of Mr Al-Naqib killed four of the
Interior Minister's bodyguards on June 19.
The Sydney Morning Herald established the names of three of the
prisoners
alleged to have been killed. Two names connote ties to Syrian-based
Arab
tribes, suggesting they were foreign fighters: Ahmed Abdulah Ahsamey
and
Amer Lutfi Mohammed Ahmed al-Kutsia.
The third was Walid Mehdi Ahmed al-Samarrai. The last word of his name
indicates he was one of the two said to come from Samarra in the
Sunni
Triangle.
The three names were provided to the Interior Ministry, where senior
adviser Sabah Khadum undertook to provide a status report on each. He
was
asked if they were prisoners, were they alive or had they died in
custody.
But the next day he cut short an interview by hanging up the phone,
saying
only: "I have no information I don't want to comment on that specific
matter."
All seven were described as young men. One of the witnesses spoke of
the
distinctive appearance of four as "Wahabbi", the colloquial Iraqi term
for
the foreign fundamentalist insurgency fighters and their Iraqi
followers.
He said: "The Wahabbis had long beards, very short hair and they were
wearing dishdashas [the kaftan-like garment worn by Iraqi men]."
Raising the hem of his own dishdasha to reveal the cotton pantaloons
usually worn beneath, he said: "The other three were just wearing these
they looked normal."
One witness justified the shootings as an unintended act of mercy:
"They
were happy to die because they had already been beaten by the police
for
two to eight hours a day to make them talk."
After the removal of the bodies, the officer in charge of the complex,
General Raad Abdullah, is said to have called a meeting of the
policemen
and told them not to talk outside the station about what had happened.
"He
said it was a security issue," a witness said.
One of the Al-Amariyah witnesses said he watched as Iraqis among the
Prime
Minister's bodyguards piled the prisoners' bodies into the back of a
Nissan
utility vehicle and drove off. He did not know what became of them. But
the
other witness said the bodies were buried west of Baghdad, in open
desert
country near Abu Ghraib.
That would place their burial near the notorious prison, which was used
by
Saddam Hussein's security forces to torture and kill thousands of
Iraqis.
Subsequently it was revealed as the setting for the still-unfolding
prisoner abuse scandal involving US troops.
The Sydney Morning Herald has established that as many as 30 people,
including the victims, may have been in the courtyard. One of the
witnesses
said there were five or six civilian-clad American security men in a
convoy
of five or six late model four-wheel-drive vehicles that was
shepherding Dr
Allawi's entourage on the day. The US military and Dr Allawi's office
refused to respond to questions about the composition of his security
team.
It is understood that the core of his protection unit is drawn from US
Special Forces units.
The security establishment where the killings are said to have happened
is
on open ground on the border of the Al-Amariyah and Al-Kudra
neighbourhoods
in Baghdad.
About 90 policemen are stationed at the complex, which processes
insurgents
and more hardened offenders among those captured in the struggle
against a
wave of murder, robbery and kidnapping in post-invasion Iraq.
The Interior Ministry denied permission for the Sydney Morning Herald
to
enter the heavily fortified police complex.
The two witnesses were independently and separately found by the Sydney
Morning Herald. Neither approached the newspaper. They were interviewed
on
different days in a private home in Baghdad, without being told the
other
had spoken. A condition of the co-operation of each man was that no
personal information would be published.
Both interviews lasted more than 90 minutes and were conducted through
an
interpreter, with another journalist present for one of the meetings.
The
witnesses were not paid for the interviews...
-----
CORRECTION: FBI OFFICIAL'S NAME MISSPELLED
The name of an FBI official was misspelled in a CAIR news release,
headlined "Sacramento Valley Muslims Meet with FBI," issued on Friday.
The
official's correct name and title are: Special Agent In Charge Keith
Slotter.
-----
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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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be FIRM but POLITE.)
Contact Red Lobster to ask that they repudiate the bigoted views
expressed
by their employees and resolve this incident to the satisfaction of the
Muslim employee.
CONTACT:
Mr. Kim Lopdrup
President
Red Lobster USA
5900 Lake Ellenor Drive
Orlando, FL 32809
TEL: 407-245-4000
FAX: 407-245-5290
E-MAIL: klopdrup@redlobster.com
COPY TO: jlee@darden.com, llasita@darden.com, cair@cair-net.org
-----
ASK RED LOBSTER TO RESOLVE MUSLIM BIAS CLAIM
South Carolina worker allegedly harassed following 9/11 attacks
(WASHINGTON, DC, 7/19/04) - CAIR today called on American Muslims and
other
people of conscience to ask Red Lobster, the nation's largest seafood
restaurant chain, to resolve a case of alleged religious discrimination
against a Muslim employee in South Carolina.
The employee, a U.S. citizen and graduate in hospitality management who
worked for Red Lobster for almost a decade, told CAIR that co-workers
began
harassing him following the 9/11 terror attacks.
In the period leading up to the invasion of Iraq, two Red Lobster
staffers
allegedly made fun of the man's name and accent, suggested that he came
to
America to study aviation in order to blow up buildings and ridiculed
his
faith and ethnicity. (The Muslim employee was born in Morocco.) Red
Lobster
management reportedly told the Muslim worker to just ignore the
discriminatory comments.
Following repeated harassing behavior, the Muslim employee told CAIR he
got
into a shouting match with a co-worker. Both workers were reprimanded,
but
only the Muslim employee was terminated, despite Red Lobster's prior
knowledge of the hostile work environment. The case is currently in
court-mandated mediation.
"What this worker experienced is unacceptable and should be addressed
by
upper management in Red Lobster and in its parent company, Darden
Restaurants," said CAIR Civil Rights Attorney Engy Abdelkader. "No one
should face harassment in the workplace because of their faith or
ethnicity."
Abdelkader requested that Red Lobster resolve the case to the
satisfaction
of the Muslim employee, clarify its policy on religious discrimination
in
the workplace and institute sensitivity training for company staff.
Red Lobster has more than 670 restaurants and 63,000 employees in the
United States and Canada. The chain is operated by Darden Restaurants,
Inc.
SEE: http://www.redlobster.com/ and http://www.darden.com/
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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/19/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD SOFTENS THE HEART
* IOWA TERROR ARRESTS APPEAR DOUBTFUL (DM Reg)
* CAIR-SA LEADER CHALLENGES HATE (San Antonio Express)
- CAIR-CAN: Vandalism at Canadian Mosque Denounced
- CAIR-Albany: Incident Unsettles Muslim Family (TU)
- CAIR-SC Quarterly Meeting August 7
* CAIR-FL: MUSLIMS RECOIL AT REVIVED SCRUTINY (Orlando Sent)
- VA: The Imam and the Agent (Review Appeal)
* OR: ISLAM REVERES THE `TIES OF THE WOMBS' (Reg-Guard)
* FL: FEW U.S. HOSTS WELCOME MUSLIMS (Tampa Trib)
- ME: Muslims Want Place to Bury Their Dead (Sun Journal)
* MI: HAMTRAMCK INTERFAITH PARTNERS CALL FOR DAY OF PRAYER
* REPORTER ALLEGES SODOMY AT ABU GHRAIB (Wash Times)
- 3 in Afghan Abuse Case Claim U.S. Link (AP)
- 'Enemy Contact. Kill 'Em, Kill 'Em.' (LA Times)
* IRAQI MINISTER TO INVESTIGATE ALLAWI EXECUTION CLAIMS (ABC)
- Media Kills Story about Iraqi PM (Daily Times)
* CAN ISRAEL BE SAVED? (Salon.com)
* MORE CANADIAN REFUGEES TO BE 'REMOVED' TO U.S. (Gazette)
* SENATE COMMITTEE HEARING ON ISLAMIC BANKING
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD SOFTENS THE HEART
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(Too) much talk without
mention of God produces hardness of heart, and the person farthest from
God
is someone who has a hard heart."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 720
-----
IA: U.S. LINKS 35 ARRESTS IN IOWA TO TERROR
But most defendants' ties to violence appear doubtful
Bert Dalmer, Des Moines Register, 7/18/04
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040718/NEWS01/407180386/1001/NEWS&lead=1
The terrorism arrest statistics in this article came from the
Transactional
Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, which is affiliated with
Syracuse
University.
TRAC receives monthly information from a U.S. Justice Department
database
that includes entries for every law-enforcement case referred to
various
U.S. attorney offices for prosecution.
The database includes no defendants' names or case numbers. But it does
include lead charges, charge dates, attorneys' names, judges' names and
sentencing information. The cases also include type-of-crime categories
assigned by the Justice Department.
Those pieces of information were used by the Des Moines Sunday Register
to
identify 27 defendants using court records. Eight other Iowa cases
could
not be identified by the newspaper based on information contained in
the
database. Court officials speculated that those cases were sealed from
public inspection, most likely because the suspects had not yet been
arrested.
The Justice Department recently stopped providing TRAC with charge and
type-of-crime information, believing that it could tip off would-be
terrorists to an investigation. TRAC has sued the department to force
release of the data, but that case is pending...
-----
CAIR-SAN ANTONIO: AMERICAN ISLAMIC COUNCIL LEADER OFFERS HER VIEWS ON
HATE
Aretha Williams, San Antonio Express News, 7/19/04
http://www.mysanantonio.com/salife/columnists/awilliams/stories/MYSA071904.09P.Williams.15244f84.html
Dear Readers: A few weeks ago, I ran a series on preventing and
responding
to hate crimes in our community.
It was inspired by the string of fires set at Muslim-run businesses in
San Antonio.
This week, Sarwat Husain, local chapter chairwoman of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, writes in to share her perspective on the
issue.
She reminds us, "Hate crimes against Muslims after 9-11 include
individual
murders, beatings, burning of mosques and businesses, beating of
children
in the schools, shouting slurs, throwing eggs and rocks on their cars,
hate
messages/threats on the phones and e-mails, personal attacks. Job
discrimination and harassment are also very common.
"Hate crimes are committed against Muslims because of real or perceived
differences of the religion, and culture. They are mainly racial and
religion-based.
"These misunderstandings are coming from the irresponsible behavior of
some
of the media outlets (radio, print and TV), right-wing Christian
politicians and clergy.
"Especially after 9-11 terrorist attacks, these people intentionally
create
Islamophobic hysteria in the public, for their own agendas...for
instance,
Lt. Gen. William Boykin, an evangelical Christian, said (of a 1993
battle
with a Muslim militia leader in Somalia): 'I knew that my God was
bigger
than his. I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol.'
The resentment is fueled by the stereotypes.
"These racial and religious conflicts can be resolved by educating the
public through media, places of worship, educational
institutions, community-relations groups and of course a change in the
government policies. Law enforcement, community leaders, educators,
researchers and policy-makers must work together to overcome this
problem.
"Punishment for hate criminals must be severe to send a very clear
message
that this kind of criminal behavior should not be tolerated toward any
individual or group of people.
"Individual communities should launch an all-out effort to encourage
broader intercultural understanding and appreciation to reduce
hostility to
dispel minority stereotyping.
"Schools should start anti-bias teachings at a very early age and to be
continued through the high school. School administrators/teachers must
intervene against bias-related incidents."
We must also keep in mind that we all have a personal responsibility to
root out feelings of prejudice within ourselves...
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CAN: MUSLIM GROUP DENOUNCES VANDALISM AT MOSQUE
Natalie Alcoba, Hamilton Spectator, 7/19/04
http://www.thespec.com
A national Muslim group has denounced reports of vandalism on a
Hamilton
mosque and asked police to treat it as a possible hate crime.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations Canada (CAIR-CAN), a
grassroots
organization that works against discrimination, released a statement
Wednesday condemning three incidents at the Umar Mosque on Rennie
Street.
Eggs have been thrown at the building in the past two weeks, twice
during
Friday prayer.
"I think the fact the mosque was targeted three times in two weeks does
provide strong evidence that it was a hate crime," said CAIR-CAN
executive
director Riad Saloojee.
"Hate crime investigations tend to be a lot more thorough and treated
more
serious than run-of-the-mill vandalism investigations," Saloojee said.
The incidents are being investigated by Hamilton police...
Since September 2001, CAIR-CAN has documented hate-motivated incidents
at
16 Islamic institutions and mosques in Canada, including attempted
arson
and graffiti threats.
Saloojee said 90 per cent of hate crimes go unreported.
---
NY: INCIDENT UNSETTLES MUSLIM FAMILY
Brendan Lyons, Times Union, 7/19/04
http://www.timesunion.com/aspstories/story.asp?storyID=267537
The terrifying memories of a shattered childhood in war-torn
Afghanistan
gripped Yasin Amin momentarily last month when the Colonie Center
security
guards ran toward him.
The guards -- Amin thinks there were about four -- hovered close by as
Amin
and his brother-in-law, and Amin's wife and three young children
watched in
disbelief. They were in Sears, looking for a DVD player, but cut their
plans short because the guards' suffocating stares unnerved them.
"We were there to shop, but it came to a point where my wife said:
'Let's
just go,' " Amin said.
Outside, the situation grew more disconcerting. At least three Colonie
police cars, emergency lights flashing, were parked around the family's
car.
"I said: 'What do you guys want to talk to me about?'" said Amin, who
works
for an Internet search company that caters to engineers.
The Colonie cops told Amin security officers had called them after Amin
and
his brother-in-law were spotted praying in a parking lot before
entering
the mall. But it was just after sunset, Amin said he told them, and
their
Islamic faith requires they pray at that moment every day -- no matter
where they are.
"The police officer said: 'We know what you were doing and we're sorry,
and
these people need to be educated on your religion,' " Amin said,
crediting
the officers for their handling of the situation.
But in an era of heightened fear of terrorism, Muslims say public
misconceptions of their customs are resulting in unfair profiling...
"We want to make sure something like this doesn't happen again, and we
want
to educate the community," said Nizar Yaghi, president of the newly
formed
Albany chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "Just
because
someone is praying in a non-familiar way doesn't mean this is a
precursor
to a terrorist attack."
CONTACT: CAIR-Albany, Nizar Yaghi, 518-527-4335
---
CAIR-SC QUARTERLY MEETING AUGUST 7
On Saturday, August 7, 2004, CAIR's South Carolina office will hold its
annual meeting from noon-3 p.m. at the Williams-Brice Building,
University
of South Carolina.
For more information, please contact:
Minhaj Arastu, Chairperson
Council on American-Islamic Relations-Columbia, SC
221 Rolling Rock Road, Columbia, SC 29212
Phone: (803) 750-1236 E-mail: cair-sc@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR-FL: MUSLIMS RECOIL AT REVIVED SCRUTINY
Lisa Emmerich, Orlando Sentinel, 7/19/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-locmuslims18071904jul19,1,3746035.story
Central Florida Muslims and Arab-Americans say they are feeling a
renewed
sense of dread as FBI agents kick up efforts to prevent terrorist
attacks
with a batch of interviews similar to those conducted after Sept. 11,
2001.
Local Muslim leaders said several people in Florida had already been
questioned, leading many to stay out of the public eye and hesitate
before
answering their phones...
The government introduced the new interview program in May amid concern
that terrorists could target national political conventions this summer
or
the general election in November. The program didn't get off the ground
until recently, Muslim advocacy groups said, when FBI officials began
questioning people in Florida, New York, California and Virginia, among
other states. FBI officials did not return calls for comment by Sunday
night.
FBI officials interviewed thousands of Muslims and Arab-Americans after
the
2001 terrorist attacks and before the Iraq war, leading to accusations
of
racial profiling. FBI officials said in May that they would work to
ensure
that neither race nor ethnicity motivated the new interview process.
Instead, they said, they would try to target interviews to those
thought to
have information about possible plots.
The Tampa office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations received
about 10 calls from Florida residents who had been questioned, said
Ahmed
Bedier, a council spokesman. Three of those calls were from the Orlando
area, Bedier said. He said most of the calls were complaints that
investigators had asked personal questions about politics or taxes,
which
had nothing to do with national security.
"We are for security and we are for strong law enforcement," Bedier
said.
"At the same time, we don't want to do that at the expense of our civil
rights and our privacy. The act of canvassing different communities
across
the country, that's just going to alienate people."
Bedier said federal officials should engage Muslim community leaders to
help avoid targeting innocent people. What seems suspicious to a
law-enforcement official could be an easily explainable religious
custom,
he said...
ALSO SEE:
VA: THE IMAM AND THE AGENT
Steve and Cokie Roberts, Review Appeal, 7/14/04
http://reviewappeal.midsouthnews.com/news.ez?viewStory=23640
STERLING, Va. - Imam Mohammed Magid, the head of a large mosque in this
Washington, D.C., suburb, was recently approached by a young Muslim man
who
wanted to join the FBI. The man was shocked when the imam replied,
"Good
for you."
His friends had told him that the imam would oppose the idea, and Magid
agreed that his advice was unusual: "I think some other imams would
have
said, 'Don't do it.'" In fact, Magid told us sadly, the fear and
hostility
toward the American government is so great in the Muslim community that
some religious leaders counsel their followers to avoid all contact
with
official agencies.
The imam's comments reflect a critical obstacle hampering the campaign
against terrorism: a severe shortage of law enforcement and
intelligence
agents who speak Arabic and fit comfortably into the Muslim world both
here
and abroad. The scathing report by the Senate Intelligence Committee
last
week was only the latest indictment of the government's failure to
develop
this human side of intelligence gathering.
In reaction to this failure, the FBI and other agencies have made a
major
recruitment effort, sending speakers to mosques like the one in
Sterling
and manning booths at Muslim community events. But they've run into
huge
problems, admits Mike Mason of the FBI's Washington field office, and
one
reason is simple history.
The resistance exists "particularly for those (American Muslims) who
are
first-generation," Mason explained. "Their parents come from an
environment
where law enforcement is not trusted at all." Intelligence services are
even more despised, "because any form of contact is likely to mean that
a
family member is going to disappear." The result, says Mason, is that
recruiters are trying to change "a hard dynamic, to have people trust
you..."
-----
MUSLIM TEACHING REVERES THE `TIES OF THE WOMBS'
Patricia Adi, Register-Guard, 7/17/04
http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/07/17/f4.rel.trimcol.0717.html
I'm working on a family mystery. My grandmother of eight generations
ago,
Aggathy, might have been an American Indian princess named Little
Flower.
Some of us wanted to prove it with a DNA test. The test is interesting.
It
can only be performed on a woman from an unbroken chain of women linked
to
the grandmother.
My mother took the test, but the result was inconclusive. The testers
have
DNA on file from many Indian tribes, but none matched hers. We were
told
that my grandmother's tribe might even be extinct.
A nation extinct! Woe to us if our bad actions are the cause, for we
are
breaking the family ties, and thus, the promise to our creator.
The creator of all life, God, has many names expressing excellence and
perfection; some say 99 names. Allah is the name for God in the Arabic
language, al-Baari (the Creator), al-Hi-yy (the Living), al-Qayyoom
(Always
in Charge), al-Malik (the King), al-Wadood (the Loving), as-Salaam
(Never
Unjust).
Muslims believe that nothing and nobody resembles God. When we use the
grammatical pronoun "he," it does not imply that God is male, nor that
he
is human in any way. Arabic-speaking people understand this.
God has many excellent names, but the greatest of all is a-Rahman, the
one
who gives mercy, the one who nurtures life beyond anything we can
imagine.
God is different than any being...
-----
FL: FEW U.S. HOSTS WELCOME MUSLIMS
Monica Scandlen, Tampa Tribune, 7/19/04
http://tampatrib.com/FloridaMetro/MGBGJ21LSWD.html
The 16-year-old plays football and basketball and likes driving cars.
He
wants to be an engineer or physician. He has three sisters and three
brothers.
Shko Bakir Abdulkadir, a Kurd who lives in Irbil, a city in
northeastern
Iraq, is one of hundreds of students from countries with significant
Muslim
populations who is looking for a host family in the United States.
``I think my future in [the] U.S. will be better than in Iraq,'' he
writes
in his application to Youth Exchange and Study, a high school
scholarship
program sponsored by the U.S. State Department.
However, agencies that work with exchange students, like ASSE
International, are having trouble finding U.S. families willing to host
students such as Shko. ``Being Middle Eastern and also being Muslim is
a
real challenge for placing children,'' said Joan Soderqvist, ASSE's
state
coordinator for Florida, Georgia and North Carolina...
Ahmed Bedier, Florida communications director for the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, said student exchange programs are a good
step
toward changing the way the United States is viewed overseas,
especially in
Muslim countries.
``Eventually, those students will be the leaders of those countries,''
Bedier said. ``They're the future generations.''
The council, a Washington D.C.-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy
group, strives to build bridges between Muslims and others.
``Once you actually interact with individuals, you figure out, `Hey,
they're just like me. They eat and they sleep just like me,' '' Bedier
said. ``These kind of programs are important, and I think we need more
of
them.''
-----
ME: LOCAL MUSLIMS WANT A PLACE TO BURY THEIR DEAD
Lisa Chmelecki, Sun Journal, 7/19/04
http://www.sunjournal.com/news/city/20040719075.php
LEWISTON - Somali immigrants have done many things to improve their
lives
in Lewiston-Auburn. They have set up comfortable homes, found jobs,
opened
businesses and established a sacred place to pray.
"Life is good for many of us," said Said Mohamud.
Now, Mohamud and other members of the African Immigrant Association are
focusing their attention on what happens to local Somalis after their
lives
are over.
Among the group's many plans is to find the money and land to create a
graveyard for local Muslims.
"The people who are here, they are scared," Mohamud said. "They don't
know
what to do with their dead bodies."
So far, it hasn't been a big problem.
According to several people in the community, only two local Somalis
have
died. Both were newborns whose bodies were taken to a section of a
cemetery
in Portland reserved for Muslims.
But local Somalis know it is only a matter of time before others need
to be
buried...
-----
MI: HAMTRAMCK INTERFAITH PARTNERS CALL FOR A DAY OF PRAYER
To demonstrate the solidarity among the various faith-based traditions
in
Hamtramck and their respect for the freedom of religious expression.
Spokespeople from the Christian and Muslim faiths represented in
Hamtramck
will be available to express their positions on the amendment to the
noise
ordinance scheduled for a community vote that day.
CONTACTS
Rev. Sharon A. Buttry, Hamtramck Interfaith Association
(313)355-5561/(313)
729-8559/cell; Victor Ghalib Begg, Vice Chair, Council of Islamic
Organizations of Michigan (248) 334-9225, or (586) 808-2464 (cell); Dr.
Dan
Krichbaum, Executive Director, NCCJ (National Conference for Community
and
Justice) (313) 567-6625
SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY
8 a.m. News Conference - Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church, 1725
Caniff
Avenue, Hamtramck. (313) 868-7664. Statements of Hamtramck Interfaith
Leaders will be presented, defending freedom of religious expression
and in
support of the respectful broadcast of the Muslim call to prayer in
Hamtramck, MI. Speakers include Rev. Dr. Joseph Jordan, Pastor,
Corinthian
Missionary Baptist Church. Abdul Motlib, President of the Board of
Directors, Al Islah Mosque, and Rev. Sharon A. Buttry, Executive
Director
of Friendship House
2:15 p.m. Interfaith Prayer Service (follows Muslim mid-day prayers)
Al-Islah Mosque 2733 Caniff Avenue, Hamtramck. (313) 727-9118. Abdul
Motlib, Mosque President will lead the prayer service that will follow
a
theme of unity and community peace. Participants will be from all
faiths.
8 p.m. Interfaith Potluck Fellowship Dinner, Friendship House
Montessori Center, 2031 Caniff Avenue, Hamtramck. (313) 355-5561.
Representatives from all faiths and their families in Hamtramck will
share
a meal in a communal setting, hosted by Rev. Dan and Rev. Sharon
Buttry.
HAMTRAMCK INTERFAITH ASSOCIATION
Established to peacefully resolve the issue of the Muslim community's
desire to establish a daily call to prayer, this association is
comprised
of representatives from the religious congregations in Hamtramck with
support from the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan and the
Interfaith Partners of NCCJ. The group is committed to helping the
diverse
community of Hamtramck develop a deeper appreciation of one-another
through
prayer, dialogue, education and community projects.
-----
REPORTER ALLEGES SODOMY AT ABU GHRAIB
Washington Times, 7/17/04
http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20040717-082858-3675r.htm
Baghdad, Iraq - American journalist Seymour Hersh has said there are
videotapes of American soldiers sodomizing young Iraqi boys at Abu
Ghraib
prison.
The investigative journalist, one of the first to break the story of
prisoner abuses, said the Bush administration is holding the tapes of
these
acts, Aljazeera.net reported Saturday.
"The boys were sodomized with the cameras rolling, and the worst part
is
the soundtrack, of the boys shrieking. And this is your government at
war,"
he said.
There was "a massive amount of criminal wrongdoing that was covered up
at
the highest command out there, and higher," he said.
ALSO SEE:
3 IN AFGHAN ABUSE CASE CLAIM U.S. LINK
Stephen Graham, Associated Press, 7/18/04
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&ncid=1898&e=2&u=/ap/20040718/ap_on_re_as/afghan_us_vigilantes_5
KABUL, Afghanistan - Three Americans accused of detaining and abusing
Afghans on an independent hunt for terrorists appeared in court Sunday,
insisting they had contacts with the U.S. Defense Department, a senior
judge said.
The group's leader, a former U.S. soldier called Jonathan K. Idema,
acknowledged operating a private jail outside of Afghan law, presiding
judge Abdul Baset Bakhtyari said.
But Idema insisted his team had rounded up Taliban and al-Qaida
suspects in
their makeshift jail until their arrest two weeks ago, and that
al-Qaida
chief Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) wanted him dead.
"Bin Laden has half a million dollars on my head," Idema shouted at an
Associated Press Television News reporter who tried to film him during
the
preliminary hearing. The reporter had to leave.
Afghan authorities have charged the Americans and four Afghan
accomplices
with hostage-taking and assault for allegedly detaining and abusing 11
men
in a house in the capital. They face up to 20 years in jail if
convicted.
U.S. and Afghan authorities deny any links to the self-styled task
force,
describing them as vigilantes on a personal quest to fight terrorism.
The
men wore military gear and fooled both Afghan police and NATO
peacekeepers
into thinking they were legitimate...
---
'ENEMY CONTACT. KILL 'EM, KILL 'EM.'
Charles Duhigg, Los Angeles Times, 7/19/04
http://www.latimes.com/la-fg-killing18jul18,1,1755382.story
NAJAF, Iraq - Tucked behind a gleaming machine gun, Sgt. Joseph Hall
grins
at his two companions in the Humvee.
"I want to know if I killed that guy yesterday," Hall says. "I saw
blood
spurt from his leg, but I want to be sure I killed him."
The vehicle goes silent as the driver, Spc. Joshua Dubois, swerves
around
asphalt previously uprooted by a blast.
"I'm confused about how I should feel about killing," says Dubois, who
has
a toddler back home. "The first time I shot someone, it was the most
exhilarating thing I'd ever felt."
Dubois turns back to the road. "We talk about killing all the time," he
says. "I never used to talk this way. I'm not proud of it, but it's
like I
can't stop. I'm worried what I will be like when I get home."
The men aren't Special Forces soldiers. They're just ordinary troops
with
the Army's 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment serving their 14th month in
Iraq,
much of it in daily battles. In 20 minutes, they will come under
attack.
Many GIs and Army psychiatrists say these constant conversations about
death help troops come to grips with the trauma of combat. But mental
health professionals within and outside the military point to the
chatter
as evidence of preventable anguish.
Soldiers are untrained, experts say, for the trauma of killing. Forty
years
after lessons learned about combat stress in Vietnam, experts charge
that
avoidable psychological damage goes unchecked because military
officials
don't include emotional preparation in basic training.
Troops, returning home with untreated and little-understood mental
health
issues, put themselves and their families at risk for suicide and
domestic
violence, experts say. Twenty-three U.S. troops in Iraq took their
lives
last year, according to the Defense Department - an unusually high
number,
one official acknowledged.
On patrol, however, all that is available is talk...
-----
IRAQI MINISTER TO INVESTIGATE ALLAWI EXECUTION CLAIMS
Geoff Thompson, ABC, 7/19/04
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200407/s1156598.htm
Iraq's Human Rights Minister Bakhtiar Amin says he will investigate
allegations that Iraq's interim Prime Minister personally executed
suspected insurgents at a Baghdad police station last month.
Mr Amin described the allegation as very serious, referring to reports
in
The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, sourced to two unnamed men, that
Iraq's interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi had personally executed at
least
six suspected insurgents in Baghdad last month.
"This is not the Iyad Allawi I know" he said.
"He is not a killer and he does not carry a gun".
Mr Amin committed his Human Rights Ministry to investigating the
allegations but added that the reports could draw defamation litigation
in
Australia if they were found not to be true.
"Well, these are serious allegations and if that shows it's a false… I
believe that it's a false allegation, and it's a defamation, and the
one
who writes these things has a major responsibility in front of the
court
systems of their own country as well," he said.
Mr Amin said that he would not wish to work for Dr Allawi if the
allegations were true...
ALSO SEE:
US MEDIA KILLS STORY THAT IRAQI PM EXECUTED 6 PRISONERS
Khalid Hasan, Daily Times, 7/19/04
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_19-7-2004_pg1_2
WASHINGTON: The US media has surprisingly failed to pick up the
shocking
disclosure by Sydney Morning Herald, Australia's leading newspaper,
that
the Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi personally executed six suspected
insurgents in a Baghdad police station.
The story by award-winning Australian journalist Paul McGeough said
that
the prisoners were handcuffed and blindfolded, lined up against a
courtyard
wall and shot by the Iraqi PM. Dr Allawi is alleged to have told those
around him that he wanted to send a clear message to the police on how
to
deal with insurgents. Two people allege they witnessed the killings and
there are also claims the Iraqi interior minister and four American men
were present.
An Australian television channel interviewed the reporter who is in
Iraq
telling him that the Allawi family had denied the story. He replied,
"Well
it's a very contentious issue. What you have is two very solid
eyewitness
accounts. Each witness is not aware that the other spoke."
The Australian journalist said, "Well, I'll take you through what the
two
witnesses said to give you the full chronology as I understand it.
There
was a surprise visit at about 10:30am to the police centre. The PM
talked
to policemen and then toured the complex. They came to a courtyard
where
six, sorry seven prisoners were lined up against a wall. They were
blindfolded, they were described to me as an Iraqi colloquialism for
the
fundamentalist foreign fighters who came to Baghdad. They have that
classic
look that you see with many of the Osama Bin Laden associates of the
scraggly beard and the very short hair and they were a sort of ... took
place in front of them as they were up against this wall was an
exchange
between the interior minister and Dr Allawi, saying that he felt like
killing them on the spot...
-----
CAN ISRAEL BE SAVED?
Richard Ben Cramer talks about "How Israel Lost," his exploration of
how
the occupation of Palestinian land has corrupted the soul of the Jewish
state he loves.
Gary Kamiya, Salon.com, 7/19/04
http://www.salon.com/books/int/2004/07/19/ben_cramer/index.html
July 19, 2004 | Richard Ben Cramer is not afraid of sacred cows. He
bulldozed one of America's icons, Joe DiMaggio, in a bestselling
biography,
and peeped into the stinky hopper in which the sausage of democracy is
ground in his classic study of the 1988 presidential campaign, "What It
Takes." With "How Israel Lost: The Four Questions," Cramer, who won a
Pulitzer Prize for Middle East reporting in 1979, has taken on perhaps
the
most explosive, emotion-laden subject in America: Israel.
"How Israel Lost" is a mournful, passionate, hilarious lament for the
endangered soul of a nation he loves. In a style that slips from the
wisecracking cadences of a Miami Beach hondler to the dispassionate
observations of a veteran journalist to the moral outrage of a
world-weary
humanist, Cramer argues that in the 20-plus years since he originally
lived
there, the Jewish state has suffered a cataclysmic sea-change, a blow
to
its spirit all the more tragic for being self-inflicted.
The cause of Israel's malaise, Cramer writes, is very simple: Its
37-year
occupation of Palestinian land. The occupation, Cramer argues, is a
gross
and continuing injustice that has coarsened Israel's moral fiber,
corrupted
her politics and economy, and split Israeli Jews into bitterly opposed,
self-interested tribes who have lost all sense of allegiance to
anything
beyond their own needs. The occupation has also had a deadly effect on
Palestinians, stomping out the last embers of hope and creating a
generation of sad, hardened children who know Israelis only as soldiers
with guns.
"[T]here are no lives in Israel or Palestine that have not been heated
or
hardened," Cramer writes. "On the Palestinian side, there are so many
lives
and dreams on hold ('We are under occupation -- what can we do?') that
the
conflict has more or less replaced life -- or cooked it to a
standstill.
The only consolation is that everything can be (and is) blamed on
Israel.
Among the Jews, the effects are harder to pinpoint -- and, to me, more
insidious -- because the whole point of Israel was to create a place
where
Jews could live the best life -- and liveliest -- according to their
values."
Cramer acknowledges that many Israelis deny that the occupation is
responsible for the woes that have befallen Israeli society, including
domestic abuse, suspicion and school violence. But he says: "To me,
it's an
open-and-shut case: You can't ask two generations of your boys to act
in
the territories as the brutal kings of all they survey ('Break their
bones,' was the order to his troops from the sainted Yitzhak Rabin,
during
the first Intifada -- six years before he became Israel's martyr to
peace)
-- and then expect those boys to come home, and live in lamblike
gentleness
as citizens, husbands, dads."
After the 1967 war, Cramer argues, Israelis were intoxicated by their
success and by the epic transformation they had performed, turning the
once-victimized Jew into "a fighter, a stoic, a Spartan ... Occupation
--
they would make a new kind of occupation, too, the best the world had
ever
seen -- the Arabs would be grateful! ... And it never occurred to them
that
they -- their country, them, inside -- could be affected by being the
occupiers. No, not these men of steel..."
To support his thesis, Cramer tells endless stories -- poignant and
powerful ones, narrated with verve and passion and controlled outrage.
One
is about an Israeli journalist of integrity, an editor for a big news
show,
forced to work around propagandistic demands from his superiors that he
not
interview Palestinian leaders and that all shows saying anything about
Arabs take proper account of "their murderous nature." (He was fired.)
Another is about a Palestinian named Yusuf Abu Awad who "caught some
bad
luck at a checkpoint outside his village in the hills near Hebron."
Awad
was stopped by Israeli troops on the road, not even at a checkpoint, as
Israeli troops have the right to do at any time. One of the soldiers,
for
no reason, started throwing rocks at his car. Yusuf complained. The
soldier
cursed him. The argument got intense.
Yusuf was ordered back into his car. But he couldn't let it drop.
"There is
no curfew. There's no demonstration. You're the only one throwing
stones..."
Cramer writes, "The soldier shot from a distance of about four feet.
His
gun had bullets that enter the target, then explode. Later, in the
morgue,
Yusuf's face was perfectly all right, but the top of his forehead,
crown of
his skull and his hair were simply gone. He was 31 years old. He left a
wife, aged 25, a daughter of 6 and a son of 5."
An officer arrived, screaming, "What are you, crazy? Why'd you have to
shoot him down? What could he do to you?" After the family filed a
complaint (with the help of the Israeli human rights group B'tselem)
the
army investigated -- but "it emerged that Yusuf was accused of trying
to
take the soldier's weapon ... so, of course, the shooting was
self-defense." Cramer does not reveal what happened to the soldier, but
as
B'tselem has revealed, the vast majority of such cases end with the
soldiers receiving no more than a slap on the wrist, if that…
-----
MORE REFUGEE CLAIMANTS TO BE 'REMOVED' TO U.S.
Catherine Solyom, Gazette, 7/19/04
http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/index.html
The Syeds were among hundreds of Pakistani families to land in the
United
States after 9/11, then cross the border at Lacolle into Canada.
The push to register and/or detain Muslim visitors in the United States
had
sent fear throughout the Muslim community.
Two and a half years later, the Syeds are among many who will take the
same
route home - though this time with a police escort, perhaps stopping
off in
a U.S. detention centre on the way.
Nahida Syed, her husband Gulfraz and their three girls - two of them
born
in Montreal - are scheduled to be "removed" to the United States
Thursday.
They say Canada is probably sending them to their deaths in Kashmir -
all
because they caught the wrong judge at the Immigration and Refugee
Board,
and lost the "lottery" that is the refugee determination system.
"We hear there is no chance of getting asylum in the U.S.," said Nahida
Syed, who worked as a microbiologist at Universite de Quebec a
Montreal.
"If Canada rejects us, how would the U.S. accept us? This is not a
joke.
It's about people's lives."
During the 2003-2004 fiscal year, 928 refugee claims from Pakistanis in
Montreal were rejected, compared with 782 accepted. On March 31, 826
Pakistanis were still waiting for a decision...
-----
SENATE COMMITTEE HEARING ON ISLAMIC BANKING
http://banking.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=127
WHAT: The International Trade and Finance Subcommittee under the Senate
Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee will be hosting a hearing
on
"Islamic Banking." Mahmoud Amin El-Gamal, resident Islamic scholar,
Treasury Department, will be participating.
WHERE: 538 Dirksen Senate Office Building
WHEN: 2:30 p.m., July 21, 2004
CONTACT: 202-224-7391
-----
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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 - 7/20/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: KINDNESS TO PARENTS
* INCITEMENT WATCH: ISLAM TO BE BANNED IN NORWAY?
* CAIR-DC HOSTS MIDDLE EASTERN JOURNALISTS
* CAIR-HOUSTON CO-SPONSORS BLOOD DRIVE
- CAIR-FL: FBI Interviews Intimidating (AP)
* FROM IMMIGRANTS, STORIES OF SCRUTINY (NY Times)
- Were My African-American Ancestors Muslims? (GN)
* KS: PRIMARY ELECTION CANDIDATE FORUM (MPAC)
* DID ALLAWI SHOOT IRAQI PRISONERS? (CS Monitor)
* TRAGEDY IN SUDAN (Islamic Relief)
- Humanitarian Disaster in Darfur, Sudan (ICNA)
* VA: MUSLIM GIRLS YOUTH FIELD TRIP (MAS)
* MD: SIXTH ANNUAL ISLAMIC HISTORY DAY
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: KINDNESS TO PARENTS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was once asked: "Is there any
kindness that I can do for my parents after their death?" He replied:
"Yes,
you can invoke blessings on them, seek forgiveness for them, carry out
their final instructions after their death, join ties of relationship
that
are dependent on them, and honor their friends."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 2440
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: ISLAM TO BE BANNED IN NORWAY?
RIGHT-WING POLITICIANS WANT TO BAN ISLAM
Carin Pettersson, Nettavisen, 7/19/04
http://pub.tv2.no/nettavisen/english/article254421.ece
Central members of Kristiansand Progress party claims Hitler's "Mein
Kampf"
and the Koran are one of the same, and they want Islam banned in
Norway.
According to the Norwegian paper Dagbladet, central figures in
Kristiansand
Progress party (Frp) wants to ban Islam in Norway.
"We are not the only ones demanding this ban," said Halvor Hulaas,
chairperson in Krstiansand Frp to the paper. "This is an opinion that
is
well established in Scandinavian countries. We are now importing people
with a religion that is practiced in the same way it was practiced when
it
was established in year 600. The freedom we have in Norway may be taken
away from us if we do not start to have some demands to these
immigrants."
Karina Udnæs, deputy leader of the Progress party's city council group
in
Kristiansand is pushing it even further.
"It is about high time Norway and Europe make the ideology Islam and
the
practice of this, illegal and punishable in the same way as Nazism,"
Udnæs
said. "The prophet Muhammad urged them to kill everyone infidel."
"Udnæs' comparison of Nazism and Islam is supported by many in Frp,"
Hulaas
said. "The religion as it is practiced is a threat against our social
system and way of life."
He said that Kristiansand now lives under the threat of getting a large
mosque in town.
"Of course, we are aware of what these mosques are used for," Hulaas
said.
-----
CAIR-DC HOSTS MIDDLE EASTERN JOURNALISTS
CAIR today hosted a delegation of journalists from the Middle East
touring
the United States under the sponsorship of the Department of State
Foreign
Press Center. The journalists are examining the American political
system
during the 2004 elections.
-----
CAIR-HOUSTON CO-SPONSORS BLOOD DRIVE
Organizers seek to increase understand and promote community service
WHAT: The Islamic Society of Greater Houston, Al-Farouq Masjid
Foundation
and the Houston office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR-Houston) invite fellow Houstonians to participate in a blood
drive
administered by Gulf Coast Blood Center.
WHEN: Saturday, July 24, 2004 from Noon - 4 p.m.
WHERE: Community Hall, 1207 Conrad Sauer, Houston, Texas
CONTACTS: Shariq Abdul Ghani, Crescent Youth Event Coordinator,
shariq@crescentyouth.net
SEE ALSO:
NEW FBI INTERVIEWS AMOUNT TO INTIMIDATION, CAIR LEADER SAYS
Mike Schneider, Associated Press, 7/19/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/9192431.htm
ORLANDO - Interviews by FBI agents in a new round of questioning aimed
at
preventing terrorist attacks amount to intimidation, the Florida leader
of
a national Islamic group said Monday.
At least a dozen Arab Americans or Muslim Americans in Florida have
been
interviewed. After the Sept. 11 attacks, the FBI interviewed hundreds
of
Arab Americans and Muslim Americans around the nation, leading to
accusations of racial profiling.
"It's appalling that this is happening again," said Altaf Aali,
executive
director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Florida in Fort
Lauderdale. "This is deja vu all over again."
FBI spokeswoman Sara Oates said similar interviews are being conducted
around the nation in an effort to prevent terrorist attacks. Agents
have
been reaching out to leaders around the state to assure them that hate
crimes will be investigated and their civil rights concerns will be
addressed, she said.
"We have conducted the interviews and the purpose ... is to seek
information that can help us prevent a major terrorist attacks during
this
period," Oates said. "For the most part, the people who have been
contacted
have no issues and have been very cooperative and have been helpful."
CAIR has been contacted by seven people in central Florida and five
people
in South Florida who had been interviewed by FBI agents in the past
month,
although the figure is probably higher because some people don't want
to
come forward, Aali said.
"Some of the questions they asked were 'What mosque do you go to? Is
there
extremism being preached there? Do you know anyone in the congregation
who
is suspicious in nature? Has anybody asked for donations or distributed
money at the mosque?'" Aali said…
-----
FROM IMMIGRANTS, STORIES OF SCRUTINY, AND STRUGGLE
Nina Bernstein, New York Times, 7/20/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/20/nyregion/20immigrant.html
As a Muslim immigrant growing up in New York, Navila Ali, 20, felt safe
and
almost American until Sept. 11, 2001, she said yesterday, speaking out
at
an unusual public hearing led by the bishop of Brooklyn to highlight
the
impact of enforcement crackdowns on the city's immigrants.
Ms. Ali's father, a bookseller, was required to register with the
government simply because he was from Bangladesh. He dutifully reported
to
immigration authorities, she said, and like thousands of other Muslim
or
Arab men, he was detained and deported last year. His family stayed
behind.
"I'm the oldest of three children, so everything is on me," said Ms.
Ali, a
college student, breaking down at the microphone as she faced the
bishop,
Nicholas DiMarzio, and a phalanx of community organizations. "I've been
here 12 years, and I always thought in my soul and heart, I'm American.
I
thought this was the best place for protection. But I don't feel that
way
anymore."
Such sentiments are sweeping immigrant communities in New York, Bishop
DiMarzio said, and not only among Muslims, who have borne the brunt of
antiterrorism measures. A wide spectrum of foreign-born residents feel
the
ripple effects, from ballooning immigration application backlogs to the
denial of driver's licenses for longtime immigrant workers who cannot
prove
that they are working legally.
"Things are worse than they've ever been, and I've been involved in
immigration for 30 years," the bishop said in an interview before the
three-hour forum, at St. Francis College in downtown Brooklyn. The
forum
was co-sponsored by the New York Immigration Coalition, an umbrella
group
and advocacy voice for more than 200 organizations that work with
newcomers
and support more lenient immigration laws.
"The human impact is the issue - people are suffering," the bishop
said.
"Some of it is the unintended consequences of 9/11, but we have to do
something about it. It's immoral. It's just wrong."…
ALSO SEE:
WERE MY AFRICAN-AMERICAN ANCESTORS MUSLIMS?
Nathan W. Murphy, Genealogy News, 7/19/04
http://news.genealogytoday.com/inbox/2004/gweek0716.html
Ever wondered what religious practices your African ancestors followed
before arriving in America? While many observed indigenous tribal
beliefs,
Islamic historians estimate that between 7 and 30 percent of African
slaves
brought to America were Muslims. As a classic example, in the
television
series Roots, Alex Haley portrays his black immigrant ancestor as a
follower of Muhammad. Historians recognized this interesting and little
known fact by identifying historic American texts written in Arabic,
pinpointing the location of prominent slave recruiting grounds in
Africa,
identifying Muslim given names amongst American slaves, and uncovering
personal accounts of prominent Islamic African-Americans.
At the time Columbus discovered America, Islamic Empires held greater
power
in the Western World than European kingdoms. They controlled the
overland
trading routes that transported oriental goods from the Far East to
Europe,
ruling from India to Western Africa. According to Allan D. Austin in
African Muslims in Antebellum America, Islam had penetrated areas such
as
Senegal, Timbuktu, and the Lake Chad area in Africa by 1100 C.E. From
these
localities westward to the Atlantic Ocean, slave traders kidnapped the
majority of their victims. The rise of European maritime trade in the
16th
and 17th centuries triggered the decline of Islamic political supremacy
and
introduced new nations as world leaders.
Historians have identified many authentic Arabic texts written in the
United States before the Civil War. Many of these manuscripts have been
reproduced in the books listed below. When translated, most turn out to
be
memorized sections of the Qu'ran, revealing slaves' struggles to
maintain
differing religious beliefs in an oppressive Christian nation. These
writings also reveal high levels of education attained by the authors
in
Africa prior to enslavement and forced emigration. Unfortunately
slavery
has largely silenced our present knowledge of these educated people. It
is
known that slave masters often placed Muslim slaves as supervisors over
their fellow bondsmen...
-----
PRIMARY ELECTION CANDIDATE FORUM
WHAT: Primary Election Candidate Forum
This is your chance to ask candidates questions about issues that are
important to you. Candidates for the Kansas Senate and House along with
various judicial races in Sedgwick County are invited to present their
positions to the public.
Some candidates committed to appear include former Wichita Mayor, Bob
Knight and opponent incumbent Senator Susan Wagle for senate seat from
district 27; co-host and challenger Abdul Arif, and opponent incumbent
Representative Oleatha Faust-Godeau for 84th house district seat, Don
Betts
and Treatha Foster as well as several other candidates from other
districts
and Sedgwick county judge positions.
Program begins at 6 p.m. with candidate social hour, including free
food
and drinks, followed by candidate statements, and a Q&A session until 9
p.m.
FREE FOOD & DRINKS
Hosted by Wichita chapter of Muslim Public Affairs Council
WHERE: Muslim Community Center, 6655 E. 34th St. N., Wichita, Kansas
WHEN: Friday July 23, 2004, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact Dr. Nabil Seyam at (316) 630-9222.
-----
DID ALLAWI SHOOT IRAQI PRISONERS?
Tom Regan, CS Monitor, 7/19/04
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0719/dailyUpdate.html
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports Monday that Iraq's
Human
Rights Minister Bakhtiyar Amin said he will investigate claims that
Iraq's
new Prime Minister Iyad Allawi killed six prisoners just days before he
took office. Mr. Amin said he does not believe they are true.
The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age of Melbourne, two of Australia's
top
newspapers, ran the story about the alleged incident on Saturday,
prompting
a furious round of denials from Mr. Allawi's office, which said Allawi
doesn't carry a gun and never visited the detention center in question.
Australian journalist Paul McGeough, who broke the story, and then left
Iraq for Jordan because of safety fears, stood by his report.
In his report Saturday, Mr. McGeough quoted two unnamed witnesses who
say
they were at the prison southwest of Baghdad when Allawi pulled a
pistol
and "executed as many as six suspected insurgents ..." At least five of
the
prisoners shot were Iraqis, the witnesses said.
One of the witnesses claimed that before killing the prisoners - and
they
name three of the people alleged to have been executed - Dr. Allawi had
told them he wanted to send a clear message to the police on how to
deal
with insurgents. "The prisoners were against the wall and we were
standing
in the courtyard when the Interior Minister said that he would like to
kill
them all on the spot. Allawi said that they deserved worse than death -
but
then he pulled the pistol from his belt and started shooting them," one
of
the witnesses said.
The Herald article also report that almost a dozen Iraqi policemen and
four
Americans from the Allawi's personal security team "watched in stunned
silence" as the alleged event unfolded. Iraq's Interior Minister, Falah
al-Naqib, is said to have looked on and congratulated Allawi when the
job
was done. The article also points out that the two witnesses quoted in
the
article supported Allawi's actions…
-----
TRAGEDY IN SUDAN
300,000 Could Die in Darfur, Sudan Crisis
Islamic Relief beneficiary in Sudan
http://www.irw.org/sudan/
As many as 300,000 people in Sudan could die due to the current crisis
in
the West Darfur region, according to reports from the United States
Agency
for International Development (USAID). The feared toll was based on
studies
of malnutrition and mortality rates in Sudan.
Civil war has crippled Darfur for the past year, and innocent
civilians,
who have become refugees due to the current crisis, are the most
serious
victims. Over one million people have fled their homes and abandoned
farms,
mostly to avoid the "janjaweed" gangs, which U.N. officials have
accused of
ethnic cleansing. The refugees' plight is certain to become more
desperate
with this month's onset of the rainy season, which their current living
conditions will not be able to withstand.
Tens of thousands have died or been injured as a direct result of the
conflict, with many more deaths as a result of conflict-related
diseases.
Jan Egeland from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) reports, "It is a race against the
clock.
The biggest human drama anywhere in the world is unfolding in Darfur."
With
over one million people displaced, the United Nations has called Darfur
"the world's greatest humanitarian crisis."
Islamic Relief Action
Islamic Relief USA 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 United
Nations
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 8 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.
A delegation from Islamic Relief offices in the United States, United
Kingdom and France recently visited Darfur 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 five offices in Sudan and has been working
in
the country for over 20 years. IRW currently operates Internally
Displaced
People (IDP) camps in Darfur, in addition to other emergency projects.
Please rush your donation today to help save lives.
DONATE: https://www.islamic-relief.com/usa_donations/
ALSO SEE:
HUMANITARIAN DISASTER IN DARFUR, SUDAN
http://www.reliefonline.org/
More than a million people displaced by fighting in the Darfur region
of
Sudan. Food, water and other life-saving help to the victims of this
crisis
are immediately needed. The violence has forced thousands to flee
across
the border into the neighboring nation of Chad. Fighting has forced
approximately 1.2 million, mostly villagers, from their homes.
It's estimated that nearly 30,000 people have died in Darfur over the
past
year as a result of this violence. Over 130,000 have fled to the
neighboring country of Chad as refugees, while more than a million
remain
homeless in Darfur.
Per United Nations estimates, Now thousands of families lost everything
-
homes, belongings, livestock and crops. Homeless and scattered across
Darfur's barren desert, these families are struggling to meet their
daily
needs. Farmlands and livestock are being destroyed in the conflict
badly
affecting the livelihood of people.
To donate generously, call 1-866-637-4357
-----
VA: MUSLIM GIRLS YOUTH FIELD TRIP
WHAT: All Girls Ages 14-25 are encouraged to participate in "Outdoors
Day"
including pedal boating, lunch, sports, group games, and sister
bonding!
WHEN: Sunday, July 25th
WHERE: Pohick Bay Park "Shelter #3"
Registration Fee: $5 (Covers food, pedal boating and other activities)
Limited transportation available from Dar Al-Hijrah.
To register for the program, and inquire about transportation, e-mail:
masdcyouth@yahoo.com.
SEE ALSO:
MD: SIXTH ANNUAL ISLAMIC HISTORY DAY
WHAT: Speakers will include Aftab Ahmad Khan, Sulayman S. Nyang, Imad
A.
Ahmad, Amin Ezziddin, among many others. Lunch will be served.
WHEN: Sunday, July 25, 2004 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Three Sessions,
attend
all or any)
WHERE: Muslim Community Center, 15200 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring,
Maryland 20905
Further information, Contact MCC: 301-384-3454, mcc@mccmd.org
Sabir A. Rahman 301-260-9452 sabirrahman@mris.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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR WEEKLY ELECTION UPDATE #13: MIDEAST POLICY
The latest issue of CAIR's ELECTION 2004 UPDATE is now available
online.
CAIR's weekly 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/jul202004.asp
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1) RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE
Foreign Policy
- Kerry Calls for Reform of Intelligence Services
- Public Support Slips for Iraq Policy
- Bush, Kerry Aim for Balance on Israel
- Kerry Walks Tightrope on Middle East Policy
Outreach
- Bush Campaign Announces its African Americans for Bush National
- Bush Skips NAACP, Kerry Promises Dialogue
- Early Signs of a 'Values' Campaign
- On trail, Bush Stays Close to Right Wing
- Young Voters Courted, but Many Stay Turned Off
Economy
- Bush Campaign: Economic Confidence Hits Six Month High
- Kerry campaign: Bush Economy Leaves Families Less Secure
Health Care
- Badnarik: How to Make Health Care Affordable?
- Kerry's Plan to Lower Health Care Costs
Family
- Bush Extends Debate on Values to Children
Education:
- Kerry Highlights His Education Plan
2) COMMUNITY ACTIVISM
- Democratic Leader Calls for Ending Racial Profiling of US Muslims
- Arab-American Voters Overwhelmingly Back Kerry
Recent Events:
- Muslims Meet with House Democratic Leader
- NY: FBI official, Muslim leaders meet
Upcoming Events:
To announce your upcoming American Muslim local event, please contact:
politics@cair-net.org
3) NATIONAL, STATE & LOCAL
- FBI Starts to Question Muslims in U.S. About Possible Attacks
- Ridge Calls Patriot Act Key to Fighting Terror
- U.S. Attorney General Defends Patriot Act Use
- Washington Post: More Patriot Act Games
- OH: Democratic Candidate for Congress Wants Patriot Act Changes
- New Law Adds 2 Years to Prison Sentences for Identity Theft
- U.S. House Deplores International Court of Justice's Ruling on
Israel's wall
- House Cuts Aid to Saudis from Bill
- House Rejects Cut in Military Aid to Egypt
- Senators Block Initiative to Ban Same-Sex Unions
- FL: Penelas Says Iraq War Wrong, United States Should Get Out
- PA: Money, War Top Voters' Concerns
To send local news stories, feedback, and comments please e-mail:
politics@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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
CALIFORNIA MUSLIM DETAINED IN EGYPT
Islamic civil rights group seeks info from U.S., Egypt
(LOS ANGELES, CA, 7/21/04) - On Thursday, July 22, the Southern
California
office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) will hold
a
news conference at which it will call on American and Egyptian
authorities
to offer information about the recent detention of a Muslim U.S.
citizen in
Cairo.
WHEN: Thursday, July 22, 11 a.m. (Pacific)
WHERE: CAIR-LA's Office, 2180 W. Crescent Ave., Suite F, Anaheim,
Calif.
CONTACT: CAIR-LA, Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847, 714-390-0334, Hussam
Ayloush,
714-814-4444
According to friends and family members, the 26-year-old resident of
Culver
City, Calif., was detained on Friday at Cairo airport by Egyptian
security
personnel. He had been in Egypt studying Arabic and was on his way home
when detained. (Family members of the detained man, along with local
community leaders, will attend the news conference.)
CAIR officials have contacted the U.S. Department of State, the
American
embassy in Cairo and the Egyptian embassy in Washington, D.C., but no
information about the man's detention has yet been released.
"We are concerned that an American citizen can be detained under
mysterious
circumstances by a close ally, and that our own government is not able
to
provide any answers," said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush.
Ayloush said the American Muslim community needs to know why the man
was
detained and who is behind his detention.
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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/21/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: WASH AWAY SINS
* SAVE THE DATE - CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY BANQUET - 10/2/04
- Help Get CAIR's PSA on Local TV Stations
- CAIR-NJ: Muslims Discuss Civil Rights with State Agency
- CAIR-FL: FBI Visit Shakes Up Local Muslim (FL Today)
* MA TOWN HALL MTG: MUSLIMS AND THE 2004 ELECTIONS
- Boston Islamic Community Hosts Muslim DNC Delegates
- GA: Cynthia McKinney Storms to Win (AJC)
* OH: RALLY TO PUBLICIZE PLIGHT OF DETAINEES (Beacon Journal)
* THE HYSTERICAL SKIES (Salon.Com)
- VA: Group Uses TV to Fight Bias (Times-Dispatch)
* MI: VOTERS FAIL TO QUELL MUSLIM PRAYER CALL (Detroit News)
* CA: CULTURES CLASH ON ROAD TRIP (SF Chron)
- Remove Wall, Israel Is Told By the UN (NY Times)
* THE GHOST PRISONERS (Village Voice)
- Afghans Try Americans on Torture Charges (AP)
* NEOCONS - NEVER APOLOGIZE, NEVER EXPLAIN (SL Dispatch)
- Among Soldiers, Growing Doubts about Mission (Phil Inq)
- Fisk: A Better and Safer Place (Indep)
* IL: IMC-USA ANNOUNCES ANNUAL AWARDS
* WASHINGTON AREA MUSLIM YOUTH CAMP
* DC: MSN 11TH ANNUAL MUSLIM STUDENT NETWORK BANQUET
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: WASH AWAY SINS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "When a (person performs
the
ritual ablution prior to prayer), every sin he contemplated with his
eyes
will be washed away along with water…when he washes his hands, every
sin
they wrought will be effaced with the water…and when he washes his
feet,
every sin towards which his feet have walked will be washed away with
the
water…with the result that he is free of all sin."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 108
-----
SAVE THE DATE - CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY BANQUET - 10/2/04
CAIR invites you to attend its 10th anniversary banquet, "Building A
Better
America: A Decade of Dedication," on Saturday, October 2, 2004, at the
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, in Washington, D.C.
CAIR also invites you to attend its 4th annual conference, "Building A
Better America: Defining the American-Muslim Role," to be held Sunday,
October 3 through Tuesday, October 5, 2004, in Washington, D.C.
Volunteers are needed for both events, please contact:
events@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
HELP GET CAIR'S PSA ON LOCAL TV STATIONS
PSA part of effort to reduce anti-Muslim stereotyping
CAIR is asking for the help of local Muslim activists to promote the
distribution and broadcast of the "I am an American Muslim" television
public service announcement (PSA).
TO VIEW THE PSA, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/default.asp?page=PSAJun2004
CAIR's 30 and 60-second PSA, which is designed to challenged
anti-Muslim
bias, features American Muslims of European, African-American,
Hispanic,
and Native American heritage. Each person in the PSA states how they
and
their families have served America and ends by saying, "I am an
American
Muslim."
The PSA was first distributed by satellite to television public service
directors in June. It will be rebroadcast to television stations
nationwide
on Thursday, July 22, 2004
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED:
1. Please call each of your local television stations and ask to speak
to
the person who handles public service announcements.
2. Explain to that person why it is important to help reduce
anti-Muslim
bias in our society and how this PSA could assist in that goal.
3. Ask that the PSA be recorded from the following satellite feed:
DATE: Thursday, July 22
TIME: 2 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. (EDT), 11 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. (PDT)
SATELLITE COORDINATES: C-Band, Intelsat Americas 6, Transponder 15, D/L
4000V
4. Contact Rabiah Ahmed (rahmed@cair-net.org, 202-488-8787,
202-439-1441)
if the public service director requires a hard copy of the PSA or if
you
need more information about the campaign.
-----
NJ MUSLIMS DISCUSS CIVIL RIGHTS WITH STATE AGENCY
Meeting designed to begin dialogue on discrimination
(TOTOWA, NJ, 7/21/04) - Muslim and Arab-American leaders in New Jersey
met
yesterday with representatives of that state's Division on Civil Rights
(DCR) to begin a dialogue on issues of concern to both communities,
particularly religious and ethnic discrimination.
The round-table discussion with the DCR, a state agency operating under
the
office of the New Jersey Attorney General, was co-hosted by the Jersey
office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ). It was
the
agency's first formal meeting with Muslim and Arab-American leaders.
"Unlike hate crimes, discrimination is a subtler, yet more prevalent
phenomenon that negatively impacts members of many minority
communities,
including Muslims and Arab-Americans," said CAIR-NJ Executive Director
Faiza Ali. "By its very nature, it is harder to detect but may
ultimately
cause more damage to individuals and their families."
Ali welcomed the opportunity to work with the DCR to address religious
discrimination and the protection of civil liberties.
Groups that took part in the meeting included the New Jersey office of
the
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Human Rights and
Education
Law Project, the Islamic Center of Passaic County, the Islamic
Educational
Center of North Hudson, and the Islamic Center of Central Jersey. DCR
representatives included Director J. Frank Vespa-Papaleo and Assistant
Directors Gary LoCassio and Philip Freeman.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
CONTACT: Faiza Ali, Executive Director, 908-209-7440, E-MAIL:
fali@cair-nj.org
-----
FL: FBI VISIT SHAKES UP LOCAL MUSLIM
J.D. Gallop, Florida Today, 7/20/04
http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/localstoryN0721MUSLIM.htm
PALM BAY -- On any given day, Mahmoud Alzebak can be found ringing up
orders at the specialty food store or readying a tray of freshly baked
spinach pies for customers at the lunch counter.
Is the FBI infringing on the rights of Muslims by asking them questions
they claim will help prevent terrorist attacks?
But nearly three weeks ago, the 24-year-old Palestinian found himself
answering questions -- not about food, but about ties to political or
militant groups during two rounds of interviews with a pair of curious
FBI
agents.
"They asked me about Hamas, did I know them or if I knew of anyone that
would do America harm," said Alzebak, a newlywed who recently moved
from
Chicago to Palm Bay to work with his cousins at the Holy Land Food
store.
"I was shocked . . . it was the first time in my life I've ever been
through anything like that."
Alzebak was one of several Muslim men recently questioned in Florida by
the
FBI following reports of increased "chatter" among groups plotting
another
terrorist strike on U.S. soil.
A similar sweep of interviews occurred after the Sept. 11, 2001,
attacks
with federal agents interviewing at least 5,000 Muslim men across the
country. There were at least 30 people questioned then in Brevard, but
FBI
officials would not say how many were questioned this time...
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has fielded at least half a
dozen
complaints about such interviews in Central Florida.
"Some of these measures are counterproductive," said Ahmed Bedier, the
state spokesman for the Counsel on American Islamic Relations in Tampa.
"You alienate the people you're trying to get help from, and they feel
like
you're targeting them..."
-----
AMERICAN MUSLIM ALLIANCE TOWN HALL MEETING
Can Muslim Americans Make a Difference in 2004 Presidential Elections?
AGENDA:
1. Civic Education
- American Political System An Overview
- The Two-Main Party System
- The Electoral College
- Issues and Challenges
2. Town Hall Meeting
- AMT* ELECTION PLAN
- Open Discussion
- Oral and Written Feedback
3. Fundraising
SPEAKERS:
Presidential Candidate (Green Party): David Cobb
Ralph Naders' running mate - Vice Presidential Candidate: Peter Camejo
Dr. Agha Saeed: AMA National and AMT* chairman
Katie Quinn: Former State Committee/ Campaign Manager for - Congressman
McGovern and State Senator Pam Resor.
WHERE: Wyndham Hotel - Westboro, MA (Refreshments available - Admission
FREE)
WHEN: Sunday, July 25
TIME: 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Contacts: Anwar Kazmi (617-751-1812); Farooq Ansari (508-326-0812);
Muttasem Razzaq (508-757-0537); Tahir Ali (774-696-0537)
* The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), is
a
US-wide coalition of American Muslim Alliance (AMA), Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle of North America
(ICNA),
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Muslim Alliance of North
America
(MANA), Muslim American Society (MAS), Muslim Public Affairs Council
(MPAC), Muslim Student Association National (MSA-N), and Project
Islamic
Hope (PIH).
SEE ALSO:
BOSTON ISLAMIC COMMUNITY HOSTS MUSLIM DNC DELEGATES
CAMBRIDGE, MA - Muslims in the Boston area will host Muslim delegates
from
across America who will be attending the 2004 Democratic National
Convention (DNC) in Boston during the last week of July. A reception
will
be held on Tuesday July 27th, starting at 11:30AM, at the Islamic
Society
of Boston's (ISB) mosque located at 204 Prospect Street, Cambridge,
Massachusetts. SEE: http://www.isboston.org
The 2004 DNC will be drawing over 5000 delegates from all 50 states
across
the nation. The American Muslim population has been taking a greater
role
in mainstream American politics for the past decade; there are about 40
Muslim delegates expected to participate in this years Convention.
Invitations for the July 27th reception have been sent to all the
Muslim
delegates. In addition to the delegates, the Mayor of Cambridge,
Michael
Sullivan and State Representative Alice K. Wolf will be in attendance
at
the reception. There will also be participation from leaders of the
greater
Boston area Muslim community.
The program will begin at 11:30 AM with presentations from the Muslim
community leaders and also from the various government officials in
attendance. After a break for prayers, the program will resume with a
luncheon for the delegates.
The reception will present a networking opportunity for Muslims leaders
from across the country to form stronger alliances through which they
can
pursue common goals in a more organized, cohesive manner. American
Muslims,
particularly first generation immigrants, face a severe lack of
representation in all facets of the American society. American Muslims
are
making continuous efforts to dispel false images and stereotypes that
tend
to overshadow the realities of Muslims and Islam.
This reception has been organized through the efforts of Muslims
serving on
the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee, Mushtaque A. Mirza, Hanif
Butt and also Parwez Wahid, Secretary of the Democratic Town Committee
in
Framingham, Massachusetts. Salma Kazmi of the Islamic Society of Boston
has
arranged to make facilities at the ISB available for the reception.
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: mushtaquealikhan@yahoo.com
PHONE: 617-876-4267
---
MCKINNEY STORMS TO WIN
Jim Galloway, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/21/04
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/election/0704nation/21main.html
Democrat Cynthia McKinney, whose tirades against President Bush helped
get
her tossed out two years ago, appeared headed back to Washington on
Tuesday, while Johnny Isakson cruised to victory without a runoff in
the
Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
On the Democratic side of that race, U.S. Rep. Denise Majette led seven
contenders but failed in her effort to stay clear of a runoff against
millionaire Cliff Oxford, who poured more than $1 million of his own
money
in the contest.
Supreme Court Justice Leah Sears - who next year could become the high
court's first female chief justice - was the biggest vote-getter of the
night. She easily fended off challenger Grant Brantley, who was backed
by
Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue and religious conservatives, deflecting
criticisms of her "activism" and allegations that she looked favorably
on
gay marriage.
"I think it's a good night for moderation in politics," said Atlanta
Mayor
Shirley Franklin, who countered Perdue's involvement in the Supreme
Court
race with her support for Sears.
With good weather and a light to medium turnout that state officials
said
would reach 30 percent, voters also sent at least two of four hotly
contested congressional races toward three more weeks of campaigning
and an
Aug. 10 deciding vote.
In north metro Atlanta's 6th District, state Sens. Tom Price and Robert
Lamutt landed in a runoff, as did state Rep. Lynn Westmoreland and
Dylan
Glenn in the Southside's 8th district.
But it was the likely return of McKinney in the 4th District that
represented the starkest shift in Georgia politics. McKinney finished
just
above the magic 50 percent-plus-one mark. The district has strongly
favored
Democratic candidates over Republicans in recent years, giving McKinney
a
substantial edge over Republican Catherine Davis in November...
Tuesday night, McKinney called her primary victory "one of the greatest
political comebacks in history."
ALSO SEE:
http://www.cynthiaforcongress.com/contact.html
-----
RALLY TO PUBLICIZE PLIGHT OF DETAINEES
Stephen Dyer, Beacon Journal, 7/20/04
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/living/community/9196095.htm
After nearly two years fighting for his freedom from indefinite
detention
in a Pennsylvania prison, former Kent resident Ashraf Al-Jailani will
get a
little help from his friends this week.
A Cleveland immigrant advocacy group will hold a rally for him at noon
Wednesday at the Federal Building at Sixth Street and Lakeside Avenue
in
downtown Cleveland.
Organizers expect between 50 and 100 people.
The purpose is to publicize the case of Al-Jailani and others around
the
country -- mostly men of Middle Eastern descent, who are being detained
in
the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Greater
Cleveland
Immigrant Support Network says many of these detentions are
unwarranted.
``Due process is being violated,'' said Brian Fry, justice coordinator
for
Cleveland's Congregation of St. Joseph, a local convent.
Al-Jailani is a prime example, Fry and others claim.
Al-Jailani, 40, was arrested in October 2002 and accused of being an
al-Qaeda operative -- a so-called ``first stringer'' -- who planned to
blow
up Akron's GOJO Industries. But every court that has heard the U.S.
government's case on those terrorism allegations has cleared Al-Jailani
of
any terror links.
He has yet to face a criminal charge...
-----
THE HYSTERICAL SKIES
Patrick Smith, Salon.com, 7/21/04
http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2004/07/21/askthepilot95/
In this space was supposed to be installment No. 6 of my multiweek
dissertation on airports and terminals. The topic is being usurped by
one
of those nagging, Web-borne issues of the moment, in this case a
reactionary scare story making the cyber-rounds during the past week.
The piece in question, "Terror in the Skies, Again?" is the work of
Annie
Jacobsen, a writer for WomensWallStreet.com. Jacobsen shares the
account of
the emotional meltdown she and her fellow passengers experienced when,
aboard a Northwest Airlines flight from Detroit to Los Angeles, a group
of
Middle Eastern passengers proceeded to act "suspiciously." I'll invite
you
to experience "Terror" yourself, but be warned it's quite long. It
needs to
be, I suppose, since ultimately it's a story about nothing, puffed and
aggrandized to appear important.
The editors get the drama cooking with some foreboding music: "You are
about to read an account of what happened," counsels a 70-word
preamble.
"The WWS Editorial Team debated long and hard about how to handle this
information and ultimately we decided it was something that should be
shared ... Here is Annie's story" [insert lower-octave piano chord
here].
What follows are six pages of the worst grade-school prose,
spring-loaded
with mindless hysterics and bigoted provocation.
Fourteen dark-skinned men from Syria board Northwest's flight 327,
seated
in two separate groups. Some are carrying oddly shaped bags and wearing
track suits with Arabic script across the back. During the flight the
men
socialize, gesture to one another, move about the cabin with pieces of
their luggage, and, most ominous of all, repeatedly make trips to the
bathroom. The author links the men's apparently irritable bladders to a
report published in the Observer (U.K.) warning of terrorist plots to
smuggle bomb components onto airplanes one piece at a time, to be
secretly
assembled in lavatories.
"What I experienced during that flight," breathes Jacobsen, "has caused
me
to question whether the United States of America can realistically
uphold
the civil liberties of every individual, even non-citizens, and protect
its
citizens from terrorist threats..."
ALSO SEE:
VA: GROUP USES TV COMMERCIALS TO FIGHT BIAS AGAINST MUSLIMS, OTHERS
Bob Rayner, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 7/21/04
It may be the new American nightmare.
A man in a suit and tie, blond hair neatly combed, makes his way down
the
aisle of a passenger jet. He smiles nervously at his seatmate, a
brown-skinned man wearing a turban.
"Say, are you from Pakistan?" the blond man asks.
"Actually, I'm from Pittsburgh," his seatmate responds.
"Pittsburgh? Ha-ha! Pittsburgh?" the blond guy screams, cackling like a
madman as he jumps from his seat.
"Come on, look what he's got on his head. … How many people from
Pittsburgh
look like that?" he asks another passenger.
"Ahhh, look at him," he says, pointing. "He's a sleeper. Bam! We're all
gonna die! ... He's gonna blow us all to kingdom come!"
So whose bad dream is this, anyway?
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks may have been a double tragedy for
Americans
who are Muslim or of South Asian heritage. Their country was attacked
that
day. And in the days that have followed, at least some of their
countrymen
have treated them with suspicion, or worse.
A nonprofit Richmond group, A More Perfect Union, was formed last year
to
fight what it sees as subtle bias against Muslims and others of South
Asian
ethnicity.
It's a big message, and the group doesn't have a lot of money to spread
the
word.
"At the very least, we want to plant a seed to get people to think
about
the experiences of others," said Jonathan Zur, the director of AMPU,
which
works out of the chaplain's office at the University of Richmond.
But planting seeds in a mass-market society usually takes big bucks.
If you don't have the money, your best bet may be to latch on to some
serious marketing expertise. Siddall, a downtown Richmond advertising
agency, has supplied plenty of that in the past year.
The result: a couple of television commercials, produced with the help
of
some major-league Hollywood talent, that look and sound like they cost
a
fortune, but didn't.
The blond man on the plane is an actor. The verbal rampage is all in
his
character's head. The man playing his unfortunate seatmate, Opi Singh,
is a
Sikh who volunteered his time before the cameras. The plane is really
just
a set, safely on the ground in Los Angeles...
But the real energy focused on creating an advertising campaign, one
that
would promote the group's message and drive people to its Web site:
www.amoreperfectunion.info
To view the PSAs, go to:
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/student/life/chaplaincy/AMPU/ampu.html
(Click on "Media.")
-----
VOTERS IN HAMTRAMCK FAIL TO QUELL MUSLIM PRAYER CALL
Christopher Singer, Detroit News, 7/21/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/metro/0407/21/metro-218797.htm
HAMTRAMCK -- Voters on Tuesday narrowly upheld a law allowing the
city's
Islamic mosques to have amplified calls to prayer, 1,462 to 1,200.
"I feel wonderful," said Abdul Motlib, president of the Al-Islah
Islamic
Center. "Now we truly have approval from the residents of the city. We
can
feel proud of Hamtramck."
But Willy Jones, 67, voted against allowing the calls to prayer.
"It's a noise hazard," he said after voting at a Catholic school across
the
street from the Al-Islah mosque.
The City Council in April unanimously amended Hamtramck's noise
ordinance,
making the adhan -- the Islamic call to prayer -- protected speech. The
amendment allows the call to prayer but regulates its volume and
timing.
Jones questioned the assertion by Muslim leaders that the calls are no
different from church bells.
"The church has been doing this for years. This is not calling people
to
prayer. It's (giving) the time of day," he said...
In the special election, about 29 percent of the city's 9,179
registered
voters who went to the polls also recalled three school board members
who
were accused of barring the public from parts of board meetings...
-----
CA: CULTURES CLASH ON ROAD TRIP
Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/21/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/07/21/BAGTS7OQAD19.DTL
Their pairing sounds like a half-baked Hollywood pitch for a reality
show:
She's an Israeli Jew, he's a Muslim from Jordan. Let's pack them in a
car
and head them down the West Coast on that most American of pastimes,
the
summer road trip.
But while the Sierra Club-sponsored roadie that stopped Tuesday in San
Francisco is ostensibly about hyping hybrid cars to the 18- to
24-year-old
demographic, its reality hasn't been a complete joyride through the
redwoods.
At least, not when decades of Middle Eastern political history gets
thick
inside the Toyota Prius.
"He's the mediator," said Ilana Meallem, the 26-year-old Israeli,
referring
to Brendan Bell, their Sierra Club chaperone and an American Christian.
"And of course, as a typical American mediator," 26-year-old Jordanian
Mohammad Taher said dryly, "he always sides with Israel."
Uh, pass the Fritos.
Meallem and Taher may view some things differently politically, but
both
realize that their generation must cooperate to tackle a common
regional
problem: environmental issues. They live in a place where water is the
stuff of wars.
To that end, both are students at the Arava Institute for Environmental
Studies. Located on an Israeli kibbutz near the Jordanian and Egyptian
borders, Arava brings together Muslim, Christian and Jewish students in
an
attempt to break down the political and cultural barriers that get in
the
way of solving environmental problems.
As part of their graduate studies, six Arava students are spending the
summer working at Bay Area nonprofits. Meallem and Taher are at the
Sierra
Club, paired to preach the hybrid gospel during a 14-day road trip from
Seattle to San Diego.
Theirs is a road trip unlike many others. The British-born Meallem is
effervescent, smiling easily and engaging with the crowds she's seen.
Sporting dreadlocks and a nose stud, she's a poster child for those
young
drivers the campaign is seeking...
ALSO SEE:
REMOVE WALL, ISRAEL IS TOLD BY THE U.N.
Warren Hoge, New York Times, 7/21/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/21/international/middleeast/21nati.html
UNITED NATIONS, July 20 - The General Assembly approved a resolution
overwhelmingly on Tuesday evening demanding that Israel obey a World
Court
ruling that it abandon and dismantle its separation barrier on the West
Bank and pay compensation to Palestinians affected by its construction.
The vote was 150 in favor and 6 against - including the United States -
with 10 abstentions. Last-minute amendments accepted by the Arab
sponsors
of the measure during a hastily called two-hour recess succeeded in
gaining
the support of all 25 members of the European Union and more than 30
other
nations that had abstained the last time the matter came before the
assembly. In that vote - on Dec. 8, 2003, on a resolution that asked
the
international court to rule on the barrier's legality - there were 74
abstentions, with 90 votes in favor and 8 against.
"Thank God that the fate of Israel and of the Jewish people is not
decided
in this hall," Israel's ambassador, Dan Gillerman, told the delegates
after
the vote on Tuesday night was posted on the electronic board next to
the dais.
Nasser al-Kidwa, the Palestinian observer to the United Nations, hailed
the
outcome as "magnificent," saying: "The debate is completed. It is now
time
for implementation and compliance, and at a later stage for additional
measures."
Resolutions from the 191-member General Assembly are nonbinding and
largely
symbolic, unlike those passed by the 15-member Security Council. Israel
said in advance that the vote would not alter its resolve to continue
building the barrier.
James B. Cunningham, the deputy American ambassador, said the United
States
voted against the measure because it was "unbalanced" and erred in
assigning a problem to the courts that rightly should be solved through
political negotiations...
-----
THE GHOST PRISONERS
Nat Hentoff, Village Voice, 7/19/04
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0429/hentoff.php
Battered by national and international outrage at photographs of the
naked,
contorted bodies of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib, the Bush
administration
selectively released hundreds of classified documents on June 22,
purporting to show that the previously leaked Justice Department and
Defense Department memoranda justifying torture were just "scholarly"
ruminations never to be actually implemented on human beings.
The next day, deep into a front-page New York Times story on this
bumbling
three-card-monte ploy by the Bush team, there was this key paragraph:
"None of the documents released Tuesday sheds any light on the legal
thinking behind the detention of a small number of high-level Qaeda
operatives who have been detained by the Central Intelligence Agency at
secret locations around the world and who have been subjected to
coercive
interrogations without access to lawyers or human rights groups."
A major error by the Times limits these ghost prisoners to "a small
number." I too was at fault in a previous column, "Disappearing
Prisoners"
(July 7-13), because, when writing it, I had not yet seen a 43-page,
painstakingly annotated report, "Ending Secret Detentions," by an
invaluable organization, Human Rights First (formerly named the Lawyers
Committee for Human Rights).
The group's previous extensively detailed analyses of the Bush
administration's shadow Constitution that is bypassing the Bill of
Rights
and the separation of powers have been vital to my research for these
columns and for my book The War on the Bill of Rights and the Gathering
Resistance (Seven Stories Press).
The headline on Human Rights First's press release about this new
report,
which is now reverberating in news media around the world, is "U.S.
Holding
Prisoners in More Than Two Dozen Secret Detention Facilities
Worldwide." It
adds that "at least half of these operate in total secrecy." These
offshore
prisons are "beyond the reach of adequate supervision, accountability,
or
law [and the Geneva Conventions]. . . . Human Rights First calls on the
Administration to give the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC)
immediate access to all those it is holding in custody in the 'war on
terror.' "
On June 18, National Public Radio's Nina Totenberg reported, on
National
Public Radio (a persistently useful source on these abuses of
international
law): "The Red Cross, according to knowledgeable sources, has
repeatedly
warned administration officials that they were not complying with
international law in the treatment of prisoners."
But Donald Rumsfeld, echoing the commander in chief's hollow homilies,
said
at the Pentagon on June 17: "I have high confidence that I have not
seen
anything that suggests that a senior civilian or military official of
the
United States of America has acted in a manner that's inconsistent with
the
president's request that everyone be treated humanely."
What about the more than 24 secret interrogation centers around the
world?...
ALSO SEE:
AFGHANS TRY AMERICANS ON TORTURE CHARGES
Associated Press, 7/21/04
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040721_1029.html
KABUL, Afghanistan - Three Americans accused of torturing Afghans in a
private jail during a freelance counterterror mission went on trial
Wednesday, with their ringleader denying any wrongdoing and claiming
U.S.
government support.
Jonathan K. Idema, Brett Bennett and Edward Caraballo were arrested
when
Afghan security forces raided their makeshift jail in a house in Kabul
on
July 5. American and Afghan authorities say they were vigilantes posing
as
U.S. special forces and had no official backing.
Appearing before a three-judge panel in a national security court, the
trio
listened quietly to the charges - including hostage-taking and torture,
and
as three of their ex-detainees described how they were beaten, doused
with
boiling water and deprived of food.
The Americans didn't testify. But Idema said afterward that the abuse
allegations were invented. He also said he was in regular phone and
e-mail
contact with Pentagon officials "at the highest level."
Idema named a Pentagon official who allegedly asked the group to go
"under
contract" - an offer they refused.
"The American authorities absolutely condoned what we did, they
absolutely
supported what we did," he told reporters crowding round the dock.
The trial comes at an awkward time for American officials trying to
contain
a widening scandal over abuse in official U.S. military prisons in
Afghanistan and Iraq.
-----
NEOCONSERVATIVES - NEVER APOLOGIZE, NEVER EXPLAIN
Kevin Horrigan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7/20/04
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/editorial/9197135.htm
I like a guy who won't quit.
I like the Black Knight in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," his arm
whacked off with a broadsword, saying, "It's just a flesh wound."
I like Wile E. Coyote.
I like Paul Newman in "Cool Hand Luke," letting George Kennedy beat the
snot out of him.
I like Roy McAvoy, Kevin Costner's character in "Tin Cup," who only
needs
to lay up on the 18th hole to win the U.S. Open but decides to drive
over
the water to the green. And splashes a dozen balls. "Greatness courts
failure," says Tin Cup.
And I like William Kristol, the editor of The Weekly Standard, the
Rupert
Murdoch-owned neoconservative newsweekly. Undaunted by the polls,
undaunted
by the events of the past year, Kristol forges on in defense of the war
in
Iraq that he and his neocon pals so desperately wanted.
"What the Bush campaign must do is remind Americans that the Iraq war
was
no mistake - that the case for the war was and is compelling, and that
it
used to be bipartisan," Kristol writes in the Standard's July 19 issue.
I love that. Committees and commissions in this country and Great
Britain
stumble over themselves plumbing the depths of the Iraq mistake, and
Kristol stands tall. He could take the easy way out, like Democrats,
and
say he was lied to. He could weasel like Republicans and blame it on
the
CIA. But no, he stands tall...
ALSO SEE:
AMONG SOLDIERS, GROWING DOUBTS ABOUT MISSION
Tom Lasseter, Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/21/04
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/9201795.htm
RAMADI, Iraq - Scaling back the military and political goals in Iraq's
Anbar province has hurt morale among U.S. soldiers stationed there, and
some have begun to question openly not only their mission but also the
leaders who sent them to Iraq in the first place.
It is not just buck privates. Several sergeants - the backbone of the
enlisted military - said they felt the same way.
Instead of neighborhood patrols, most of the convoys these days that
leave
the bases in Ramadi, 60 miles west of Baghdad, are on their way to
guard
main roads and the government building downtown. There are also
observation
posts throughout the city, where soldiers sit and watch, waiting for
something to happen.
To carry food from one base to the next, a matter of a few blocks,
takes
four vehicles - armored humvees and trucks - all with .50-caliber
machine
guns mounted on top.
"I'm tired of every time we go out the gate, someone tries to kill me,"
Staff Sgt. Sheldon Rivers said.
Asked whether most Americans had an idea of how bad the security
situation
was in Ramadi, Sgt. Maj. John Jones said recently that he was annoyed
every
time he heard analysis about Iraq from politicians and journalists on
TV.
"When people come over here, where do they stay? In the Green Zone. I
call
it the Safe Zone," he said, referring to the secure area in Baghdad
where
the government is housed. "They miss the full picture."
What is the full picture?
"It's just like the West," Jones said, "when we were trying to settle
it
with the Indians."
He would not elaborate.
"It means that we have to kill all of them," said a captain standing
nearby, half-joking.
Jones shrugged.
Sgt. First Class James Tilley was on patrol on the road outside Ramadi
later that afternoon, sitting in his humvee for an hour or two in one
spot
- sweating profusely in the 105-degree heat - before moving a few
hundred
yards down the road to another place. The patrol is designed to prevent
insurgents from putting bombs in the road.
"A lot of times, I look at this place and wonder what have we really
done,"
Tilley said. "... What the hell am I here for?..."
---
A BETTER AND SAFER PLACE
Robert Fisk, Independent, 7/20/04
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/story.jsp
For mile after mile south of Baghdad yesterday, the story was the same:
empty police posts, abandoned Iraqi army and police checkpoints and a
litter of burnt-out American fuel tankers and rocket-smashed police
vehicles down the main highway to Hillah and Najaf. It was Afghanistan
Mk2.
Iraqi government officials and Western diplomats tell journalists to
avoid
driving out of Baghdad; now I understand why. It is dangerous. But my
own
fearful journey far down Highway 8 - scene of the murder of at least 15
Westerners - proved that the US-appointed Iraqi government controls
little
of the land south of the capital. Only in the Sunni Muslim town of
Mahmoudiya - where a car bomb exploded outside an Iraqi military
recruiting
centre last week - did I see Iraqi policemen.
They were in a convoy of 11 battered white pick-ups, pointing
Kalashnikovs
at the crowds around them, driving on to the wrong side of the road
when
they became tangled in a traffic jam, screaming at motorists to clear
their
path at rifle point. This was not a frightened American column - this
was
Iraq's own new blue-uniformed police force, rifles also directed at the
windows of homes and shops and at the crowd of Iraqis which surged
around
them. In Iskanderia, I saw two gunmen near the road. I don't know why
they
bothered to stand there. The police had already left their post a few
metres away.
Yes, it is a shameful reflection on our invasion of Iraq - let us
solemnly
remember "weapons of mass destruction" - but it is, above all, a
tragedy
for the Iraqis. They endured the repulsive Saddam. They endured our
shameful UN sanctions. They endured our invasion. And now they must
endure
the anarchy we call freedom...
-----
IMC-USA ANNOUNCES ANNUAL AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN SERVICES
http://www.imc-usa.org/cgi-bin/cfm/PressRelease.cfm?PRID=83
Indian Muslim Council-USA, a US based advocacy group, has announced the
much awaited list of its annual awards for excellence in services to
humanity in different fields.
The awards will be awarded at the IMC-USA annual convention in Chicago
on
August 7th to be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Arlington Heights in the
greater Chicago area.
According to Dr. Shaik Ubaid, President of IMC-USA, the awards for 2004
are:
Maulana Muhammad Ali Jowhar Award in Journalism
For best in-depth coverage of Indian diaspora in the US
Jerome McDonnell and Andrea Wenzel
Worldview/Chicago Public Radio
Bahadur Shah Zafar Award
For promoting pluralism and communal harmony in India
Shri Kumar Poddar
Vaishnava Center for Enlightenment, Michigan
Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award in Humanitarian work
For self-less service towards the upliftment of the poor and the
oppressed
classes in India
Dr. A.R. Nakadar
Former President, American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin,
Michigan
Altaf Hussain Hali Award in Humanitarian work
For self-less service towards the upliftment of Muslims in India
Kaleem Kawaja
Former President, Association of Indian Muslims, Maryland
Tipu Sultan Award
For courageously serving India and India's interests
Prabhudoss John
Executive Director, Policy Institute for Religion and State,
Washington, DC
Indian Muslim Council - USA
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Award for excelling in education
To be announced for Chicago Area Student
IMC-USA's 2004 annual convention will focus on India's Muslims, the
largest
minority group in the world, and the highly focused activities and
workgroups will address the contributions, present day issues and the
future direction for Indian Muslims (and other minorities) to thwart
the
menace of Hindutva. The full day event with the theme, "Indian Muslims:
Past, Present and Future", will be addressed by prominent scholars,
historians, journalists, human rights activists and social scientists.
Leaders and representatives of Dalit, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and
Indian-Christian communities will also address the convention.
For more information and to register, delegates and journalists can do
the
following:
Visit: http://www.imc-usa.org/convention2004
Phone: 630-926-2881
E-mail: chicago@imc-usa.org
-----
WASHINGTON AREA MUSLIM YOUTH CAMP
WHAT: Come and be apart of the longest-running Muslim camp in the
region.
Stay in cabins all week, 5 daily prayers, 2 daily lectures, along with
fun
& games and sports sessions, lots of good food and snacks 3 times a
day.
COST is $175 per camper for boys who are between the ages of 7-18
WHEN: Saturday July 24 thru July 31, 2004
WHERE: Prince Williams Forrest Park, VA
For more information contact:
Br. Mohammed Dawood/703-531-2908 and
Br. Basil Vanderhall/301-590-2679
Sponsored by Dar Al Hijrah / Muslim Sports Club/ ICM
-----
MSN 11TH ANNUAL MUSLIM STUDENT NETWORK BANQUET
WHAT: Muslim Student Network cordially invites you to the MSN 11th
annual
Muslim student network banquet with keynote speaker, J. Adam Ereli,
Deputy
Spokesman, US Department of State.
WHEN: Saturday, July 24th, at 6:30 PM
WHERE: United States House of Representatives, Cannon House Office
Building, Caucus Room 345, MAP - http://www.aoc.gov/cc/cc_map.htm
$25 Suggested Donation
Please RSVP to Sarah Munshi at (512) 785-7384 or email
MSNbanquet@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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/22/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: REPEL EVIL WITH GOOD
* CAIR CONGRATULATES MCKINNEY ON PRIMARY WIN
- McKinney Wins Democratic Primary in GA (JTA)
* MUSLIM HOSPITALITY SUITE AT DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
- MN Muslims Say Farewell to DNC Delegate
* CAIR-LA: CALIFORNIA MUSLIM RELEASED IN EGYPT
- CA: Culver City Man Held in Egypt (LA Times)
* CAIR-TX: MUSLIMS DONATE BUS FOR NATIVE-AMERICANS
* MUSLIM WOMEN SEEKING A PLACE IN THE MOSQUE (NY Times)
- LA: Teacher Fired in Scarf Case (Times Picayune)
* NC: ISLAMIC LEADER TO GIVE TALKS (Herald Sun)
* AMERICAN ON TRIAL FOR PRIVATE "WAR ON TERROR" (AFP)
- US Admits 'Bounty Hunter' Contact (BBC)
* LAVON AFFAIR STILL SPARKS DEBATE IN ISRAEL (JTA)
* NORWEGIAN MUSLIM SAYS ISLAM SAFE
* VA: QURAN MEMORIZATION COMPETITION FOR GIRLS
-----
VERSE 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
-----
CAIR CONGRATULATES MCKINNEY ON PRIMARY WIN
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/22/04) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today offered congratulations to Cynthia McKinney for her win in
Georgia's 4th Congressional District primary on Tuesday.
SEE: http://www.cynthiaforcongress.com/
McKinney beat five other Democrats with enough votes to avoid a runoff.
She
is favored to win election to Congress in her heavily Democratic
district
this November.
The Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said in a
statement:
"We congratulate Cynthia McKinney on her strong showing in Tuesday's
primary. Throughout her political career, she has been a consistent
friend
of the American Muslim community and a strong advocate for issues of
concern to Muslims, particularly the promotion of social justice and
the
defense of civil liberties.
"Ms. McKinney's integrity has long been reflected in her commitment to
the
concerns of ordinary Americans and her promotion of balanced and
forward-looking foreign policies."
ALSO SEE:
CYNTHIA MCKINNEY, CRITIC OF ISRAEL, WINS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY IN GEORGIA
Matthew E. Berger, JTA, 7/21/04
http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=McKinney+wins+in+Georgia&intcategoryid=3&SearchOptimize=Jewish+News
WASHINGTON - Cynthia McKinney is one step closer to returning to
Congress.
The former Georgia lawmaker, who has been targeted by Jewish donors in
the
past because she is perceived as anti-Israel, surprised many by
avoiding a
runoff and winning outright Tuesday's six-person Democratic primary for
her
old seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Jewish donors, concerned about McKinney's re-emergence, had anticipated
backing McKinney's opponent in a runoff next month, but now are faced
with
the likelihood that McKinney will return to Washington after winning in
November in a heavily Democratic district.
McKinney, who represented the 4th congressional district for 10 years
before losing to Denise Majette in the primary two years ago, received
51
percent of the vote Tuesday.
Liane Levetan, a Jewish state senator, received 21 percent, and Cathy
Woolard, a former Atlanta city council president, garnered 19 percent…
-----
MUSLIM HOSPITALITY SUITE AT DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
WHAT: The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT)
will host a hospitality suite during the Democratic Convention. The
suite
will be available on Tuesday, July 27 and Wednesday, July 28, from noon
to
midnight.
An AMT reception for American Muslim Democratic Convention delegates
will
be held on Tuesday, July 27 at 10:30 p.m.
WHERE: Holiday Inn - Select, Blossom Street, Boston, MA. 02116, (617)
742-7630
For more information, please contact Tahir Ali (774-696-0537) or Agha
Saeed
510-299-9313, if you are planning to attend the convention/hospitality
suite.
The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections is an
umbrella
organization representing American Muslim Alliance (AMA), Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle of North America
(ICNA),
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Muslim Alliance of North
America
(MANA), Muslim American Society (MAS), Muslim Public Affairs Council
(MPAC), Muslim Student Association -- National (MSA-N), and Project
Islamic
Hope (PIH).
SEE: http://www.americanmuslimvoter.net/
SEE ALSO:
MN MUSLIMS TO HOLD FAREWELL CELEBRATION FOR DNC DELEGATE
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (July 22, 2004) - Minnesota's Muslim Community
invites media and concerned citizens to a farewell for the Muslim
community's first ever delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
The
party for Asad Zaman, a long time Islamic activist and member of the
Democratic party, will be held at 7:00pm this Friday evening at the
Islamic
Information Office at 315 East Lake Street in Minneapolis.
CONTACT: Mohamad Elmasry, 651-442-5166, elma0001@umn.edu
-----
CALIFORNIA MUSLIM RELEASED IN EGYPT
CAIR thanks LA community, Egyptian embassy
(LOS ANGELES, CA, 7/22/04) - The Southern California office of the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) announced today that a Muslim
U.S.
citizen held in Egypt since last Friday has been released.
Officials with the Egyptian embassy in Washington, D.C., told CAIR that
Culver City, Calif., resident Abdul Ghafoor Mahboob, 26, is reportedly
on
his way back to the United States.
The news of Mahboob's release came one hour before CAIR-LA held a press
conference to protest his detention and call for his immediate release.
Yesterday, CAIR-LA called on the U.S. and Egyptian governments to
release
information about Mahboob's detention. CAIR officials had been in
contact
with the U.S. Department of State, the American embassy in Cairo and
the
Egyptian embassy in Washington, D.C.
"We thank all those who assisted in resolving this case, particularly
members of the Southern California Muslim community, officials at the
Egyptian embassy in Washington and the offices of Representative Jane
Harman and Senator Diane Feinstein," said CAIR-LA Executive Director
Hussam
Ayloush.
"We share the family's joy and are happy that Mr. Mahboob will soon be
reunited with his family," said Ayloush.
According to friends and family members, Mahboob was detained at Cairo
airport by Egyptian security personnel on Friday. He had been in Egypt
studying Arabic and was on his way home when detained.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACTS: CAIR-LA, Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847 or 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
ALSO SEE:
CA: CULVER CITY MAN APPARENTLY IS HELD IN EGYPT
Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 7/22/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/state/la-me-detention22jul22,1,314181.story
Family members and friends of a Culver City man of Afghan descent are
protesting his apparent detention by officials in Egypt and calling for
more vigorous U.S. action to find and free him.
Abdul Ghafoor Mahboob, a 26-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen who until
last year worked for an Islamic relief organization, apparently was
detained Friday at the Cairo airport as he prepared to return to
California
after having studied Arabic there since December. According to his
brother,
Mostafa, he managed to call a friend in Egypt to let him know he was
being
detained; the friend relayed the news to his family in Culver City.
An official with the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs confirmed that the
office was investigating reports of Mahboob's detention. Rep. Jane
Harman
(D-Venice), whose congressional district includes Mahboob's home, also
was
looking into the case. The Egyptian Embassy in Washington did not
return
calls for comment.
The Anaheim office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations planned
to
hold a news conference today to protest what it says is insufficient
action
by U.S. officials on the case. Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said
U.S.
officials have given the case only "lip service" and questioned whether
Mahboob's Islamic faith and Afghan descent marked him for
discriminatory
treatment.
Mahboob's detention has mystified and outraged some local Muslims.
Friends
and family members said he was well-known and widely liked, describing
him
as a nonpolitical activist dedicated to humanitarian work, youth
activities
and religious learning. His mother, Shahbibi Mahboob, said her son was
so
devoted that he would kiss her feet, following Afghan custom, and
promised
he would cook for her when he returned from his studies.
"He would never harm anyone," his mother said as she dabbed her
reddened
eyes with a handkerchief in the family's tidy two-bedroom Culver City
apartment. "Everyone who knows him knows he is a happy person who was
always smiling..."
-----
TEXAS MUSLIMS DONATE BUS FOR NATIVE-AMERICANS
The Houston Muslim community has committed to raise $9,000 to benefit
the
Jumano Apache Indian Tribe located in Redford, Texas. The funds will
pay
for a used school bus, with any remaining funds donated for school
supplies.
Tribal elders say some children have missed school due to the need for
transportation.
Donations can be sent to the local ICNA Relief account in Houston. Any
checks for donations can be made out to "ICNA Relief" please write in
the
memo section "Apache Indian Bus Fund." ICNA will make arrangements to
pick
up your donation from a place and time of your convenience. Please
contact
us if you need more information or would like us to work out a date and
time to pick up your donation.
For more information, or to donate, call Jim Coates, ICNA-Houston
Outreach
Coordinator at 281-793-5073 or email: brjimc@sbcglobal.net
Sponsors:
The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston)
The Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH)
-----
MUSLIM WOMEN SEEKING A PLACE IN THE MOSQUE
Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, 7/22/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/22/national/22muslim.html
The last time Nasreen Aboobaker attended communal prayers with other
Muslims was on the major holiday of Eid al-Fitr. The local mosque in
Fremont, Calif., had rented space in a nearby Hilton Hotel to
accommodate
the crowd. As the men congregated in the spacious ballroom, Mrs.
Aboobaker
said she and the other women were ushered into a small conference room
and
told to follow along with the prayers piped in from the men's space.
After the women waited about an hour for the prayers to begin, the door
to
their room flew open and husbands arrived to take their wives home. "We
did
not even know the prayer had ended," said Mrs. Aboobaker, explaining
that
the sound system had failed. "We were locked up like sheep and cows."
Since that incident last November, Mrs. Aboobaker prays only at home,
shunning the segregated mosque. But she is not the only Muslim woman
who is
beginning to bridle at the men's club culture of many American mosques.
Gradually and with mixed success, a small number of Muslim women are
challenging the lack of inclusion of women in worship and communal
life. In
Morgantown, W. Va.; Prince George's County, Md., and the San Francisco
Bay
Area, women have pushed to remove partitions or walls - or simply the
rules
- that prevent women worshipers from seeing or hearing the imam.
Another group of women led by a social worker in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is
about to introduce a guide to making mosques more "sister friendly,''
proposing such measures as creating prayer space that does not exclude
women, allowing women access to lectures, bulletin boards and donation
boxes, and providing child care during mosque events.
Though they include college students and grandmothers, they represent a
new
generation of Muslim women raised and educated in North America. They
include immigrants and the descendents of immigrants from the Middle
East,
South Asia and elsewhere, as well as African-American and Anglo
converts to
the faith. Some of the younger women in their 20's and 30's, and their
male
supporters, identify themselves as "progressive Muslims" - a loose but
growing network of activists and writers linked by books, Web sites and
Listservs…
ALSO SEE:
TEACHER FIRED IN SCARF CASE
Rob Nelson, Times-Picayune, 7/22/04
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1090486664254090.xml
The Jefferson Parish school system has fired a West Jefferson High
School
teacher accused of using religious slurs against a Muslim student and
pulling off her head scarf, a school system source said this week.
Superintendent Diane Roussel would not confirm that teacher Wes Mix has
been fired, but said she approved on Tuesday a recommendation from the
system's personnel office, ending months of in-house investigation
triggered by the Jan. 30 incident. The source said the recommendation
is to
fire Mix, though he has one more chance to fight for his job.
Mix, who could not be reached for comment, was sent a certified letter
this
week informing him of the district's decision, Roussel said.
Because he is a tenured employee, Mix has a right to a public or
private
hearing before the School Board if Roussel terminated him, said
Assistant
Superintendent Ronald Ceruti, who is in charge of personnel. The board
can
then uphold, amend or scrap Roussel's action, Ceruti said.
In February, then-sophomore Maryam Motar, 17, said that Mix, her world
history teacher at the Harvey school, pulled back her culturally
mandated
head scarf and said, "I hope God punishes you. No, I'm sorry, I hope
Allah
punishes you."
According to Motar, Mix also said, "I didn't know you had hair under
there."
The remarks were part of a string of ethnically charged jokes Mix used
in
his classes toward her, said Motar, whose family enlisted the support
of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, D.C.
Motar said Wednesday she would be pleased if the recommendation was
made to
fire Mix. "He needs to be punished for what he did," she said.
Mix, a six-year veteran of the system and a professional musician, was
transferred Feb. 2 from West Jefferson to Helen Cox Junior High School
in
Harvey, prompting complaints from Motar's family that the district
allowed
him to keep teaching. Days later, the system decided to put Mix on an
indefinite paid suspension, pending the results of an internal
investigation.
At the time, Mix downplayed the controversy as a "nonissue" and a
"bunch of
craziness," and said that "all of this has been resolved..."
-----
ISLAMIC LEADER TO GIVE TALKS
Herald Sun, 7/21/04
http://www.herald-sun.com/durham/4-503446.html
DURHAM - Imam E. Abdulmalik Mohammed, a national spokesman for Imam W.
Deen
Mohammed, the son of Elijah Mohammed, will give four local talks this
weekend.
Abdulmalik is credited with helping to arrange a meeting between
Mohammed
and Pope John Paul II, and he works to establish relationships and
dialogue
between people of different races, nationalities and religions on
Mohammed's behalf.
Abdulmalik will begin his visit to the Triangle at 1:30 p.m. Friday,
when
he plans to lead the weekly services at Ar-Razzaq Islamic Center,
located
1009 W. Chapel Hill St. Then, at 1 p.m. Saturday, he will lead a
community
discussion at the Islamic Center on "Researching Our Faith and
Supporting
Business Life in Our Neighborhoods."
At 10 a.m. Sunday, Abdulmalik and Rabbi Raachel Jurovics will make a
presentation at Temple Beth Or, located at 5315 Creedmoor Road in
Raleigh.
The topic will be: "Presenting The Correct Pictures of Two Faiths."
Also on Sunday, Abdulmalik will talk about "Presenting the Correct
Picture
of Islam" at Vital Link East, 1214 E. Lenoir St. (corner of Rock Quarry
Road) in Raleigh.
For more information about the free, public events, contact Imam
Abdul-hafeez Waheed at (919) 225-1729.
-----
AMERICAN ON TRIAL FOR PRIVATE "WAR ON TERROR" CLAIMS RUMSFELD LINK
Agence France Presse, 7/21/04
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/96885/1/.html
KABUL - A US citizen in court charged with running a private "war on
terror" in Afghanistan claimed he and two other Americans were working
with
the full knowledge of US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Jonathan Idema, who denies charges he detained and tortured Afghan
citizens
without US government consent, said they were hunting terrorists under
the
auspices of the Pentagon and said they had since been abandoned by US
authorities.
"The American authorities absolutely condoned what we did, they
absolutely
supported what we did. We have extensive evidence of that," said Idema,
who
is on trial with his subordinates Brent Bennett and Edward Caraballo.
US-led coalition forces have disavowed all ties with Idema, while
international peacekeeping troops said they were duped into helping
Idema's
team, who wore US-style uniforms, believing they were legitimate
special
forces operatives.
Judge Abdul Baset Bahktiari allowed the three men and four Afghan
associates on trial with them to delay proceedings for up to 20 days to
allow them to prepare a better defense and find adequate translators.
The adjournment came after two Afghan interpreters struggled to
translate
comments from the judge, prosecution and witnesses, and Idema protested
that he and his associates would not be able to get a fair trial.
"It is impossible for us to know what's happening," he said.
US and Afghan authorities allege that Idema's freelance counter-terror
cell
illegally jailed and tortured eight Afghan citizens without government
authority.
The three US men and four Afghans face jail sentences of between 16 and
20
years if found guilty...
SEE ALSO:
US ADMITS 'BOUNTY HUNTER' CONTACT
BBC, 7/22/04
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3916075.stm
The US military has admitted it detained an Afghan man handed over by a
US
citizen accused of running a freelance counter-terrorism operation.
A military spokesman said the prisoner was handed over by the American,
Jonathan K Idema, in May.
A BBC correspondent in Kabul says that the disclosure is embarrassing
for
the US, which said it had had no links with the alleged American
mercenary.
He is facing charges of torture, kidnapping and running a private jail.
'Mercenary' allegation
"We did receive a detainee from Mr Idema or his party," said Major Jon
Siepmann, spokesman for the coalition forces.
"The reason we received this person was that we believed that he was
someone that we had identified as a potential terrorist and we wanted
him
for questioning," he said.
But forces strenuously deny that Mr Idema was working for the military
in
any official capacity and insist that he is a mercenary.
They argue that they were not aware of Mr Idema's "full track record"
prior
to his arrest earlier this month along with two other Americans and
four
Afghans.
Eight prisoners were freed from a makeshift jail in Kabul they are
alleged
to have run.
Mr Idema and his co-accused argue that they have been abandoned by the
US
authorities
Mr Idema argues that he was working with the knowledge of the US
defence
secretary, and that the US government had abandoned him…
-----
50 YEARS ON, LAVON AFFAIR STILL SPARKS PUBLIC DEBATE IN ISRAEL
Dan Baron, JTA, 7/20/04
http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=%26%238216%3BLavon+Affair%26%238217%3B+still+riles+Israel&intcategoryid=5
JERUSALEM - Israeli military historians call it Operation Shoshana.
Scholars of political intrigue know it as the Lavon Affair.
But to veterans of Israel's first - and perhaps worst - intelligence
bungle, the 50-year-old episode whose unseemly details are only now
being
discussed openly has another name: the Raw Deal.
It was 1954, and the fledgling Jewish state watched with worry as
Egyptian
dictator Gamal Abdel Nasser made clear his goal of nationalizing the
Suez
Canal after decades of British control. Knowing that Nasser planned to
turn
Egypt's frequent blockade of Israeli shipping into a permanent policy,
Israeli spy masters set about finding a way to keep British forces in
charge.
Within weeks, an Israeli military intelligence unit known by its
code-number, 131, recruited nine young Egyptian Jews to stage terrorist
attacks that, they thought, would be blamed on local insurgents and
would
discredit Nasser's rule.
Seen as a potential bulwark against Soviet influence in the Middle
East,
Nasser enjoyed the quiet backing of the United States. But Israel
wanted to
prevent Washington from becoming too friendly with the Cairo junta,
which
was spearheading Arab hostility to the Jewish state.
The Egyptian Jewish spy cell firebombed American-linked sites -
libraries,
post offices, cinemas - in Cairo and Alexandria, causing some
consternation
but no casualties.
And then the plot backfired, literally. A bomb exploded in the pocket
of
one of the recruits, Philip Natanzon, before he could plant it in an
Alexandria movie house, setting his clothes on fire in the middle of
the
bustling port city.
Arrested and brutally interrogated, Natanzon led Egyptian police to his
accomplices. Two cell leaders were hanged, another committed suicide
before
trial and six agents received lengthy prison terms...
That faith survived - despite the jailhouse beatings, even despite
Israel's
failure to demand that its spies be released as part of prisoner
exchanges
with Egypt after the 1956 Suez Campaign and the 1967 Six Day War...
-----
NORWEGIAN MUSLIM SAYS ISLAM SAFE
CAIR received the following e-mail from a Norwegian Muslim in response
to a
recent Incitement Watch:
SEE: Incitement Watch: Islam to be Banned in Norway?
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=34052&page=NB
I write this to you, only so that you may provide my fellow Muslims in
North America of balanced and neutral view of the above mentioned
article
in one of your news briefs. I think that as a Norwegian Muslim, I would
want everyone to know this, as I am very proud of the Muslim Community
in
Norway, and I am proud of the forthcoming nature of the Norwegian
Government to the most recent Muslims immigration to this country
compared
on an international level. I hope that you will print this on your
publications and on your website…
The politicians mentioned in the article, hold no parliamentary seats.
No
seats that will ever have anything to do with the Politics of Norway at
large. They belong to a Right Wing party, called the Frp, which has
historically been against immigration. The party has never held a
significant position in the government of Norway, and they have yet to
place their party leader in the Prime Minister role, in oh say, the
last
100 years or so, if I'm not mistaken.
The people mentioned in the article hold a chairperson and deputy
leader
position in the Frp parties Kristiandsand wing. They are so to say,
insignificant in the larger picture really.
The parties President, who actually sits in Parliament, denies the
allegations, AND, made a public statement after the incident that the
view
of these people, did NOT reflect the view of the Political agenda of
the
Party.
Their views, were only their own, and personal, and had NOTHING to do
with
the party's view, according to the President of the Party himself...
Here are some facts to consider about Muslims in Norway:
1. 85% of the Muslim population in Norway resides in Oslo.
2. There are about 3 major mosques in Downtown Oslo, within a 5 mile
radius.
3. The largest mosque is located right downtown, where Adhan is given 5
times a day through a loud speaker system from the Minarets.
4. On Eid, schools allow Muslim kids to get the day off, without major
hassles or problems.
5. Muslims represent a major asset to the Norwegian work force.
6. Islam is the MOST practiced religion in Norway. Only about 5% of
Christian Norwegians are regular church goers. Registered Christians
represent less than 15% of the population to my recollection…
InshaAllah, May Allah be pleased with the efforts of the Muslims in
Norway,
and bless them and help them continue to grow in the same positive
manner
they have so far. Ameen.
Your Brother In Islam
-----
QURAN MEMORIZATION COMPETITION FOR GIRLS
Great Prizes for All Contestants
$100 Gold Prize: Surat Ar-Rum (1st Place)
$75 Silver Prize: Surat Muhammad (1st Place)
$50 Bronze Prize: Surat At-Tahrim (1st Place)
WHEN: Saturday 9/11/04 @ 7:00 PM
WHERE: Dar Al-Hijrah, Computer Room
WHO: All Girls 25 and Younger
Valuable prizes for 2nd and 3rd place winners. Acceptable Tajweed
required.
For more information contact: masdcyouth@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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/23/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A FRIENDLY WORD
* CAIR MID-ATLANTIC MEETS WITH FBI
* CAIR-SV: MUSLIMS HELP CA COUNTY IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE
* CAIR-AZ: AUTHORITIES HOLD 'CHATS' WITH MUSLIMS (Daily Star)
* CAIR-KY: TAKING AIM AT ETHNIC HATE CRIMES (Snitch)
- PA: Even Shopping Can Turn Ugly For Muslims (City Paper)
* MI: U.S. CITY GRAPPLES WITH ANTI-ARABIC MOOD (UPI)
- Poll Shows Growing Arab Rancor at U.S. (Wash Post)
* CIA STEPS UP RECRUITMENT OF ARAB-AMERICAN AGENTS (Free Press)
- FBI Outreach to Muslims Comes Amid Interviews (Oregonian)
* OH: UNCHARGED PRISONERS GET SUPPORT (Beacon Journal)
- Army Report on Prison Abuse Sets off UPROAR (NY Times)
* WA: SOMALI BUSINESSES SETTLE FOR $100,000 (Seattle Post)
* TRIP TO MECCA HELP MUSLIMS APPRECIATE ROOTS (Ottawa Citizen)
* JEWISH SETTLEMENTS, OUTPOSTS EXPANDING DESPITE PLEDGES (Wash Post)
* AS CRISIS IN SUDAN INTENSIFIES, RELIEF WORLDWIDE INCREASES (IRW)
* DC: YOUNG MUSLIMS CAMP 2004
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A FRIENDLY WORD
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told his companions: "Save
yourselves from (Hell) even if with half of a date (given in charity),
and
if that is not available, then (save yourselves) by saying a friendly
word."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 52
-----
CAIR MID-ATLANTIC MEETS WITH FBI
Representatives of CAIR's Maryland-Virginia office (CAIR-Mid-Atlantic)
this
week met with leadership of the Maryland and Virginia/D.C. FBI offices.
The
purpose of the meetings was to discuss issues facing the Muslim
communities
living in Maryland, Virginia, and the Washington metro area. Among the
main
concerns were current civil rights issues and the importance of
sensitivity
training for FBI agents and officials.
The meeting also focused on how CAIR Mid-Atlantic could offer religious
and
cultural sensitivity training to all members of the FBI and other law
enforcement agencies in the Mid-Atlantic region.
-----
MUSLIMS HELP CALIF. COUNTY IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE
SACRAMENTO - On July 20, 2004, leaders from the South Sacramento Muslim
community met with Sacramento County official Bobbe Dworkis, Project
Lead
of the South Sacramento Community Initiative (SSCI), to identify issues
that are important to the community. The meeting was part of a process
to
develop a community vision and strategic plan for South Sacramento.
The goal of the SSCI is to empower the South Sacramento community to
improve their quality of life. An important focus will be to identify
assets in the community and to engage residents in addressing issues
that
impact their lives.
The meeting, facilitated by the Sacramento Valley chapter of the
Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SV), addressed a wide range of issues,
including education, neighborhoods, safety, economic development and
community leadership.
-----
AUTHORITIES HOLD 'CHATS' WITH LOCAL MUSLIMS
Joseph Barrios, Arizona Daily Star, 7/23/04
http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/dailystar/31189.php
Terrorism investigators have questioned about a dozen Tucson-area
Muslims,
saying they're trying to prevent any attacks during an October
presidential
debate in Tempe.
The "chats," conducted by FBI agents and other investigators from the
state's joint terrorism task force with members of Arizona's Muslim
community, started last month.
FBI officials in Washington, D.C., announced July 9 that the country's
56
field offices were ordered to increase their contacts with Muslim, Sikh
and
Arab-American leaders to hear any concerns they might have as
investigators
try to collect leads about possible attacks and terrorism suspects.
Attorney General John Ashcroft reiterated that intelligence indicates
al-Qaida is planning an attack intended to disrupt the democratic
process.
The third and final presidential debate is scheduled for Oct. 13 at
Arizona
State University.
The interviews alarmed some members of the state's Muslim community,
said
Deedra Abboud, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
While most interviews took place in the Phoenix area, she estimates
about a
dozen have been conducted in Tucson. Two of those interviewed called
Abboud
with concerns.
"Whenever the FBI contacts you, you assume you're under investigation,"
Abboud said…
------
TAKING AIM AT ETHNIC HATE CRIMES
Candi Carter, Snitch, 7/21/04
http://louisville.snitch.com/2004/07/21/muslim
Imam Ali Mian during Friday prayers at the Louisville Islamic Society,
located on River Road.
The FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list contains just 22 men. But every
single name on the list sounds like it's of Arabic descent; from Osama
bin
Laden to Ayman Al-Zawahiri to Abdulla Ahmed Abdullah.
For Muslim, Sikh and Arab-American communities, those faces and names
are
perhaps the hardest obstacles to overcome in trying to establish
relationships with their communities and combat the hate crimes that
have
dogged them since 9/11.
"Some people are giving Islam a very bad name out there, and people are
failing to realize that it's not all of Islam," said Abdul Quayyum,
chairman of the newly founded Kentucky chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relationships, or CAIR. "It's not Islam. This is just
a
bunch of bad apples."
Those communities, though, aren't going to stand by and let the "bad
apples" ruin their community and image in America. They're reaching out
to
law enforcement agencies in their communities to establish
relationships,
educate people on their religions and offer aid in helping to fight
terrorism.
In turn, police are reaching back to help make religious and ethnic
minorities feel comfortable working with them…
Since 9/11, three ethnic minorities have endured hate crimes and
scrutiny
here in America: those of Arabic descent, Sikhs and Muslims…
ALSO SEE:
EVEN A SHOPPING TRIP CAN TURN UGLY FOR LOCAL MUSLIMS
Chris Potter, Pittsburgh City Paper, 7/22/04
http://www.pghcitypaper.com/
In many respects, Dalia Mogahed couldn't have looked more American on
that
Tuesday afternoon in late June. She was shopping at Target with her
4-year-old son, who needed a new pair of shoes. But while Mogahed was
engaged in this most patriotic of acts -- one endorsed after 9/11 by
President Bush himself, you may recall -- her head-scarf attracted the
ire
of a female customer.
"Why don't you go to Iraq with the rest of the motherf***ers who keep
chopping someone's head off every time you turn on the news?" Mogahed
says
the woman demanded.
Mogahed does outreach for the Islamic Council of Greater Pittsburgh but
says "This didn't seem like an opportunity" for it. The woman had a
large
man walking with her, and so Mogahed says she "just walked away. I
pretended I didn't hear, because I did not want her to be provoked even
by
my turning around. But to do that so openly -- despite the fact that I
had
a 4-year-old in my cart -- was kind of amazing."
Her son had to wait for those new shoes.
Mogahed has heard of similar incidents in the area, like the woman who
"was
in a Pittsburgh mall and a woman actually came up to her and said, 'Is
that
a bomb under your clothes, or are you just fat?'" The Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) documented 93 hate crimes nationwide
against Muslims in 2003, a small number but more than double the year
before. The incidents range from minor to murderous, but it's striking
to
see an increase two years after 9/11. Either Muslims are becoming more
assertive about reporting such crimes, or invading two largely Muslim
countries hasn't satisfied some people's taste for revenge.
The irony is that Mogahed and other Muslims have denounced the
beheadings
as loudly as anyone. When the first victim, Philadelphia contractor
Nick
Berg, was beheaded, Mogahed's group issued a statement echoing the
sentiments expressed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations: "We
condemn this cold-blooded murder and repudiate all those who commit
such
acts of mindless violence in the name of religion..."
-----
U.S. CITY GRAPPLES WITH ANTI-ARABIC MOOD
UPI, 7/23/04
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040722-014826-8551r.htm
Dearborn Heights - The suburban Detroit city of Dearborn Heights is
struggling to suppress anti-Arabic sentiment in a community split
geographically.
The city's dividing line is an east-west route called Ford Road, south
of
which a steadily growing number of Arabic families live, the Detroit
News
said Thursday.
In the suburb, the Arabic population has increased 400 percent since
1990,
sparking some social discord.
Controversies in a local school district over a Muslim holiday and the
serving of halal, or Islamic-blessed food, to students helped drive a
huge
voter turnout for the school board race in June...
ALSO SEE:
POLL SHOWS GROWING ARAB RANCOR AT U.S.
Dafna Linzer, Washington Post, 7/23/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7080-2004Jul22.html
Arab views of the United States, shaped largely by the Iraq war and a
post-Sept. 11 climate of fear, have worsened in the past two years to
such
an extent that in Egypt -- an important ally in the region -- nearly
100
percent of the population now holds an unfavorable opinion of the
country,
according to two polls due out today.
Both surveys were conducted in June by Zogby International and polled
Arab
men and women in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and the
United Arab Emirates.
The findings reflect the concerns raised in the Sept. 11 commission
report
released yesterday, which emphasized a losing battle for public
opinion.
"Support for the United States has plummeted," the commissioners wrote.
"What we're seeing now is a disturbing sympathy with al Qaeda coupled
with
resentment toward the United States, and we ought to be extremely
troubled
by that," said Shibley Telhami, a University of Maryland professor who
commissioned one of the surveys.
The other survey, titled "Impressions of America," charts a dramatic
overall decline in positive views by comparing current attitudes with
those
sampled in April 2002.
"In 2002, the single policy issue that drove opinion was the
Palestinians;
now it's Iraq and America's treatment, here and abroad, of Arabs and
Muslims," said James Zogby, who commissioned the report with the Arab
American Institute.
In Zogby's 2002 survey, 76 percent of Egyptians had a negative attitude
toward the United States, compared with 98 percent this year. In
Morocco,
61 percent viewed the country unfavorably in 2002, but in two years,
that
number has jumped to 88 percent. In Saudi Arabia, such responses rose
from
87 percent in 2002 to 94 percent in June. Attitudes were virtually
unchanged in Lebanon but improved slightly in the UAE, from 87 percent
who
said in 2002 that they disliked the United States to 73 percent this
year.
Those polled said their opinions were shaped by U.S. policies, rather
than
by values or culture. When asked: "What is the first thought when you
hear
'America'?" respondents overwhelmingly said: "Unfair foreign policy."
And when asked what the United States could do to improve its image in
the
Arab world, the most frequently provided answers were "Stop supporting
Israel" and "Change your Middle East policy."…
-----
CIA STEPS UP RECRUITMENT OF ARAB-AMERICAN AGENTS
Niraj Warikoo, Free Press, 7/23/04
http://www.freep.com/news/nw/cia23_20040723.htm
At the Arab Festival in Dearborn this summer, you could spot the
familiar
logos of the usual corporate sponsors like Ford and Comerica on a
banner
that draped the main stage.
But there was a new symbol on display this year, one that caught the
eye of
curious Arab Americans: the logo of the CIA.
It was a striking example of how the nation's intelligence agencies are
pushing hard to recruit agents and translators in metro Detroit's large
Arab and Muslim communities.
In recent weeks, the CIA has also taken out ads in local newspapers
that
feature a photo of the Statue of Liberty with the words: "For over 100
years, Arab Americans have served the nation. Today we need you more
than
ever." And the agency is offering bonuses of up to $25,000 for new
hires
who are fluent in Arabic and other crucial languages.
The moves by the CIA come at a time when members of Congress and
intelligence officials are pointing to a severe shortage of Arabic
speakers
in U.S. security agencies. Almost three years after the Sept. 11, 2001,
terror attacks, the country is still not equipped with enough linguists
to
fight the war on terror, they say.
On Thursday, the 9/11 commission released a report that bemoaned how a
lack
of Arabic speakers at the FBI led to "a significant backlog of
untranslated
intercepts."
At the U.S. State Department, there are only five speakers fluent
enough in
Arabic to speak on Middle Eastern TV stations like Al-Jazeera, said a
congressionally mandated report released last year. And the
1,400-member
Iraqi Survey Group that was looking for weapons of mass destruction
could
count on one hand the number of members who spoke Arabic, said U.S.
Rep.
Rush Holt, D-NJ..
"Too little, too late," is how Myriam Met, acting director of the
National
Foreign Language Center in Maryland, describes the government's efforts
to
get Arabic speakers. "Americans think that everyone else speaks
English, so
why bother?"
The CIA and other security agencies say they are aware of the
shortfall,
but add that they are aggressively reaching out to speakers of Arabic
and
other tongues common in the Muslim world like Pashto, Urdu, and
Kashmiri…
ALSO SEE:
FBI OUTREACH TO MUSLIMS COMES AMID INTERVIEWS
Noelle Crombie, Oregonian, 7/22/04
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1090497682207680.xml
The FBI in Oregon is trying to mend relations with the Muslim community
in
the aftermath of the bungled Brandon Mayfield case at the same time
federal
agents across the country are interviewing Muslims because of a new
terror
threat.
Robert Jordan, the special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon, said
he is
talking to Muslim leaders and will appear this weekend on an Arab radio
program.
As the former leader of the agency's civil rights section, Jordan was
the
FBI's key contact for Muslim, Arab and Sikh groups after the Sept. 11
terror attacks. Jordan said that within weeks of his arrival last year,
he
started quietly reaching out to Portland area Muslim leaders. He also
began
training his agents in Muslim and Arab customs.
"I have stuck my hand out there and my face out there," Jordan said
this week.
In spite of those efforts and the FBI's apology to Mayfield, some local
Muslims still fear being wrongly accused of a terror-related crime.
"If guards weren't up, they are up now," said Shaaban Naim of the
Islamic
Society of Southwest Washington. "It hit the wrong way, but at least
for
the first time in history, the FBI came and apologized, which is really
good. But does that mean that is going to help?"
Mayfield, a 38-year-old father of three, was held in a county jail for
two
weeks in May in connection with the deadly bombings in Madrid, Spain.
Federal authorities mistakenly linked his fingerprint to one found on a
bag
near the bombing site.
The Mayfield case, Naim said, showed that even the innocent can be
taken
into custody.
"That is a really very, very scary feeling," he said…
-----
UNCHARGED PRISONERS GET SUPPORT
Stephen Dyer, Beacon Journal, 7/22/04
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/local/states/ohio/counties/summit_county/9213357.htm
CLEVELAND - For an hour during the heat of a sweltering Ohio summer
day,
Sister Mary Ann Logan stood on a granite plaza in a white choir robe
and a
make-shift cardboard crown behind a cardboard jail cell. The whole
time,
she held aloft a torch with paper flames.
She was Lady Liberty standing in front of the Anthony J. Celebreeze
Federal
Building. She did it because people she has never met -- most of whom
believe in a religion different from the one to which she has dedicated
her
life -- remain held, uncharged, in American prisons.
``I believe in this cause,'' she explained. ``This is an opportunity to
bring about justice for people.''
The exercise was particularly significant for former Kent resident
Ashraf
Al-Jailani, who last week marked the 21st month he has spent in a York,
Pa., prison held without charges or bail.
Most of the dozen or so speakers at Wednesday's rally, which drew a
group
of about 25 people at its largest, referred to Al-Jailani's case as the
epitome of a government gone ``mad'' in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks.
``This is bipartisan madness,'' said El-Hajj Mauri Saalakhan, director
of
the Peace and Justice Foundation, who then referred to Michael Moore's
controversial new film. ``Fahrenheit 9/11 was just a glimpse into the
madness,'' he said.
The government originally claimed Al-Jailani -- a Yemeni national --
was an
al-Qaeda ``first stringer,'' planning to blow up Akron's GOJO
Industries.
Two courts in four different legal opinions have found those
allegations to
be without merit…
ALSO SEE:
ARMY REPORT ON PRISON ABUSE SETS OFF PARTISAN UPROAR
Eric Schmitt, NY Times, 7/22/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/22/politics/22CND-ABUS.html
WASHINGTON- A new Army report concludes that military detention
operations
in Iraq and Afghanistan suffered from poor training, haphazard
organization
and outmoded policies, but that these flaws did not directly contribute
to
the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison.
The report, by Lt. Gen. Paul T. Mikolashek, the Army inspector general,
found no evidence that any systemic problems caused the abuses.
Instead,
his five-month inquiry blamed the "unauthorized actions taken by a few
individuals, coupled with the failure of a few leaders to provide
adequate
monitoring, supervision and leadership over those soldiers."
The 321-page report, the first of at least seven military inquiries
into
prisoner abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan to be released in the next few
months, left many contentious issues still to be addressed by Army
criminal
investigators and the other inquiries.
When presented at a hastily called Senate hearing today, the inspector
general's findings set off a partisan uproar. Some Democrats virtually
accused General Mikolashek of a whitewash. "General, I just think the
premise of your report that there's been no systemic problems is
undercut
by the fact that you didn't look at some systematic problems," Senator
Jack
Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, noting that the inquiry did not examine
the
military's practice of keeping high-value detainees off Abu Ghraib's
rolls.
Republicans rushed to defend the Army, and the Pentagon's longstanding
argument that a handful of rogue jailers were responsible for the
misconduct at Abu Ghraib. ``We should not overreact,'' said Senator
Jeff
Sessions, an Alabama Republican. ``We want our soldiers, right up to
the
limit of what they legally can do, to obtain good intelligence, to help
save lives.''
The report is likely to inflame debate over how far up the chain of
command
culpability extends. Its findings contradict those of an earlier Army
inquiry, by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, who concluded military police at
Abu
Ghraib conducted "systemic and illegal abuse of detainees." A report by
the
International Committee of the Red Cross in February found that
"methods of
ill treatment" were "used in a systematic way" by the United States
military in Iraq….
-----
SOMALI BUSINESSES SETTLE FOR $100,000
FEDERAL AGENTS' RAID IN WAKE OF 9/11 IS CALLED 'UNFORTUNATE'
Paul Shukovsky, Seattle Post, 7/23/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/183312_somali23.html
Two months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, federal agents without
a
search warrant raided a Rainier Valley money-transfer office suspected
of
funding al-Qaida. The agents also stripped the stock of a grocery and
gift
shop in the same building -- carting off everything from frozen meat to
toilet paper.
Apparently, it was all a mistake.
In a settlement reached last week, the government agreed to pay the
Somali
immigrants who owned the stores $100,000. The settlement does not
include
an apology or an admission of liability.
No criminal charges were ever filed as a result of the raid. Now the
government says the raid represented the "unfortunate consequences" of
the
war against terrorism.
Several days after the Nov. 7, 2001, raid, the government told
Abdinasir
Ali Nur, owner of the Maka Mini Market, and Abdinasir Khalif Farah,
owner
of the gift shop, that they could come collect their goods from a
warehouse. But by then, the meat had been dumped and much of the food
was
spoiled. Other merchandise was damaged. The pair rented trucks at their
own
expense and, with the help of Somali friends, began the arduous process
of
putting their stores back together again.
The grocery, despite sustaining thousands of dollars in damage, is
still in
business. But the gift-shop owner "had to go out of business," said his
attorney, James Donohue. "From his perspective, he was forced out of
business," said Donohue, who represented Farah for free as a
representative
of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Through the ACLU, the two Somali men released a statement yesterday
saying
that the settlement is "a matter of fairness."
"The government raided our businesses even though we had done nothing
wrong. Our stores were closed, our goods were spoiled and our
reputations
were damaged. Receiving compensation cannot make up for all of this,
but we
do feel that some justice has been done," they said…
-----
TRIP TO MECCA HELP MUSLIM GRADS APPRECIATE THEIR ROOTS
Carrie Kristal-Schroder, Ottawa Citizen, 7/28/04
http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/index.html
The first high school graduates of the Ottawa Islamic School achieved
another milestone after arriving home from Mecca in Saudi Arabia this
week.
"This was the first time in Canada that any Muslim graduating class had
a
chance to go to the holy places to do an Umra (a mini-Hadj) that had
been
arranged by the school and the community," said Ahmed Hassan, president
of
the school's board of directors.
Of the seven graduating students, four were able to participate in the
trip
to Mecca and Medina, which is considered Islam's second-most holy city.
The students were accompanied on the 15-day trip by several parents,
teachers and community leaders.
None of the four graduates had ever been overseas; all were raised in
Canada. However, they said their trip to Mecca felt very much like a
homecoming.
"It was amazing," said Sadia Jama. "In Canada, religion is a personal
thing, but in Mecca, it was the whole society."
Sadia said the trip allowed the students to become "more spiritually
empowered." She marvelled at the people she met from every part of the
world who came to Mecca to worship.
"Each time I was in the mosque to pray, I met thousands of people. They
were all Muslims, but they came from countries around the world, with
different cultures, different languages, different viewpoints -- it was
a
really indescribable experience."
Fellow students Saeed Hashi, Ahmed Hashi (no relation) and Younis
Younis
agreed the trip was a major event in their lives.
Saeed said the trip had a life-altering effect.
"It has made me want to be more spiritual, to improve my life."
And while a senior trip for most graduates means round-the-clock
partying
at destinations such as Florida or Mexico, these young Muslims said
they
did not feel deprived…
-----
JEWISH SETTLEMENTS, OUTPOSTS EXPANDING DESPITE PLEDGES
John Ward Anderson, Washington Post, 7/23/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6224-2004Jul22.html
JERUSALEM- Jewish settlements and outposts are growing rapidly in the
West
Bank and Gaza Strip, despite Israeli pledges to the United States to
stop
the expansion of such communities and dismantle some of them, according
to
Israeli government statistics and a report released Thursday by
settlement
opponents.
The growth is particularly pronounced in the Gaza Strip, where Israel's
prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has proposed removing all Jewish settlers
and
the Israeli soldiers protecting them by the end of 2005. A little more
than
8,000 settlers occupy approximately 40 percent of the land in the Gaza
Strip; about 1.3 million Palestinians live on the remaining 60 percent.
According to a new report by the anti-settlement group Peace Now,
Israeli
settlements and outposts grew by more than 100 acres -- with at least
65
acres added in the West Bank and about 47 in the much smaller Gaza
Strip --
in March, April and May this year. At least 3,100 apartments are being
built in the settlements, "in addition to the preparation of areas for
construction of thousands of further housing" units, the report says.
The study included more than 50 satellite photographs and other
pictures
showing construction work and expansion between February and July at
settlements and at outposts, which are generally smaller than
settlements
and do not have the same government approval. Before-and-after
satellite
images show the clearing of land, the construction of roads and the
addition of greenhouses, trailers and homes.
The pictures "show without a shadow of doubt how these illegal outposts
were expanded and asphalt roads paved and new prefab houses brought in,
and
in some places real brick houses have started to be built," Ephraim
Sneh, a
member of parliament from the main opposition Labor Party, said in a
recent
interview. "It shows that the government not only isn't dismantling
settlements, it's expanding them with government funds."
"There is no expansion of existing settlements," said Sharon spokesman
Raanan Gissin, who added that Israel believed it was permitted to build
within existing settlement boundaries. As for outposts, Gissin said:
"Everything that is unauthorized and illegal will be removed once the
legal
proceedings are over. . . . We are going to continue with our
relentless
effort to take them down, but in a way that's without causing
bloodshed..."
------
AS CRISIS IN DARFUR, SUDAN INTENSIFIES, ISLAMIC RELIEF WORLDWIDE
INCREASES EMERGENCY AID PROJECTS - 7/22/04
http://irw.org/
BURBANK-Heavy rainfall in the Darfur region has begun, further
worsening
the humanitarian crisis that the United Nations has called the 'world's
greatest.' Over one million people are currently displaced in Darfur,
and
another 130,000 people have sought shelter in camps in neighboring
Chad.
Aid agencies in the region have estimated that as many as 300,000 may
die
by December due to starvation and disease.
The humanitarian need in Darfur is enormous. Many of the displaced
people
have no shelter at all, while others are living under trees or simple
straw
mats. Child malnutrition is on the rise as food is scarce, and even the
locals have exhausted food stocks. The current rainy season is adding
to
the misery of the displaced people. There are no sanitation facilities
in
the camps, increasing the potential for diseases such as dysentery and
cholera.
Islamic Relief Worldwide has set up an emergency field office in the
town
of Al-Junaynah (also spelled 'El Geneina') in West Darfur, where it is
managing the Al-Riyadh Internally Displaced People camp. In that
particular
camp, around seventy percent of the households are headed by women. The
population of camp is steadily increasing, and is expected to hold
around
40,000 people. Islamic Relief Worldwide is currently providing food,
shelter, education, and water and sanitation to the displaced
population…
-----
YOUNG MUSLIMS CAMP 2004
www.ymsite.com
WHAT: Muslims youth camp titled: "Towards Understanding the Qur'an."
WHERE: Tippecanoe River State Park (100 Miles East of Chicago)
WHEN: Aug 11 - Aug 15
Fee: $150
Registration
Chicago: Aimen Jaleel (312)617-7768
Windsor: Bilal Khan (519) 890-4469
Houston: (281)235-0063
Activities: Canoeing; Camping; Sports;
Speeches by: Sh. Ibrahim Negm, Abdullah Yusuf Madyun, Tayyab Yunus,
Faisal
Hamouda, Sheikh Abdool Rahman Khan, Abdul-Sattar Ahmed
Topic and Lessons on: Sciences of the Quran, Parables of the Quran,
Prophets of the Quran, The Sunnah: Quran's Companion, Tafsir of the
Quran,
Brothers of High Schools and Colleges Only.
-----
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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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/25/04
* CAIR SEEKS MEDICAL EXPERT ON BRAIN INJURIES
* CAIR-LA: DETAINED CALIF. MUSLIM ARRIVES AT LAX
- Calif. Man Claims Abuse in Egyptian Jail (AP)
* CA: MISSING UCLA COLLEGE STUDENT: FAMILY ASKS FOR HELP
* CAIR-FL: MUSLIMS FACE NEW WAVE OF HARRASSMENT (AP)
- Woman Confronted After National Interview (local6.com)
* CAIR-FL: MOTION SEEKS REMOVAL FOR BIAS (Sun-Sentinel)
* CAIR-MO: IMAM HELD ON VISA CHARGE NEARS RELEASE (Post Dispatch)
* CAIR-AZ: FBI QUESTIONING SOME MUSLIMS AS DEBATE NEARS (AP)
* IL: MOSQUE'S FOES SEEK TO CHANGE ELECTION (Chicago Trib)
* CAIR-SC: TAKING ACTION IN THE TRUE CHARACTER OF ISLAM (The State)
- Scholars: Beheading Innocents Not Islam (SL Dispatch)
-----
CAIR SEEKS MEDICAL EXPERT ON BRAIN INJURIES
CAIR is seeking a medical expert who has experience in interpreting CT
scans related to brain injuries. Anyone who would like to volunteer
their
expertise should contact CAIR Civil Rights Attorney Engy Abdelkader at:
ekader@cair-net.org
-----
DETAINED CALIFORNIA MUSLIM ARRIVES AT LAX
Culver City Man alleges beating during detention
(LOS ANGELES, CA, 7/25/04) – The Southern California office of the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) and the local Muslim community
will
hold a news conference today to welcome back the American Muslim
citizen
who was recently released from Egypt.
WHEN: Press Conference today, July 25, 2004 at 3:00 p.m. (Pacific)
WHERE: Outside of baggage claim, Bradley International Terminal, LAX
Airport FLIGHT INFO: British Airways Flight 283 (Scheduled to arrive at
2:55 p.m. Call British Airways for up-to-date information.)
CONTACT: CAIR-LA, Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847, 714-390-0334
SEE: AMERICAN DETAILS EGYPT DETENTION
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-culvercity24jul24,1,6267512.story
CAIR-LA announced the release of Abdul Ghafoor Mahboob on Thursday,
July 22. He had been held illegally be Egyptian officials since
Friday,
July 16.
CAIR-LA called on the U.S. and Egyptian governments to release
information
about Mahboob's detention. CAIR officials were in contact with the U.S.
Department of State, the American embassy in Cairo and the Egyptian
embassy
in Washington, D.C.
According to Mahboob, he was detained at Cairo airport by Egyptian
security
personnel. He had been in Egypt studying Arabic and was on his way home
when detained.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
CONTACTS: CAIR-LA, Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847 or 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, EMAIL: rahmed@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
CALIF. MAN CLAIMS ABUSE IN EGYPTIAN JAIL
Associated Press, 7/25/04
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/9236825.htm
LOS ANGELES - A California man who was detained in Egypt for nearly a
week
says he was beaten and questioned before authorities released him
without
explanation.
Abdul Ghafoor Mahboob, a naturalized U.S. citizen who lives in the Los
Angeles suburb of Culver City, said he was repeatedly beaten with a
stick
on his thighs and punched in the stomach and head.
"Without my prayers, I would have gone crazy," Mahboob told the Los
Angeles
Times in a phone interview from London on Friday.
Mahboob, 26, said he was at the Cairo airport July 16, on his way home
after spending the last seven months studying Arabic, when guards
stopped
him for what they said was a routine security check.
Mahboob said the officials handcuffed and blindfolded him and drove him
to
a prison.
Mahboob said he was asked questions about his family, education, work
and
mosque affiliation in the United States, but not about his political
views.
He was released Thursday. Mahboob said that when he asked Egyptian
officials why they had detained him, he was told, "We don't know."
Mahboob, who is of Afghan descent, emigrated to the United States in
1988.
Until last year he worked as a fund-raiser for an Islamic relief
organization, the Times reported.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which campaigned for
Mahboob's
release, said Friday it planned to file a complaint with the U.S. State
Department and the Egyptian Embassy.
An Egyptian Interior Ministry official in Cairo declined to comment on
the
matter Saturday.
The nation's embassy in Washington was closed Saturday and no one could
be
reached. A U.S. State Department spokesman said he was not aware of
Mahboob's claims.
-----
FAMILY OF MISSING UCLA COLLEGE STUDENT SEEKS HELP
(ANAHEIM, CA - JULY 25, 2004) - An Anaheim family is asking the public
for
any information they may have about the disappearance of a University
of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA) student who has been missing since
Friday,
July 23, 2004.
[Contacts: Shakeel Syed (family friend) 310-384-7791; Sulayman Arain
(brother) 714-473-6855; Mrs. Arain (mother) 714-322-8574; Note: The
family
(mother, brother, and sister) is available for interviews.]
Ahmad Arain, 20 years old, was last known to be boarding an MTA bus
from
Anaheim, California at the Disneyland bus stop on Friday at 8:30 a.m.
He
was on his way to an appointment with an academic counselor at UCLA who
confirmed that Ahmad never showed up. He was last in touch with his
mother
by cell phone around 10 a.m. that morning. He was scheduled to return
home
at 5:30 p.m. the same day.
The FBI has placed him on the national network of Missing Persons. An
official case has been filed with the UCLA Police Department (Case No:
01-04-001993) and the incident and case number has been reported to the
Anaheim Police Department.
Volunteers have called area hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange County
-
with no luck. They have also placed flyers near the MTA Main station in
downtown LA. Special prayers have also been held at some area mosques
for
his safety.
Contacts: Shakeel Syed (family friend) 310-384-7791; Sulayman Arain
(brother) 714-473-6855; Mrs. Arain (mother) 714-322-8574
----
FL: MUSLIMS FACE NEW WAVE OF HARRASSMENT
Associated Press, 7/25/04
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/florida/news-article.aspx?storyid=21878
ORLANDO, FL -- Areej Zufari makes regular T-V appearances as a
spokeswoman
for an Islamic civil-rights.
But after the beheading of an American hostage in Saudi Arabia, she
says
she was cornered by two obscenity-spewing men at a convenience store in
Orlando.
Islamic leaders say the recent beheadings of foreigners by Islamic
militants have prompted a rash of hate crimes against Muslims in
America.
The U-S Justice Department reports more than 500 Islamic-related hate
crimes nationally since the 2001 terrorist attacks. The Council on
American-Islamic Relations says there were more than a thousand 1,000
incidents of harassment or hate crimes against Muslims last year.
That's up
from 600 in 2002.
ALSO SEE:
ORLANDO WOMAN CONFRONTED AFTER NATIONAL INTERVIEW
Local 6.com, 7/22/04
http://www.local6.com/news/3565167/detail.html
MIAMI -- As a spokeswoman for an Islamic civil-rights organization in
central Florida, it's not unusual for Areej Zufari (pictured, left) to
appear on television news shows to talk about hate crimes and other
issues
affecting the Muslim community. But she wasn't prepared for what
happened
after a recent interview on national TV.
After appearing on Fox News and local television in Orlando and urging
Americans not to blame Muslims for the beheading of American
businessman
Nicholas Berg by Al-Qaida-linked militants in Iraq in May, Zufari
became a
victim of the hate she had tried to discourage.
Two men confronted her inside a gas station's convenience store in
Orlando,
spewing out a string of vulgarities and sexually inappropriate remarks.
"They didn't touch me but they cornered me in the store," recalled
Zufari,
a spokeswoman for the Islamic Society of Central Florida. "I think they
stopped me because they were angry. They saw me as a Muslim."
Islamic leaders say the recent beheadings of foreigners by Islamic
militants in Iraq and Saudi Arabia have prompted a rash of hate crimes
against Muslims in America, despite efforts to educate the public that
those actions don't represent the values of the Muslim religion.
Muslims have faced a mounting backlash since the Sept. 11 terrorists
attacks. Through March 2, the U.S. Justice Department has investigated
549
alleged "backlash" crimes since the terrorist attacks. The Council on
American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based Islamic
civil-rights
group, said there have been more than 1,000 incidents of harassment or
hate
crimes against Muslims last year, up from about 600 in 2002.
CAIR officials say such incidents are likely to be higher this year,
but
they won't have any statistics until later. Meanwhile, the Florida CAIR
office said there have been 32 anti-Muslim incidents in Florida so far
this
year.
"It is getting worse and worse," said Altaf Ali, executive director of
the
Florida CAIR. "Before it was normal discrimination for Muslims in
places of
employment. Now I'm seeing more hate crimes and vandalism in places of
worship, and there is still a lot of profiling of Muslims at
airports..."
-----
FL: MOTION SEEKS JUDGE'S REMOVAL FOR BIAS IN SYRIAN MAN'S CASE
Kevin Smith, Sun-Sentinel, 7/25/04
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cnobond24jul24,0,1205273.
story?coll=sfla-news-broward
Attorneys for the Syrian man arrested for allegedly threatening to
"blow
up" a Plantation electronics store filed a motion on Friday asking a
judge
be removed from the case, arguing the judge showed bias in a demand
their
client take a psychological evaluation.
The defense motion came days after an appellate court ordered Taiser
Okashah be released from jail. Circuit Court Judge Stanton Kaplan had
ordered Okashah, a Davie resident, be held without bond, but the
appellate
court found the facts didn't support Kaplan's decision.
In the motion, attorneys Frank Rubio and Rodney Bryson said Kaplan
exceeded
his authority by attaching a no-bond order to an arrest warrant and
resisted attempts to hold a prompt bond hearing.
"If you look at all of those things, taken together, I think you'll see
this defendant had a well-founded fear -- whether from prejudice or
bias, I
don't know -- that he's not going to get a fair trial here," Bryson
said.
Kaplan was on medical leave this week and unavailable for comment.
Rubio and Bryson contended before the state's 4th District Court of
Appeal
there was no reason to believe Okashah was mentally unstable, writing,
"Certainly he [Okashah] questions whether his natural origin is part of
the
equation."
The question was raised by the local Council on American-Islamic
Relations
three days after Okashah's arrest. The group questioned if Okashah's
Middle
Eastern appearance might have influenced the conversation and its
interpretation.
-----
MO: IMAM HELD ON VISA CHARGE NEARS RELEASE
Aisha Sultan, Post-Dispatch, 7/25/04
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/St.+Louis+City+%2F+Co
unty/1FC9C3DBCDFE736B86256EDB001F57D7?OpenDocument&Headline=Imam+held+on+vis
a+charge+nears+release
Moustapha Seck says he came to America from Africa to tend to the
religious
needs of Senegalese Muslims, visit old friends and connect with family,
as
he has done for many years. Back home, his supporters say, he's
considered
the Billy Graham of the small, West African nation. He is an imam or
religious leader, a scholar and a farmer.
But at Lambert Field on June 10, Seck says a tear in his carry-on
luggage
triggered a chain of events in which he was treated as a security
threat.
Instead of spreading blessings, he found himself spending the next six
weeks in a Missouri jail. For a time, his friends and family had no
idea
what had become of him. Seck is still in jail. But his release is now
imminent because he has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of violating
the
rules of his visa by fund raising at mosques. Seck insists he's
innocent of
that charge - in fact, he can barely speak English - but he needs to go
home…
When he failed to show up and wasn't heard from for several days, his
friends contacted the Council on American Islamic Relations, an
advocacy
and civil rights group for Muslims. The chapter in New York contacted
attorney Jim Hacking, the executive director of the council's chapter
in
St. Louis. Hacking located Seck 150 miles from Lambert, in Charleston,
Mo.,
at the Mississippi County Detention Center.
-----
AZ: FBI, INVESTIGATORS QUESTIONING SOME MUSLIMS AS DEBATE NEARS
Associated Press, 7/24/04
http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=91160
TUCSON -- About one dozen Tucson-area Muslims have been questioned by
FBI
agents and other investigators trying to prevent any terrorism attack
during the scheduled October presidential debate in Arizona. The
interviews
have alarmed some members of the state's Muslim community, but FBI
officials said investigators are simply looking for help in identifying
potential threats to the United States.
"We don't have any specific information that there will be any kind of
attempt to disrupt the debates here locally," said Susan Herskovits, a
spokeswoman for the FBI in Phoenix…
Deedra Abboud, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
said
she was told that the FBI is trying to talk with those who may have
crossed
paths with people who are currently or at one time were under
investigation.
"There's a lot of fear or misperception or misconception," she said.
"We
wanted to try to find a way to work with the FBI to help them get the
information they need and help our community feel less targeted..."
-----
MOSQUE'S FOES SEEK TO CHANGE ELECTION OF ORLAND TRUSTEES
Chicago Tribune, 7/25/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0407230295jul23,1,29834
.story
Orland Park, IL - A political storm is quietly brewing in Orland Park,
where controversy over recent approval of a new mosque has been
followed by
an effort to change how trustees are elected. At the same time, some
residents are searching for a candidate to challenge Mayor Dan
McLaughlin,
who supported the mosque and has voted for other projects opposed by
some
village residents. Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth Gorman's name is
being floated as a potential challenger next spring.
-----
TAKING ACTION IN THE TRUE CHARACTER OF ISLAM
Minhaj Arastu, The State, 7/24/04
http://www.thestate.com/mld/state/news/opinion/9232083.htm
When Muslims hear the name of Prophet Muhammad we say, "peace and
blessings
of God be upon him." But recently, men bearing this name have committed
acts that were neither peaceful nor blessed. So I was surprised to read
in
the newspaper a couple of weeks ago that someone with the name Muhammad
had
committed an unprovoked, wanton act of ... kindness.
Muhammad Saadeddin, the owner of Al-Amir Restaurant, offered to help
distribute 600 boxes of pita bread that could not be delivered and
would
have been discarded. What does he think he is -- an Islamic
philanthrop-ist? Was he acting alone? Or is he part of a network of
Muslims
who are practicing the true meaning of jihad -- struggle in God's Way?
In fact, Muhammad Saadeddin was not acting alone. Since May, almost
700,000
Americans have signed a petition that begins, "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."
(See
the full text at www.cair-net.org
Here are the stories of four more Islamic philanthropists who live in
Columbia. Their acts are motivated by the essence of Islam, which
reminds
us constantly to perform deeds of compassion and mercy...
Mr. Arastu is chairman of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations-Columbia and a history teacher.
ALSO SEE:
SCHOLARS: BEHEADING INNOCENTS NOT ISLAM
Harry Levins, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7/25/04
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/nation/9238440.h
tm
A spokesman for a Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy
group
says executions differ from murders.
"In Islam, capital punishment is allowed, but premeditated murder is
not,"
says the spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations. He notes that the same holds true in many American states.
Capital punishment is also allowed for some federal crimes.
Hooper goes on to say, "The prophet Muhammad 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 and to bear false witness.'"
Many Islamist killers cite the word of God for their own purpose. To
justify their beheadings, they quote the Quran's passage that says,
"When
you meet in battle those who have disbelieved, smite their necks."
Hooper says: "That verse is often used by Muslim-bashers to say that
Islam
is intrinsically violent. But it's clear to any Muslim that the verse
was a
revelation about events occurring at the time of the prophet
[Muhammad]"-
the seventh century.
At that time, Hooper says, Muslims "were engaged in battle with people
who
were trying to destroy the Muslim community."
Today, Hooper says, "That verse is clearly not taken as an order to
kill
all those of a different faith."
-----
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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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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR ACTION ALERT #429
RADIO HOST CALLS ISLAM A 'MURDEROUS ORGANIZATION'
CAIR urges radio network to apologize, offer Muslim viewpoint
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/26/04) - CAIR is calling on the nation's largest
radio
network to apologize for anti-Islam remarks by talk show host and
comedian
Jackie Mason, who recently called "the whole Muslim religion" a
"murderous
organization" that teaches "hate, terrorism and murder."
Mason, who is also known for his right-wing and pro-Israel political
commentaries, made the remarks as guest host on a recent broadcast of
the
Jim Bohannon Show, syndicated nationally by Westwood One.
SEE: The Jim Bohannon Show,
http://www.westwoodone.com/talk_bohannon.htm
Jackie Mason's Home Page, http://www.jackiemason.com/
During the broadcast, New York lawyer Raoul Felder, who is a frequent
co-author of Mason's commentaries, attacked the character of Islam's
Prophet Muhammad. He also said: "This (Islam) is a religion of hate,
this
is a religion of murder."
Mason responded by amplifying Felder's bigotry.
He said: "This is amazing information that almost nobody is aware
of...everyone thinks that it's a legitimate religion that preaches love
and
brotherhood…the truth of the matter is (that terrorists) are reflecting
the
religion and following the religion…they are following the orders of
the
religion directly from the Quran…in plain English, the whole Muslim
religion is preaching and teaching hate, terrorism and murder, and
nobody
knows it, and its about time they found out about it…The Quran…is 50
versions of hate, venom, hostility, and murder…dedicated to terrorism…I
don't know how we can call it a religion in the traditional sense. It
should be called a murderous organization that's out to kill people."
In a letter to Westwood One, CAIR demanded a public apology to the
Muslim
community and an opportunity to refute Mason's Islamophobic smears. The
letter stated: "It is this type of hate-filled propaganda that was used
by
the Nazis as justification for their persecution of the Jewish
community in
Germany." (CAIR also filed a complaint with the FCC.)
Earlier this year, CAIR announced a campaign designed to counter
anti-Islamic hate on talk radio. 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. As part of that campaign, Muslims were given
step-by-step instructions on how to monitor local and syndicated radio
programs, report anti-Muslim hate, file FCC complaints, and contact
advertisers to register their concerns. SEE:
http://www.cair-net.org/hatehurtsamerica/
Reports of anti-Muslim hate may be filed at:
http://www.cair-net.org/hatehurtsamerica/hatewatch.asp
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS REQUESTED: (As always, be firm, but POLITE.)
CONTACT Westwood One to demand that they 1) issue a formal and public
apology to the American Muslim community and 2) invite a Muslim guest
on
the Jim Bohannon Show to refute Mason's defamatory remarks and to
provide
accurate information about Islam.
CONTACT:
Mr. Shane Coppola
President and CEO
Westwood One
40 W. 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
TEL: 212-641-2101
FAX: 212-641-2167
E-MAIL: scoppola@westwoodone.com, thaut@westwoodone.com
COPY TO: fccinfo@fcc.gov, cair@cair-net.org
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -
-----
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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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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JEWISH LEADER WARNS OF ‘GROWING US MOSLEM COMMUNITY’
CAIR calls on Hoenlein to step down from leadership of umbrella group
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/26/04) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today called on Malcolm Hoenlein, director of the Conference of
Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, to step down from
his
post following revelations that he made anti-Muslim comments to an
Israeli
media outlet.
In an interview with Israel’s Maariv newspaper, Hoenlein seemed to
indicate
that he viewed the growth of the Muslim community in America as a
threat.
Hoenlein said: “Europe is the current Moslem battlefield, but America
is
their ultimate goal. There are already 10 Moslem schools in New York,
and
my feeling is that despite growing post-9/11 awareness, there is still
a
degree of naiveté among Americans. I warned against the growing US
Moslem
community 10 years ago, but nobody understood it then. It is estimated
that
there are currently around 10 million Moslems in the US illegally and
the
authorities are finding it very difficult to find them. It's like a
game of
cat and mouse.”
SEE:
http://www.maarivintl.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=printArticle&articleID=10192
“These bigoted and inflammatory remarks, which label all American
Muslims
as a threat to our nation, are unworthy of a person who represents a
community that has itself been persecuted because of such hate-filled
stereotypes,” said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. “Mr. Hoenlein
must
either disavow the quoted statements, or he should immediately step
down
from his leadership post.”
Awad said failure to remove Hoenlein from his position would indicate
that
Islamophobic propaganda is accepted by the organizations he represents.
“Interfaith leaders and elected officials must repudiate Mr. Hoenlein’s
remark for giving aid and comfort to hate-mongers. Religious freedom
and
ethnic diversity helped make American what it is today. Voices of
division
must be condemned by all people of goodwill.” said Awad.
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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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/26/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: RIGHTEOUSNESS AND SIN
* INCITEMENT WATCH: PROBE MUSLIMS IN MILITARY (NY Post)
* CAIR-OH: JOB OPENINGS
* MUSLIM DELEGATES GATHER AT DNC EVENT (MetroWest Daily News)
- Dems Woo Jewish Vote in Close Race (UPI)
- Arab-Americans Unsure About Kerry (Daily Star)
* FL MUSLIMS FACE NEW WAVE OF BACKLASH (Tallahassee Democrat)
* TN: ISLAMIC CENTER CULTURE'S FOUND IN A YARD SALE (Tennessean)
- WI: Diversity in a Small Town (Journal Sentinel)
- UT: Muslim Festival a Family Celebration (Salt Lake Trib)
* VA: ONE-MONTH INTENSIVE COURSE ON QURANIC ARABIC
* ISRAELI RADICAL SEEKS REMOVAL OF JERUSALEM MOSQUE (Reuters)
- US Grants 'Protected Status' to Terror Group (Reuters)
- Sudan Rebels Blocking Peace, Observers Say (Reuters)
- Honor-Killing Book Fabricated (Globe and Mail)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: RIGHTEOUSNESS AND SIN
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said to Wabisah ibn Ma'bad:
"Have
you come to ask about righteousness and sin, Wabisah?...Righteousness
is
that with which the soul is tranquil and the heart is tranquil, but sin
is
that which rouses suspicion in the soul and is perplexing in the
breast,
even if people give you a decision in its favor."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 842
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: PROBE MUSLIMS IN MILITARY
Brad Hamilton, New York Post, 7/25/04
http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/28021.htm
A Republican running for Congress in Westchester says Muslims in the
U.S.
military should be investigated immediately for possible terror ties.
Richard Hoffman, a 33-year-old longshot to unseat four-term incumbent
Rep.
Nita Lowey, cited four examples of trouble involving Muslims, including
the
recent disappearance of Marine Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, who went
missing in
Iraq and then turned up in Beirut.
"One or two, it's a coincidence, but over and over again, we're
starting to
see a pattern," said Hoffman.
Hoffman, who's running a distant second in the 18th Congressional
District,
which covers Westchester plus part of the Bronx and Rockland County,
said
Arabs in the armed forces could be working to undermine national
security.
"We want to make sure that these people aren't infiltrating the
military as
some kind of sleeper cell," he said.
But his controversial comments have received a thumbs-down - from his
own
party.
"I have never heard anyone call for such a thing," said Bo Harmon, a
spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.
"It's certainly not something the party would pursue or support."
His stance got an even worse review from Lowey's camp.
"Mr. Hoffman's comments demonstrate that he is clearly unfit for
office,"
said Lowey's spokesman Howard Wolfson…
SEND POLITE COMMENTS TO: letters@nypost.com
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR-OHIO JOB OPENINGS
RECEPTIONIST/EXECUTIVE SECRETARY:
CAIR-Ohio has an immediate opening for an experienced, dynamic,
enthusiastic, motivated person to fill the position of
Receptionist/Executive Secretary.
The position involves communications, organizational work, answering
phone
calls and emails, processing data, and typing.
CIVIL RIGHTS CASEWORKER:
CAIR-Ohio has an immediate opening for an experienced, dynamic,
enthusiastic, motivated person to fill the position of Civil Rights
Caseworker.
The position involves the following:
* Receive the initial complaints from clients.
* Initiate communication between different parties (client, the other
party, legal advisors)
* Implement the action plan set by legal advisors, e.g. letters, calls,
public pressure campaigns....etc.
* Documents all of the above for future reporting and review.
* Represents CAIR-Ohio in hearing and testimonials.
* Represent CAIR-Ohio in different coalitions of human rights and
advocacy
groups.
All those interested and eligible to work in US (Citizens or proper
work
visa holders) are encouraged to apply in confidence via email to:
jad@cair-ohio.com or by fax 614-451-3222. When applying via email
please
ensure to write the position title in the subject line of the email.)
-----
MUSLIM DELEGATES GATHER AT DNC EVENT
Claudia Torrens, MetroWest Daily News, 7/26/04
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=74026
FRAMINGHAM - Muslims expect to have their voices heard at the
Democratic
National Convention.
Forty Muslim delegates from across America have come to Boston to have
their say during the convention and express their support for Kerry's
campaign. The majority, along with local Muslim leaders, plan to also
take
part in events outside the FleetCenter.
Shahid Khan, national finance co-chairman of the John Kerry for
President
Committee, lives in Framingham and will attend a reception tomorrow
hosting
Muslim delegates at the Islamic Society of Boston.
"We want to mobilize American Muslims in the community and show our
support
to the Democratic Party," said Khan. "We also hope to interact with
local
politicians, as a kind of networking opportunity for Muslim leaders."
The reception will begin at 11:30 a.m., with presentations from Muslim
community leaders and government officials. The mayor of Cambridge,
Michael
Sullivan, and state Rep. Alice Wolf, D-Cambridge, plan to attend the
event.
After taking a break for prayers, there will be a luncheon and speeches
about the necessity of having Muslims work together for Kerry's victory
in
the next election.
"We are fragmented as a community because we are all spread out. This
is
one of the few opportunities we have to communicate and form stronger
alliances," said Parwez Wahid, secretary of the Democratic Town
Committee
in Framingham and one of the organizers of the event. "We will all be
there
to support the victory in 2004 for Kerry's ticket."…
SEE ALSO:
ANALYSIS: DEMS WOO JEWISH VOTE IN CLOSE RACE
Martin Sieff, United Press International, 7/26/04
BOSTON - America's Jews have flocked to the Democrats for more than 70
years, but the Dems gathered in Boston for their national convention
this
week aren't taking that support for granted -- they know it could be
decisive come November.
That's why a phalanx of political heavyweights turned out for a "Salute
to
Israel" Sunday at Boston's Seaport World Trade Center. Sens. Hillary
Rodham
Clinton of New York and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, House Minority
Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California and Gov. Bill Richardson of New
Mexico led the speakers, and the "roll call" of elected Democrats
attending
included five sitting governors, eight senators and more than 70
members of
congress, or around one-third of total Democratic strength in the House
of
Representatives.
The loudest whoops and cheers of the gathering by far went to Sen.
Clinton,
who sounded more convinced of presumptive Democratic presidential
nominee
Sen. John Kerry's qualifications for the Oval Office than the retiring
Kerry has often sounded himself. "I am so strongly in favor of John
Kerry
because he is a serious man for a serious job," she said.
Kerry himself did not attend but signaled his support by sending two of
the
people closest to him: his brother Cameron and his campaign manager
Mary
Beth Cahill.
Pelosi won the cheers of committed Jewish Democrats by emphasizing the
party's commitment to "the separation of church and state" -- a subject
that the predominantly liberal mainstream Jewish community has always
felt
exceptionally strongly over.
The gathering was deliberately designed to emphasize the unanimity and
political clout of the organized American Jewish community in support
of
Israel. It was organized by five groups: the United Jewish Communities
of
North America, the Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the National Jewish
Democratic Council, the Jewish Community Relations Council of greater
Boston and the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC -- the
most
powerful foreign-policy lobbying group in Washington that has been
called
"the 700 pound gorilla on Capitol Hill."…
---
ARAB-AMERICANS UNSURE ABOUT KERRY
Hussein Ibish, Daily Star, 7/24/04
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_ID=10&article_ID=6572&categ_id=2
WASHINGTON - Although the appeal of Democratic presidential nominee
Senator
John Kerry has been eroded by some of his Middle East policies, his
campaign is continuing to receive substantial support in the
Arab-American
community.
Concern about these policies is even being echoed by senior
Arab-American
Democratic Party activists who have delayed the official introduction
of an
"Arab-Americans for Kerry" organization in hopes of gaining
clarification
on the candidate's policies toward Israel and the Palestinians. A
serious
effort to address these concerns has yet to emerge from the Kerry
campaign.
A group of influential Arab-American Democrats met in May with senior
leaders of the Kerry campaign, including campaign manager Mary Beth
Cahill
and national security adviser Rand Beers, the first such meeting the
Kerry
team held with an ethnic group. Participants said they felt that the
campaign had acknowledged the community's perspective and the need to
make
outreach efforts to Arab-Americans.
A number of subsequent developments have given rise to the new
concerns.
Particularly damaging were talking points attributed to Kerry's adviser
for
Jewish affairs, Jay Footlik, which took an extremely pro-Israel stance
somewhat at odds with Kerry's previously stated positions.
Several of the Arab-American Democrats who attended the meeting have
reportedly sent a letter to the Kerry-Edwards campaign stressing the
importance of the Arab-American vote in key swing states and expressing
concern about the positions outlined in the talking points…
-----
MUSLIMS FACE NEW WAVE OF BACKLASH
Aetna Smith, Tallahassee Democrat, 7/26/04
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/9243179.htm
Muhammad Ghaffari, an environmental scientist, said he's never
experienced
a hate-based crime in Tallahassee.
"But it's very hard to express yourself openly," he said Friday
afternoon,
as he stepped outside the Islamic Center of Tallahassee on Pensacola
Street
after his prayers. "I'm a U.S. citizen, but I'm still a foreigner."
Ghaffari, who is originally from India, said local Muslim and American
relations seem better compared with the early months after the Sept. 11
terrorists attacks.
In contrast, Islamic leaders say the recent beheadings of foreigners by
Islamic militants in Iraq and Saudi Arabia have prompted a rash of hate
crimes against Muslims in America, despite efforts to educate the
public
that those actions don't represent the values of the Muslim religion.
"Just because (the militants) were wrong, does not mean every Muslim is
wrong," Ghaffari said.
Muslims have faced a mounting backlash since Sept. 11, 2001. Through
March
2, the U.S. Justice Department has investigated 549 alleged "backlash"
crimes since the terrorist attacks.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based
Islamic
civil-rights group, said there were more than 1,000 incidents of
harassment
or hate crimes against Muslims last year, up from about 600 in 2002.
CAIR officials say such anti-Muslim incidents are likely to be higher
this
year, but they won't have any statistics until later. The CAIR Florida
office said 32 incidents have occurred in the state this year.
"It is getting worse and worse," said Altaf Ali, executive director of
CAIR
Florida. "Before it was normal discrimination for Muslims in places of
employment. Now I'm seeing more hate crimes and vandalism in places of
worship, and there is still a lot of profiling of Muslims at airports."
In Leon County in 2002, the one reported hate crime involved a man who
crashed his truck into the entrance of the Islamic Center, causing
thousands of dollars in damage. Although Naielah Ackbarali has not been
the
target of a hate crime in the Big Bend area, she doesn't take any
chances…
-----
AT ISLAMIC CENTER, CULTURE'S FOUND IN A YARD SALE
Chasity Gunn, Tennessean, 7/25/04
http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/04/07/54854891.shtml?Element_ID=54854891
This wasn't a typical yard sale. It was almost like a trip to another
country.
Women were dressed in long, loose dresses and flowing head scarves.
The sound of children's laughter could be heard. The children ran
around
playing with one another, giggling and squirting water guns. One girl
ran
up to her mother, lightly tugged her dress and asked for another dollar
to
buy a toy. The mother, who couldn't say no to her daughter's smiling
face,
reached into her purse and pulled out a dollar.
They have laid out their world, heritage and culture to share with
others.
It's not a different country - it's 2515 12th Ave. S., at the fourth
annual
International Yard Sale at the Islamic Center of Nashville.
In the back parking lot, there were heaps of clothing and toys, tables
with
jewelry and appliances, and racks of Middle Eastern clothing.
This yard sale had another twist - a food table giving customers a
taste of
India and other countries with traditional dishes.
Customers didn't have to travel halfway across the world or bring a
pocket
full of money to experience the international culture. With clothing
and
food cheaply priced, a few dollars went a long way.
Much of the merchandise was donated by members of the Islamic Center.
Last
year, they raised about $4,000.
It keeps increasing each year, said Sabina Mohyuddin, a member of the
Islamic Center of Nashville. She said she hopes the cycle will continue
this year.
Last year, the proceeds went to Habitat for Humanity. This year, they
will
be used for renovations of the mosque…
SEE ALSO:
DIVERSITY AND GROWING PAINS COME TO SMALL-TOWN WISCONSIN
Mark Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 7/24/04
http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/jul04/246311.asp
BARRON - Barron started as a logging camp in 1860, grew into a
lumbering
center, then an agricultural trading center, and today it bills itself
as
the turkey capital of Wisconsin.
But after decades of almost glacial transformation, this conservative
city
of 3,400 in the northwest part of the state has gone through a dramatic
change, one that has tested America's reputation as a haven for those
fleeing strife-torn homelands.
In less than a decade, a river of refugees from Somalia has flowed into
Barron, lured by good-paying meatpacking jobs at the Jennie-O Turkey
plant,
the city's largest employer. Today, 12% of Barron's population is from
Somalia, a small East African nation on the Indian Ocean.
The city's transformation can be seen in the Somali women dressed in
traditional veil-like hijabs sitting at library computers and scanning
online newspapers for reports from their homeland. It is evident in the
teamwork of Somalis and locals on the high school's new soccer team, a
regional tournament winner the past two years and a source of pride at
a
school that once struggled with racial tensions.
It is evident too as the high school's Class of 2004 walks across the
stage
to receive diplomas. Of the 125 graduates, 15 come from Somalia. As the
female Somali graduates approach, District Administrator Monti Hallberg
takes care to say "Congratulations" but not extend his hand.
"You don't reach out and shake a Muslim woman's hand," said Hallberg,
who
came to the Barron schools after 11 years of teaching in Saudi Arabia
and
five years in Pakistan. "Muslim culture discourages touching between
men
and women who aren't married."
Until recently Barron was hardly a case study in diversity…
---
MUSLIM FESTIVAL A FAMILY CELEBRATION
Salt Lake Tribune, 7/23/04
http://www.sltrib.com/features/ci_2380693
The 2004 Salt Lake American Muslim Cultural Festival is scheduled to
begin
at 11 a.m. on July 31 at the Gallivan Center, 239 S. Main St., Salt
Lake City.
This year's festival, to be inaugurated by Utah State Attorney General
Mark
Shurtleff, celebrates the American ideals of diversity, inclusion, and
tolerance by presenting a diverse set of talented cultural performers
and
vendors, says organizer Ghulam H. Hasnain. It is a free, fun, family
celebration with Islamic values in mind, with 'halal' food and an
alcohol-free environment where Muslims can meet each other and the
community at large…
-----
ONE-MONTH INTENSIVE COURSE ON QURANIC ARABIC
Taught By Dr. Mamdouh N. Mohamed, the Author of Arabic: a Bridge to
Islamic
Culture
From July 26- August 25 at George Mason University, Robinson B Room
224
All classes are offered at 7pm-9pm
Level one: Meets on Tu+ Th+ Sa
Level Two: Meets on Mon+Wed+Fri
Only for $150
To register call (703) 597-1065 or register on Monday July 26 at 6:30
PM at
George Mason University, Robinson B Room 224
NB: This class is not for young children.
-----
ISRAELI RADICAL SEEKS REMOVAL OF JERUSALEM MOSQUE
Corinne Heller, Reuters, 7/26/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5773491
JERUSALEM - A Jewish radical leader said Monday a Jerusalem mosque
compound
that is one of Islam's holiest sites should be removed, shortly after
an
Israeli minister warned of a threat of an attack on the shrine.
Citing intelligence reports, Security Minister Tzahi Hanegbi said there
was
a growing threat of a Jewish ultranationalist attack on the mosque
complex
known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and revered by
Jews as Temple Mount.
"Israel has to return to the Temple Mount and it will. It doesn't have
to
be tomorrow but it has to happen. Islam must remove its hands from the
Temple Mount and descend from it," former Jewish underground leader
Yehuda
Etzion told Reuters amid a series of Israeli media interviews.
Etzion has been banned from the complex since 1984, when he was
arrested
and imprisoned for plotting to blow it up, but has continued to call
for
Jews to reclaim the site of two demolished biblical temples that he
sees as
part of their birthright.
The Islamic trust that oversees the complex in Jerusalem's Old City
voiced
alarm at Etzion's latest comments.
"We are worried," Adnan al-Husseini, director of the Waqf trust said.
"Plotting against al-Haram al-Sharif is escalating. This subject is at
the
heart of the beliefs of Muslims all over the world."…
SEE ALSO:
US GRANTS PROTECTION FOR ANTI-TEHRAN GROUP IN IRAQ
Reuters, 7/26/04
PARIS - The U.S. military has granted "protected status" under the
Geneva
Convention to members of an exiled Iranian opposition group interned in
Iraq, France-based opponents of Tehran said in a statement.
The U.S. head of detainee operations in Iraq, Major-General Geoffrey
Miller, told the People's Mujahideen Organisation (MKO) its members
held at
a base in eastern Iraq had been recognised as "protected persons under
the
Fourth Geneva Convention," the statement said.
The decision -- announced in a letter to the group last week -- will
allow
detainees from the group access to the International Committee of the
Red
Cross and the U.N. refugee agency, the UNHCR.
"(This is a) triumph for the Iranian Resistance and the Iranian
people,"
Maryam Rajavi, head of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
(NCRI),
said in a statement.
The MKO, which has previously been branded a terrorist group by the
United
States and Europe, is the military affiliate of the NCRI, whose
headquarters are near Paris.
Iran regards the roughly 3,800 MKO fighters in Iraq as one of its
biggest
external threats and wants the group's members to be handed over.
Diplomats say Tehran has offered to exchange some al Qaeda prisoners it
is
holding for MKO leaders. Washington has refused the swap, the diplomats
say.
Iranian government spokesman Abdollah Ramazanzadeh said the U.S. move
to
grant the MKO protected status undermined Washington's claims to be
fighting terrorist groups…
---
SUDAN REBELS BLOCKING DARFUR PEACE, OBSERVERS SAY
Nima Elbagir, Reuters, 7/25/04
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040725/wl_nm/sudan_dc_25
KHARTOUM - Rebels in west Sudan are obstructing efforts to stop
fighting in
the expectation that the plight of thousands of refugees will force the
international community to intervene, observers said on Sunday.
Attempts to reach a political solution in Sudan's arid western Darfur
region stumbled last week when the two rebel groups refused to take
part in
talks after the government turned down six preconditions.
A key rebel demand is the disarmament of Arab militia fighters, also
known
as Janjaweed. The rebels accuse the Janjaweed of killing and raping
villagers and then looting and razing their homes. The rebels say the
government armed the mounted Arab militia, though Khartoum calls them
outlaws.
"It is obvious that the rebels feel that if they agitate enough they
can
force the hand of the international community and bring about an
intervention on the ground," said a Western observer in Khartoum who
declined to be named.
Khartoum has said it is improving security and aid distribution in the
area
as it comes under increased international pressure to end fighting the
United Nations says triggered the world's worst current humanitarian
crisis
and forced 1.2 million people out of their homes.
Abdel-Wahid Mohammed Ahmed el-Nur, a leader of the rebel Sudan
Liberation
Movement (SLM), called for international military forces to be sent to
Darfur.
"The United States, U.N., European Union and the African Union must
come to
Darfur because the Janjaweed are still attacking civilians and blocking
relief supplies" he told Reuters by satellite telephone from Darfur…
---
ACCLAIMED HONOR-KILLING BOOK FABRICATED, NEWSPAPER REPORTS
Rebecca Caldwell, Globe and Mail, 7/24/04
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040724/AUTHOR24/TPInternational/TopStories
A critically acclaimed book that told the story of a Jordanian woman's
honour killing at the hand of her father has been branded a fabrication
by
an Australian newspaper.
The Sydney Morning Herald says in today's editions that author Norma
Khouri
invented the tale of Dalia, her lifelong friend and partner in a hair
salon, who purportedly was stabbed to death in 1996 by her Muslim
father
over her relationship with a Christian man.
In Honor Lost: Love and Death in Modern-Day Jordan, which appeared last
year, Ms. Khouri wrote a detailed account of growing up in Jordan under
a
regime oppressive to women. She said her friend's father escaped
prosecution.
The book was a bestseller in Australia, where Ms. Khouri now lives, and
was
published in several other countries, including Canada. Interviews with
Ms.
Khouri and favourable reviews appeared in several publications,
including
The Globe and Mail.
But in today's Morning Herald, literary editor Malcolm Knox says Ms.
Khouri, who is now 34, left Jordan when she was three years old and
lived
in Chicago until 2000.
"The truth is that she didn't live in Jordan at all," Mr. Knox said in
an
interview last night…
-----
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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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FBI PROBE SOUGHT FOR ATTACK ON NY MUSLIMS
Attackers shout ethnic slurs, injure teen with car
(NEW YORK, NY, 7/27/04) - The New York office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today called on the FBI to
investigate
an attack on two Muslim teenagers in Buffalo as a possible hate crime.
The Muslim teens, sisters who wear Islamic head scarves, say they were
targeted Sunday by white teenagers who shouted ethnic slurs and then
tried
to hit the girls with their car. One of the teens pushed her sister out
of
the path of the car, but was herself injured when the car ran over her
foot. Local law enforcement authorities are treating the attack as a
possible bias-related crime.
SEE: "Erie County D.A. Investigating Possible Hate Crime"
http://www.wivb.com/Global/story.asp?S=2091379&nav=0RapPCWO
"Muslim women should be able to walk down a street in America without
fear
of attack or harassment," said CAIR-NY Executive Director Wissam Nasr.
"FBI
involvement in this case will send the message that bias crimes
targeting
American Muslims are taken seriously at the highest levels of
government."
Nasr also said the FBI has resources that may be useful in the
investigation.
Incidents targeting Muslim individuals and Islamic institutions have
occurred recently across America. A Muslim woman driver in Illinois and
a
Muslim shopper in California were assaulted at the end of June by
attackers
shouting anti-Muslim and racist slurs.
In Florida, vandals wrote "Kill all Muslims" inside the Islamic
Community
Center in the Tampa suburb of Lutz. The FBI is also investigating
vandalism
and threatening messages targeting the Islamic Community of Southwest
Florida in Charlotte Harbor. In Missouri, vandals painted a Nazi
swastika
and the word "die" on an addition under construction at the Islamic
Foundation of Greater St. Louis. Three Miami Islamic centers were
vandalized.
Earlier this year in Texas, a man was arrested for threatening an El
Paso
Islamic center, 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. White crosses and "F U Arab" were
spray-painted inside a Middle Eastern grocery store targeted by
arsonists
in Everett, Wash. A home-made bomb exploded in the mailbox of a
Houston,
Texas, Islamic center.
In response to anti-Muslim incidents, CAIR published a "Muslim
Community
Safety Kit." The safety kit may be obtained free of charge by e-mailing
pubs@cair-net.org. (Include name, address and phone number when
requesting
the safety kit.)
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-NY, Wissam Nasr, 212-870-2002, 917-751-1017;
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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/27/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT
* MUSLIM TO OFFER PRAYER AT DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
* KERRY CAN'T TAKE MUSLIM VOTE FOR GRANTED (Newshouse)
- CAIR-FL: Kerry Must Protect My Civil Rights (ST)
- Jewish, Arab Voters Watching Kerry (Winnipeg Free Press)
* TX: MUSLIMS PURSUE PEACE IN BUSH'S BIBLE BELT (Reuters)
* CAIR TO MONITOR HLF INDICTMENTS
- Charity Says FBI Falsified Evidence (New York Times)
* CAIR-SL MEETS WITH PALESTINIAN JOURNALISTS
* NEW US MUSLIM CAMPAIGN AGAINST MISCONCEPTIONS (Islamonline)
- NC: Muslims, Jews Bring Communities Together (WRAL)
* OH: ICGT ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(The comparison of)
this
world to the next is similar to when one of you dips his finger…in the
ocean and then looks at (the amount of water) stuck to it."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1330
-----
MUSLIM TO OFFER PRAYER AT DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
(WASHINGTON D.C., 7/27/04) - An American Muslim religious leader will
offer
the benediction this evening at the Democratic National Convention in
Boston.
Imam Yahya Hendi, the Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University in
Washington, D.C., will offer the prayer following a speech by Teresa
Heinz
Kerry, wife of presidential candidate John Kerry.
-----
KERRY CAN'T TAKE MUSLIM VOTE FOR GRANTED
Chuck McCutcheon, Newhouse News Service, 7/26/2004
http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/mccutcheon072704.html
BOSTON -- Muslim voters appear less inclined to support President Bush
in
November than they did in 2000, but that doesn't mean they
automatically
back Democrat John Kerry.
Several of the roughly 40 Muslim delegates attending this week's
Democratic
National Convention said they are waiting for the Kerry campaign to
show
its concern for Muslim voters and acknowledge they can make a
difference at
the polls, especially in such key states as Michigan, Ohio and
Pennsylvania.
"My sense is that 75 percent of the Muslim leadership is behind Kerry;
however, the public is not," said Asad Zaman, a school principal and
convention delegate from Inver Grove, Minn., whose family is from
Bangladesh. "They have to do their homework. He needs to visit mosques
the
way he visits synagogues."
Spokesmen for the Kerry campaign and the Democratic National Committee
say
they are ramping up their efforts to reach Muslims during and after the
convention.
"We will continue building bridges to the Muslim community around the
country," said Mona Mohib, a Muslim of Indian descent who serves as
vice
chair of the DNC's Asian-Pacific Island caucus.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., recently hosted a
gathering
of national Muslim groups, calling it "only the first in an ongoing
dialogue between congressional Democrats and Muslim Americans."
Estimates vary on how many Muslims are registered to vote. Agha Saeed,
founder and national chairman of the American Muslim Alliance, puts the
figure at more than 4 million, a total that includes African-American
Muslims, Muslims with Arab roots and Muslims with South Asian roots.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington Islamic civil
rights group, asked subscribers to its e-mail list last month about
their
political preferences. Among the more than 1,100 responses, 54 percent
backed Kerry, 26 percent Ralph Nader, 2 percent Bush, 2 percent
"other"; 14
percent were undecided and 1 percent didn't answer that question...
SEE ALSO:
TO EARN MY VOTE, KERRY MUST PROTECT MY CIVIL RIGHTS
Parvez Ahmed, Seattle Times, 7/27/04
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2001988904_ahmed27.html
[Parvez Ahmed is a board member of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, headquartered in Washington, D.C. CAIR is the country's
largest
Muslim civil-liberties advocacy group. E-mail:
pahmed@cair-flor-ida.org]
Millions of Americans will tune in as John Kerry accepts his nomination
to
be the Democratic Party's candidate for president. It will be the most
anticipated speech of his lifetime, a life with a remarkable record of
courage, patriotism and service. Kerry the person has earned my
respect.
Will Kerry the candidate earn my vote, too?
As we tune in, each one of us will like to hear about something that is
most dear to our hearts. For many voters like me it will be civil
rights.
Early on during the Democratic primaries, Kerry voiced his displeasure
about the Patriot Act. However, since being the presumptive nominee,
his
silence on this issue has been deafening.
Preserving our liberal democracy is perhaps the single-most-important
issue
facing Americans this election, although polls suggest otherwise.
Public
silence confirms an uncomfortable truth that since 9-11, the civil
rights
of some Americans have been compromised while the majority remains
oblivious to the dangers that lurk around the corner.
Fighting terrorism is important. But this fight cannot take place at
the
expense of civil liberties. At the end of the day, if we cannot protect
the
very fabric that unites us as a nation, then what is it that we are
fighting for?
Right after the ill-fated day of Sept. 11, 2001, a majority of
Americans,
despite the historical admonition of Ben Franklin to not do so, were
willing to give up a little bit of liberty for a little bit of
security. A
vigorous debate on this issue might have yielded some answers as to
exactly
which rights Americans were willing to give up to be a little bit more
secure. This did not happen and the Patriot Act was rushed through
Congress
in record legislative time.
The onus of a severe curb on civil liberties fell largely on Muslims
and
Arabs, many of whom were nonvoters. A voiceless and defenseless group
of
people was soon to become the collateral damage of the war on terror.
Since 9-11, this group has been subjected to special interviews,
registrations, automatic detentions and deportations. Many have been
tried
in secret, while others had no trials afforded to them. Some have been
detained based on their political opinions, others for their political
associations with disfavored groups. Some Muslim charities have been
shut
down and many have been intimidated into silence.
American-Muslims now live with the dread of a knock at the door often
at
wee hours of the night or early morning. Many are coping with the
reality
of racial profiling at airports, discrimination at places of work,
verbal
abuse in public and hate crimes at places of worship. A recent poll
showed
nearly 88 percent of Muslims saying that they knew of at least one
person
who suffered anti-Muslim bias or discrimination…
---
JEWISH, ARAB VOTERS WATCHING KERRY
Samuel Segev, Winnipeg Free Press, 7/27/04
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
WITH the expected formal nomination on Thursday, of four-term Senator
John
Forbes Kerry as the Democratic candidate in the November presidential
elections, the four million registered Arab and Muslim American voters
are
facing a real dilemma.
Up until two months ago, such a dilemma didn't exist. President George
W.
Bush's written commitments to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
regarding
the final settlement with the Palestinians did not leave them many
choices.
Many of them appeared to be determined to help unseat Bush and bring
back
the Democrats to the White House.
Since then, however, many things have changed. In an effort to win the
"Jewish vote," Kerry defined his positions in terms almost identical
with
those of Bush. Democrats in both houses of Congress, have coalesced
with
their Republican colleagues and have endorsed Bush's commitments to
Sharon,
thus making them binding on any future administration...
Those pro-Israel Kerry statements have confused the Arab-American
electorate. In a survey published on June 30, by the Washington-based
Council on American-Islamic relations (CAIR), some 54 per cent of
eligible
Arab and Islamic voters said that they will still vote for Kerry, while
26
per cent said they will vote for Ralph Nader, who is an American of
Lebanese descent.
Nevertheless, the picture is not so clear. Nihad Awad, the executive
director of CAIR, maintains that Arab and Muslim voters could become
the
"swing vote" in such states as Ohio, Michigan and Florida. Although in
the
2000 elections, many Arab Americans voted for Bush, there has not been
in
the past -- and there doesn't appear to be now -- a "bloc vote" by Arab
and
Muslim Americans. Hence, in the next elections in November, Arab
Americans
who are traditionally more conservative, will have to decide what comes
first: their traditional positions on such hot topics as abortion and
same
sex marriages; or their sympathies for the Palestinians.
Agha Said, one of the activists in the Washington-based American-Muslim
Alliance (AMA), said that for conservative Arab families, the issue of
gay
and lesbian rights takes precedence. Therefore, and since there is
really
no difference between Bush and Kerry on the Arab-Israeli conflict, many
Arab voters might prefer Bush over Kerry. In Agha Said's view, Bush's
views
on same-sex marriage and on abortion, appeal to American Arabs more
than
the liberal positions of Kerry...
-----
MUSLIMS PURSUE PEACE IN BUSH'S BIBLE BELT IN TEXAS
David Morgan, Reuters, 7/27/04
WACO, Texas - Down the road from the Texas ranch where U.S. President
George W. Bush held meetings to plan the invasion of Iraq, Muslim
leader
Afzal Siddiq has become something of an Islamic peace envoy to the
Bible
Belt Christians of Bush country.
A Pakistani-born U.S. citizen who founded the only permanent mosque in
Bush's McLennan County, Siddiq has spoken about Islam at more than 30
churches since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that set the White House on
the
road to war in Muslim Afghanistan and Iraq.
He writes a religion column for the local newspaper and has persuaded
his
fellow Sunni Muslims to open their services to students from
Baptist-affiliated Baylor University.
"The Christian people really opened their doors to us after Sept. 11.
They
invited us to their churches because they wanted to know about
Muslims,"
said Siddiq, a former U.S. Army officer who studied engineering at the
University of Texas before moving to Waco to help run a family
convenience
store.
"It surprises them that we have similar beliefs. I explain to them that
'Allah' is simply the Arabic name for God. It's not a different God,"
he
added...
But other measures paint a more disturbing picture. Data from the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which includes federal crime
reports,
show 36 threats or acts of violence against an estimated 500,000 Texas
Muslims in 2002, rising to 57 incidents in 2003.
"There appears to have been an upswing in Texas in recent months," said
CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper, noting a surge of incidents since the
grisly
murder and mutilation of U.S. military contractors in the Iraqi town of
Falluja last spring.
-----
CAIR TO MONITOR HLF INDICTMENTS
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/27/04) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) said it would monitor the cases of seven men charged today with
supporting Palestinian militants to make sure they are granted all
their
legal rights.
The men were all associated with the Texas-based Holy Land Foundation
for
Relief and Development (HLF), shut down by the government in 2001.
The charity had been targeted by pro-Israel organizations and
individuals
for several years because of what they said was the group's support for
terrorism. HLF officials consistently denied those charges.
Today's New York Times reports that HLF officials claim the FBI
falsified
evidence against it and based its indictment on "distorted"
translations of
Israeli intelligence materials. HLF officials cited 67 translation
errors
in an FBI document used in the case.
SEE: "ISLAMIC CHARITY SAYS F.B.I. FALSIFIED EVIDENCE AGAINST IT"
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/27/politics/27muslim.html
In its statement, CAIR said: "We will monitor the progress of these
indictments to help ensure that the defendants are accorded all of
their
constitutional rights. The government should not use evidence
apparently
tainted by foreign intelligence sources from a nation that has its own
political agenda."
-----
CAIR-SL MEETS WITH PALESTINIAN JOURNALISTS
(ST. LOUIS - 7/27/2004) - CAIR-St. Louis Executive Director James
Hacking
met today with a group of foreign journalists as part of the U.S. State
Department's International Visitor Program to discuss grassroots
organizing
and the participation of Muslims in the U.S. political process.
Hacking was asked to meet with the delegation of journalists as part of
the
State Department's program entitled "Journalism, Society and the
Political
Process in the United States."
The discussion focused on increased participation of local Muslims in
politics, the local CAIR Chapter's media watchdog efforts, the
portrayal of
Islam in the media, and CAIR's national voter registration drive.
CONTACT: CAIR-St. Louis, James Hacking, 314-602-3794, E-mail:
admin@cair-stl.org
-----
NEW US MUSLIM CAMPAIGN AGAINST MISCONCEPTIONS
Islam Online, Islam Online, 7/26/04
http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2004-07/26/article05.shtml
CAIRO - As hate crimes against community members continue unabated, US
Muslim leaders and organizations have launched a campaign to dispel
misconceptions among Americans that actions of extremists represent
Muslim
beliefs, an American newspaper said Monday, July 26.
The Miami Herald said on its website that Islamic groups have tried to
convey to the American public, through appearances in the media, that
Muslims abhor the actions of terrorists.
In New Jersey, Islamic groups recently took out newspaper
advertisements to
condemn terrorism and dissociate their faith from those horrific acts.
"No injustice done to Muslims can ever justify the killing of innocent
people, and no act of terror will ever serve the cause of Islam," the
ad's
text read.
"We repudiate and disassociate ourselves from any group or individual
who
commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts."
The ads came after the beheading of American businessman Nicholas Berg
in
Iraq in May, and the decapitation of his compatriot Paul Johnson in
Saudi
Arabia in June.
"We talk about the good things in Islam," Ahmed Kabani, president of
Florida's American Muslim Alliance, told the American paper.
"We are not preaching religion. We try to promote the right perception
of
Islam as opposed to what people have from terrorists."
Taleb Salhab, president of the Arab American Community Center in
Orlando,
told the paper that Islamic organizations have held forums with
schools,
law enforcement groups and non-Muslims to sensitize them to Muslim
concerns
and issues.
"Hopefully this will alleviate some of the problems of a lack of
awareness
and understanding of (Islam and) Muslims..."
-----
RALEIGH MUSLIMS, JEWS HAVE FAITH IN BRINGING COMMUNITIES TOGETHER
WRAL News, WRAL News, 7/26/04
http://www.wral.com/news/3577046/detail.html
RALEIGH. - Jewish and Muslim communities in the Triangle are working to
get
past their differences and to understand each other better.
"One of the things we have in common is peace and the preservation of
human
life on this planet," said Imam Oliver Mohammed of the As-Salaam
Islamic
Center.
Muslims from the Islamic Center spent Sunday morning with Jews at
Temple
Beth Or in Raleigh. The National Leader of the American Society of
Muslims
addressed the group. Omam Earl Mohammed first visited the Temple in
November 2002. "Much of what the faithful in Judaism hold dear is also
held
dear by Muslims," he said.
Sunday's participants spent most of their time speaking to each other.
"This is one of the few places on the planet where true religious
pluralism
can be played out, and it is one of the places where there is the
maximum
level of interfaith mutuality and respect," Rabbi Raachel Jurovics of
Temple Beth Or said.
"As opposed to following the terrible trends that we see in the world
of
Muslims and Jews fighting and people of faith in general, that some
sanity
needs to be dropped into the picture," Imam Oliver Mohammed said...
-----
ICGT ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
The Islamic Center of Greater Toledo will be holding their 4th Annual
International Festival on Sat and Sun, Aug 21-22, 2004.
There will be booths selling foods from India, Pakistan, Lebanon,
Egypt,
Turkey and many other countries. There will be games and rides for the
children. There will be vendors selling jewelry, books and videos and
there
will be a Coffee House hosted by our seniors. There will be food
preparation demonstrations. A local artist will be on hand to do
personalized Caricatures. There will also be a Classic Car Show on Sat.
Tours of the
Center will be given throughout the Festival. The hours for the
Festival
are Sat 11 am - 9 pm and Sun noon - 6 pm. There is a $3 parking fee
that
includes a program book. There is NO entrance fee. This is a good
Muslim
family environment. If you would like further information, please call
the
Islamic Center at (419) 874-3500 and visit our website at
http://www.icgt.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
-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/28/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: LOVE ONE ANOTHER
* QUOTE OF THE DAY: OBAMA ADDRESSES DETENTIONS
* 'ALIENATED' ARAB-AMERICANS FLOCK TO KERRY (Wash Times)
- An Awakening for US Muslims (Globe)
- Arabs, Muslims Seek a Voice at U.S. Convention (RFE)
- Saudi Woman Carves Us Political Career (AFP)
- Muslim Delegates Uneasy in Bush's America (Scripps)
* CAIR-LA: FAMILY OF MISSING STUDENT OFFERS REWARD
- Search for Missing UCLA Student Continues (LA Times)
* SUIT CHALLENGES DETENTION OF AMERICAN (AP)
- Another Charge Against Airman Dropped (Reuters)
- CAIR-St. Loius: Imam Leaves Jail for Senegal (Post-Disp)
- Short Fuses on 9-11 (Village Voice)
* HLF CASE: INTERNMENT IN THE MODERN ERA (Star Telegram)
- CA Muslims Hold Silent Protest for HLF Official
* WRONG DEFINITION FOR A WAR (Wash Post)
- Americans Are Less Safe Under Bush Policies
* MS: I AM A 'NORMAL' TEENAGER, WITH A DIFFERENCE (Sun Herald)
* HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR FINDS ISRAELI WALL TROUBLING (KC Star)
* LAUGHING UK TROOPS TORTURED IRAQIS, COURT TOLD (Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: LOVE ONE ANOTHER
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "No man loves another
for
God’s sake without his Lord…honoring him."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1301
-----
QUOTE OF THE DAY: OBAMA ADDRESSES DETENTIONS
BOSTON - The following is a transcript of a speech by Barack Obama at
the
Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, July 27, 2004:
“If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that
matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen
somewhere who can't pay for her prescription and has to choose between
medicine and the rent that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my
grandmother. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up
without
benefit of an attorney or due process that threatens my civil
liberties.
It's that fundamental belief -- I am my brother's keeper, I am my
sisters'
keeper -- that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue
our
individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family.
"E
pluribus unum." Out of many, one.”
-----
'ALIENATED' ARAB-AMERICANS FLOCK TO KERRY CAMPAIGN
Amy Fagan, Washington Times, 7/28/04
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040728-121518-8142r.htm
BOSTON — Arab-American delegates, attending the Democratic National
Convention in their greatest numbers in years, say many in their
community
will vote for Sen. John Kerry because they are disillusioned with the
current administration.
The Arab-American vote went overwhelmingly to George W. Bush in 2000,
but
unhappiness with the president's post-September 11 policies is turning
those voters to Mr. Kerry, the delegates say.
"He has alienated so many of us," said Newman Abuissa, an Arab-American
delegate from Iowa who voted for Mr. Bush in 2000 but became so upset
at
the administration that he began actively campaigning for the
Massachusetts
Democrat and eventually ended up here at the convention.
Arab-American "numbers this year look like they'll be the exact
opposite"
from the 2000 election, said Taleb Salhab, a Florida delegate of
Palestinian descent.
He said roughly 70 percent of Arab-Americans voted for Mr. Bush in 2000
and
30 percent voted for Al Gore, but said this time Mr. Kerry will garner
the
majority of votes, possibly enough to tip the scales in battleground
states
such as his own.
There are 46 Arab-American delegates at the Democratic convention this
year, the highest number since the 1988 convention..
---
AN AWAKENING FOR US MUSLIMS
Derrick Z. Jackson, Globe, 7/28/04
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/07/28/
will_muslims_flee_the_gop/
HASHIM RAZA is a 38-year-old physician from St. Louis who, like a
majority
of Arab-Americans, voted for President Bush in 2000. Raza has voted
Republican in every presidential election starting with Ronald Reagan
in
1984. "I was always attracted to the Republican message of
self-accountability, personal responsibility, low taxes, and staying
out of
international affairs," Raza said. This year he will vote for John
Kerry.
"After 9/11, things started adding up," he said at a reception
yesterday
for Muslim attendees to the Democratic National Convention hosted by
the
Islamic Society of Boston. "Muslims were unfairly targeted; we were
presumed guilty; Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, and Cheney acted like they have no
use
for Muslims. The Republican Party has become a refuge for far-right
religious extremists. I believe people like Bush senior were moderates.
But
now I feel the party has excluded me."
A year ago, Arif Gafur, a 52-year-old engineer for Shell Oil in
Houston,
did not know anything about being a delegate to the convention. Before
9/11, he and many of his professional friends were never involved in
politics. But the aftermath of the terrorist attacks where many Muslims
were detained, made him concerned. "America is the best country in the
world, but it's not easy to be a Muslim," he said.
The invasion of Iraq, which Gafur said was "unnecessary," pushed him
and
several other South Asian Muslims to register 1,000 voters and elect
delegates to district, state, and national delegations. Of the about
5,000
delegates to the convention, about 40 are Muslim and six are from
Texas,
including himself.
"Sometimes on Middle East policy, Kerry seems to come across as Bush
Lite,"
Gafur said. "But on domestic policy, with the Patriot Act and the
racial
profiling of Muslims, the Muslim community was awakened to the fact
that we
had to get involved."
The Arab-American awakening could play a significant part in the
Democrats'
drive to put the Bush presidency to sleep. In the 2000 elections, Bush
pledged to end profiling of Arab-Americans. Other Arab-Americans were
put
off by Gore's choice of Joe Lieberman, who is Jewish, as his running
mate,
fearing the choice signaled an unacceptable pro-Israel tilt by the
Democrats. "To many Muslims, Bush just seemed to work harder for our
vote,"
Gafur said…
---
U.S.: ARABS, MUSLIMS SEEK A VOICE AT U.S. DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
Robert McMahon, Radio Free Europe, 7/28/04
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/07/116b7a8e-e516-4aa7-9915-71549e9
147da.html
(Arab- and Muslim-Americans constitute a small but potentially
influential
electoral bloc in this year's U.S. presidential elections. They are
clearly
a more visible presence at the Democratic National Convention in Boston
than in past party gatherings. But they appear to be more galvanized
against Republican President George W. Bush than demonstrably for the
policies espoused by presumptive Democratic Party candidate John
Kerry.)
The first time Maya Berry attended a national convention of the
Democratic
Party 12 years ago, she carried a banner proclaiming the right of
Palestinians to self-determination.
That earned Berry, an Arab-Muslim American, the close surveillance of
convention security guards and, she says, a sense of alienation from
fellow
delegates:
"When I was here in 1992, I was certainly much younger and less
seasoned
politically," Berry said. "But at the same time, I felt considerably
isolated in terms of being Arab-American at the convention. It just was
very different than it is now."
At this year's convention, support of Palestinian statehood is part of
the
Democrats' platform for the first time. Arab-Americans are now an
established ethnic caucus of the party, with 43 delegates attending the
convention. They are seen as an influential voting bloc in several key
states where President Bush and Senator Kerry are close in opinion
polls.
Berry, a delegate from Michigan, says there is much more inclusiveness
of
Arab-Americans this year than in past conventions. But the party must
work
hard, she said, to attract a loyal voting bloc in key states where many
ethnic Arabs live, such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida.
There
are more than 2 million Muslims eligible to vote in the United States,
but
only about 57 percent of them are registered...
---
FROM MECCA TO ELECTION, SAUDI WOMAN CARVES US POLITICAL CAREER
Agence France Presse, 7/28/04
BOSTON, Massachusetts - Can a woman born in the conservative kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, in the holy city of Mecca no less, really be elected to
public office in the United States after September 11?
Ferial Masry thinks she can.
"My story is a great American success story," the bubbly 55-year-old
told
AFP on the sidelines of the Democratic national convention in Boston.
"I
always had a dream, but here is where the dream became real."
Masry hopes voters in her upmarket California region outside Los
Angeles
will extend that dream and send her to the state assembly in November,
becoming the first Saudi-born man or woman ever to win an election in
the
United States.
Masry and her Democratic backers are quick to say it's a long shot --
her
district has a long history of voting Republican -- but her
high-profile
campaign is a sign of the growing visibility of Arab-Americans in US
life.
Arab-Americans say they have had an uneasy time in the United States
since
the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. Most of the attackers came
from
Saudi Arabia, and all of them were Arabs.
"Almost everyone in the community has been touched in some way," said
Jean
AbiNader, a US-born Christian of Lebanese descent and a board member of
the
Arab-American Institute.
He said visa problems, social wariness toward Arabs and the tightened
restrictions set into law by George W. Bush's controversial Patriot Act
all
affected Arab families here.
Meanwhile strained relations with Saudi Arabia, a longtime US ally
whose
cooperation in Bush's war on terror has come under question, cannot do
much
to help Masry's chances.
But with Democratic challenger John Kerry pledging to rebuild US
relations
with allies angered by the war in Iraq, the election of a Saudi woman
--
even to a modest state post -- would be a public relations coup.
Masry paints herself as someone who has integrated into American
society in
the best possible way, retaining enough of her culture not to lose her
identity but nevertheless becoming a 100 percent-loyal US citizen.
Her son served with US forces in Iraq, and she says she wants to help
Arabs
migrating to the United States avoid getting sucked into a cultural
isolation that could breed fundamentalist, anti-US feeling.
"I want to help those who are coming here with fear, those afraid of
losing
their identities if they integrate," Masry said.
At the same time, she says, her story has served as an inspiration for
women and moderates in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East,
giving them a dual sign that the United States is welcoming -- and that
home-grown extremism is not the only option for the future...
---
MUSLIM DELEGATES UNEASY IN BUSH'S AMERICA
Lance Gay, Scripps Howard News, 7/27/04
http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=DEMS-MUSLIMS-07-27-04&cat=PP
BOSTON - Muslim delegates to the Democratic National Convention here
said
Tuesday they are furious about the erosion of civil liberties since the
9/11 attacks and alarmed at what they see as a needlessly reckless and
divisive war in Iraq that is spreading hatred across the Islamic world.
"This is the most important moment of my life, and I just became an
American citizen," said Gulten Ilhan, a philosophy professor at St.
Louis
Community College, who is a delegate representing Missouri.
Ilhan, born in Turkey, said she is alarmed and angry about Bush's
foreign
policy. "After 9/11 we had the support of the world. Now three years
later,
he's turned the whole world against us ... Never in my life do I feel
as
unsafe as I do now," she said.
Parwez Wahid, a 44-year-old Massachusetts software developer and
Democratic
Party secretary in Framingham, Mass., said he followed the
recommendations
of Muslim leaders in 2000 and voted for George Bush after Al Gore
refused
to meet with Muslim leaders.
Wahid said he has regretted that vote ever since.
About 70 percent of the Muslim vote went for Bush in 2000. The American
Muslim Alliance estimates there are more than 4 million Muslim-American
voters in the United States.
"Even if the devil was running against George Bush, I would vote for
the
devil," Wahid said.
About 40 American Muslims are delegates at this year's Democratic
National
Convention - a reflection, Wahid said, of organized efforts by local
Islamic groups across the country to get Muslims more involved in
American
politics. The party does not keep records on the religious breakdown of
delegates, but Wahid said the Muslim presence at the Boston convention
is
larger than at previous party events.
"We're trying to become mainstream," Wahid said. "If Muslims want a
greater
influence, then there's a role they have to play in American politics…"
Missouri delegate Asad Zaman, a 32-year-old principal of a St. Paul
elementary school originally from Bangladesh, said he got involved in
politics because he sees the 2004 election "as a fight for the soul of
our
country."
"I am an American by choice. I chose an America that would guarantee my
freedom, and an America that would guarantee my rights," Zaman said.
"This
is sad. This is not the America we wanted it to be…"
-----
FAMILY OF MISSING UCLA COLLEGE STUDENT ANNOUNCES $10,000 CASH AWARD
Anaheim - The Anaheim family searching for Ahmad Yaseen Arain, the
missing
UCLA student since Friday, July 23rd, today announced a $10,000 cash
award
leading to his safe return.
The friends of Ahmad Arain’s family are offering this award hoping it
will
trigger leads that may help the investigations further.
ALSO SEE:
SEARCH FOR MISSING UCLA STUDENT CONTINUES
Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times, 7/28/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-missing27jul27,1,7204438.story?coll=
la-headlines-california
Police continued searching Monday for a UCLA student who vanished
Friday
while traveling between his Orange County home and the university.
Ahmad Yaseen Arain, 20, a bookish computer science student, hurriedly
left
his family's home in Orange on Friday morning to catch a bus for a
meeting
with an academic counselor. He was last seen by his younger brother,
who
dropped him off at a Harbor Boulevard bus stop in Anaheim about 8:30
a.m.
After interviewing family members Monday morning, University of
California
police — who are leading the investigation — left with Arain's personal
computer and expect to review surveillance videos and interview drivers
from the buses Arain might have ridden. Police filed a missing-person
report with national, state and local authorities late Friday after
receiving a call from Arain's family.
Zahida Arain, Ahmad's mother, said she last spoke to her eldest son on
his
cellphone about 9:30 Friday morning as he was presumably traveling on a
Los
Angeles MTA bus to downtown Los Angeles, where he planned to transfer
to
another bus bound for UCLA.
She said she admonished him for leaving the house without eating
breakfast,
and he told her he would buy a late breakfast after his meeting at
11:30.
Arain, who rents an apartment near campus during the school year, had
returned home for the summer. It was his first time making the bus
journey
from Anaheim to UCLA, his brother said.
The mother first grew worried Friday when she telephoned Arain a second
time about 11 a.m. and found that his phone had been turned off —
something
that rarely happened. The family became increasingly concerned
throughout
the day after Arain missed his appointment, did not attend afternoon
Muslim
prayers at the school, and did not return home that night…
-----
SUIT CHALLENGES DETENTION OF AMERICAN
Anne Gearan, Associated Press, 7/28/04
http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=37578
WASHINGTON - The parents of an American jailed without charges in Saudi
Arabia are suing the United States in what lawyers say is the first
lawsuit
filed on behalf of a U.S. citizen detained in a third country at the
U.S.
government's request.
The parents claim his being held in Saudi Arabia is a deliberate
attempt to
keep him out of U.S. courts and in the hands of jailers who could abuse
or
torture him for information.
The family's lawyers cite last month's Supreme Court rulings that
alleged
enemy combatants held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
can
take their claims to U.S. courts.
Ahmed Abu Ali was arrested 13 months ago in Saudi Arabia as part of an
American anti-terrorism investigation. The U.S. government ordered the
arrest and has refused to say when or if Abu Ali would be charged or
released, the family alleged in a suit to be filed Wednesday in federal
court in Washington.
The family wants an American judge to order Abu Ali returned to the
United
States, where he might face charges as part of an alleged terrorism
training ring in Virginia. The suit names Attorney General John
Ashcroft,
Secretary of State Colin Powell and others and cites the Supreme Court
rulings last month that outlined legal rights for citizens and
non-citizens
detained in the war on terrorism.
``Although petitioner Ahmed Abu Ali presently is physically confined in
Saudi Arabia, (the U.S. government) directed and conspired with Saudi
co-conspirators to carry out his arrest and indefinite detention in
that
country without due process protections and in violation of other
statutory
and constitutional standards,'' lawyers for Abu Ali's family wrote...
ALSO SEE:
ANOTHER CHARGE AGAINST U.S.-SYRIAN AIRMAN DROPPED
Adam Tanner, Reuters, 7/27/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5791332
SAN FRANCISCO- Prosecutors dropped another charge on Tuesday against a
Syrian-American airman accused of espionage at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
and
his lawyer said a key prosecutor in the case now facing unrelated
charges
had himself mishandled more sensitive documents.
Maj. Jamie Key, attorney for Senior Airman Ahmad al-Halabi, said Air
Force
prosecutors withdrew a charge of bank fraud alleging that he had
submitted
false information on credit card applications.
He still faces 16 of 30 charges originally filed against him including
carrying jail maps, letters and other documents from U.S. prison at
Guantanamo Bay where terrorism suspects are held. Halabi is expected to
go
to trial in mid-September.
In an interview, Key complained that Technical Sgt. Marc Palmosina, 37,
who
once oversaw the spy probe against Halabi, had himself committed
serious
violations.
An official Air Force charge sheet from late May accused Palmosina with
"failing to safeguard some number of classified documents and/or
failing to
store some number of classified documents only in authorized
locations."
Halabi spent ten months in pretrial confinement before he won release
in
May pending trial. Key said he found it troubling that his client
appeared
to face tougher pretrial standards than his investigator...
SEE ALSO: JUSTICE FOR AHMAD AL-HALABI
http://www.civilrightsfund.org/halabijustice/
---
IMAM LEAVES JAIL FOR SENEGAL
Aisha Sultan, Post-Dispatch, 7/26/04
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/St.+Louis+City+%2F+Co
unty/671AAED85824B39286256EDE001D2A48?OpenDocument&Headline=Imam+leaves+jail
+for+Senegal+
A West African imam who was detained in an immigration jail for six
weeks
left St. Louis on Monday to head back to Senegal, federal officials
said.
Moustapha Seck, a prominent religious figure in his native country, was
stopped June 10 at Lambert Field when he tried to board a flight to
Rhode
Island.
Seck speaks limited English and asserted later that the translator used
by
the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement encouraged him to admit to
a
visa violation that he says he didn't commit. He also alleged that
federal
agents had mistreated him and pressured him into saying he had raised
money
at mosques - a charge to which he pleaded guilty in court.
He denied the fund raising but says challenging the charge would have
kept
him in jail for several more months. He needed to return to Senegal to
tend
to his crops, he said.
Marilu Cabrera, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
said
Monday that she was trying to track down the translator used by the St.
Louis special agents. Last week, Cabrera said she had no knowledge of
any
allegations concerning mistreatment.
A judge granted Seck's request to voluntarily leave the country several
weeks ago, but his return had been delayed due to travel arrangements,
Cabrera said. "He was granted voluntary departure by the judge, so that
was
the plan for him all along, to go back home," she said...
---
SHORT FUSES ON 9-11
Tom Robbins, Village Voice, 7/27/04
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0430/robbins.php
If not for his untrimmed beard and knit kufi skullcap, Muhamed
Pjetrovic
could be standard-issue, New York blue-collar tradesman. He is short
with a
barrel chest and the rough hands of the electrician he has been for
almost
25 years. He has a quick grin and cracks the little jokes that manual
workers use to get through the day. He has three baseball-loving sons
whom
he ferries to school every morning. He is a registered voter who goes
to
the polls on election days. Since 1981 he has held a membership card in
Local 3 of the electrical workers' union, and the good wages it brought
helped him buy a home in New Jersey and an upstate bungalow. There, he
liked to go back in the woods and bang away at cans with a .22, a hobby
that led him to join the NRA.
But none of those otherwise healthy American traits seemed to count for
much after 9-11, when Pjetrovic was barred as a security threat from
the
downtown computer center where he had worked since 1986. After he was
fired
from his $25 per hour job, he found himself abandoned: His union
declined
to take his case to arbitration, and the firms he approached for new
jobs
turned him away.
In a lawsuit now pending in Manhattan federal court, Pjetrovic
(pronounced
Pee-yetro-vich) claims that Merrill Lynch & Co., the investment giant
whose
generators and power lines he tended for more than two decades, and his
direct employer, a contractor named Knight Electrical Services, had
discriminated against him as a Muslim and wrongly accused him of
disrupting
the workplace.
"In many respects, he's an All-American guy who came under suspicion
only
because he has different beliefs," said attorney Robert Perry, who,
along
with lawyer Yasser Helal, represents Pjetrovic.
The defendants declined to discuss the case, but in court papers they
say
that they responded properly to a potential security risk and did not
discriminate…
-----
INTERNMENT IN THE MODERN ERA
Noor Elashi, Star-Telegram, 7/28/04
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/opinion/9261401.htm
My 5-year-old cousin's simple, yet powerful plea continues to pound in
my
head.
"I miss my dad," she says.
What makes her statement distinct is that her father's only crime is
being
a Muslim Arab-American. Her father, along with his four brothers, was
taken
into custody Dec. 18, 2002, in Richardson.
The arrests were based on indictments accusing the brothers of shipping
computer parts to "terrorist" countries: Syria and Libya. They were
convicted July 7 by jurors in federal court and will be sentenced in
October.
But for one brother -- my father, Ghassan Elashi -- even more trouble
is
ahead.
He has been named in a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday that accuses
the
Holy Land Foundation, a charity for which he once served as chairman,
of
aiding terrorism by sending money to Hamas.
The Elashi brothers -- Ghassan, Bayan, Basman, Ihsan and Hazim -- came
to
America from Palestine nearly 26 years ago to seek their master's
degrees,
acquire jobs and enjoy a better life. In that pursuit, they became
victims
of America's war on terrorism.
Too far-fetched?
A few weeks after the destruction of the twin towers, about 800 Arabs
and
Muslims were arrested without access to attorneys and, most
astonishingly,
without any charges.
There were many instances of physical violence against Arab- and
Muslim-Americans that included weapon assaults, beatings, a firebomb
thrown
at an Arab-American community center and shots fired at several
mosques.
Tragically, the USA Patriot Act, an enormous infringement on our basic
civil liberties, was passed with little debate...
SEE ALSO:
CA MUSLIM HOLD SILENT PROTEST FOR HLF OFFICIAL
WHAT: The Muslim community will hold a silent protest for the release
of Abdul Jabbar Hamdan currently held in custody by federal authorities
on alleged immigration charges in connection to the Holy Land
Foundation
case.
WHEN: Wednesday, July 28, 2004 at 12 noon
WHERE: Outside Santa Ana Federal Building, 34 Civic Center Plaza
Federal
Building, Santa Ana, CA
CONTACT: Ibrahim Subeih, 714-590-3268
-----
WRONG DEFINITION FOR A WAR
Caleb Carr, Washington Post, 7/28/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19728-2004Jul27.html
Toward the end of its widely praised report, the Sept. 11 commission
offers
a prescriptive chapter titled "What to Do?" There, it makes an
assertion
that is genuinely shocking. It says that in our current conflict, "the
enemy is not just 'terrorism,' some generic evil. This vagueness blurs
the
strategy. The catastrophic threat at this moment in history is more
specific. It is the threat posed by Islamist terrorism [the report's
emphasis] -- especially the al Qaeda network, its affiliates, and its
ideology."
At a stroke, in other words, the members of the commission have tried
to
rewrite the terms of the global war on terrorism and turn it into a
global
war on Islamist terrorism alone.
It seems almost incredible that we could have been at war this long
without
defining precisely who or what we are at war with. But such is the
case,
and it has never seemed an urgent matter to lawmakers. When I appeared
before a congressional subcommittee studying strategies for the war on
terrorism in 2002 and suggested that the first step should be the
promulgation of just such a uniform definition, the members were
momentarily dumbstruck. To their credit, they soon recovered and we
began
to discuss the issue, but a comprehensive definition of terrorism for
the
use of the American government and the education of the American people
never emerged. Now, however, the president and his supporters are
apparently ready to instantly approve the radical definition set
forward by
the commission.
Terrorism, as defined by military historians, has been a constant, ugly
feature of warfare, an aberrant tactic akin to slavery, piracy and
genocide. One of the reasons that some of us argued throughout the
1990s
for undertaking of genuine war on terrorism (involving the military in
addition to intelligence and law enforcement) was the notion that we
might
finally declare the tactic -- like those other aberrant belligerent
methods
-- to be out of bounds, for the armed forces of civilized nations and
non-state organizations alike.
It's true that both slavery and piracy are still practiced, but only in
remote corners of the world; certainly genocide is still with us, but
its
employment is now cause for immediate sanction and forceful reaction
(theoretically, at any rate) by the United Nations. Banning such
tactics
and actively stamping out their practice has been the work of some of
the
great political and military minds and leaders of the past two
centuries.
Now it is time -- past time, really -- for terrorism to take its place
as a
similarly proscribed and anachronistic practice…
SEE ALSO:
STATEMENT ON DIPLOMATS AND MILITARY COMMANDERS FOR CHANGE ON WHY
AMERICANS
ARE LESS SAFE UNDER BUSH ADMINISTRATION POLICIES
US Newswire, 7/28/04
http://www.usnewswire.com
President Bush asserts that America is safer as a result of the war in
Iraq. But, according to recent Gallup, CBS and NBC polls, Americans
increasingly feel less secure because of the war. They are right. While
the
president declared victory in Afghanistan after the major battles with
Al
Qaeda, it is clear Al Qaeda is still active, and according to senior
Bush
administration officials is currently plotting new attacks against the
US
from the Afghan-Pakistan border. Al Qaeda has also worked successfully
to
help new terrorist organizations and activities around the world -
Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Spain -- as well as Iraq.
In Afghanistan, the US has been diverted by war in Iraq into a woefully
inadequate investment of military, financial and political resources -
including the leadership needed to mobilize strong international
support.
Military and reconstruction assistance levels per capita by the US and
its
NATO allies are about one tenth of that for Bosnia and Kosovo. As a
result,
security has declined, opium production is soaring (90 percent of world
total), Taliban has made a comeback, planned parliamentary elections
for
October have been postponed, and international assistance workers have
ceased to operate in many provinces. After two and one half years of
trumpeting victory, we are bogged down. Our enemies are encouraged.
In Iraq, we are also bogged down in insurgency and terrorism. The
mission
has not been accomplished, despite political changes and a belated role
for
the United Nations. American and Iraqi casualties continue to mount.
Security is highly problematic and the political future is murky.
The US Occupation of an Islamic country is seen by most in the Muslim
world
as comparable to the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Muslim fighters flock
to
Iraq as they once did to Afghanistan. Our friends are discouraged and
unwilling to contribute the needed additional resources, even to
protect
the new UN Representative. Some countries and companies have pulled
out,
under threat. Our enemies around the world are heartened.
The perception of US military strength is being eroded, as equipment
and
personnel and budgets are strained to the limit in Iraq. Once again, as
in
Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia, highly superior US forces are now seen as
vulnerable to guerilla warfare and terrorism. The deterrent value of US
military might has been weakened.
Iran and North Korea, the other two members of the "Axis of Evil", have
not
been intimidated by threats of unilateral US preemptive action. Nor
have
they responded to ambivalent United States diplomacy. As a result,
North
Korea is apparently producing more nuclear weapons and Iran has
continued
to develop its nuclear capacity. Due to the situation in Iraq, Iran is
also
assuming an increasingly powerful regional role.
Absent a truly serious visible effort to resolve the Israeli-
Palestinian
conflict or restrain the aggressive Israeli tactics on the ground, the
US
is increasingly identified in the Arab world as totally supportive of
Israeli PM Sharon's policies. This further exacerbates worldwide Muslim
anger at the US over Iraq, undercuts efforts at reform, and increases
likelihood of future anti-US terrorism among young people.
In short, progress in the struggle against terrorism has been offset by
faulty policy. The overall result is that the Bush Administration's war
in
Iraq leaves the United States less secure rather than more.
It is time for a change.
Five members of Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change are
available
for the news media today at the convention:
-- William Harrop - former Ambassador to Israel and former Inspector
General of the State Dept and Foreign Service.
-- Princeton C. Lyman - former Ambassador to South Africa and former
Asst.
Sec. of State for International Organization Affairs.
-- George Moose - former Ambassador to Senegal and former Asst. Sec. of
State for African Affairs.
-- James D. Phillips - former Ambassador to Congo and Burundi and
Diplomat-in-Residence at the Carter Center.
-- Michael Sterner - former Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and
former Dep. Asst. Sec. of State for Near Eastern Affairs.
-----
I AM A 'NORMAL' AMERICAN TEENAGER, WITH A DIFFERENCE
Eba Hamid, Sun Herald, 7/28/04
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/thesunherald/news/editorial/9258816.htm
Growing up as a Muslim female in America, life was not always as sweet
as
apple pie for me.
In Head Start and kindergarten, making friends was easy. No one really
cared what you looked like or what religion you were as long as you
were
quick enough to twirl the merry-go-round or play tag on the playground.
As I got older, though, I realized I was different. I constantly heard
my
classmates talking about church and Jesus, things I never heard around
my
house.
My family went to the mosque and read the Quran. We fasted during
Ramadan
and prayed five times a day. I didn't date, and I didn't attend
sleepovers
or parties. The prevalent language in my house wasn't English, but
Arabic,
and Friday was our equivalent to the Christian Sunday. We didn't
celebrate
Easter or Christmas or any other holiday except the Islamic holiday,
Eid,
which is twice a year. We also focused on the five pillars of Islam:
prayer, charity, fasting, pilgrimage and Shahadah, or confession of
faith.
I told this to one of my fifth-grade friends one day, and the first
thing
she did was invite me to attend church with her the next Sunday so I
could
see "how wrong my religion was." Here I was, only 11 years old, and I
encountered my first taste of how Islam is misunderstood and disdained
in
the views of many Americans.
Five years later, I saw more and more of those views surface. On Sept.
11,
2001, I was in the school library, and I watched as the second hijacked
plane hit the towers. I remember the librarian giving me a hug, with
tears
in her eyes.
I suddenly had many people asking me questions about Islam.
Occasionally, I
got a few hateful comments or one of my friends would say their parents
did
not want us to be friends anymore, but for the most part, people were
just
confused and wanted answers.
Many of those questions were about Islam in general: What was the main
difference between Islam and Christianity? Why didn't I wear a hijab,
or
head scarf? I always explained it to them carefully, and they left
knowing
more about a religion they were once oblivious about.
-----
HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR FINDS WEST BANK BARRIER ‘DEEPLY, DEEPLY TROUBLING'
Catherine Matacic, Kansas City Star, 7/28/04
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/9242772.htm
Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein is used to being called anti-Semitic.
She
is also used to being called a “self-hating Jew.”
Those are some of the responses the 79-year-old from St. Louis gets for
traveling to Israel to protest government policies toward Palestinians,
she
said Sunday in a speech at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
“Jews as a whole know what suffering is … and now it seems that the
Holocaust victims and their children or grandchildren are becoming the
victimizers,” Epstein said. “That is deeply, deeply troubling.”
In June, Epstein joined a group called Women of a Certain Age to visit
towns affected by the security barrier Israel is building in the West
Bank.
Proponents say the concrete-and-barbed wire barrier, which will
eventually
stretch for 425 miles, is key to preventing terrorist attacks in
Israel.
Those who oppose what they call “the wall” say its location will be
devastating for Palestinians living in its path, isolating them in
islands
surrounded by security checkpoints on all sides…
-----
LAUGHING UK TROOPS TORTURED IRAQIS, COURT TOLD
Andrew Cawthorne, Reuters, 7/28/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5800438
LONDON - Laughing British soldiers tortured Iraqi detainees by beating
and
kicking them, pouring freezing water on their heads and forcing them to
recite names of English and Dutch football stars, a court heard on
Wednesday.
The accusations -- which throw the spotlight back on troop behaviour in
the
U.S.-led occupation -- came from an Iraqi witness at London's High
Court
where families of six dead civilians have launched a test case against
UK
soldiers.
"The soldiers appeared to be thoroughly enjoying themselves as the
beating
was accompanied by laughter," said Kifah Taha al-Mutari. He was
arrested in
September, 2003, along with one of the six dead Iraqis, Baha Mousa, in
a
raid on a hotel in Basra.
Mousa later died in custody after alleged severe beatings.
"I could hear him moaning through the walls," added Mutari, whose
statement
was read out in his presence. "I heard him say 'I am dying ... blood
...
blood.' I heard nothing further."
Relatives of the Iraqi civilians who died, represented by British
lawyer
Phil Shiner, are demanding that judges force Tony Blair's government to
open independent probes.
The case is expected to last to the end of the week...
-----
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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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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
CA MUSLIMS DECRY 'PRESSURE TACTICS' USED ON DETAINEE
24-year-resident threatened with deportation unless he 'talks'
(LOS ANGELES, CA, 7/29/04) - On Friday, July 30, the Southern
California
office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) will hold
a
news conference to outline concerns about allegations that a local
Muslim
is being threatened with deportation as a "pressure tactic" to gain
information about an Islamic charity.
The news conference, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles/Orange County
chapter
of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC-LA/OC), will be
followed by an Islamic Friday congregational prayer (Jumah) and rally
sponsored by the local Muslim community.
WHEN: Friday, July 30, 12:15 p.m. (Pacific), Prayer and rally begin at
12:45 p.m.
WHERE: Outside Santa Ana Federal Building, 34 Civic Center Plaza, Santa
Ana, CA
CONTACT: CAIR-LA, Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847, 714-390-0334
Abdel-Jabbar Hamdan, a 44-year-old resident of Buena Park, Calif., was
detained on Tuesday, the same day that several former officials of the
Texas-based Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) were
arrested for allegedly funneling charitable donations to Palestinian
militants, a charge they consistently deny. Hamdan's family and
attorney
say the 24-year U.S. resident, who has six U.S.-born children, is being
told he and his wife will be deported unless he offers information in
the
HLF case.
SEE: "Immigration Status Cited in Detention of Man Who Worked for
Charity
Under Probe"
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-hamdan29jul29,1,5606415.story
"Muslims Protest Man's Arrest"
http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2004/07/29/sections/local/local/article_183699
.php
"Our legal and immigration systems should be used to punish criminals
and
protect our borders, not as psychological thumb-screws to extract
information," said CAIR-LA Communications Director Sabiha Khan.
Ban Al-Wardi, Hamdan's immigration attorney, said her client has
cooperated
fully with federal officials on three separate occasions and has
offered
any and all information he has on the HLF case. Al-Wardi is also
president
of the ADC-LA/OC.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-LA, Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847, 714-390-0334; 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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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/29/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: RIGHTEOUS DEEDS
* ELECTION UPDATE #14: MUSLIMS AND THE DNC/9-11 COMMISSION
- CAIR-SEATTLE: Mosque Voter Registration Project
- CAIR-AZ: American Muslims Questioned by FBI (NPR)
* FL: FEDS WARN COUNTY ABOUT LIMITS ON MOSQUE (AP)
* U.S. MUSLIM GROUPS DECRY 9/11 REPORT INPUT (AP)
* TX: MUSLIMS MAKING POLITICAL WAVES (Star-Tel)
- Muslim Democrats Hopeful But Wary (Daily Star)
- Muslims More Politically Active Post 9/11 (Cap News)
* MI: ARAB-AMERICANS REPORT ABUSE (Wash Post)
- MI: Arab-Americans Are Diverse (Detroit Free Press)
* CAIR-FL: FALSE ALARM SHUTS PORT FOR HOURS (Sun-Sentinel)
- NY: 5 Charged for Beating Sikh (Indolink)
* TX: MUSLIMS REACT TO HOLY LAND INDICTMENTS (Star-Telegram)
* WHY THE US GRANTED 'PROTECTED' STATUS TO TERRORISTS (CSM)
* FL: MUSLIM COMMUNITY HAS PERMANENT HOUSE OF WORSHIP (PBP)
- TN: Community Seeks Training for Schools
* ELECTRONICS MAKERS DEVELOP DEVICES FOR MUSLIMS (FEER)
* IL: LATINO MUSLIMS JOIN FIESTA DEL SOL
- GA: Muslim Day 2004 in Atlanta
* INCITEMENT WATCH: 'FOLLOWING THE METHOD OF MOHAMMAD'
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: RIGHTEOUS DEEDS
Verily, (God) most Gracious will bestow Love on those who have faith
and
work deeds of righteousness.
The Holy Quran, 19:96
-----
CAIR WEEKLY ELECTION UPDATE #14: MUSLIMS AND THE DNC/9-11 COMMISSION
The latest issue of CAIR's ELECTION 2004 UPDATE is now available
online.
CAIR's weekly 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/jul292004.asp
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1) RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE
Democratic National Convention
- Edwards Mixes Optimism and Criticism
- Democrats Focus on Healing Divisions
- Clinton Assails Bush as Democrats Open Convention
- GOP: Democrats Broke Their 'Positive' Promise
9/11 Report
- 9/11 Panel Proposes Liberties Watchdog
- Kerry Says 9/11 Commission Recommendations Require Urgent Action
- Bush May Move Soon on 9/11 Report
- Badnarik: Most Effective Way to Prevent Terrorism is Missing from
9/11 Report
- U.S. Muslim Groups Decry 9/11 Report Input
Foreign Policy
- Cheney Defends Policy on War in Iraq
- Kerry's Worldview: How Big a Change?
Economy
- Economy is Growing, Jobs are Being Created, But Wages Don't Keep Up
- Bush Campaign: Consumer Confidence at Two-Year High
Civil Rights
- NPR Compares Bush and Kerry on the Patriot Act
Stem Cell Research
- Bush Campaign: Bush Administration First to Fund Embryonic Stem Cell
Research
Family
- Pro-lifers Insist on 'Inclusion' in the Democratic Party
Outreach
- Democrats are Trying Not to Upset Swing Voters
2) COMMUNITY ACTIVISM
- Muslims, Arab Americans Making Political Waves
- Muslim Delegates Gather at DNC Event
- An Awakening for US Muslims
- In Post-9/11 America, Muslims Get Political
- Kerry Can't Take Muslim Vote for Granted
- Muslim Democrats Hopeful But Wary
- Muslim Delegates Uneasy in Bush's America
- Patriot Act, Abuses Cost Bush Support of Arab-Americans
- 'Alienated' Arab-Americans Flock to Kerry Campaign
- The Arab American Delegation to the Democratic National Convention
- Arab Americans Opt for Kerry
- Islamic Group Congratulates McKinney on Primary Win
- FL: Islamic Leader Calls FBI Interviews Intimidation
- Voters in Hamtramck Fail to Quell Muslim Prayer Call
- Pakistanis Raise $1 Million for John Kerry
Upcoming Events:
To announce your upcoming American Muslim local event, please contact:
politics@cair-net.org
3) NATIONAL, STATE & LOCAL
- GA: Cynthia McKinney, Critic of Israel, Wins Democratic Primary in
Georgia
- FL: Group Critical of Castor over Al-Arian Case Places Full-page
Newspaper Ads
- RI: GOP Senator Criticizes Bush for Iraq War
- VA: New Law Reaffirms Virginia's Ban on Same-Sex Marriage
- OH: Rally to Publicize Plight of Detainees
- Many Cities React to Provisions of USA Patriot Act
- IA: City Council passes resolution opposing Patriot Act
To send local news stories, feedback, and comments please email:
politics@cair-net.org
SEE ALSO:
WA: MOSQUES PARTICIPATE IN VOTER REGISTRATION PROJECT
State's Muslims urged to vote in upcoming elections
On Friday, July 30, a dozen mosques throughout Washington State will
deliver a sermon with a common theme: Muslims should participate in the
political process in the United States. Imams in Lynwood, Mountlake
Terrace, Olympia, Seattle, Sea Tac and University Place will discuss
the
need for Muslims to vote and to take an active role in their
communities.
Volunteers will be on hand at each of these locations to register
eligible
people to vote.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Seattle (CAIR-Seattle) and
Hate Free Zone Washington have sponsored this coordinated effort to
encourage Muslims to vote in the upcoming elections. These two
organizations have undertaken a voter registration project with a goal
of
registering 10,000 Muslim voters before the November 2nd election. So
far,
the group has registered over 1,500 new voters.
CONTACT: Michaela Corning (CAIR), (206) 321-5769; Mubarak Elamin,
425-417-0138
CAIR-Seattle
Council on American-Islamic Relations
12351 Lake City Way NE, Suite 103
Seattle, WA 98125
Tel: (206) 465-0977
Fax: (206) 774-0436
E-mail: info@cair-seattle.org
---
AMERICAN MUSLIMS QUESTIONED BY FBI
All Things Considered audio, 7/29/04
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=3627231
The FBI is conducting a new round of interviews with Muslims and Arab
Americans living in the United States. Officials say they are seeking
information that can be used to detect terrorist plots. In some cases,
those being questioned say the interviews leave them frightened or
irritated. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.
-----
FEDS WARN COUNTY ABOUT LIMITS ON MOSQUE
Associated Press, 7/29/04
SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) - The U.S. Department of Justice has warned
Sarasota
County officials that they may have acted unfairly against a Muslim
group
by limiting the height of their proposed mosque.
The County Commission ruled in February that the mosque could be no
taller
than 40 feet - a restriction not placed on 14 other houses of worship
approved by the county since 2002.
The Islamic Society of Sarasota and Bradenton, which for 10 years has
met
in a private home, has a growing congregation and wants to build a
13,500-square-foot mosque it says is based on Islamic traditions that
include two 80-foot-high minarets.
In a July 6 letter, the Justice Department said its investigation is
``preliminary in nature,'' but that it has received information that
the
county may have imposed ``a substantial burden on the religious
exercise''
of the Islamic Society.
Islamic Society members say they had not complained to the federal
government, but are celebrating the Justice Department's involvement.
``We are very pleased,'' society spokesman Hytham Bakr, told the
Sarasota
Herald-Tribune. ``We believe in God and believe God was watching over
us.''
County officials said their decision had nothing to do with religion.
The
county is preparing its response to the government, assistant county
attorney Gary Oldehoff said…
-----
U.S. MUSLIM GROUPS DECRY 9/11 REPORT INPUT
HOPE YEN, Associated Press, 7/29/04
http://www.freep.com/news/nw/terror29e_20040729.htm
WASHINGTON - U.S. Muslim groups' representatives said Wednesday that
they
should have had more input on the Sept. 11 commission's final report,
which
they say fails to lay out a comprehensive plan to win the hearts and
minds
of Muslims overseas.
``Why would they fail to consult a key group who could help them
understand
what's going on in the Muslim world?'' said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman
for
the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The groups, reacting to the commission's final report, called the
recommendations a ``step in the right direction,'' but ultimately
inadequate in addressing terrorism's root causes. Many Muslims abroad
resent Americans because they think U.S. actions don't match the
rhetoric
of freedom, they said...
The groups cited the report's failure to explore the impact of U.S.
policy
toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as whether the war in
Iraq
has made the Middle East and United States safer or at greater risk to
terrorism...
-----
MUSLIMS, ARAB AMERICANS MAKING POLITICAL WAVES
Diane Smith and Leila Fadel, Star-Telegram, 7/29/04
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/9266365.htm
Syed Hassan of Arlington will vote in a presidential election for the
first
time in November, but he's no political neophyte.
The naturalized citizen pledged allegiance to the United States in 2001
--
a week before the Sept. 11 attacks. At age 41, he cast the first ballot
of
his life in an Arlington City Council election. At 43, the Pakistan
native
is a delegate to this week's Democratic National Convention in Boston.
"If you can imagine, a person who came from a Third World country --
and
people chose me to represent them in a national forum. This story,
whenever
I go to Pakistan, I tell this story -- the American people who chose
me,"
said Hassan, one of two Tarrant County Muslims who are delegates in
Boston.
This year, he said, it is particularly important for Muslims and Middle
Eastern Americans to put their clout to use at the ballot box.
Registering
to vote and becoming civically active are paramount for the
communities,
members said, as they try to protect their civil rights in the
aftermath of
Sept. 11, 2001...
While there is some demographic overlap between Muslims and Middle
Eastern
Americans, they are distinct communities. Their clout increased in the
2000
election through voter registration drives and participation in
political
conventions. The American Muslim Political Coordination Council
endorsed
George W. Bush after he spoke against the use of secret evidence in law
enforcement.
But community leaders said 9/11 exposed their gains as marginal. Though
they care deeply about kitchen-table issues such as the economy, health
care, education and tax cuts, civil rights has become the cause that
unites
Muslims and Middle Eastern Americans.
"More American Muslims wanted to have a say in who they put in office,"
said Rabiah Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the national Council on
American-Islamic Relations in Washington, D.C.
CAIR is still conducting national voter registration drives, and the
Dallas-Fort Worth chapter registers voters at area mosques...
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM DEMOCRATS HOPEFUL BUT WARY
Ashraf Fahim, The Daily Star, 7/29/04
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=
6734
NEW YORK: Maya Berry remembers a time when, as an Arab-American
delegate to
the 1992 Democratic convention, she held aloft a placard that read -
"Palestinian Self-Determination" - and was trailed by security guards
bearing walkie-talkies for her troubles. That incident came at a time
when
Arab-Americans were struggling to get onto the political map.
"To be frank, I felt fairly unwelcome," recalls Berry, a Michigan
delegate
to this week's Democratic convention in Boston, Massachusetts. "And now
it's like night and day. The Democratic Party organizes around ethnic
constituencies and we've become part of that coalition."
With issues like Iraq and civil liberties at the heart of the
Democrats'
critique of the Bush administration, and even a formal recognition of
the
right of Palestinians to a state in the party platform, Berry and the
over
70 other Arab and Muslim delegates (out of 4,300-plus) at the
convention
feel slightly more at home than in the past.
"Our issues are the national issues when it comes to the presidential
race
for the first time ever," says Berry. "Now everybody's talking about
Iraq,
everybody's talking about the Patriot Act, everybody's talking about
the
Palestinian-Israeli problem."
Indeed, numerous speakers at the convention have attacked President
Bush's
Iraq policy, and in his Monday night speech former President Carter
criticized Bush for failing to attempt "to secure a comprehensive peace
for
Israel with hope and justice for the Palestinians..."
As momentum builds toward the November election, polls suggest most
Arab
and Muslim voters - many of whom live in "battleground" states like
Florida
and Michigan, where the tight presidential race is expected to be
decided -
are inclined toward the same pragmatism shown by their delegates in
Boston.
Recent surveys by the Arab-American Institute (AAI) and the Council on
American-Islamic Relations put support for Kerry above 50 percent among
those overlapping constituencies...
---
U.S. MUSLIMS GROW MORE POLITICALLY ACTIVE IN WAKE OF SEPT. 11
Kaukab J. Smith, Capital News Service, 7/29/04
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/special_packages/election2004/9271
311.htm
BOSTON - Provoked by what they see as civil-rights violations after the
terrorist attacks of 2001, U.S. Muslims are growing more politically
active
and sophisticated.
The number of Muslim delegates to this year's Democratic National
Convention has grown by 60 percent. Forty Muslim delegates, including a
Maryland woman, are representing 20 states at the 2004 convention, up
from
25 Muslims at the Democratic convention four years ago.
The selection of Erum Malik, 43, of Ellicott City, Md., is an example
of
how greater numbers of Muslims are engaging in shaping public policy
through grass-roots lobbying, voter registration drives, fund-raising
and
running for office since Sept. 11, 2001, community leaders said.
"There has been a historic and unprecedented under-representation of
Muslims in government in America, from the county to the federal
level,"
said Saqib Ali of North Potomac, Md., a computer engineer active with
the
nonpartisan Montgomery County, Md., Muslim Council.
"We have been a politically immature community," Ali said.
The terrorist attacks "jolted people out of their complacency," he
said.
Before Sept. 11, 2001, Muslim groups were "naive" about the workings of
the
American political system, said Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, president of the
Minaret of Freedom Institute, an Islamic think-tank in Bethesda, Md.
Ahmad said he believes strong Muslim support helped deliver Florida to
George Bush in 2000, with exit polls showing an overwhelming percentage
of
Florida Muslims voted Republican.
Many Muslims came to regret their support for the Bush campaign when
they
became subject to profiling, arrest and registration after the attacks,
Ahmad said...
-----
MI: ARAB AMERICANS REPORT ABUSE
Peter Slevin, Washington Post, 7/29/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21888-2004Jul28.html
Fifteen percent of Arab Americans in the Detroit area said they have
experienced harassment or intimidation since the Sept. 11, 2001,
attacks,
and a significant number wish other Americans understood them better,
according to a University of Michigan report to be released today.
Derogatory comments -- "Go back where you came from!" or "Ooh, are you
a
member of al Qaeda?" -- were the most common form of abuse. Others
alleged
job discrimination and a small number reported physical assault,
researchers said.
Forty-two percent of Muslim Arabs interviewed for the survey in Detroit
--
an area with one of the largest concentrations of Arab Americans in the
nation -- feel their religion is not respected by mainstream society.
Nearly 60 percent said they worry more about their families' future
than
before the attacks.
The report comes as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, among
other
groups, relays a steady stream of allegations of poor treatment of
Muslims
in this country. Many Muslims have complained that harassment and
unfair
law enforcement tactics are byproducts of the Bush administration's
battle
against terrorism...
ALSO SEE:
ARAB AMERICANS ARE DIVERSE, SETTLED, AT HOME IN U.S.
David Crumm, Detroit Free Press, 7/29/04
http://www.freep.com/news/metro/arab29_20040729.htm
A two-year, $1-million study of metro Detroit Arab Americans concludes
that
these thousands of families are far more diverse, more settled and more
eager to embrace American life than many observers around the world had
assumed.
"Some of these findings are astounding. It's a real landmark. We've
never
had anything like this to help us look at this complex community that
so
many people are trying to understand," said Ron Stockton, a professor
of
political science at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and an
architect
of the study, released today.
"This information is priceless," said Siham Awada Jaafar of Dearborn
Heights, an official with several Arab-American groups who served on a
U-M
advisory panel throughout the study. "Even those of us who work with
the
community are learning a lot."
The study focused on in-depth interviews with 1,016 men and women whose
families came from Arabic-speaking countries, including several hundred
Chaldeans -- Catholics from Iraq.
The U-M researchers did not conduct an ethnic census, so they do not
estimate how many Arab Americans live in metro Detroit. But the study
offers a vivid snapshot of how these families fit into American life.
Contrary to stereotypes of an oppressed community, isolated by language
and
tradition and largely Muslim, the study showed that 58 percent of Arab
Americans in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties are Christian. And,
although 75 percent of the Arab Americans living here were born outside
the
United States, 79 percent now are U.S. citizens, and 80 percent are
fluent
in English.
While long associated with the Dearborn area, nearly half of the
community
now lives in Oakland and Macomb counties.
Generally, these families report getting along comfortably with their
neighbors.
Some were hit with painful ethnic slurs after the Sept. 11, 2001,
terror
attacks, which left nearly half of Arab Americans feeling insecure. But
the
U-M scholars were surprised to find that 33 percent of Arab Americans
received expressions of support from non-Arabs in late 2001. That was
far
more than the 15 percent who reported slurs and other bad experiences.
Now, nearly 9 of 10 Arab Americans say they feel at home in this
country.
-----
FALSE ALARM SHUTS PORT FOR HOURS
Jennifer Peltz, Akilah Johnson & Missy Stoddard, Sun-Sentinel, 7/29/04
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pport29xjul29,0,2673564
.story
RIVIERA BEACH · Authorities swarmed the Port of Palm Beach on Wednesday
afternoon, closing the port and evacuating the surrounding neighborhood
for
several hours as they investigated a feared terrorist threat that
turned
out to be a case of misunderstanding and mistaken identity.
The incident appeared to be a false alarm, but local officials saw it
as a
reminder of the possibility of real threats. New federal security rules
took effect this month at the Port of Palm Beach and other ports around
the
country, and many officials praised the handling of Wednesday's alert.
"We had to be cautious, because we didn't know," Port Commission
Chairwoman
Priscilla A. Taylor said. "We just have to reiterate that security is
real.
It's important. We have to be vigilant about what's going on around
us."
The incident began about 3:30 p.m., when two Riviera Beach police
officers
pulled over a car near the port, according to Chief Clarence Williams.
The
car was speeding, he said.
Police did not release the identities of the two men inside.
Authorities eventually determined that the men were U.S. citizens who
have
been in the shipping business for 20 years. The two were looking to
make "a
routine transaction" to send a shipment from the port, FBI spokeswoman
Judy
Orihuela said.
But when stopped by police, the men gave inconsistent information about
a
shipment they had just arranged at the port, city officials said. One
of
their names, apparently Arabic, appeared to match the name of someone
federal authorities had identified as a "person of interest," Williams
said...
Wednesday's incident saddened Florida Arab-American advocate Altaf Ali
but
didn't surprise him.
Many Arab-Americans in Florida and elsewhere in the country complained
of
being singled out for inquiries and investigations after the Sept. 11,
2001, attacks. Ali says he has heard similar stories in recent months
as
the presidential campaign, warnings of another potential major attack
this
summer and other developments trained a spotlight on national and
homeland
security.
"We have been bracing ourself for these kinds of incidents," said Ali,
the
director in Florida for the Council for American-Islamic Relations. "
...
We feel that all this increase in vigilance has to do with the
presidential
race and has nothing to do with safety."
ALSO SEE:
5 CHARGED WITH HARASSING, BEATING UP SIKH IN NEW YORK
Indolink, 7/29/04
http://www.indolink.com/displayArticleS.php?id=072804110936
New York- In yet another case of growing 'hate crime' in the United
States, the police have charged five persons with harassing and beating
an
elderly Sikh in a suburb of New York, after hurling insults on him and
his
companion. In the July 12 incident, Rajinder Singh Khalsa, 54, suffered
multiple cuts, bruises and broken nose in Richmond section of Queens, a
suburb of New York, which has substantial immigrant population.
Khalsa, along with his cousin Gurcharan Singh, was walking towards a
restaurant, Tandoori Express, owned by Singh after parking their car,
when
they were confronted by apparently drunken men who ridiculed their
turbans
calling them 'dirty curtain' and asking them to take them off.
When Khalsa, had migrated from India with his family in mid 1990s,
tried to
explain that they were Sikhs and their turbans were their religious
symbol,
the accused started beating, kicking and hitting him till he fell
unconscious.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said the arrested men,
identified as
Nicholas Maceli, 22, Victor Cosentino, 58, Terence Lyons, 53, Ryan
Meehan,
18, and Salvatore Maceli, 26, have been charged with multiple counts,
including second-degree assault.
The five accused could get up to 15 years in prisons if convicted.
It is worth mentioning here that since September 11, 2001 terrorist
attacks
on the US, Sikhs have suffered several attacks and verbal abuses as
they
are mistaken for Muslims because of their beard and turban.
The Sikh organisations had launched a major media campaign to correct
the
impression and some even wore a button saying "I am a Sikh."
HATE CRIMES RISING: Meanwhile, the recent incidents of beheading of
foreigners by militants in Iraq and Saudi Arabia have prompted hate
crimes
against Muslims in the United States, according to a media report.
The beheadings and hostage-taking in Iraq and Saudi Arabia evoked a new
wave of hate crimes against Muslims in America despite efforts to
educate
the public that those actions did not represent the values of the
Muslim
religion, Islamic leaders were quoted as saying by The Tallahassee
Democrat.
"It is getting worse and worse", Altaf Ali, executive director of
Council
of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington-DC based Islamic
civil
rights group, said referring to incidents of the hate-based crimes...
As per the CAIR, there were more than 1000 incidents of harassment or
hate
crimes against Muslims last year, up from about 600 in 2002.
CAIR officials said such anti-Muslim incidents were likely to be higher
this year.
The first such wave was witnessed after the September 11, 2001 terror
attacks in the US.
-----
LOCAL MUSLIMS REACT TO HOLY LAND INDICTMENTS
Diane Smith and Darren Barbee, Star-Telegram Staff Writer, 7/29/04
http://www.dfw.com%2Fmld%2Fdfw%2Fnews%2F9264801.htm
Local Muslims say they don't know whether the Holy Land Foundation
funneled
charity money to terrorists, but they worry that the U.S. government is
targeting Islamic organizations.
The Richardson-based charity and seven of its leaders are accused in a
42-count federal indictment of funneling $12.4 million to support the
Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, including money for the
families
of suicide bombers.
As news of the indictments reverberated throughout the North Texas
Muslim
community, reactions ranged from skepticism to concern about the future
of
other Islamic charities.
Dr. Robbie Hashem, a Colleyville dentist who donated money to the
foundation for an orphanage, said the allegations are shocking if true.
"Unfortunately, we now live in a day when ... you don't know who you're
donating to," he said.
The courts will decide whether the foundation is guilty, but the FBI
seems
to be targeting Islamic organizations and Muslims, said Hashem, who was
born in Palestine.
"The FBI and John Ashcroft are on a witch hunt on anything tied to
Muslims," he said…
-----
WHY THE US GRANTED 'PROTECTED' STATUS TO IRANIAN TERRORISTS
Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 7/29/04
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0729/p07s01-wome.html
The US State Department officially considers a group of 3,800 Marxist
Iranian rebels - who once killed several Americans and was supported by
Saddam Hussein - "terrorists."
But the same group, under American guard in an Iraqi camp, was just
accorded a new status by the Pentagon: "protected persons" under the
Geneva
Convention.
This strange twist, analysts say, underscores the divisions in
Washington
over US strategy in the Middle East and the war against terrorism. It's
also a function of the swiftly deteriorating US-Iran dynamic, and a
victory
for US hawks who favor using the Mujahideen-e Khalq Organization (MKO)
or
"People's Holy Warriors," as a tool against Iran's clerical regime.
"How is it that [the MKO] get the Geneva Convention, and the people in
Guantánamo Bay don't get it? It's a huge contradiction," says Ali
Ansari, a
British expert on Iran. "This will be interpreted in Iran as another
link
in the chain of the US determination to move onto Iran next" in the US
war
on terror.
For months, Tehran has quietly signaled that it would turn over
high-ranking Al Qaeda members in exchange for MKO members now in Iraq.
The
MKO's new status likely puts an end to any such deal.
The shift also comes as momentum builds in Washington to take some
action
against the Islamic republic. Wednesday, it was reported that Tehran
has
broken United Nations inventory seals and may resume work on
constructing
centrifuges - the machines used for enriching uranium.
Senior European diplomats - who brokered a private deal with Iran last
October that included halting suspected nuclear weapons programs, in
exchange for Western nuclear power expertise - are expected to secretly
meet Iranian counterparts Thursday in London or Paris to see what can
be
salvaged of their agreement...
-----
MUSLIM COMMUNITY HAS PERMANENT HOUSE OF WORSHIP
L.J. Margolis, Palm Beach Post, 7/28/04
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/royalpalmbeach/content/auto/epaper/editions/wed
nesday/royal_palm_beach_1460358c159200010058.html
Here, where many people have lived most, if not all, of their lives,
County
Road 880 is best known as "the old road to West Palm."
And sure enough, on that old road, east of Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard
in Belle Glade, sits the new mosque. Well, sort of new.
The mosque was completed about a year ago. It took almost four years to
raise the money to build it, according to Leila Sa'ad, whose husband
Odee,
president of the Muslim Community of Belle Glade, often delivers the
Friday
sermons. Sa'ad is an attractive, intelligent woman with a serene smile,
successfully juggling work as she handles her husband's business in his
absence, and as mother to a 3-year-old son.
In the late 60s and early 70s, Sa'ad tells me, Muslims began to arrive
in
the Glades. The first few started successful businesses, and others
followed. Since then, there has always been a mosque in Belle Glade,
usually a rented place or space donated by a member of the Muslim
community. "But it was important for us to have a real, physical mosque
of
our own," Sa'ad says. "We needed a permanent location for prayers, for
meetings and celebrations, and for our children."
Listening to her, it's clear that Muslim worshipers are just like any
other
worshipers. We all need a place with which to identify, a place where
we
can teach our children to incorporate their faith into their daily
lives in
America.
The Muslim community is politically active, so the new mosque has
already
been the setting for politicians' speeches. Muslim children attend
religion
and Arabic classes. Books and pamphlets are available for non-Muslims
interested in learning about Islam. Prayers are held five times daily:
before dawn, early afternoon, late afternoon, evening and night. Friday
prayers are mandatory for men, but many women also attend. Just like
any
house of worship, the mosque has classroom and meeting space as well as
worship and prayer space.
"We want our community to know us, to understand us," Sa'ad says.
"We're
just people, not some media image. We have children, jobs, lives. The
mosque is a place where everyone is welcome to come and ask questions,
get
information, find out more about us..."
ALSO SEE:
ISLAMIC COMMUNITY SEEKS SENSITIVITY TRAINING FOR SCHOOLS
Yolanda Putman, Chattanooga Times Free Press, 7/29/04
www.timesfreepress.com
Members of the Islamic community are asking Hamilton County Schools
officials to consider sensitivity training before violent crimes
against
Muslims, particularly Arab-Americans, become a problem locally.
Members of the local Islamic community want to meet with schools
officials
before school starts to discuss sensitivity training for teachers and
school administrators, a spokesman said.
"We want to recommend material and textbooks that can help eliminate
misinformation," said Khalid Hashmi, a spokesman for the Annour Islamic
community in Chattanooga.
Warren Hill, director of primary education for the Hamilton County
Schools,
said he wasn't aware there was a need for training.
"I haven't heard the first thing about that from anybody, hadn't had
any
complaints or phone calls from anybody," he said.
Mr. Hashmi said at least 10 parents called the North Chattanooga
Islamic
Center last school year to complain about other students calling their
children terrorists or making fun of their head coverings. He said
residents reported the incidents to the school system but not the
police.
He said he had firsthand experience with people misunderstanding
Islamic
culture last year when a student called his 10-year-old son a terrorist
and
said that the ball with which he played was a bomb.
Mr. Hashmi said he reported the matter to the school system. Schools
officials met with him and counseled the student who made the
accusation,
he said.
Members of the Islamic community want to address misunderstandings
about
Arab-Americans and Muslims before any major incidences happen locally,
he
said...
In one year, the number of discrimination and hate crime complaints
concerning Muslim- Americans increased nationally by 70 percent,
according
to officials with the Washington, D.C.,- based Council on
American-Islamic
Relations organization...
The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the beheading of civilians
in
Iraq earlier this year have led to Islam being portrayed as a "violent,
backward religion," said Rabiah Ahmed, education coordinator with the
Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Sensitivity training "helps people differentiate between terrorists and
Muslims who have families and care about their country and who are just
as
human as anyone else," Ms. Ahmed said.
She said training implemented by the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
is interactive and usually lasts about 2 to 4 hours. It's worth the
effort,
Ms. Ahmed said.
"Training puts a human face to the religion," she said. "A lot of times
all
people know is what they see on TV..."
Ms. Ahmed said training prices are determined by the number of
participants
and the length of the training. Sessions are offered lasting from two
hours
to three days, she said.
-----
ELECTRONICS MAKERS ARE TURNING TO ISLAM BY DEVELOPING SPECIAL DEVICES
FOR
MUSLIMS
Jeremy Wagstaff, Far Eastern Economic Review, 8/5/04
WHEN SOUTH KOREAN appliances giant LG Electronics was looking for a way
to
catch up with its competitors selling gadgets to the Islamic world, it
turned to Mecca.
Seeking an edge over its rivals, LGE hit on packing features into a
cellphone to help Muslims fulfil their daily prayer obligations. The
most
obvious way: determining the direction of Ka'aba, the House of Allah in
Mecca. So LGE's G5300 cellphone, marketed last September in the Middle
East, features a dangling compass which, after setting it to north and
inputting some local information, enables the user to pinpoint the
direction in which to pray. The phone, says LGE's assistant
public-relations manager Karen Park, has been a hit and an upgraded
model
went on sale last month.
LGE is not alone. Technology companies are waking up to the global
consumer
potential of more than 1 billion Muslims. Dubai-based
mobile-telecommunications company Ilkone in April launched its Ilkone
i800,
a $400 phone that recites the Islamic call to prayer, provides prayer
times
for more than 5,000 cities and has a digital compass indicating the
direction of Mecca. Korea-based PenMan Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary
of
Hosan Corp., which makes automatic doors and vacuum toilets for trains,
has
found a niche selling a range of hand-held electronic devices for
Muslims.
They include a $120 digital version of the Koran in Arabic and English
with
full recordings of the Holy Book and earphones and a digital compass
indicating the direction of Mecca, complete with alarms for prayer
times in
250 cities.
While the Middle East is a promising market, sizeable Islamic
populations
in Asia are also potentially lucrative. LGE's upgraded model, the
F7100,
will go on sale in Indonesia -- which has the world's largest Muslim
population -- and Malaysia later this year. Ilkone recently set up a
Singapore subsidiary to market its i800 across Southeast Asia. PenMan
already has offices in Singapore and distributors around the region.
On-line retail outlets are also sprouting up. Malaysia-based
TravellingMuslim.com, for example, offers a Prayer Watch, which gives
prayer times, a Qiblat Direction Finder that shows the direction to
Mecca,
and an Electronic Tasbih, which counts prayer recitations.
It's too early to say whether this first wave of Islamic-oriented
products
will spur more gadgets aimed at Muslim consumers. LGE, for one, says it
has
no current plans for more models. And some companies privately
acknowledge
that such gadgets may not appeal to all Muslims, as some prefer to keep
their religion in more traditional forms or don't want to parade their
beliefs in public.
Still, there's a sign that the gadgets are catching on: Cheap
Chinese-made
copies of some of PenMan's range of Islamic gadgets are already
appearing
on the market, says overseas-marketing manager Lee Rince.
But producing for the Muslim market presents pirate manufacturers with
some
unique problems. Making a gadget for Muslims is not just a question of
ripping off a design and adding an Arabic logo.
The biggest problem is ensuring you don't offend, says Rince: "The
Koran is
a very sensitive issue." The text and recitations must be checked for
errors and any translation that could be controversial to any branch of
Islam. Advertising also must be modest and adapted to local tastes. And
packaging should be in keeping with the religious message of the
content.
-----
IL: LATINO MUSLIMS JOIN FIESTA DEL SOL
http://www.latinomuslims.com/
Members of the Chicago Association of Latino-American Muslims will be
at
the Fiesta Del Sol, a Mexican festival, held in the Pilsen neighborhood
of
South Chicago. We'll be handing out free literature and answering
questions
about Islam and the Latino-American Muslim community. Fiesta Del Sol
will
be held at 1400 West Cermak Rd. between Throop St. and Morgan St. We
will
be there on Thursday July 29, 2004 from 4:00PM to 8:30PM and Sunday
August
1, 2004 from 10:00AM to 8:30PM.
Place
1400 West Cermak Rd.
Chicago, IL
Dates/Times
Thursday, July 29, 2004
4:00PM to 8:30PM
Sunday, August 1, 2004
10:00AM to 8:30PM
SEE ALSO:
GA: MUSLIM DAY 2004 IN ATLANTA
WHEN: Sunday, August 1
WHERE: Grant Park/Zoo, Atlanta, GA
INFO: http://www.muslimday.org
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: 'FOLLOWING THE METHOD OF MOHAMMAD'
Following the Method of Mohammad: Jihadist Strategies in the War on
Terror
http://www.heritage.org/Press/Events/EV081204A.cfm
-----
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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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http://mail2web.com/ .
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/30/04
* VERSES/HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD IS ONE
* CAIR-FL: MUSLIMS MEET WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS
- CAIR-KY Meets with FBI, Police Chief
* CAIR-CAN: YOU CAN'T PIGEONHOLE 1.2 BILLION MUSLIMS (G&M)
- Daniel Pipes's Toxic Hatred (Gazette)
- Attack on Islam (Gazette)
* DHS GIVEN CENSUS DATA ON ARAB-AMERICANS (NY Times)
- Arabs Feel Squeezed By Tighter Security (CS Monitor)
* FL: JURY AWARDS ARAB-AMERICAN OFFICIAL $305K (Sun-Sentinel)
* NY POLICE LIFT TURBAN BAN FOR SIKH TRAFFIC COP (Reuters)
- Detained Sikh Says Turban Triggered Stop (Boston Globe)
- Canada: Walk a Mile in My Hijab (Calgary Herald)
* 'PALACE AND MOSQUE': BEAUTY TO TRUMP BIGOTRY (Wash Post)
* PARTNER HELPS MUSLIM INVESTORS (NY Lawyer)
* PAKISTANIS FACE DEPORTATION FROM CANADA (PakTribune)
* MUSLIM ON U.S. OLYMPIC ROWING TEAM (Sports Illustrated)
-----
VERSES/HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD IS ONE
"Say ye: 'We believe in God and the revelation given to us and to
Abraham,
Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and
Jesus,
and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord. We make no
distinction
between any of them, and it is unto Him that we surrender ourselves.'"
(The
Holy Quran, Chapter 2, Verse 136)
"Those who believe (in the Quran), and those who follow the Jewish
(scriptures), and the Christians...and (all) who believe in God and the
last day and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their
Lord;
on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve."
Holy Quran, Chapter 2, Verse 62
"And dispute not with the People of the Book (Christians and
Jews)...but
say, 'We believe in the Revelation that came down to us and in that
which
came down to you. Our God and your God is one; and it is to Him we
(all)
surrender ourselves.'"
The Holy Quran, Chapter 29, Verse 46
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Both in this world and
in
the Hereafter, I am the nearest of all people to Jesus, the son of
Mary.
The prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but
their
religion is one."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Hadith 652
-----
FLORIDA MUSLIMS MEET WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS
Effort part of ongoing dialogue to promote cooperation
(MIAMI, FL, 7/30/04) - The Florida office of the Washington-based
Council
on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) met Wednesday with the FBI's
Miami
Division to discuss ways to promote better relations between law
enforcement and the state's Muslim and Arab-American Communities.
Officials from the Miami-Dade Police Department, the Broward Sheriff's
Office, U.S. Attorney's Office, the Florida Department of Law
Enforcement,
and the Intergovernmental Bureau of Homeland Security also took part in
the
meeting.
Acting Special Agent in Charge Mike Clements informed CAIR-FL that his
office will not tolerate any hate crimes against the Muslim community
and
stressed that Americans of all faiths have the right to enjoy freedom
and
must work together to protect America.
There was a broad agreement at the meeting that Muslim advocacy
organizations like CAIR-FL must be more involved in providing cultural
and
sensitivity training to law enforcement officials. CAIR-FL and other
Islamic organizations represented at Wednesday's meeting pledged to do
their utmost in helping to make Florida and America more secure.
"We welcome the opportunity to do our share in protecting America,"
said
CAIR-FL Executive Director Altaf Ali. "Security need not be achieved at
the
expense of civil liberties."
In a letter to CAIR-FL, City of Miami Police Department Commander Mario
A.
Garcia wrote: "I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for
the
educational experience which you and the rest of the Muslim Americans
provide me with at yesterday's meeting. I was impressed with your
presentation, your convictions as well as the loyalty and devotion
which
you and the rest displayed not only towards the Muslim faith but also
your
love for America."
"In this period of heightened security because of an increasing
terrorism
threat, the FBI is convinced that the cooperation of all Americans, of
all
faiths, is vitally important to preventing the next act of terrorism
against our homeland. That cooperation must be based on mutual respect
and
understanding," said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Frank
Figliuzzi.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 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
ALSO SEE:
CAIR-KY MEETS WITH FBI, POLICE CHIEF
Representatives of CAIR's Kentucky office (CAIR-KY) recently met with
the
Lexington FBI and the Chief of Lexington Police. The meetings focused
on
how CAIR-KY can help protect and safeguard the community and what
concerns
Muslims have about a variety of issues.
Participants in both meetings agreed in principal to attend a town hall
event with the Muslim community and law enforcement agencies in
Kentucky.
CONTACT: CAIR-Kentucky, Abdul Quayyum, 859-221-9081
-----
SUCH ARROGANCE: YOU CAN'T PIGEONHOLE 1.2 BILLION MUSLIMS
Sheema Khan, Globe and Mail, 7/30/04
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040730/COSHEEMA30/TPComment/TopStories
[Shemma Khan is the chair of CAIR-CAN.]
The mass murder of 9/11 jolted Americans to the reality that ignorance
of
their government's foreign policy is not bliss. Some asked, "Why do the
terrorists hate us?" Others blithely answered, "Because we love
freedom."
How to manage it? Call in Madison Avenue to "sell" America to skeptical
Muslims around the world. After all, image is everything. The campaign
failed miserably, especially once it was aided and abetted by the
invasion
of Iraq.
The 9/11 commission report is the latest study to examine the U.S.
response
to threats posed by "Islamist terrorism." Its authors point out that
military excursions, while important, will be secondary to the
ideological
battle against the extremist interpretations of Islam espoused by
al-Qaeda
and its ilk…
So how should America get involved in the war of ideas?
According to the commission, by doing a better job of selling American
values to Muslims worldwide through mass media and academic/cultural
exchanges. Incredibly, the commission's report is silent on educating
Americans about Islam.
The report characterizes the roots of al-Qaeda's ideology as "a long
tradition of extreme intolerance within a minority strain of Islam,"
suggesting that the faith has always been a source for extremism. It
states
that the enemy is not Islam, but "Islamism" -- a nebulous term that
defies
exact definition. The distinction between Islam and Islamism will be
lost
on most people, thus providing ample opportunity for exploitation by
Islamophobes. On Tuesday, Daniel Pipes did just that on this page.
The report points out the need for reformation within the Muslim world.
Throughout the 20th century, calls were made for Islamic reformation.
During their imperial dominance, both Britain and France took great
interest in the inner workings of Muslim institutions and authority,
seeking to influence them to their advantage. This interest was
understandable, given that both empires sought to exert control over
large
numbers of Muslims.
Since 9/11, the call has been made with renewed vigour. The argument is
deceptively simple: The prime reason for violence in the name of Islam
is
that Islam has not changed since its inception. To eliminate the threat
of
terror, Islam must modernize itself so its adherents can join the ranks
of
the "civilized."
There are two problems with this approach, often presented by people
like
Mr. Pipes.
The first is that it ignores centuries of solid scholarship within
Islam
itself that seeks to ensure that principles of the faith are able to
address issues of modernity. We often hear that Islam divides the world
into the "House of Islam," where Muslims dominate, and the "House of
War,"
where Muslims want to dominate.
But too infrequently do we hear about Muslim scholars who have rejected
this binary world view, arguing, instead, that a genuine Islamic vision
supports a global co-operative model rather than a unilateral
state-centric
one. Such scholarship sits squarely in the mainstream of Islam.
This leads to the second problem. The assumption underlying the
argument
for reformation is that, once "reformed," the new Islamic outlook will
be
subservient to the wishes of the civilized West. Yet sovereign nations
make
sovereign decisions, such as refusing to join in unjust wars and doing
what
is best for their own economies rather than what is best for an alien
power.
Given the stakes, it seems improbable that the United States will
remain a
bystander in the reformation efforts.
Already, the Rand Corp. has issued a report on ways to engineer Islamic
reform by advocating the support of secularists, even though such
leaders
are often autocratic and repressive, while using traditionalists to
keep
the extremists in check.
This study tries to pigeonhole 1.2 billion Muslims into distinct groups
based on their degree of Islamic practice and interpretation of key
Islamic
texts. The tone of this reductionist analysis is arrogant, making
cultural
domination its final goal…
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
SEE ALSO:
DANIEL PIPES'S TOXIC HATRED
Sadia Virk, Gazette, 7/30/04
http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/letters/story.html?id=83bdeada-f372-43d3-9502-b2e25236978e
The enemy isn't Islamism, as Daniel Pipes would have you believe
(Opinion,
July 27); the enemy is hatred, bigotry and racism.
Pipes's article spews unadulterated toxic hatred against Islam and
Muslims.
His barefaced bias and lack of objectivity reveal his own extremism and
fanaticism.
Rather than inform, elucidate or entertain, the writings of Pipes only
serve to spread Islamophobia and intolerance. It's a mystery to me why
The
Gazette would print such trash and participate in the propagation of
this
hate-mongering.
A greater mystery still is why I continue to subscribe to The Gazette.
ALSO SEE:
ATTACK ON ISLAM
Naved Bakali, Gazette, 7/30/04
http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/letters/story.html?id=c5a4cc22-89d5-49c0-bed5-25230a2defbe
Daniel Pipes's ridiculously biased and inappropriate article (Opinion,
July
27, ''The enemy is Islamism'') is a clear attack on the religion of
Islam
and equates the teachings of Islam with extremism. This article is a
clear
incitement for hatred toward Muslims.
-----
HOMELAND SECURITY GIVEN DATA ON ARAB-AMERICANS
Lynette Clemetson, NY Times, 7/30/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/30/politics/30census.html
WASHINGTON - The Census Bureau has provided specially tabulated
population
statistics on Arab-Americans to the Department of Homeland Security,
including detailed information on how many people of Arab backgrounds
live
in certain ZIP codes.
The assistance is legal, but civil liberties groups and Arab-American
advocacy organizations say it is a dangerous breach of public trust and
liken it to the Census Bureau's compilation of similar information
about
Japanese-Americans during World War II.
The tabulations were produced in August 2002 and December 2003 in
response
to requests from what is now the Customs and Border Protection division
of
the Department of Homeland Security. One set listed cities with more
than
1,000 Arab-Americans. The second, far more detailed, provided
ZIP-code-level breakdowns of Arab-American populations, sorted by
country
of origin. The categories provided were Egyptian, Iraqi, Jordanian,
Lebanese, Moroccan, Palestinian, Syrian and two general categories,
"Arab/Arabic" and "Other Arab."
Hermann Habermann, deputy director of the Census Bureau, said such
cooperation was standard practice. "We are required to provide
information
to other federal agencies," he said. "This is not a cabal calculating
secret tabulations."
But Mr. Habermann also expressed concern over application of the data,
adding: "We do worry about how information will be used. However, we
have
not been given the authority to determine which organization gets which
information."
Census tabulations of specialized data are legal as long as they do not
identify any individual.
Christiana Halsey, a spokeswoman for Customs and Border Protection,
said
the requests were made to help the agency identify in which airports to
post signs and pamphlets in Arabic. "The information is not in any way
being used for law enforcement purposes," she said. "It's being used to
educate the traveler. We're simply using basic demographic information
to
help us communicate U.S. laws and regulations to the traveling public."
But critics of the information sharing said general demographic
snapshots
could be derived without such detailed information and that the
ZIP-code-level data with its breakdowns of ancestral origin seemed
particularly excessive because for all of the groups only English or
Arabic
need be used…
ALSO SEE:
US ARABS FEEL SQUEEZED BY TIGHTER SECURITY
Ron Scherer and Carly Baldwin, Christian Science Monitor, 7/30/04
http://csmonitor.com/2004/0730/p02s02-usgn.html
NEW YORK - In the past three weeks, the FBI has been calling in
Arab-Americans and other Muslims to ask them about their travels and
whom
they might know.
"People are calling us and saying, 'The FBI wants to talk to me,' "
says
Laila al-Qatami, communications director of the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) in Washington."We're not saying not
to
cooperate, just to know your rights."
The FBI's increased interest coincides with worries that terrorists
will
try to disrupt or influence this fall's presidential election, the
first
since Sept. 11. Arab-Americans, who have worked hard to develop a
relationship with the FBI and other agencies, say the questioning is
emblematic of their vulnerability.
Yesterday, for example, the University of Michigan released a new
survey of
the Arab-American and Chaldean population in the Detroit area that
found 15
percent have had a "bad experience" since Sept. 11that they attribute
to
their ethnicity.
"Where there are domestic or international events, we feel the impact
on
our community," says Monica Tarazi of the ADC in New York.
The FBI's inquiries, even though low key, are something of a surprise
to
the community - which had formed an advisory council that meets with
the
FBI on a regular basis. "They didn't say it was going to happen," says
Ms.
Qatami.
This month, Attorney General John Ashcroft said the FBI would be
conducting
some interviews to see if it could identify any threats. An FBI
spokeswoman, Donna Spiser, says those interviews are all "intelligence
driven" - that is, there is some specific information to cause the
interview to take place. "We're hoping to identify any kind of valid
threat
if there is one," says Ms. Spiser, a supervisor special agent…
-----
JURY AWARDS ARAB-AMERICAN PORT OFFICIAL $305,000
Missy Stoddard, Sun-Sentinel, 7/30/04
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pverdict30jul30,0,2174576.story
A federal jury in Palm Beach County this week awarded $305,000 to an
Arab-American immigration official who once directed operations at Port
Everglades in Broward County.
Last year, Simon Abi Nader sued the federal government for
discrimination
and retaliation, alleging that his supervisors had harassed him based
on
his Lebanese national origin and his Arab-American race. From 1992 to
2002,
Nader ran operations at Port Everglades.
His attorney, Rod Hannah, said Thursday that during the five-day trial,
jurors heard testimony about Nader's supervisor making remarks to Nader
about "camels" and "tents in the desert," as well as asking Nader about
his
prayer rug. Nader, a naturalized American citizen, is Catholic, not
Muslim,
and has never owned a prayer rug, Hannah said.
During meetings, another supervisor mimicked Nader's middle-eastern
accent,
Hannah said. Nader was humiliated when he was kept from attending a
ceremony with the agency's commissioner in 2002 to dedicate a new
terminal
Nader had been instrumental in getting built, his attorney said.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service, which has since become part
of
the Department of Homeland Security, eventually reassigned Nader to a
community relations position in Davie, Hannah said. Though his salary
remained the same, Nader has been "stripped of all his supervisory
responsibilities," Hannah said…
-----
NY POLICE LIFT TURBAN BAN FOR SIKH TRAFFIC COP
Greg Brosnan, Reuters, 7/30/04
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2987491a12,00.html
NEW YORK - A Sikh New York traffic officer forced to quit because of
his
turban will be reinstated and allowed to wear his religious headdress,
police said on Thursday, in a victory for a group targeted since the
Sept.
11 attacks.
Jasjit Singh Jaggi filed suit with the New York City Commission on
Human
Rights in 2002 after being forced to quit for insisting on wearing his
turban and a long beard.
The New York police department said traffic officers must wear white
caps
and keep their beards short. Jaggi said those restrictions would
violate
his religious beliefs.
The commission said the police department had until Thursday to appeal
its
order to reinstate Jaggi and allow him to leave his beard long and wear
his
turban while working.
A police spokesman said he would be reinstated.
Sikhs living in and around New York have repeatedly been subject to
hostility and violence by people embittered by the Sept. 11, 2001,
attacks
who confuse them with Islamic fundamentalists.
"People see the beard and the turban and they think of Osama bin Laden
with
his beard and turban," said Prabhjot Singh, director of New York's Sikh
Coalition.
In the most recent attack, a 54-year-old Sikh limousine driver and
local
spiritual leader was ridiculed and beaten unconscious in the New York
borough of Queens on July 11.
"It is my sincere hope that New York and America will associate my
turban
with what it is, a symbol of piety, respect, hope and courage," said
Jaggi,
36, an Indian who arrived in New York in 1985…
ALSO SEE:
SIKH STUDENT DETAINED BY SECRET SERVICE
Ralph Ranalli, Boston Globe, 7/30/04
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/07/30/sikh_student_detained_by_secret_service/
A Boston College student leader who wears a turban and full beard in
accord
with his Sikh religion says he was detained and interrogated for seven
hours Saturday night by Secret Service agents for doing nothing more
than
taking photographs of the campus.
Sundeep Sahni, a senior with a double major in computer science and
finance, said the Secret Service agents, who were staying on campus
during
the Democratic National Convention, suggested that he was a criminal,
searched him and his car for weapons and bombs, and even had him sign a
release form during the ordeal that gave them access to his psychiatric
records.
Sahni, 21, said he believes he was singled out because of his
appearance.
At one point during the searches, he said, an agent told him: "I don't
want
you pulling an Uzi from your turban."
"It was the most humiliating experience of my life," Sahni said.
Boston College officials said they are giving Sahni their full support
and
are attempting to arrange a meeting between the student and the Secret
Service.
"We want to arrange a conversation, which we hope will result in an
apology," said Boston College spokesman Jack Dunn.
A Secret Service spokesman, however, said there will be no such meeting
or
apology.
"During the course of the DNC, law enforcement is in a heightened state
of
awareness in response to suspicious activity," Secret Service spokesman
Charles Bopp said. "He [Sahni] was interviewed, and our security
concerns
were addressed. The case is closed. There are no charges; there is no
further investigation."
Bopp declined to address any of Sahni's specific allegations yesterday,
except to say that Secret Service records show that the incident lasted
five hours, rather than seven. He declined even to confirm that Secret
Service agents were staying on the Boston College campus…
Ralph Ranalli can be reached at ranalli@globe.com.
---
WALK A MILE IN MY HIJAB
Shelley Boettcher, Calgary Herald, 7/30/04
http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/index.html
Every where she goes, people stare at her.
Some are simply curious. They may not ask questions, but they're not
used
to seeing someone that looks like her.
Others are downright hostile. They swear and scream, telling her to go
back
to where she came from.
"But where's that?" asks Dena Kassem. She was, after all, born and
raised
here in Calgary.
Life as a Muslim woman in this city isn't always easy, especially for
one
who has chosen to wear a hijab, a traditional Muslim woman's head
scarf.
Worn as a sign of modesty, it marks its wearer as being "other," as
being
part of a visible minority.
I recently met Kassem, 18, who started wearing a hijab a year and a
half
ago. During our talk, she told me stories about what it's like to be a
visibly Muslim woman in Calgary.
Some anecdotes were small, almost amusing. Kassem talked about shopping
at
a discount department store, only to have the clerk slowly and loudly
count
her change -- despite the young woman's flawless, accentless English.
Others pretend they don't understand her, even though she's speaking
English.
"Maybe I talk too fast," she says with a laugh.
But some of her stories were scarier. Every week or two, men in cars
lean
out their windows and yell vicious racial slurs. Strangers whisper rude
comments as they walk past.
Recently, she and her mother had a run-in with a fellow driver, who,
screaming and swearing, tried to force their car into another lane with
his
vehicle.
Was it simply an isolated case of road rage?
Or did the man blow up at the women because they wore the hijab? Kassem
doesn't know…
-----
'PALACE AND MOSQUE': BEAUTY TO TRUMP BIGOTRY
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 7/30/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24548-2004Jul29.html
SMALLER, MORE narrowly focused and with less of a sense of humor than
the
Baltimore Museum of Art's 1997 "A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria
and
Albert Museum" (a lavish smorgasbord of stuff that included a pair of
silly-looking shoes designed by Vivienne Westwood), the National
Gallery of
Art's "Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art From the Victoria and Albert
Museum"
could not have come at a better time. Sent out from its home museum for
an
extended world tour while the V&A develops a new gallery in which to
display items from its 10,000-object collection of Islamic art of the
Middle East, this traveling show of 106 objects has a none-too-subtle
PR
subtext that is worth noting.
With significant financial support from Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi
Arabia's ambassador to the United States, "Palace and Mosque" seems
mainly
to want to make one quiet but plain point among others. It's about
tolerance, something that occasionally seems to be in short supply
between
the West and the Middle East these days.
To wit, one of the show's themes is that Islam is a religion known for
its
historically peaceful coexistence with Christianity and Judaism. This
is
illustrated by such artifacts as a Turkish plate from the 18th century
made
for an Armenian priest, and by a church vestment dating from the early
17th
century depicting scenes of the Annunciation and Crucifixion. Made,
obviously, for practitioners of a non-Muslim faith, such objects are,
at
least from the standpoint of this exhibition, culturally "Islamic" (in
the
sense that they were created for communities under Muslim rule).
This message is clear, and clearly meant as a kind of antidote to the
news
reports we've been hearing about violence against Western "infidels" --
and
vice versa. Whether it will work to defuse tension, prejudice and
misunderstanding, in either direction, is another matter.
It wouldn't be the first time, at any rate, that beauty has been placed
in
the service of cultural diplomacy.
And there's no short supply of beauty here. Drawn from two worlds --
the
secular world of the palace and the somewhat more somber one of the
mosque
(with shrines and churches thrown in as a kind of goodwill gesture),
the
exhibition is visually splendid, if somewhat less ostentatious than
many
decorative arts shows, by virtue of its heavy emphasis on religious
artifacts. Nevertheless, it debunks one commonly held myth about the
Muslim
prohibition against representations of the figure in art. While it's
true
that the vast majority of Islamic objects (and here I mean Islamic in
the
religious sense) involve mainly calligraphy and non-figurative design,
"Palace and Mosque" makes a point that this taboo was far from hard and
fast.
As with any show that's half devoted to courtly arts and half to faith,
as
much here is meant to advertise power, wealth and prestige as devotion.
Carved ivories, rich textiles and, in a particularly stunning example
of
if-you've-got-it-flaunt-it, a 16th-century gold-inlaid steel sword
belonging to Shah Tahmasp I of Iran are all basically status symbols.
They're beautiful examples of craftsmanship and design, yet as with
other
shows of this sort, where the works of art exist to reinforce class
distinctions, they're somewhat unsubtle reminders of inequality…
-----
PARTNER FINDS NICHE HELPING MUSLIM INVESTORS EARN WHILE KEEPING THE
FAITH
Brenda Sapino Jeffreys, New York Lawyer, 7/30/04
http://www.nylawyer.com/news/04/07/072904o.html
Muslim investors are not allowed to earn interest on their money or pay
interest. So working on deals involving Muslims isn't the easiest
practice
area. Nevertheless, Bracewell & Patterson finance and real estate
partner
Alfred G. "Al" Kyle is developing a niche practice of representing
banks in
deals financed in part with money from Muslim investors.
Kyle's first Muslim-money deal closed in 2000, when Kyle represented
client
KeyBank NA in a real estate transaction in Texas.
"My only job was to make sure the deal complied with the unique Texas
issues," Kyle recalls about the apartment deal in Austin, in which
Middle
Eastern investors provided some of the equity.
But since then, Kyle has worked on six similar deals involving Muslim
money, although he says the process became more difficult following
Sept.
11, 2001, and the resulting need to ensure that the deals comply with
the
USA Patriot Act and that they don't benefit terrorists.
"We've got to constantly monitor new borrowers [and investors] to make
sure
they aren't on the list of terrorist organizations," Kyle says…
-----
PAKISTANIS FACE DEPORTATION THREAT AS CANADA REJECTS OVER 80 PC ASYLUM
PLEAS
PakTribune, 7/30/04
http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=72403
TORONTO, July 30 (Online): Foreigners especially Pakistanis, who are
trying
to seek political asylum in Canada are facing great hardships due to
new
strict immigration laws and almost 80 per cent applications in this
regard
have been rejected by local courts, so far.
According to the Voice of America, thousands of Pakistanis whose
applications for political asylum were dismissed by Canadian
authorities,
are also facing threat of deportation.
After enforcement of strict immigration laws, the Canadian Immigration
Minister, Juddy Grow, said the government would deport all those whose
applications for asylum on political grounds had been rejected by local
courts.
She said after rejection of their asylum applications, people often
tried
to take refuge in churches.
The Minister, however, said the administration of churches had been
strictly directed not to shelter foreigners whose applications for
asylum
were dismissed by the Canadian courts.
It may be recalled that about 53,000 people had applied for political
asylum in Canada this year and the courts had given its verdict on
almost
20,000 applications, so far.
The Canadian immigration lawyers said more than 80 per cent
applications
for political asylum had been rejected by courts.
The lawyers further said most of the applicants belonged to Pakistan
and
they came to the country from United States during last few months…
-----
MUSLIM ON U.S. OLYMPIC ROWING TEAM
Julia Morrill, Sports Illustrated, 8/2/04
www.si.com
PIONEERS --Aquil Abdullah, 31, is the first black man to make the U.S.
Olympic rowing team. The son of a Catholic mother and a Muslim father,
he
grew up in Washington, D.C., and is a George Washington alum. He now
lives
in Princeton, N.J., and is a freelance computer programmer.
-----
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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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/1/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: HOUSES OF WORSHIP
* CAIR CONDEMNS IRAQ CHURCH BOMBINGS
* CAIR-SEATTLE: MOSQUES HOST VOTER REGISTRATION (PI)
- Mission to Make Muslim Vote Matter (Seattle Times)
* CAIR-LA: MUSLIMS RALLY AROUND DETAINEE (AP)
- Struggle Continues Over Jailing of Muslim (LA Times)
- Al-Arian: A Political Arrest, After All (St. Pete Times)
* CAIR-AZ: ARIZONA MUSLIMS MEET WITH FBI
- CAIR-FL: DOJ to Look Into Mosque Height Limit (B Herald)
* MUSLIMS IN LAS VEGAS (Los Angeles Times)
* GA ISLAMIC CENTER FIRE STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION
* DOCTORS AND TORTURE (New England Journal of Medicine)
- FISK: Can't Blair, Bush See Iraq is About to Explode?
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: HOUSES OF WORSHIP
"Who could be more wicked than those who bar the mention of God's name
from
(any of) His houses of worship and strive for their ruin…For them, in
this
world, there is ignominy in store, and for them, in the life to come,
awesome suffering."
The Holy Quran, 2:114
-----
CAIR CONDEMNS IRAQ CHURCH BOMBINGS
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/1/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today condemned bombings at five churches in Iraq that
left
at least 11 people dead and many more wounded. The attacks were carried
out
during Sunday evening services.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said:
"We condemn these vicious attacks in the strongest terms possible. The
identity of the perpetrators is not known, but their motive of creating
religious divisions is obvious. Harming those engaged in worship
violates
the principles of all faiths. Religiously and historically, Islam
mandated
the protection of churches and synagogues. The Prophet Muhammad and his
successors sought to protect houses of worship and the communities they
serve. We offer condolences to the families of those killed and
injured,
and call for increased security measures at all religious sites in
Iraq."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 28 regional offices nationwide and in Canada.
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org
-----
MOSQUES HOSTING ELECTORAL REGISTRATION
VANESSA HO, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 7/31/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/184399_muslimvote31.html
Every Friday at their mosque, Muslims listen to a khutba, or sermon.
They're reminded of the importance of memorizing the Quran, for
example, or
the benefit of sending a blessing to the prophet Mohammed.
Yesterday, sermons at local mosques had an earthier, but no less urgent
message: Get out and vote.
About eight mosques from Olympia to Lynnwood participated in a national
campaign to encourage Muslims, many of whom are immigrants, to register
to
vote as a first step in becoming politically active.
"We think Muslims have a lot of positive things to contribute to the
political process. The first step is registering people to vote, then
it's
becoming a delegate or affecting policy," said Michaela Corning,
manager of
the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil
rights and advocacy group.
The national group launched a drive to encourage Muslims to vote last
year.
In the Seattle area, the local chapter recently joined Hate Free Zone,
an
anti-discrimination group, in a campaign to register 10,000 Muslims by
the
November general election.
Nationally, polls show that registered Muslims have tended to vote at
higher rates than the national average, said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman
for
the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, D.C.
But because so many political issues affect and interest them -- the
Patriot Act, the war in Iraq, the rebuilding of Afghanistan -- Hooper
said
it was important to reach all Muslims eligible to vote.
"We're a minority, and as a minority, every vote counts," he said. "Not
just voting, but working on campaigns, forming political-action
committees,
inviting candidates to speak to the people in the mosque…"
SEE ALSO:
HIS MISSION IS TO MAKE THE MUSLIM VOTE MATTER
Janet I. Tu, Seattle Times, 7/31/04
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001993750_muslimvote31m.html
It was a blazing summer afternoon as Abdullahi Jama, a former attorney
and
college professor from Somalia, stood outside a local mosque, asking
the
same question over and over: "Are you citizens?"
Sometimes the 51-year-old Skyway resident was ignored. Other times he
was
pulled into debates with Muslims who fear or mistrust the federal
government, don't believe their vote would make a difference, or feel
it's
wrong to back a candidate who might do something that runs contrary to
Islamic principles.
Yet Jama persisted. "I tell them: 'If you want them to listen to your
concerns, you have to vote.' "
Jama is heading a voter-registration drive on behalf of Hate Free Zone
Campaign of Washington, a civil-rights advocacy group, and the Seattle
branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Seattle). The
groups are hoping to reach as many as 10,000 Muslims statewide - either
new
voters or those who've registered but are not on the mailing list of
either
group.
Yesterday, imams and leaders at a dozen local mosques spoke about the
importance of political participation, part of a nationwide effort
among
Islamic groups to get Muslims to the polls this presidential election
year.
"This is a critical moment for the Muslim community in North America,"
said
Ibrahim Mohamed, a CAIR-Seattle board adviser who spoke at Lynnwood's
Dar
Al Arqam Mosque.
Muslims in America are being targeted, he said - detained for months at
a
time, their homes searched by federal agents. "This is a critical time
to
make sure we are counted, that we matter..."
-----
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MUSLIMS RALLY AROUND DETAINED FUND-RAISER
BEN FOX, Associated Press, 7/31/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/07/31/state2015EDT0147.DTL
DATELINE: SANTA ANA, Calif. - Protesters condemned the threatened
deportation of a man who used to work for a Muslim charity that has
been
accused of sending millions of dollars to the Hamas terrorist group.
The U.S. government is trying to pressure Abdel-Jabbar Hamdan into
providing information about Texas-based Holy Land Foundation for Relief
and
Development, said Sabiha Khan of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations.
"We have been assured that ... Hamdan has told investigators everything
he
knows. It is outrageous that immigration officials are pressuring him
in
such a manner," Khan said Friday as dozens of demonstrators waved
protest
placards and prayed outside a federal office building.
Khan said the threat to deport Hamdan and his wife to Jordan because of
alleged immigration violations was "un-American and hypocritical."
Hamdan, a 44-year-old father of six U.S.-born children who lives in
Buena
Park, was detained Tuesday - the same day authorities arrested seven
former
employees of the Holy Land Foundation…
Hamdan's immigration attorney, Ban al-Wardi, said authorities detained
him
for violating the terms of the student visa he used to enter the United
States in 1979.
"They started off saying, 'If you just cooperate with us to the level
that
we're looking for, then we will make all of this go away,"' al-Wardi
said.
Hamdan's criminal attorney, Federico Sayre, said authorities told him
that
Hamdan may be among the targets of a second wave of indictments if he
doesn't provide useful information.
SEE ALSO:
STRUGGLE CONTINUES OVER JAILING OF MUSLIM MAN
Kevin Pang, Los Angeles Times, 7/31/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hamdan31jul31,1,3830975.story
Several hundred Muslims rallied Friday in Santa Ana to demand the
release
of an Orange County man who they say is being unfairly held for
violating
immigration laws in an attempt by authorities to pressure him to
testify
against an indicted Islamic charity where he once worked.
Abdel-Jabbar Hamdan, 44, of Buena Park was arrested by federal agents
Tuesday, the same day seven members of the Texas-based Holy Land
Foundation
were charged with funneling millions to Hamas, the Palestinian group
that
the U.S. government calls a terrorist organization.
Hamdan, a 24-year resident of the United States who is being held
without
bail, once worked as a paid fundraiser for the charity but was not
named in
the indictment.
Hamdan's lawyer, Ban Al-Wardi, said her client is accused of
overstaying
his student visa after 1986. But she said Hamdan has been living here
with
his wife and six children under a work permit, which was renewed in
May.
Hamdan is a Muslim born in a Palestinian refugee camp in the Middle
East.
Al-Wardi said the arrest is a move by the government to pressure Hamdan
to
testify against the Holy Land Foundation. But a spokeswoman for the
federal
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Hamdan was "in violation of
immigration law" but would not discuss details.
At the Civic Center prayer vigil, Hamdan's wife, Entesar, spoke as her
two
youngest sons stood at her side.
"If my husband is unjustly deported, our family and our lives will be
destroyed," she said. "I appeal to all people who support fairness and
justice to help free my husband so he can come back to his children and
family…"
---
A POLITICAL ARREST, AFTER ALL
By LAILA and LEENA AL-ARIAN, St. Petersburg Times, 8/1/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/01/Perspective/A_political_arrest__a.shtml
"It's all about politics," our father, professor Sami Al-Arian, told
the
world when he was arrested Feb. 20, 2003, on charges that he alledgedly
supported terrorists. In the past 18 months, our family has witnessed
our
father condemned by an attorney general who holds no regard for due
process. We have seen firsthand his slow deterioration from the
excessive
conditions of his pretrial detention and the way he has been unfairly
maligned in the press. Now, he is being used as a pawn in a high-stakes
political race. A year and a half later, it is clearer than ever that
the
case against him has always been politically motivated…
Much to our dismay, what has been lost in this highly charged debate is
the
fact that our father, who has not yet been to trial, has never been
given
the presumption of innocence. He is being judged by unsubstantiated
accusations, not by any evidence against him.
Anyone who has closely followed court proceedings over the past few
months
would know that the government has yet to present any case against our
father. It is clear that their approach was to arrest him first and
build
their case later, a tactic more fitting for a police state.
Now the government has even stated its intent to circumvent due process
of
law by introducing secret evidence in court. Apparently an 11-year
investigation that has yielded over 20,000 hours of wiretapped
conversations, 700 videotapes and tens of thousands of documents has
not
been enough to form a solid case.
This is not surprising considering the court has been presented with
numerous glaring inaccuracies in the government's case over the past 18
months. What's more, federal authorities' continuous harassment of
Tampa's
Muslim community demonstrates that the case has been sloppily put
together
and largely politically motivated.
Perhaps the most obvious indication of this is the state of our
father's
pretrial detention. Only a month after his arrest, he was moved to
Coleman
Federal Penitentiary, where he is the only pretrial detainee. There, he
has
been kept in solitary confinement and subject to humiliating treatment
by
prison guards, including frequent unnecessary strip searches. He is
only
given one 15-minute phone call per month. While we witness felons
hugging
their wives and children, we are allowed to see our father only through
a
glass partition. We find ourselves at a loss for words when our younger
siblings ask us why we are treated differently.
In Coleman, our father is denied the right to attend religious
services,
not given adequate medical treatment and prohibited from using the law
library. Even more appalling is the fact that he has extremely limited
contact with his attorneys and cannot examine evidence in the case kept
here in Tampa.
A number of concerned individuals and organizations have condemned
these
conditions, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the National
Council of Churches and Amnesty International, which has called them
"gratuitously punitive."
Under these circumstances, we are left to wonder if a fair trial is
possible. Even in this Senate race, our father's political opponents
have
somehow found a way to further malign his character. These shameless
attempts have only reconfirmed our father's words from that fateful
morning
that his case is politically driven.
This traumatic experience has had a devastating effect on us, our
mother
and our three siblings. No family should have to suffer the loss of a
loving father and husband, especially one who has also contributed so
much
to the betterment of the society around him and has always taught us to
do
the same.
As a family, we are confident that, if given his day in court, our
father
will ultimately be exonerated of all unfounded accusations against him.
However, until that day, no one, be it members of the media or
politicians,
should pass judgment or treat his fate as a foregone conclusion. That
is
simply un-American.
Laila Al-Arian is a journalist working in Washington, D.C., and Leena
is a
senior this fall at the University of South Florida.
-----
ARIZONA MUSLIMS MEET WITH FBI
CAIR-Arizona and ICT initiate positive dialogue
(TUCSON, AZ, 8/1/04)- The Arizona office of Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-AZ) and representatives from the Islamic Center of
Tucson
(ICT) met with FBI officials on Thursday to discuss issues of mutual
concern, including protection against anti-Muslim hate crimes, the
FBI's
counterterrorism efforts and ways of increasing cooperation between law
enforcement and the American Muslim community. Suggestions about how to
improve communication between law enforcement and the Muslim community
were
also discussed.
The meeting included two top officials of the Tucson Resident Agency of
the
FBI, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Roland J. Mignone and
Supervisory
Special Agent Brian D. Filbert of the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The meeting was one of many CAIR-AZ is conducting with various law
enforcement agencies to build constructive relationships and to voice
the
Muslim community's concerns. CAIR-AZ plans hold town hall meetings
between
the Muslim community and the FBI throughout Arizona.
CONTACT: CAIR-AZ, 602-262-2247, 602-790-9319
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-FL: JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO LOOK INTO MOSQUE HEIGHT LIMIT
MELISSA FOLLOWELL, Herald Staff, 7/31/04
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/9287878.htm
SARASOTA - The Sarasota County Commissioners' decision to put a height
restriction on a mosque has attracted the attention of the U.S.
Department
of Justice.
The Civil Rights Division is investigating why county commissioners
have
placed height restrictions on the Islamic Society of Sarasota and
Bradenton's proposed mosque, to be built at 4350 Lockwood Ridge Road.
Department of Justice Spokesman Eric Holland confirmed that there is an
investigation underway but said he cannot comment.
"It is Department of Justice policy not to comment while the
investigation
is still underway," Holland said.
In a modest house on Lockwood Ridge Road, Muslims from Manatee and
Sarasota
counties gather to worship in close quarters.
As the congregation of the Islamic Society of Sarasota and Bradenton
grows,
so does the need for a larger facility.
Sarasota County's Planning Commission approved the Society's plans for
a
13,500-square-foot worship facility and two out buildings, but when the
plans got to county commissioners, issues with the structure's proposed
height arose.
Commission Chairman Jon Thaxton said the board granted a special
exception
permit for the organization after examining traffic, storm water and
environmental issues. Even the mass of the building was not a problem
for
county commissioners.
"The only thing we couldn't fit in there was the height," Thaxton said.
Assistant County Attorney Gary Oldehoff said the original proposal was
for
a 50-foot-tall building with two 85-foot minarets.
According to Thaxton, standards allow buildings as tall as 35 feet and
the
commission approved the structure for over 40 feet.
Ahmed Bedier, communications director for the Florida Office of the
Council
of American-Islamic Relations, said his organization worried that there
might have been unfair treatment in the county's decision.
"In the post-9/11 climate, Muslims are being discriminated against and
mistreated at all levels, including local government," Bedier said.
Thaxton said religion had nothing to do with the decision…
-----
MUSLIMS IN LAS VEGAS
Peter H. King, Los Angeles Times, 8/1/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-vegas1aug01.story
LAS VEGAS - There must be easier places for a Muslim to follow the
straight
path to paradise. Islam forbids gambling, alcohol, public nudity,
fornication. Las Vegas banks on them, promoting its Sin City reputation
as
vigorously as Southern California boosters once pitched sunshine and
oranges.
"What happens here, stays here," winks the Las Vegas Convention and
Visitors Authority in a national advertising campaign. The cityscape is
awash in straightforward invitations to adult frolic. Seminude vixens
beckon from freeway billboards, taxicab placards and newspaper racks,
taking seductive bites out of apples, coiling themselves around
serpents,
posing seven across, hip to bare hip, buttocks flexed.
What's a good Muslim to do?
"Lower your gaze," an imam intoned in his sermon, or khutbah, before
prayers one Friday last spring. "Especially you young brothers. Out
there"
- he pointed vaguely in the direction of the Strip - "you must lower
your
gaze."
There are about 10,000 Muslims in Las Vegas, and they come from all
over.
In the mosques on any Friday, one can find well-to-do doctors from the
Indian subcontinent, barrel-chested circus tumblers from Tangier,
cabdrivers from Compton, war widows from Kabul...
These are awkward times for the people of Islam here and across
America.
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and subsequent military campaigns in the
predominantly Muslim countries of Afghanistan and Iraq have brought new
uncertainties and complications to everyday life.
Many perceive that their loyalty has come under question, their
American
welcome suspended, if not revoked. Sometimes this message arrives in
overt
ways - an unannounced visit from FBI agents, an anti-Muslim epithet
scrawled inside a portable toilet at the mosque. More often it takes
subtler forms - a long stare from a stranger on an airplane, a clicking
sound on the telephone that might or might not mean a law enforcement
eavesdropper has come on the line.
"Did you hear that?" asked Aziz Eddebbarh, a hydraulic engineer who
serves
as a liaison of sorts between Las Vegas Muslims and the rest of the
city,
midway through what had been a rather innocuous telephone conversation
about the Islamic calendar.
"What?"
"Those clicks. Look, can you call me back at my other number? Do you
understand?"
Las Vegas, population 933,000, is one of the nation's fastest-growing
cities, and Muslims are attracted to it by the same amenities that draw
all
newcomers: economic opportunity, relatively inexpensive real estate, a
tolerable - in certain seasons even spectacular - desert climate.
The first Muslims to settle in Las Vegas, according to mosque lore,
were
three acrobats from Morocco who came to perform on the Strip in the
early
1960s. One of them remains a mosque regular, but he shyly declines when
asked to cast light on a popular, perhaps apocryphal, side plot to this
pioneer story.
The three acrobats, the story goes, were offered a chance in those days
to
purchase property beyond what were then the far limits of the Strip.
They
declined, convinced that $5,000 was too much to pay for what they
considered an unpromising piece of real estate - the very same ground
where
Caesars Palace now stands. No wonder the man might not want to talk
about it.
Muslims who live here will insist - as do Mormons, Catholics, Baptists,
Jews, agnostics and all the rest - that they can exist almost
completely
apart from the Las Vegas of gambling and long-legged entertainment and
its
ever-present shadow population of 250,000 tourists and conventioneers.
They
might take a visiting relative to one of the tamer stage shows or a
breakfast buffet, but that's all.
"I have never put a quarter in any of the machines in Las Vegas," said
Dr.
Mohammed A. Shafi, a 40-year-old internist from India, "and I have
never
tasted alcohol in my entire life."
Still, for some Muslims, the parallel cities, by necessity, do overlap.
Immigrants seeking entry-level jobs find them most easily in the hotels
and
casinos, and at Friday prayers those who work around alcohol are
reminded
not to enter the mosque with even a drop on their skin or clothing…
-----
ISLAMIC CENTER FIRE STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION
Robert Branch, Savannah Morning News, 7/30/04
http://www.savannahnow.com/stories/073004/2340294.shtml
Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine said his office's
investigation into a fire that destroyed the Islamic Center of Savannah
last August has been closed due to lack of evidence. But local police
say a
separate, joint investigation remains open…
Worshipers at the Islamic Center said just before last year's fire they
found bullet holes in one of the building's doors. And a member's
nearby
apartment was burglarized and a threatening note left behind, warning
Islamic Center members to leave town, saying they were being watched.
James Newman, ATF agent, said the agency is normally called in to
investigate when a fire at a house of worship is believed to be
suspicious.
"It remains open in our files," he said, calling it an ongoing joint
investigation between ATF, FBI, the Savannah Fire Department and
Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department.
However, agents in the Savannah offices of the ATF and the FBI said
they've
received no new information related to the case…
-----
DOCTORS AND TORTURE
Robert Jay Lifton, M.D., New England Journal of Medicine, 7/29/04
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/351/5/415
There is increasing evidence that U.S. doctors, nurses, and medics have
been complicit in torture and other illegal procedures in Iraq,
Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay. Such medical complicity suggests still
another disturbing dimension of this broadening scandal.
We know that medical personnel have failed to report to higher
authorities
wounds that were clearly caused by torture and that they have neglected
to
take steps to interrupt this torture. In addition, they have turned
over
prisoners' medical records to interrogators who could use them to
exploit
the prisoners' weaknesses or vulnerabilities. We have not yet learned
the
extent of medical involvement in delaying and possibly falsifying the
death
certificates of prisoners who have been killed by torturers.
A May 22 article on Abu Ghraib in the New York Times states that "much
of
the evidence of abuse at the prison came from medical documents" and
that
records and statements "showed doctors and medics reporting to the area
of
the prison where the abuse occurred several times to stitch wounds,
tend to
collapsed prisoners or see patients with bruised or reddened
genitals."1
According to the article, two doctors who gave a painkiller to a
prisoner
for a dislocated shoulder and sent him to an outside hospital
recognized
that the injury was caused by his arms being handcuffed and held over
his
head for "a long period," but they did not report any suspicions of
abuse.
A staff sergeant-medic who had seen the prisoner in that position later
told investigators that he had instructed a military policeman to free
the
man but that he did not do so. A nurse, when called to attend to a
prisoner
who was having a panic attack, saw naked Iraqis in a human pyramid with
sandbags over their heads but did not report it until an investigation
was
held several months later.
A June 10 article in the Washington Post tells of a long-standing
policy at
the Guantanamo Bay facility whereby military interrogators were given
access to the medical records of individual prisoners.2 The policy was
maintained despite complaints by the Red Cross that such records "are
being
used by interrogators to gain information in developing an
interrogation
plan." A civilian psychiatrist who was part of a medical review team
was
"disturbed" about not having been told about the practice and said that
it
would give interrogators "tremendous power" over prisoners.
Other reports, though sketchier, suggest that the death certificates of
prisoners who might have been killed by various forms of mistreatment
have
not only been delayed but may have camouflaged the fatal abuse by
attributing deaths to conditions such as cardiovascular disease.3
Various medical protocols - notably, the World Medical Association
Declaration of Tokyo in 1975 - prohibit all three of these forms of
medical
complicity in torture. Moreover, the Hippocratic Oath declares, "I will
use
treatment to help the sick according to my ability and judgment, but
never
with a view to injury and wrongdoing…"
-----
CAN'T BLAIR SEE THAT THIS COUNTRY IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE? CAN'T BUSH?'
ROBERT FISK, Independent on Sunday (London), 8/1/04
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/story.jsp?story=546763
The Prime Minister has accused some journalists of almost wanting a
disaster to happen in Iraq. Robert Fisk, who has spent the past five
weeks
reporting from the deteriorating and devastated country, says the
disaster
has already happened, over and over again
The war is a fraud. I'm not talking about the weapons of mass
destruction
that didn't exist. Nor the links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qa'ida
which
didn't exist. Nor all the other lies upon which we went to war. I'm
talking
about the new lies.
For just as, before the war, our governments warned us of threats that
did
not exist, now they hide from us the threats that do exist. Much of
Iraq
has fallen outside the control of America's puppet government in
Baghdad
but we are not told. Hundreds of attacks are made against US troops
every
month. But unless an American dies, we are not told. This month's death
toll of Iraqis in Baghdad alone has now reached 700 - the worst month
since
the invasion ended. But we are not told.
The stage management of this catastrophe in Iraq was all too evident at
Saddam Hussein's "trial". Not only did the US military censor the tapes
of
the event. Not only did they effectively delete all sound of the 11
other
defendants. But the Americans led Saddam Hussein to believe - until he
reached the courtroom - that he was on his way to his execution.
Indeed,
when he entered the room he believed that the judge was there to
condemn
him to death. This, after all, was the way Saddam ran his own state
security courts. No wonder he initially looked "disorientated" - CNN's
helpful description - because, of course, he was meant to look that
way. We
had made sure of that. Which is why Saddam asked Judge Juhi: "Are you a
lawyer? ... Is this a trial?" And swiftly, as he realised that this
really
was an initial court hearing - not a preliminary to his own hanging -
he
quickly adopted an attitude of belligerence.
But don't think we're going to learn much more about Saddam's future
court
appearances. Salem Chalabi, the brother of convicted fraudster Ahmad
and
the man entrusted by the Americans with the tribunal, told the Iraqi
press
two weeks ago that all media would be excluded from future court
hearings.
And I can see why. Because if Saddam does a Milosevic, he'll want to
talk
about the real intelligence and military connections of his regime -
which
were primarily with the United States.
Living in Iraq these past few weeks is a weird as well as dangerous
experience. I drive down to Najaf. Highway 8 is one of the worst in
Iraq.
Westerners are murdered there. It is littered with burnt-out police
vehicles and American trucks. Every police post for 70 miles has been
abandoned. Yet a few hours later, I am sitting in my room in Baghdad
watching Tony Blair, grinning in the House of Commons as if he is the
hero
of a school debating competition; so much for the Butler report.
Indeed, watching any Western television station in Baghdad these days
is
like tuning in to Planet Mars. Doesn't Blair realise that Iraq is about
to
implode? Doesn't Bush realise this? The American-appointed "government"
controls only parts of Baghdad - and even there its ministers and civil
servants are car-bombed and assassinated. Baquba, Samara, Kut,
Mahmoudiya,
Hilla, Fallujah, Ramadi, all are outside government authority. Iyad
Allawi,
the "Prime Minister", is little more than mayor of Baghdad. "Some
journalists," Blair announces, "almost want there to be a disaster in
Iraq." He doesn't get it. The disaster exists now…
"Deadly force is authorised," it says on checkpoints all over Baghdad.
Authorised by whom? There is no accountability. Repeatedly, on the
great
highways out of the city US soldiers shriek at motorists and open fire
at
the least suspicion. "We had some Navy Seals down at our checkpoint the
other day," a 1st Cavalry sergeant says to me. "They asked if we were
having any trouble. I said, yes, they've been shooting at us from a
house
over there. One of them asked: That house?' We said yes. So they have
these
three SUVs and a lot of weapons made of titanium and they drive off
towards
the house. And later they come back and say We've taken care of that'.
And
we didn't get shot at any more…"
What, indeed, are we to make of a war which is turned into a fantasy by
those who started it? As foreign workers pour out of Iraq for fear of
their
lives, US Secretary of State Colin Powell tells a press conference that
hostage-taking is having an "effect" on reconstruction. Effect! Oil
pipeline explosions are now as regular as power cuts. In parts of
Baghdad
now, they have only four hours of electricity a day; the streets swarm
with
foreign mercenaries, guns poking from windows, shouting abusively at
Iraqis
who don't clear the way for them. This is the "safer" Iraq which Mr
Blair
was boasting of the other day. What world does the British Government
exist in?
Take the Saddam trial. The entire Arab press - including the Baghdad
papers
- prints the judge's name. Indeed, the same judge has given interviews
about his charges of murder against Muqtada Sadr. He has posed for
newspaper pictures. But when I mention his name in The Independent, I
was
solemnly censured by the British Government's spokesman. Salem Chalabi
threatened to prosecute me. So let me get this right. We illegally
invade
Iraq. We kill up to 11,000 Iraqis. And Mr Chalabi, appointed by the
Americans, says I'm guilty of "incitement to murder". That just about
says
it all.
-----
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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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/2/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: LIGHT UPON LIGHT
* NJ MUSLIMS SQUIRM UNDER TERROR THREAT SCRUTINY (AP)
- MS: New FBI Chief Reaches Out to Muslims (AP)
* AL-HALABI: AIR FORCE PREVENTS WORSHIP IN MOSQUE (DFP)
- Canadian Inmates to Get Imam (Ottawa Citizen)
* TX: SEARCH FOR HLF DEFENDANTS COUNSEL (Law.com)
- NY: Jailhouse Interview (Post-Standard)
* UT: MUSLIMS GATHER AT FESTIVAL (Salt Lake Tribune)
* NV: ISLAM IN LAS VEGAS, PART 2 (LA Times)
- Canada: Muslim, Jewish Students Feed Homeless
* MA: ISLAMIC ACADEMY MOVES TO MANSFIELD (Sun Chron)
- MA: Planned Mosque Will Hold 1,700 (AP)
- NJ: A Community Built By a Show of Faith (Phil Inq)
* NY: MUSLIM STORE OWNERS CALL FOR ACTION (WROC-TV)
* ISRAEL RENEGES ON UNDERTAKING TO US (Maariv)
- LA City Attorney Flacks For Israel (Daily News)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: LIGHT UPON LIGHT
God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light
is
as if there were a Niche, and within it a lamp; the Lamp enclosed in
Glass;
the glass a brilliant star, lit from a blessed Tree...Light upon Light!
God
doth guide whom He will to His Light.
The Holy Quran, 24:35
-----
NJ MUSLIMS SQUIRM UNDER RENEWED TERROR THREAT SCRUTINY
WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press, 8/2/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--terrorthreat-musl0802aug02,0,4511907.story
PATERSON, N.J. -- Everything seemed normal Monday morning on Main
Street in
the heart of New Jersey's Arab-American community: Bakeries sold sticky
sweet pastries, storefront restaurants ground chick peas for falafel
sandwiches and women shoppers in head scarfs drifted along the
sidewalk.
But under the surface, there was renewed fear and anxiety in this
northern
New Jersey community where as many as six of the Sept. 11 hijackers
lived
or spent time shortly before the attacks.
With federal authorities raising the terror threat level to orange,
citing
specific threats against the Prudential building in Newark, Muslims are
once again feeling uneasy, fearing the larger community _ and law
enforcement _ might view them as potential terrorists.
"Our community feels under siege," said Sohail Mohammed, an immigration
attorney who has represented scores of men detained as part of the
post-9/11 investigation. "Every time there's an increase in the color
level, there's an anxiety increase among Muslims.
"We have had people yell at us, `Go home!' and use curses against us,"
he
said. "It happens every time the level changes. We get dirty looks from
people, racial slurs. It's not pleasant, particularly if you are with
young
children."
"These things agitate the sense of belonging for American Muslims,"
added
Nabil Abbassi, a board member of the Islamic Center of Passaic County,
one
of the state's most influential mosques.
"There's a sense of insecurity in the air this morning," he said.
It is not a groundless fear; the number of anti-Muslim bias incidents
in
New Jersey tripled last year from 12 in 2002 to 40 in 2003. Nationwide,
bias complaints to the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic
Relations rose from 602 in 2002 to 1,019 last year…
ALSO SEE:
MISSISSIPPI'S NEW FBI CHIEF REACHES OUT TO MUSLIM COMMUNITY
Denise Grones, Associated Press, 8/2/04
JACKSON, Miss. - The new FBI chief in Mississippi is reaching out to
the
Muslim community - both to protect it from possible hate crimes in the
aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and perhaps to share
information in times of need.
Muslims are caught in catch-22 situation, said Robert J. Garrity, head
of
the FBI in the state, because they are the focus of the war on
terrorism
after the attacks.
The FBI is asking citizens to be vigilant and to look for and report
suspicious activity, which helps the fight against terrorism. But for
Arabs, Muslims and others who aren't terrorists but who could be
mistaken
for them, it can make life difficult.
"No one is looking for blue-eyed blond Norwegians to be conducting
terrorism here," Garrity said last week in an interview with The
Associated
Press. "And whether you call it profiling, whether you call it looking
at
one particular group, whatever the word is you give it, we are not
looking
for blue-eyed blond Norwegians. It just doesn't fit the mold. And
within
the Muslim community, that's a concern for them."
Garrity brought a program to Mississippi when he arrived in June. He
started it in Dallas to build a close working relationship with the
Muslim
community and Islamic leaders.
Garrity, a FBI veteran of nearly 30 years, has extensive experience in
the
fields of counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism.
He said he met with four Mississippi Muslim Association board members,
who
represent about 2,000 Muslims in the state.
"We want them to know us. We want to know them," he said. "I was
heartened
to hear that they have not been victimized as in other parts of the
country
where Muslims have been victimized…
-----
AIR FORCE DEFENDS ITS STAND ON WORSHIP
Mariem Qamruzzaman, Free Press, 8/2/04
http://www.freep.com/news/religion/pray2_20040802.htm
The U.S. Air Force is defending its position to prevent a senior airman
from Dearborn from worshiping in a mosque as he awaits a September
trial on
attempted espionage charges.
Ahmad Al-Halabi, who worked as a translator at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is
accused of attempted spying and mishandling classified information. He
was
arrested in July 2003. Since May 12, he has been detained at Travis Air
Force Base near Sacramento, Calif. There is no mosque on base and
officials
have refused to allow him to pray in one in the community.
The 25-year-old Muslim maintains his innocence, but government
officials
have accused him of trying to send more than 180 e-mails from detainees
to
Syria, where Al-Halabi was born. They also said he failed to report
contacts with the Syrian Embassy to his U.S. superiors and lied to Air
Force investigators.
A formal religious discrimination complaint was filed in July.
Speaking on behalf of Travis Air Force Base, a spokesman at the Air
Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois said letting
Al-Halabi
off the base could be risky, even with a military escort.
Officials said they want to make sure Al-Halabi shows up for trial and
they
say keeping him on the base guarantees national security and his own
safety. No trial date has been set.
But the officials said they did make an effort to have two Islamic
clerics
visit the base to help Al-Halabi fulfill his religious obligation of
praying because there are no Muslim chaplains or qualified lay leaders
on
the base.
They said Al-Halabi refused the visitations, saying he wanted to
participate in Jumah prayers, which requires a congregation.
Al-Halabi's lawyers insist that he did not decline the military's offer
to
have a local religious leader visit him on base. They say Al-Halabi
merely
made it clear that his preference was to attend a mosque.
A citizens committee, the Airman Halabi Justice Committee, has formed
in
California to help raise money for his defense fund and provide updates
about his case.
The group has raised more than $45,000 toward his defense; its goal is
$50,000.
The money is in a bank account set up by the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations, known as CAIR.
While not being heavily involved, CAIR is offering support to the
group,
said Sabiha Khan, a spokeswomen for CAIR's Los Angeles chapter…
SEE: JUSTICE FOR AHMAD AL-HALABI
http://www.civilrightsfund.org/halabijustice/
ALSO SEE:
ONTARIO FEDERAL INMATES TO GET IMAM
Jennifer Chen, the Ottawa Citizen, 8/2/04
http://www.canada.com/search/story.html?id=6ecaca70-ab01-4bae-b62e-bca644a97170
Ottawa - The federal prison system has set its sights on hiring a
full-time
Muslim chaplain in Ontario for the first time.
The decision came after a review last June by human rights advocates,
correctional staff and various members of minority religious
communities,
said Hugh Kirkegaard, the Ontario region's institutional chaplain for
the
Correctional Service of Canada.
"Partly it's just kind of the evolution of things," he said, and the
federal system's "attempt to take minority groups more seriously."
Muslims currently make up the second largest self-labelled religious
group
among Ontario's prisoners.
Nationally, more than 460 inmates identified themselves as Muslim this
year.
More than 130 are incarcerated in Ontario, while about 240 are in
Quebec.
"Prisons are a mirror of society," Mr. Kirkegaard said. The Muslim
population in Canada swelled from about 250,000 in 1991 to 580,000 in
2001,
according to Statistics Canada. More than half that number live in
Ontario.
Hiring an imam on a full-time basis is a move that's based on numbers,
said
Christina Guest, the correctional service's chaplaincy branch programs
officer.
So far, the federal institutions have no established standards on
providing
religious services across the country, Mr. Kirkegaard said.
This would signal a step toward establishing such standards, he added…
-----
INDICTMENT TRIGGERS SCRAMBLE TO FIND COUNSEL FOR HLF DEFENDANTS
Miriam Rozen, Law.com, 8/2/04
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1090180207113
When federal agents knocked on the door of his Richardson, Texas, home
on
July 27 at 7 a.m., Ghassan Elashi was sleeping in his bed, says his
lawyer,
Tim Evans.
"Although we always knew this was a possibility, I didn't think this
was
likely," says Evans, a partner in Fort Worth's Evans, Gandy, Daniel &
Moore.
In a 42-count federal indictment, filed in the Northern District of
Texas
on July 26, prosecutors allege that the Richardson-based Holy Land
Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), Elashi and six other men
linked to HLF funneled $12.4 million over six years to Hamas, a
Palestinian
group in Israel that the U.S. government has declared a terrorist
organization. They are charged with engaging in prohibited financial
transactions with a government-designated terrorist, money laundering,
conspiracy and filing false tax returns, among other things.
Elashi and the others deny the government's allegations, which first
surfaced in 2001 when federal agents raided HLF's offices and froze the
assets of the Muslim charity, which at the time ranked itself as the
largest such charity in the nation.
Surprised by the recent indictment, Evans says, he does not know who
will
help defend the seven men named in the indictment -- including HLF
chairman
Elashi and its president Shukri Abu Baker -- against what promises to
be a
massive, high-visibility and high-dollar prosecutorial effort. Nor does
he
know how the HLF defendants will finance their defense. The HLF
representatives, Evans says, have had trouble finding jobs and have
dwindling financial resources to pay for a defense.
"Now we are having to scramble to find ways to defend this case, and
it's
going to take a considerable amount of money," Evans says.
The Fort Worth lawyer expects that some of the defendants in the case,
United States of America v. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and
Development, et al., will claim indigency and ask the court to appoint
lawyers.
But Evans and Ira Kirkendoll, a federal public defender in the Northern
District, say court-appointed lawyers will face substantive
restrictions in
terms of financing a defense, as outlined under 18 U.S.C. 3006A.
Specifically, those rules call for a lawyer to receive a maximum of
$5,200
for representing a defendant charged with a felony, unless a judge
allows
for an exception. Typically, Kirkendoll says, even when a judge allows
for
an exception, the appointed lawyers on an expensive case can expect the
government to delay payments because the federal judiciary's budget for
appointed counsel frequently falls short...
ALSO SEE:
JAILHOUSE INTERVIEW
Renee K. Gadoua, Post-Standard, 8/1/04
http://www.syracuse.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-17/109134953778900.xml
Dr. Rafil Dhafir, accused of violating U.S. sanctions against Iraq,
says
the government and media have misinterpreted his motivation and
actions,
painting him as manipulative and dishonest, and implying he has ties to
terrorist groups.
Dhafir said the prosecution's case relies on fear and anti-Muslim
sentiment
in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"They don't have to use the T-word," Dhafir said. "It is there. We have
ample evidence this is what they're after."
Dhafir wouldn't say what evidence. He made his remarks during an
interview
in the Onondaga County Correctional Facility in Jamesville.
He has been denied bail four times and has been jailed since his arrest
in
February 2003.
Federal prosecutors say Dhafir raised more than $5 million for the Help
the
Needy charity since 1995. He was indicted Feb. 26, 2003, on charges he
violated U.S. sanctions against Iraq by sending money there without a
license.
Prosecutors say at least some of the money he raised did not go to help
oppressed Iraqis. He is accused of using at least $300,000 to buy
income
properties in Syracuse.
He has also been accused of Medicare fraud, tax evasion, mail fraud and
wire fraud.
During the 90-minuteinterview Wednesday, Dhafir, 56, of 5408 Springview
Drive, Manlius, denied all charges against him and the charity, but
refused
to answer questions about the charges he faces...
-----
MUSLIMS GATHER TO 'SEE AND BE SEEN' AT SALT LAKE CITY FESTIVAL
Nicole Warburton, Salt Lake Tribune, 8/1/04
http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2385999
Maryam Shahrebani wears her religion like a flag, openly stating who
she is
and what she believes.
"I'm proud of being a Muslim, and I've never been shy about it," says
the
18-year-old University of Utah student. "I want to be out there in
public.
As a Muslim woman I want to have a say."
Sitting in one of the few patches of shade at Salt Lake City's Gallivan
Center on Saturday, Shahrebani speaks of her beliefs. No question is
offensive, she says, because it's better to foster understanding than
ignorance.
"It's ignorant people that think Muslim women are [not] outspoken and
liberated," Shahrebani says, shielding her eyes framed by a hijab - or
head
scarf - from the sun.
"People need to be open-minded. They need to look to different sources
[on
Islam] other than the media."
And that is why Shahrebani says Muslims from across the Salt Lake
Valley
came to Gallivan Plaza to share a message of culture and community at
the
2nd annual Salt Lake American Muslim Cultural Festival.
"This is an effort for [Muslims] to see and be seen," said Ghulam
Hosnain,
an organizer of the event.
But even deeper, Shahrebani says, it is an event to build understanding
and
community and share the message that even though Muslims may be
different,
they are "not so different" from most cultures and religions...
---
NV: ISLAM AND HOW TO LIVE IT: ONE FAITH, MANY BELIEFS
Peter H. King, Los Angeles Times, 8/2/04
http://www.latimes.com/services/site/premium/access-registered.intercept
Las Vegas - Friday afternoon prayers at the mosques of Las Vegas tend
to
draw late-arriving crowds. The ritual call to prayer has been recited,
the
weekly sermon has been launched, and still the stragglers stream in,
kicking off their shoes and scurrying to find a place on the prayer
rug.
Nobody seems to take much notice. Nonetheless, Muslim worshipers who
show
up after the Islamic equivalent of the first pitch do forfeit an
opportunity for enhanced reward in the afterlife.
"There is a tradition," said Zafar A. Anjum, imam at the Jama Masjid
mosque
on Desert Inn Road, "that on Fridays angels come to the door of the
mosque
and make records. The one who comes in first, Allah gives him a reward
equal to that person who sacrifices the camel, and who gives away the
meat
of the camel as a charity."
The second Muslim, Anjum went on, receives the same reward as one who
has
sacrificed and donated a cow, the third a goat, the fourth a chicken,
and
so on down the sacrificial food chain. The last to arrive on time for
prayers earns a chit for paradise equivalent to that of giving away an
egg.
"After that," he said, "when the speeches start, these angels close
their
records, the books. Those who come after that, their names are not
written.
They don't get any rewards."
In the course of a year of visits, Las Vegas Muslims would prove to be
passionate instructors in the intricacies of Islam. They would weigh
in,
when asked, on the war, geopolitics and terrorism. What seemed to
animate
them most, however, were questions that got to the heart of what it
meant
to be a Muslim.
Their thoughts on the afterlife, on arranged marriages, on traditional
Islamic dress, on dream interpretation and beards and angels --
whatever
the topic, most did their best to tackle it. The tutorials were given
in
the entry halls and parking lots of mosques, around dinner tables, in
office conference rooms and, late one night last July, from behind the
wheel of Muhammad Hayat's well-worn Mercedes-Benz...
ALSO SEE:
JEWISH, MUSLIM AND CHRISTIAN STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
JOIN
FORCES TO MAKE SANDWICHES FOR THE HOMELESS
Mirko Petricevic, Record, 7/31/04
http://www.therecord.com/
A Star of David dangles from Marci Ullman's neck as she slathers peanut
butter on a slice of white bread.
A black head scarf conceals Karen Gaffar's hair as she stands nearby
and
scoops jam from a jar.
And Ashley Nix wanders around two long tables, at the University of
Waterloo's Student Life Centre, making sure everyone has what they need
to
make sandwiches -- and to bridge their differences.
It's not a scene that immediately comes to mind when one ponders
Jewish-Muslim relations at university campuses in Canada.
In the fall of 2002, students at Concordia University in Montreal
clashed
after pro-Palestinian students blocked a speech by former Israeli prime
minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Police quelled the melee with pepper spray
and
arrested five people before the lecture was cancelled. Four months
later,
Jewish students at York University in Toronto organized a lecture by
outspoken American commentator Daniel Pipes.
About 100 people protested Pipes' lecture. Muslim students accused him
of
being racist because of his staunch pro-Israel stand.
At the University of Toronto late last year, police stepped in between
pro-Israel demonstrators and pro-Palestinian protesters over a
cancelled
conference on the Middle East. And last month, someone spray-painted
the
words "die Muslim die" in a multi-faith prayer room at Ryerson
University
in Toronto.
But except for a single incident last year, relations between Jewish
and
Muslim students attending the University of Waterloo have been
relatively
quiet. Tensions rose briefly last June after various clubs organized a
lecture by a controversial U.S. author, Norman Finkelstein...
-----
ISLAMIC ACADEMY MOVES TO MANSFIELD
Michael Gelbwasser, Sun Chronicle, 8/2/04
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2004/08/01/city/city6.txt
MANSFIELD - Full-time Muslim elementary, middle and high school classes
will be under one Church Street roof in September, six months after the
high school moved there from Quincy.
The Islamic Academy of New England has leased seven classrooms from
Al-Noor
Academy, Al-Noor Principal Robert Mond said.
The Islamic Academy, which serves students in kindergarten through
Grade 8,
had rented space in Sharon, Mond said.
The private school, founded in September 1996, serves students in
Greater
Boston and northern Rhode Island, according to its Web site,
www.iane.org .
The school has 100 to 125 students, Mond said.
Al-Noor has about 50 students from area communities, including
Mansfield
and Foxboro.
The school moved to Mansfield from rented space in Quincy. The school
had
been in Quincy since it was founded in September 2000…
-----
PLANNED MOSQUE IN WORCESTER WILL HOLD 1,700
Associated Press, 8/2/04
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040801/APN/408010745
WORCESTER - A planned three-story mosque that will serve the city's
growing
Muslim population will hold as many as 1,700 people and house a school,
gymnasium and prayer hall.
The 41,000-square-foot building is expected to be one of the largest
Islamic centers in New England when it is completed in November, said
Ihab
Dabbagh, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester, which
is
funding the project.
"It will be much more than a mosque," Dabbagh said. "We'll have
lectures
and other events we've never been able to host in our old building."
Since 1979, Muslims have met for Friday prayers in a renovated Lutheran
church that holds only 300 people. The local Muslim community has
outgrown
the center and needs more space and parking, Dabbagh said.
The center also will serve as the new home of the Alhuda Academy, which
now
offers education covering kindgergarten through grade 12 at a site in
Northboro.
Work began on the center in April 2003 and was to have been completed
months ago, the Telegram & Gazette reported Sunday. Since the project
is
being funded through donations, it has taken time to collect money,
Dabbagh
said…
---
A COMMUNITY IN VOORHEES BUILT BY A SHOW OF FAITH
Edward Colimore, Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/2/04
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/9290819.htm
VOORHEES - The construction of a mosque here was once the subject of an
anonymous flyer warning residents about Muslim "extremists" with
possible
"connections to terrorists."
It was the focus of long, sometimes emotional, zoning board hearings,
exhaustive traffic studies, and detailed site plans.
But with township approvals in place and the controversy fading, local
Muslims yesterday marked a happy milestone: the groundbreaking for the
mosque.
They also looked back over a struggle that brought people of many
faiths
together in defense of the proposed mosque. About 30 of their new
friends
helped them celebrate yesterday.
"I think this has been a very big unifying force," Zia Rahman, managing
trustee of the Muslim American Community Association, said of the
mosque
project. "... The mosque has become an excuse to bring people
together."
Muslims seeking to build mosques in the United States have often met
resistance, especially after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack, said academics
who
have tracked their efforts before local governments.
But mosque proponents, neighbors and politicians who came to the
groundbreaking said the early opposition was replaced by growing
support…
-----
MUSLIM STORE OWNERS CALL FOR ACTION
Nicole Johnson, WROC-TV, 7/31/04
http://www.wroctv.com/news/story.asp?id=14490&r=l
Dozens of neighborhood grocery stores in Rochester shut their doors
Saturday, mourning the death of Fadhle Hussein, a Yemeni store owner
shot
to death early Friday.
The shooting sparked outrage among dozens of Arab store owners who
closed
more than 65 shops in protest.
In the past two years at least two other store owners were also shot to
death. Arab owners say police aren't doing enough to protect them from
drug
dealers they say loiter outside their stores. Hussein's death is
causing
some to fear for their lives.
Jamil Shahibi said, "sometimes we try to kick out the hangers from the
store but we need help from the city; we worry and wonder who is
next."…
-----
ISRAEL RENEGES ON UNDERTAKING TO US
Llil Shahar, Maariv International, 8/2/04
http://www.maarivenglish.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=printArticle&articleID=10409
The PM and Defense Minister have approved plans to begin construction
of an
additional 600 homes in the large West Bank settlement city of Ma'aleh
Adumim, a suburb of Jerusalem approximately 10 miles from the capital.
The new construction will add about 2,000 inhabitants to the city, an
increase of around seven percent.
Ma'aleh Adumim is considered a "consensus settlement", on which there
is a
large consensus within Israeli society that it will remain a part of
Israel. Other "consensus settlements" include the Jerusalem suburbs of
Gush
Ezion (Ezion block) and Givat Zeev, and towns adjacent to the Green
Line
such as Oranit, Sha'arei Tikvah, Elkanah, Beit Aryeh and Alfei Menashe.
A Defense ministry source confirmed that the construction is part of
the
policy to increase the size of the large Jewish settlements, which
Israel
plans on keeping after the unilateral disengagement, under the "secure
and
safe borders" paragraph of relevant UN resolutions. The US affirmed its
support for this position in the undertakings President Bush gave PM
Sharon
as part of the disengagement support package…
ALSO SEE:
LA CITY ATTORNEY FLACKS FOR ISRAEL
ROCKY: FROM JUNKETEER TO PITCHMAN
Chris Weinkopf, Daily News, 8/2/04
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200%257E21662%257E2306760,00.html
For politicians, a sweet perk of the profession is the junket -- an all
expense-paid vacation, paid for by wealthy benefactors. These trips,
elected officials tell us, are just happy, informational visits, with
no
favors expected in return. But does anyone believe that?
Consider just one example -- the 10-day junket Los Angeles City
Attorney
Rocky Delgadillo took to Israel last fall.
Last week, Delgadillo submitted an op-ed to the Daily News reflecting
on
the trip, which he took, along with City Councilmen Alex Padilla and
Jack
Weiss, at the "invitation of the government of Israel and the Jewish
Federation" of Greater Los Angeles. We declined to publish the piece on
the
op-ed page opinion column, mostly because it read like something that
belonged in a paper's travel section -- among the advertisements. For
example:
"(Israel's) airline, El Al, is the safest in the world and has set the
global aviation industry's standards for security and safety....Every
tourist destination in Israel including hotels, restaurants, shopping
malls, museums, and sporting arenas, is well guarded by highly skilled
security personnel."
"Israel is not -- and will never be -- fairly characterized by what
appears
in the pages of our newspapers. Indeed ... the best, if not the only
perspective ... comes to life only by visiting and experiencing the
place
for oneself. My trip to Israel uplifted my spirit, my soul and my
perspective."
All that was missing was the "visit Israel" URL and 800 number.
Delgadillo's praise -- which also touted Israel's industries, diversity
and
youth -- sounded like something that could have been written by the
Israeli
Ministry of Tourism.
And apparently, it was.
Curiously, the piece hadn't come from Delgadillo's office, but a New
Jersey-based public-relations firm, the MWW Group, best known in these
parts as the flaks for Browning Ferris Industries, operators of the
Sunshine Canyon Landfill. Among MWW's accounts is a three-year, $6
million
deal with the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.
Had MWW written the piece on the city attorney's behalf? I put a call
Into
Delgadillo to ask him, but he was in Boston for the Democratic National
Convention, and unavailable for comment. But his aide, Jennifer
Krieger,
assured me that Delgadillo was the lone author of the piece. MWW merely
handled distribution because, with "all the work we're doing,"
Delgadillo's
PR staff was too busy to, um, handle Delgadillo's PR.
The folks over at MWW told a different story....
-----
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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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR JOINS 'CALL TO ACTION' ON DARFUR CRISIS
Statement seeks to raise public awareness of suffering
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/3/04) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today announced that it has joined with more than 70 other
faith-based, humanitarian and human rights groups in signing a "Unity
Statement and Call to Action" in response to the ongoing humanitarian
crisis in Darfur, Sudan.
The statement, issued by the Save Darfur Coalition, seeks to raise
public
awareness and to mobilize North Americans and members of the
international
community to help end the crisis in and around Darfur that threatens
the
lives of two million people.
After outlining the suffering faced by the people of Darfur, the
statement
calls for specific actions that include worldwide efforts to stop
population displacement and end crimes against humanity, governmental
humanitarian support and access to match the need, support for relief
organizations providing aid, the rebuilding of villages and the return
of
those displaced, and the creation of a UN commission of inquiry.
"It is important that Americans of all faiths first understand the
misery
felt by the people of Darfur and then act to help alleviate their
suffering," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. Hooper
also
cautioned against portraying the crisis in terms of ethnic stereotypes
or
allowing exploitation of the suffering to promote political or
religious
agendas.
CAIR has urged American Muslims to send donations to Islamic relief
organizations working in Darfur. SEE: http://www.reliefonline.org/ and
http://www.irw.org/sudan/
Other Muslim groups signing the statement include the Islamic Circle of
North America, Islamic American Relief Agency, Muslim American Society
Freedom Foundation, and the American Sufi Muslim Association.
In addition to the statement, the Save Darfur Coalition is sponsoring a
national Interfaith Day of Conscience on Wednesday, August 25, in
churches,
synagogues, mosques, and community centers nationwide.
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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/3/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: SAY THE TRUTH
* CAIR-NY FORMS MUSLIM BUSINESS NETWORK
* USE OF 'ISLAMIST' OVERLOOKS REAL THREATS (Dallas MN)
- Terror Alert Reports Were Years Old (NY Times)
- The Spread of Racial Profiling (Village Voice)
* NV: MUSLIMS IN LAS VEGAS, PART 3 (LA Times)
- FL: Knock at the Door (Florida Times)
* MUSLIM CHAPLAIN CLEARED IN PROBE RESIGNS (AP)
- NC: Teens Found Guilty of Intimidation (Herald Sun)
* TX: AMERICAN MOSQUE LOOKS TO THE FUTURE (Star-Telegram)
* MALAYSIAN PM: MUSLIMS FEAR 'WAR AGAINST ISLAM' (AP)
- Guantanamo Guards Mocked Islam (ME Online)
- Iraq's Child Prisoners (Sunday Herald)
* IL: IMC TO FEATURE IRFAN PATHAN'S AUTOGRAPHED BATS
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: SAY THE TRUTH
"O you who believe! Remain conscious of God and (always) say what is
just
and true."
The Holy Quran, 33:70
-----
CAIR-NY FORMS MUSLIM BUSINESS NETWORK
If you own or manage a business and would be interested in networking
with
other Muslim entrepreneurs, please contact CAIR-NY at 212-870-2002 or
by
e-mail at wnasr@cair-ny.com.
-----
CONSTANT USE OF 'ISLAMIST' OVERLOOKS REAL THREATS
Arsalan T. Iftikhar, Dallas Morning News, 8/3/04
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/080304dnedicairtalk.a194b.html
[Arsalan T. Iftikhar is legal director for the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations, the nation's largest American Muslim civil rights and
advocacy
group, based in Washington, D.C. His e-mail address is
arsalan@cair-net.org.]
With the anticipation of a New York Times best seller, the 9-11
Commission
report did not disappoint an eager audience. The report chronicles in
acute
detail the chain of events leading up to the horrendous crimes
perpetrated
on Sept. 11, 2001.
In addition to practical recommendations, the commission stated a goal
of
preventing the growth of "Islamist terrorism." The commission concluded
that the threat posed to the United States is not just "terrorism," but
more specifically, "the catastrophic threat ... posed by Islamist
terrorism."
At times, the report seems to contradict its claims, stating that
"Islam is
not the enemy," that Islam "is not synonymous with terror" and that
America
"and its friends oppose a perversion of Islam." Nonetheless, the
commission
seems to stigmatize anyone with ties to Islam.
A good portion of the commission's sentiments are completely
understandable. Deviant criminals, proclaiming to act under the banner
of
any faith, should be swiftly brought to justice. Extremists who commit
criminal acts and purport to be acting under Islamic tenets should be
condemned by all of humanity.
Nonetheless, by associating the ill-defined "Islamist" modifier to
define
"terrorism," the commission has overlooked numerous precedents that
show an
entirely different historical record.
Prior to Sept. 11, the most catastrophic terrorist attack on American
soil
occurred on April 19, 1995, when Timothy McVeigh bombed the Alfred P.
Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. According to The Washington
Post,
investigators believe Eric Rudolph, the terrorist responsible for the
1996
Atlanta Olympics bombing, was associated with the violent Christian
Identity movement, which asserts that North European whites are "God's
chosen people."
According to Professor Michael Barkun, author of Religion and the
Racist
Right, the apocalyptic and racist philosophy to which Eric Rudolph
adhered
"is practiced by more than 50,000 people in the United States alone;
[and]
is prevalent among many right-wing extremist groups and has been called
the
'glue' of the racist right."
In April 2003, William Krar of Noonday, Texas, was caught with an
arsenal
containing fully automatic machine guns, remote-controlled explosive
devices disguised as briefcases, 60 pipe bombs and neo-Nazi literature.
Mr.
Krar possessed an actual chemical weapon - a cyanide bomb - big enough
to
kill everyone in a 30,000-square-foot building. Paul Krugman of The New
York Times noted, "It's hard to believe that William Krar wouldn't have
become a household name if he had been a Muslim."
The American Muslim community has always condemned and will continue to
denounce terrorism in all of its forms, especially criminal acts
committed
in the "name" of Islam. We will continue to help protect our nation
from
all criminals and protect our faith from fringe elements. However, the
term
"Islamist terrorism" is nothing more than an oversimplification of our
complex and kaleidoscopic national security paradigm.
As Americans, we must mobilize to help prevent acts of "terror" against
our
country based on criminal acts, not on demographic associations. If we
keep
our enthralled focus solely on terms such as "Islamist," it gives me
great
pause to then imagine the William Krars, Eric Rudolphs and Timothy
McVeighs
of our nation hiding in the corner, laughing at all of us and licking
their
terrorist chops.
SEE ALSO:
REPORTS THAT LED TO TERROR ALERT WERE YEARS OLD, OFFICIALS SAY
Douglas Jehl and David Johnston, New York Times, 8/3/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/03/politics/03intel.html
WASHINGTON - Much of the information that led the authorities to raise
the
terror alert at several large financial institutions in the New York
City
and Washington areas was three or four years old, intelligence and law
enforcement officials said on Monday. They reported that they had not
yet
found concrete evidence that a terrorist plot or preparatory
surveillance
operations were still under way.
But the officials continued to regard the information as significant
and
troubling because the reconnaissance already conducted has provided Al
Qaeda with the knowledge necessary to carry out attacks against the
sites
in Manhattan, Washington and Newark. They said Al Qaeda had often
struck
years after its operatives began surveillance of an intended target.
Taken together with a separate, more general stream of intelligence,
which
indicates that Al Qaeda intends to strike in the United States this
year,
possibly in New York or Washington, the officials said even the dated
but
highly detailed evidence of surveillance was sufficient to prompt the
authorities to undertake a global effort to track down the unidentified
suspects involved in the surveillance operations.
"You could say that the bulk of this information is old, but we know
that
Al Qaeda collects, collects, collects until they're comfortable,'' said
one
senior government official. "Only then do they carry out an operation.
And
there are signs that some of this may have been updated or may be more
recent.''…
---
CIVIL RIGHTS ROLLBACK: THE SPREAD OF RACIAL PROFILING SINCE 9-11
Chisun Lee, Village Voice, 8/3/04
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0431/lee.php
Four years ago the nation stood at the cusp of a major civil rights
victory. Activists from across the country rallied in Washington, D.C.,
to
end racial profiling. Polls showed a majority of Americans opposed the
practice. Al Gore vowed that as president he would make a law banning
it,
"the first civil rights act of the 21st century."
George W. Bush agreed with his opponent. "I can't imagine what it would
be
like to be singled out because of race and stopped and harassed," he
said
during one 2000 debate. "That's just flat wrong." Then he did Gore one
better: "There is other forms of racial profiling that goes on in
America.
Arab Americans are racially profiled. . . . People are stopped, and we
got
to do something about that."
But today his administration's reaction to the 2001 terrorist attacks
has
not only betrayed Bush's own rhetoric, but worse, it has undermined the
political force of the anti-profiling movement in general-the force
that
made it a profound civil rights cause, not just a policy debate. By
couching group-based profiling as necessary to homeland security, the
government has traded the principles of universal equality and
individual
dignity for the presumption of safety. Nearly no one this election year
has
been bold enough to hint at the outrage that once powered a bipartisan
movement. It has become impossible to be righteous about racial
profiling
without encountering the inevitable "But what about 9-11?"
What about it? Three years out, the question demands more than a
knee-jerk
nod. A thoughtful look will show that the terrorist attacks did not
make
such profiling any less wrong than it was on September 10, 2001. In
fact,
it is all the more insidious today, because the war on terrorism has
lent
profiling the veneer of legitimacy-even urgency, after alerts such as
the
one regarding financial centers last weekend. As this modern civil
rights
movement begins to put itself back together, with a renewed push for
federal legislation, it is important to realize that racial profiling
has
not gotten any less wrong-the government is just more willing to do the
wrong thing. And to be willing to do the wrong thing is a devastating
rejection of the values of American life...
For 9-11-related-profiling victims, the element of "foreignness" gives
discrimination a special twist, says Volpp. "People who look a certain
way
are assumed not to be citizens to begin with," but rather un-welcome
outsiders, she says. That perception makes them especially vulnerable,
not
just to government intrusions but to private acts of violence.
Over a thousand 9-11-related bias incidents, including harassment and
physical attacks, have been recorded since 2001 by groups such as the
Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Sikh Coalition, and by
the
Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. They have included
assaults,
arson, and even killings. And those are just the incidents that have
been
reported by people confident or informed enough to seek out these
resources...
-----
STILL LIVING IN THE SHADOW OF A SEPTEMBER DAY
Peter H. King, LA Times, 8/3/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-vegas3aug03.story
LAS VEGAS - ...Most of the Muslims of Las Vegas seem to have
encountered
some form of hostility - a stare-down at the gas station, anti-Muslim
epithets at work, uttered just loud enough for them to hear - and yet
many
of them are quick to point out that matters could have been much worse.
Unlike Japanese Americans in World War II, they note, Muslim Americans
were
not rounded up and railed out to internment camps at some distant
Manzanar.
And for every threatening call made to the mosques, they say, there
have
been dozens more expressing support.
On Sept. 11, neighbors brought flowers to a few Muslim families,
anticipating they might be in for an ordeal. FBI agents and leaders of
local law enforcement have made appearances at Friday prayers and
mosque
events, promising to protect Las Vegas Muslims against hate crimes.
Dr. Saleha Baig, originally from Pakistan, is a psychiatrist who
conducts
her business wearing a scarf and gown. She described the reaction she
received from non-Muslim patients as "the opposite of what I expected.
For
me it was like: 'Oh, Dr. Baig, are you OK? Is your family OK?' They
were
sending me cards. They are asking: 'Can I have a hug? We don't want you
to
go.' "
Such demonstrations of support provide solace, but they cannot erase
the
sense among many Muslims that they are to be considered suspicious
until
proven innocent. They assume that telephones are tapped, that
charitable
and political contributions are under scrutiny. They grumble about
provisions of the Patriot Act, about a program of re-registration for
lawful immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries.
As a Muslim professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas put it:
"Every
nation has a right to know who is within its borders and keep track of
these people. But it would be fairer and better, from a security point
of
view, to have it for every nationality and not just for people from
Islamic
countries."
On another level, though, Las Vegas Muslims applaud the heightened
diligence by anti-terrorism investigators, airport security personnel
and
the like. The most commonly expressed fear is that a second major
terrorist
strike will occur on U.S. soil - unleashing far more severe
repercussions.
"If it happens again," one Muslim leader said he was told by a lawyer
in
town, "we won't be nice..."
SEE ALSO:
KNOCK AT THE DOOR
Florida Times, 8/3/04
http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/opedstory0802WMUSLIMS.htm
When does the questioning of Muslims and Arabs in America go from
prudent
inquiry to a threat against basic Constitutional rights?
And when does such examination become harassment that works against the
good relations the federal government claims it's trying to develop
with
the Muslim community?
>From the reports of dozens of Muslims and Arabs subjected to a new
round
of scrutiny by the FBI, the answer isn't good news.
The program, announced in late May, follows what U.S. Attorney General
John
Ashcroft said are indications of a planned attack in the United States.
But if, as Ashcroft said, the questioning are designed to "reach out to
our
partners in the Muslim and Arab-American communities for any
information
they may have," it's a heavy- handed approach.
Aside from generating basic concerns about its constitutionality, the
fear
generated in some by such visits is having the opposite effect.
No one doubts the necessity of investigators to seek information to
stave
off an attack, or shut down terrorist activity.
But the current interviews of Muslims and Arabs -- including at least a
half dozen in Central Florida and at least one in Palm Bay -- are as
likely
to intimidate and frighten as they are to glean relevant information.
And while the FBI calls the sessions "voluntary," some of those
questioned
said they were shaken, shocked, and fearful of losing their jobs as a
result of suspicion created by an FBI visit.
And fearful too, in light of the deportation of 11,000 foreigners after
Sept. 11, of what disasters might follow…
-----
MUSLIM CHAPLAIN CLEARED IN PROBE RESIGNS
Associated Press, 8/2/04
http://www.sltrib.com/nationworld/ci_2386384
SEATTLE - A Muslim chaplain cleared after being imprisoned for 76 days
in
an espionage probe submitted a letter of resignation to the Army on
Monday,
saying officials never apologized to him or allowed him to retrieve his
belongings from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Capt. James Yee, 35, ministered to prisoners at Guantanamo Bay naval
station, where the military is holding suspected Muslim terrorists. He
was
taken into custody after the military initially linked him to a
possible
espionage ring at Guantanamo.
``Those unfounded allegations - which were leaked to the media -
irreparably injured my personal and professional reputation and
destroyed
my prospects for a career in the United States Army,'' Yee wrote in his
resignation letter.
Yee asked to be discharged on Jan. 7. The Army must approve his
resignation, but Yee's lawyer, Eugene R. Fidell, said he did not
believe
Yee's wishes would be opposed. Fort Lewis spokesman Lt. Col. Bill
Costello
said he did not know when Yee might get an answer.
The Army arrested him last September carrying what authorities said
were
classified documents. He was eventually charged with mishandling
classified
material, failing to obey an order, making a false official statement,
adultery and conduct unbecoming an officer.
ALSO SEE:
TEENS FOUND GUILTY OF INTIMIDATION
Beth Velliquette, Herald-Sun, 8/3/04
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-505025.html
HILLSBOROUGH -- Three local teenagers were found guilty of ethnic
intimidation and assault inflicting serious injury for attacking two
UNC
students after one of the teens called one of the students "Osama."
One of the victims, Gagandeep Bindra, an Indian Sikh who has brown
skin, a
beard and wore his hair wrapped in a scarf called a Patka at the time
of
the assault, testified during the trial in Orange County District Court
on
Monday that Kenneth Perry passed by him in March on Franklin Street in
Chapel Hill and called him "Osama."
Bindra said he responded by saying "your mama" to the teenager, and
then
the teenagers turned and followed them. The teens then hit Bindra and
his
friend, Sean Michnowicz, who tried to intervene after Perry threw the
first
punch.
Perry, 19, of 2534-A Gemena Road, Chapel Hill, did not have an attorney
and
did not actively participate in the trial. District Court Judge Alonzo
Coleman sentenced him to 75 days in jail for assault inflicting serious
injury for the assault against Michnowicz, followed by 45 days in jail
for
ethnic intimidation for the assault against Bindra.
Because he is appealing the case to Superior Court, Perry remains free.
His
first court date in Superior Court is Aug. 17.
Perry's younger brother, Frederick Perry, 17, of the same address and
the
other co-defendant, Antonio Maurice Burnette, 18, of 311-A Lindsay St.,
Chapel Hill, were sentenced to 60 days each in jail for the assault
inflicting serious injury, followed by 45 days in jail for ethnic
intimidation. Their sentences were suspended, and they were placed on
supervised probation for 18 months.
Coleman told them they each had to stay in high school and graduate and
also read a book about "different ethnic groups and how we should be
treated," and write book reports about them.
The teenagers' attorneys, Don Dickerson and Caitlin Fenhagen, said they
also would file an appeal to have the cases heard in Superior Court in
front of a jury.
Bindra, 24, testified Monday that he and two friends were walking about
12:35 a.m. on March 28 from East Franklin Street to a restaurant on
West
Franklin Street when they crossed paths with three teenagers who were
walking in the opposite direction. As they passed, Kenneth Perry said
"Osama" to Bindra...
-----
AMERICAN MOSQUE LOOKS TO THE FUTURE
Darren Barbee, Star-Telegram, 8/2/04
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/local/states/texas/northeast/9308041.htm
COLLEYVILLE - Immigrant fathers and mothers spoke in accented English
beneath the nearly completed mosque's domes.
Teen-agers ate cheese pizza and their parents ate kebab rolls during a
summer picnic underneath two minarets, pointed towers colored
Statue-of-Liberty green.
The Islamic Association of the Mid Cities' new mosque, aligned so its
worshippers face Mecca, is a work intended for the future.
And its 25-year-old imam, Abdul Nasir Jangda, is prepared to lead it
there.
Unlike his fellow imams, Jangda needs no time to immerse himself in
American culture or to make the difficult transition to English.
Because he
was born in Arlington and was trained in a traditional Islamic seminary
in
Pakistan, he represents a different kind of imam, or teacher.
"Our goal is really to build an institution primarily for American-born
Muslims or American converts," said Mohammad Peracha, chairman of the
Islamic association.
Peracha said he believes that more Muslims will follow the
association's
example by employing a spiritual leader who is a second-generation
American.
"We wanted to be on the front edge of this," he said.
Nearly two years ago, with shovels striking dirt and a blueprint rolled
out
on a car hood, local Muslims began work on their $1.2 million vision at
500
Cheek-Sparger Road.
Association officials now hope to move from a rented wedding chapel in
Hurst to the new mosque by mid-October, just in time for the holy month
of
Ramadan.
To do so, they will have to raise about $250,000 to finish the interior
of
the building, a sum that will cover remaining electrical and mechanical
work, tiling and marble fixtures. Because of Islamic prohibitions
against
paying interest, and to avoid debt, they are paying as they go.
If the mosque is for future generations of Northeast Tarrant County
Muslims, then Jangda, wearing a traditional beard, plain robe and head
covering, gives it a young face…
-----
MUSLIMS FEAR CHRISTIANS ARE WAGING "WAR AGAINST ISLAM"
Sean Yoong, Associated Press, 8/2/04
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/2588.html
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Muslims worldwide fear Christians are waging a
"war against Islam," Malaysia's leader said Tuesday, blaming the
campaign
against terror for increased tensions between the religions.
In an emotional speech to the World Council of Churches, Prime Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the events that followed the Sept. 11, 2001
attacks in the United States, including the U.S.-led invasions of Iraq
and
Afghanistan, "have all taken religious undertones."
"In the eyes of many Muslims, events in the last three years seem to
lend
credence to the view that the Christian West is, once again, at war
with
the Muslim world," Abdullah told representatives from Protestant,
Orthodox
and Anglican churches.
It was the first time that a prime minister in this moderate,
predominantly
Muslim country - which chairs the 57-member Organization of the Islamic
Conference - was addressing an exclusively Christian audience,
Malaysian
officials said.
Abdullah begged Christians and Muslims to "work together for the sake
of
peace and justice."
"We cannot stand before a compassionate God while there is so much we
have
left undone because we are disunited," he said, wiping away tears as
his
voice began to crack.
Abdullah said there was "less trust and goodwill between Islam and
Christianity than there was a few years ago…"
SEE ALSO:
GUANTANAMO GUARDS MOCKED ISLAM, MADE JOKES ABOUT KORAN
Middle East Online, 8/3/04
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=10846
LONDON - Guards at the United States's Guantanamo Bay prison mocked and
cursed Islam, made jokes about the Koran and neglected to call
prisoners to
prayer, a freed British detainee alleged on Tuesday.
In a lengthy statement released through his lawyer, Tarek Dergoul, 26,
a
former care worker from London, also said that guards beat him and
forced
him to look at pornographic magazines.
Dergoul was one of five Britons released in March from the naval base
in
Cuba used to incarcerate hundreds of suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban
supporters without charge.
Along with other freed Britons, Dergoul had previously alleged that
prison
guards beat and mistreated him, but Tuesday's statement went into far
greater detail, notably with regards to claims of religious mockery.
"One interrogator grabbed the Koran with his feet up on the table and
read
it like he was reading a magazine. He made jokes about the Koran," the
statement said, recounting one interrogation session.
"The guards would swear at Muslims and curse Allah and the prophet
Mohammed," Dergoul said, adding that on several occasions he joined
other
inmates on hunger strike to protest at the treatment of the Koran…
Also alleging beatings, including one in which he was knocked
unconscious,
Dergoul said interrogators routinely used intimidation.
"They threatened to send me to Morocco and Egypt, where I would be
tortured. They played US music very loud during interrogations. They
brought pictures of naked women and dirty magazines and put them on the
floor," he said.
Dergoul's lawyer, Louise Christian, said the allegations appeared to
show a
culture of abuse at the centre.
"The picture which emerged from Tarek Dergoul's signed witness
statement is
one of a systematic regime of abuses directed and ordered by the top
command and aimed at forcing detainees to make false statements in
interrogations," she said…
---
IRAQ'S CHILD PRISONERS
Neil Mackay, Sunday Herald, 8/1/04
http://www.sundayherald.com/43796
A Sunday Herald investigation has discovered that coalition forces are
holding more than 100 children in jails such as Abu Ghraib. Witnesses
claim
that the detainees - some as young as 10 - are also being subjected to
rape
and torture.
It was early last October that Kasim Mehaddi Hilas says he witnessed
the
rape of a boy prisoner aged about 15 in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison
in
Iraq. "The kid was hurting very bad and they covered all the doors with
sheets," he said in a statement given to investigators probing prisoner
abuse in Abu Ghraib. "Then, when I heard the screaming I climbed the
door
... and I saw [the soldier's name is deleted] who was wearing a
military
uniform." Hilas, who was himself threatened with being sexually
assaulted
in Abu Graib, then describes in horrific detail how the soldier raped
"the
little kid".
In another witness statement, passed to the Sunday Herald, former
prisoner
Thaar Salman Dawod said: "[I saw] two boys naked and they were cuffed
together face to face and [a US soldier] was beating them and a group
of
guards were watching and taking pictures and there was three female
soldiers laughing at the prisoners. The prisoners, two of them, were
young."
It's not certain exactly how many children are being held by coalition
forces in Iraq, but a Sunday Herald investigation suggests there are up
to
107. Their names are not known, nor is where they are being kept, how
long
they will be held or what has happened to them during their detention.
Proof of the widespread arrest and detention of children in Iraq by US
and
UK forces is contained in an internal Unicef report written in June.
The
report has - surprisingly - not been made public. A key section on
child
protection, headed "Children in Conflict with the Law or with Coalition
Forces", reads: "In July and August 2003, several meetings were
conducted
with CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) ... and Ministry of Justice
to
address issues related to juvenile justice and the situation of
children
detained by the coalition forces ... Unicef is working through a
variety of
channels to try and learn more about conditions for children who are
imprisoned or detained, and to ensure that their rights are respected."
Another section reads: "Information on the number, age, gender and
conditions of incarceration is limited. In Basra and Karbala children
arrested for alleged activities targeting the occupying forces are
reported
to be routinely transferred to an internee facility in Um Qasr.
The categorization of these children as 'internees' is worrying since
it
implies indefinite holding without contact with family, expectation of
trial or due process..."
-----
IMC-USA'S CONVENTION TO FEATURE IRFAN PATHAN'S AUTOGRAPHED BATS
http://www.imc-usa.org/cgi-bin/cfm/PressRelease.cfm?PRID=85
Chicago, IL: The August 7th Chicago convention being held by IMC-USA
will
feature cricket bats specially sent by the Indian cricket icon Irfan
Pathan
for the convention audience. These bats will be available in the
banquet
session. In a message sent to IMC-USA, in reference to its convention,
Irfan Pathan wrote, "First of all please accept my hearty
congratulations
for making such an endeavor to inculcate the ideology of universal
Brotherhood, plural thinking and mutual respect and tolerance with
various
religions and beliefs. Please convey my wholehearted support and good
wishes for this Noble thought and movement to all those who share it".
Pathan's gesture is being appreciated by his many fans, including
leading
fans such as the members of the Chicago area Gujarati Muslim
Association of
America (GMAA). "It is exciting to know that Irfan Pathan's autographed
bats are available at the 2nd IMC-USA annual convention in Chicago,"
said a
lifetime cricket fan. He also added "It is an evidence of how a sport
like
cricket can teach us that communal harmony is fundamental to India's
success whether it be in sports or any other aspect of the society".
The convention has brought together activists and leaders of the Indian
Diaspora from all backgrounds. There will be focused sessions on human
rights and updates on the struggle to get justice for the victims of
Gujarat genocide. The convention includes a session dealing with the
issues
of female empowerment and women as the worst victims of communal
violence....
The convention is expected to become an annual tradition for scholars,
activists and those concerned about protecting India's pluralism and
promoting her prosperity. According to Khalid Khan, member of the
publicity
committee and president of Innovia Designs, the convention is gathering
significant buzz in the Chicago area.
For more information and to register, delegates and journalists may
visit:
http://www.imc-usa.org/convention2004
Phone: 630-926-2881
E-mail: chicago@imc-usa.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
-----
In the Name Of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/4/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: BE JUST
* MUSLIM VOTER SHIFT COULD HURT BUSH (IHT)
- CAIR-Seattle: U.S. Sends Muslims Mixed Messages
* CAIR ELECTION UPDATE #15: 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT
* CAIR-SV AWARDS JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP
- CAIR-LA Fall Internship Program
- CAIR-NY: Job Opening for Staff Attorney
* AL-ARIAN DEFENSE CHARGES 'SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT' (DP)
* MO: HOMELAND SECURITY - A CAUTIONARY TALE (SL Post)
- DC: Israelis Train Capitol Hill Police (Wash Post)
* CA: NEW INFO TO BE RELEASED ON MISSING UCLA STUDENT
* INCITEMENT WATCH: MARTYRS, VIRGINS AND GRAPES (NY Times)
* FL: MOSQUE CASE MAY HAVE BIAS (Herald Tribune)
- TN: Iraqis on Tour Banned From Memphis Hall (AP)
* NV: MUSLIMS IN LAS VEGAS, PART 4 (LA Times)
- GA: Muslim Day Out In Atlanta (AJC)
- NC Muslim Athlete Jumping to the Forefront (FC)
* SUSPECTED ISRAELI SPY USES CANADIAN PASSPORT (CBC)
* IL: IMAN SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR DAY LABORER CAMPAIGN
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: BE JUST
"Be steadfast in your devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth in
all
equity, and never let the hatred of others to you make you swerve to
wrong
and depart from justice. Be just: (for) that is closest to Piety…God
has
promised forgiveness and a great reward to those who believe and do
deeds
of righteousness."
The Holy Quran, 5:8-9
-----
IN OHIO, SMALL SHIFTS THAT COULD HURT BUSH
Roger Cohen, International Herald Tribune, 8/4/04
http://www.iht.com/articles/532362.htm
BOSTON- Zeba Khan, 23, missed her flight to the Democratic National
Convention last week. Her father, a 62-year-old retired civil engineer,
was
detained for questioning at the airport in Toledo, Ohio. Perhaps his
name,
recognizably Muslim, was suspicious. Or the way he looked. Or
something.
The Khans, U.S. citizens who came to the United States from India, are
used
to such incidents. "Endless inconvenience" is how Zeba Khan
characterizes
their lives since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the passing of the
Patriot Act. The treatment has spurred them from passivity to political
activism. "No Muslim American will vote for Bush," she says.
That is an exaggeration. But since the last election in 2000, when the
Muslim community endorsed George W. Bush, the approximately six million
Muslims in the United States have awakened to a new political identity
forged in anger. Harassment, the Iraq war and the Bush administration's
embrace of Ariel Sharon's Israel have all contributed to this shift.
Khan, who has just returned from a year studying Arabic in Damascus as
a
Fulbright scholar, did not bother to vote in 2000. She was at the
University of Chicago; registering to vote was a hassle. Voting, she
thought, would not change much anyway. "I can't forgive myself for that
now," she says.
This time, she will devote the next three months to working for the
Democratic candidate, John Kerry, in the Toledo area. Call the activism
"I'm going to give it everything" a kind of atonement...
SEE ALSO:
U.S. SENDS MUSLIMS MIXED MESSAGES
Robert L. Jamieson Jr., Seattle Post, 08/04/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/184759_robert04.html
What's a good Muslim American or Arab American to do when the country
he or
she loves, pays taxes in and would die for sends terribly mixed
signals?
The U.S. government says it wants these decent Americans to get out and
vote.
At the same time, Uncle Sam says we need to keep tabs on them and know
where they live -- just in case they turn out to be terrorists.
So, are Muslim and Arab Americans with us -- as they've shown time and
again -- or against us -- as recent government actions suggest they
could
be?
They say they're with the United States, as a matter of patriotism, if
not
always in agreement with the country's foreign or domestic policies.
Over the weekend, from Olympia to Lynnwood, local Muslims, including
people
of Arab heritage, exhibited red, white and blue fervor by taking part
in a
national campaign to get more people from those communities registered
to
vote.
That is a boost for democracy, which is about bringing more people
under
the big tent to participate in the political process and shape local
and
national policy.
But days before the voter drive, news bubbled up that the Census Bureau
had
given special, tabulated population data on Arab Americans to the
Department of Homeland Security.
The data included specific information on how many people of Arab
backgrounds live in certain cities and ZIP codes, and it goes so far as
to
sort folks by country of origin...
Samia El-Moslimany, board chairwoman of the Seattle office of the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations, said the census actions could have "a
chilling effect" that works against getting more Muslims registered to
vote. Who wants to voluntarily engage in a democratic system they
perceive
as working against them?
"But the bottom line is people need to get involved in the political
process to impact things like this," El-Moslimany said of census data
sharing. "To make this unacceptable. For too long, we have been sitting
and
whining. To be proactive, you have to be politically active."
-----
CAIR ELECTION UPDATE #15: 9/11 COMMISSION
The latest issue of CAIR's ELECTION 2004 UPDATE is now available
online.
CAIR's weekly 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/aug032004.asp
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1) RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE
National Security
- Bush Campaign: Progress on Homeland Security
- Kerry Challenges Bush on Terrorism and Security
- Kerry: Bush Acts Breeding Terrorists
9/11 Commission
- Bush Supports Intelligence Director Post
- Congress Faces Hurdles on Sept. 11 Reform
Iraq
- Kerry Pledges Major Troop Reduction in Iraq
- President Says War Was 'Right'
Outreach
- Jews Warn Kerry Campaign: Don't Take Us for Granted
- Kerry, Bush Compete for a Few Undecided Voters
- Kerry Leans Right
Economy
- Kerry and Edwards Pledge to Restore Fiscal Responsibility
Health Care
- Badnarik Campaign: How to Slash Pharmaceutical Prices Virtually
Overnight
2) COMMUNITY ACTIVISM
- U.S. Census Bureau Watching Arab-Americans
- WA: Mosques Hosting Electoral Registration
Upcoming Events:
To announce your upcoming American Muslim local event, please contact:
politics@cair-net.org
3) NATIONAL, STATE & LOCAL
- ACLU Backs Out of Program, Citing Patriot Act
- Groups Try to Block Florida Abortion Vote
- MO: Missouri Vote First Battle in Marriage War
To send local news stories, feedback, and comments please email:
politics@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR-SV AWARDS JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP TO MUSLIM STUDENT
Asian-American group co-sponsors awards for general education
(SACRAMENTO, CA, 8/4/04) - The Sacramento Valley Chapter of the Council
on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SV) today announced the award of six
scholarships to Northern California Muslim college students. CAIR-SV
officials say five of the scholarships will be used in general
education,
while one will be used for studies in journalism and mass
communication.
CAIR-SV joined with the Council of Asian, Pacific Islanders Together
for
Advocacy, and Leadership (CAPITAL) - an umbrella for more than 90
organizations - in awarding five $1,000 general education CAIR-CAPITAL
scholarships to:
* Samia Malik of Eldorado Hills - University of California, Los Angeles
(Medicine/Biology)
* Samia Ghaffar of Davis - University of California, Davis (Bio
Science)
* Eisha Zaid of Davis - University of California, Davis (Genetics)
* Mustafa Siddique of Folsom - University of California, Davis (Bio
Science)
* Sadia Ghaffar of Davis - University of California, Davis (Genetics,
Religious Std.)
A CAIR-SV Journalism/Mass Communication Scholarship ($2,500) is being
awarded to Zaki Hasan, a graduate student in Mass Communication at
California State University, San Jose. Hasan has produced several films
on
diverse topics, including the life of American Muslim post-9/11.
"We thank CAPITAL for their support of the joint scholarship program
and
congratulate the recipients of the scholarships," said CAIR-SV
Executive
Director Basim Elkarra.
The scholarship awards fulfill a pledge made by CAIR-SV at its 2003
Annual
Banquet. CAIR-SV plans to promote the study of journalism with an
annual
scholarship program.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 28 offices nationwide and in Canada.
CONTACT: Basim Elkarra, CAIR-SV (916) 289-3748
ALSO SEE:
CAIR-LA FALL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
The Council on American-Islamic Relations-Southern California (CAIR-LA)
is
seeking applicants for its fall internship program (September 7-
November
19). The program is open to Muslim college or university students age
18
and older who have legal status in the U.S. to receive a monthly
stipend.
CAIR's internship program provides first-hand experience and training
in
Community Outreach, Education, Governmental Relations, Lobbying, Public
and
Media Relations,
Legal and Civil Rights, Research and Leadership Training. The
application
deadline is August 27, 2004.
Interested and qualified applicants should contact Alia Aboul-Nasr at
aliaa@cair.com or call 714-776-1847 for an application.
-----
CAIR-NY: JOB OPENING FOR STAFF ATTORNEY
For more information, call 212-870-2002, or e-mail: wnasr@cair-ny.com
-----
THE AL-ARIAN DEFENSE MAKES A NEW CHARGE: SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT
John Sugg, Daily Planet, 8/4/04
http://www.weeklyplanet.com/scene_herd2.html
'One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter" is an argument
that
has been espoused by the likes of George H.W. Bush, Oliver North and
Margaret Thatcher. Now that thinking -- on the part of the U.S. Justice
Department -- could result in freedom for Tampa's best-known alleged
terrorist (or freedom fighter), Sami Al-Arian, and three co-defendants
scheduled to go on trial next January. Federal authorities prosecute
some
groups for terrorism while ignoring identical or similar activities by
other groups, according to court documents filed on behalf of Al-Arian
and
Hatim Naji Fariz. The motions describe a long list of terrorist
activities
in the United States by Cambodian, Irish and Jewish groups that either
have
not been prosecuted by federal authorities or have received only
slap-on-the-wrist attention. Many of the groups have direct links to
bloodshed, while the government has stipulated that Al-Arian and his
associates were not involved in violent attacks or any actions aimed at
the
United States.
Fariz's federal public defender, Kevin Beck, said that "100 percent of
terrorism prosecutions" he located under the same law that's been
applied
to Al-Arian were of Muslims and Arabs. "Obviously this is not fair. The
prosecution is driven by politics, domestic policy and a foreign
government
[Israel]."
Ironically, one alleged terrorism supporter who has escaped the
interest of
federal prosecutors is himself a federal prosecutor in Tampa. The
Weekly
Planet has reported that the U.S. Attorney's Office's chief criminal
prosecutor, Robert O'Neill, is part owner of a Hyde Park bar, Four
Green
Fields, that has hosted fundraisers for Sinn Fein, which the U.S. State
Department describes as a front for the Irish Republican Army. The IRA
has
murdered at least 650 civilians since the 1970s, and in recent years
has
built bombs for Palestinian groups and aided Colombian
narco-terrorists.
"O'Neill appears to have been involved in doing the same thing as
Al-Arian,
all at a time when he was supposed to be investigating Al-Arian,"
veteran
federal prosecutor Jeffrey Del Fuoco wrote in a confidential Aug. 29,
2003,
Justice Department memo that was obtained by the Planet. "I can think
of
several disastrous problems associated with this, to include defense
allegations of 'selective prosecution'."
Terry Zitek, the lead prosecutor against Al-Arian, did not return phone
calls or respond to detailed messages on the subject of selective
enforcement.
Fariz and Al-Arian's motions list a number of groups that are clearly
terrorist but have not been prosecuted, including: * Kach and Kahane
Chai.
These are Israeli terrorist groups that openly operate and raise money
in
New York. "Law enforcement agencies rarely bother them and generally
ignore
their activities," Fariz's motion states...
-----
HOMELAND SECURITY: A CAUTIONARY TALE
St Louis Post Dispatch, 08/04/04
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/emaf.nsf/Popup?ReadForm&db=stltoday%5C
news%5Cstories.nsf&docid=1384B7E5668B446686256EE600374A0B
It may have been a case of U.S. Customs Service officials wanting to be
safe rather than sorry when they detained a Senegalese Muslim at
Lambert
Field in early June. Still, there was no excuse for turning this
encounter
into a six-week ordeal.
Moustapha Seck, a prominent religious figure in his native Senegal, was
detained at Lambert Field apparently on a suspicion that he may have
links
with al-Qaida, according to stories by Post-Dispatch reporter
Aisha Sultan. Cultural differences and a breakdown in communications
led to
a six-week stay in an immigration jail. Finally, he was allowed to head
home after pleading guilty - under pressure, he says - to a relatively
minor visa violation.
Mr. Seck's troubles began after he bought a stapler at the airport to
patch
a torn flight bag. Discovery of the stapler prompted airport security
workers to search his luggage…
ALSO SEE:
ISRAELIS TRAIN CAPITOL HILL POLICE
Sari Horwitz, Washington Post, 08/04/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37872-2004Aug3.html
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance W. Gainer has taken several
aggressive
steps in recent months to heighten security around the Capitol,
including
retraining officers to shoot a suspected suicide bomber in the head if
other efforts to stop an attack fail.
Gainer's decision Monday to close a major thoroughfare and impose 14
vehicle checkpoints on Capitol Hill was one piece of a much larger
security
strategy…
-----
NEW INFORMATION TO BE RELEASED ON MISSING UCLA STUDENT
ANAHEIM, CA - The family of the missing University of California, Los
Angeles (UCLA) student, Ahmed Arain, will hold a press conference
outside
their home today to talk about new pictures released of Arain boarding
a
bus to UCLA and to give an update on police and volunteer work. There
will
also be a candle light vigil with neighbors and friends in the evening.
Arain has been missing since Friday, July 23, 2004 when he was on his
way
to an academic counseling appointment at UCLA.
WHAT: Press Conference regarding new information on Ahmed Arain,
missing
UCLA student
WHEN: Wednesday, August 4, 2004 at 3 p.m.
WHERE: Outside Arain home, 2862 N. Cottonwood, Orange, CA 92865
CONTACTS: Shakeel Syed (family friend) 310-384-7791; Sulayman Arain
(brother) 714-473-6855; Mrs. Arain (mother) 714-322-8574; Note: The
family
(mother, brother, and sister) is available for interviews.
UCLA police discovered Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
videotape footage of Arain boarding a bus south of LA toward UCLA.
Arain's
mother will be viewing these tapes tomorrow to see if she can identify
any
more people or clues to his disappearance.
UCLA police are currently releasing some pictures to the media. Ahmad
Arain, 20 years old, boarded an MTA bus from Anaheim, California at the
Disneyland bus stop on July 23rd at 8:30 a.m.
He was on his way to an appointment with an academic counselor at UCLA
who
confirmed that Ahmad never showed up. He was last in touch with his
mother
by cell phone around 10 a.m. that morning. He was scheduled to return
home
at 5:30 p.m. the same day.
The FBI has placed him on the national network of Missing Persons. An
official case has been filed with the UCLA Police Department (Case
No:01-04-001993) and the incident and case number has been reported to
the
Anaheim Police Department.
Volunteers have called area hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange County
-
with no luck. They have also placed flyers near the MTA Main station in
downtown LA. Special prayers have also been held at some area mosques
for
his safety.
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: MARTYRS, VIRGINS AND GRAPES
Nicholas D. Kristof, NY Times, 08/04/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/04/opinion/04krist.html
"The virgins are calling you," Mohamed Atta wrote reassuringly to his
fellow hijackers just before 9/11.
It has long been a staple of Islam that Muslim martyrs will go to
paradise
and marry 72 black-eyed virgins. But a growing body of rigorous
scholarship
on the Koran points to a less sensual paradise - and, more important,
may
offer a step away from fundamentalism and toward a reawakening of the
Islamic world.
Some Islamic theologians protest that the point was companionship,
never
heavenly sex. Others have interpreted the pleasures quite explicitly;
one,
al-Suyuti, wrote that sex in paradise is pretty much continual and so
glorious that "were you to experience it in this world you would
faint."
But now the same tools that historians, linguists and archaeologists
have
applied to the Bible for about 150 years are beginning to be applied to
the
Koran. The results are explosive.
The Koran is beautifully written, but often obscure. One reason is that
the
Arabic language was born as a written language with the Koran, and
there's
growing evidence that many of the words were Syriac or Aramaic...
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.)
Send constructive and polite comments to the New York Times.
Letters for publication should be no longer than 150 words, must refer
to
an article that has appeared within the last seven days, and must
include
the writer's address and phone numbers. No attachments, please.
Writers of those letters selected for publication will be notified
within a
week. Letters may be shortened for space requirements. To e-mail a
letter
to the editor, write to letters@nytimes.com.
You may also send your letter to:
Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
229 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
Fax: (212) 556-3622
-----
COMPLAINANT IN MOSQUE CASE MAY HAVE SINCERE CONCERN ABOUT BIAS
Tom Lyons, Herald Tribune, 08/04/04
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040803/COLUMNIST36
/408030367
The conservative local columnist who appears in this section twice a
week
just charged someone with trying to be divisive and destructive.
But how does he know?
Rod Thomson's column on Monday ripped whoever it is that filed a
certain
civil rights complaint, one being looked into by the U.S. Justice
Department. That complaint says Sarasota County showed bias against a
Muslim group that hoped to build a largish mosque with 80-foot prayer
towers in a Sarasota neighborhood.
The county gave some concessions to the Muslim group, but didn't allow
the
building or the towers to be nearly as tall as requested.
That seemed to me like a reasonable call. Like Thomson, I don't see
bias in
the decision, which seems to be based on the neighborhood and the size
of
the lot.
But Thomson now insists that the person who complained and charged bias
is
out to "gin up controversy and feelings of discrimination" and that the
result could be "destructive divisiveness that obviously someone
desires."
To me, that is just Thomson being destructively divisive and ginning up
feelings of discrimination.
He doesn't even know who filed the complaint. So he can't know what the
motives were…
ALSO SEE:
IRAQIS ON TOUR BANNED FROM MEMPHIS HALL
Associated Press, 08/04/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Ira
qis%20Unwelcome
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Iraqis visiting on a civil rights tour were barred
from
city hall after the city council chairman said it was too dangerous to
let
them in.
The seven Iraqi civic and community leaders are in the midst of a
three-week American tour, sponsored by the State Department to learn
more
about the process of government. The trip also includes stops in
Washington, Los Angeles and Chicago.
The Iraqis were scheduled to meet with a city council member, but Joe
Brown, the council chair, said he feared the group was dangerous.
"We don't know exactly what's going on. Who knows about the delegation,
and
has the FBI been informed?" Brown said. "We must secure and protect all
the
employees in that building."
Elisabeth Silverman, the group's host and head of the Memphis Council
for
International Visitors, said Brown told her he would "evacuate the
building
and bring in the bomb squads" if the group entered.
"They are in charge of setting up processes in their country. They have
to
educate themselves about how it works in this country," Silverman said…
-----
THEIR SPIRITUAL THIRST FOUND A DESERT SPRING
Peter H. King, Los Angeles Times, 08/04/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-vegas4aug04,1,6599969.s
tory
One grew up on a farm in Pakistan, the other was a child of Detroit.
One
was born into Islam, the other was brought up a Baptist. From these
disparate starting points, Iqbal Khan and Mustafa Yunis Richards set
out as
young men to explore the most fundamental questions of faith.
They took different paths. One wandered the world as a seaman, the
other
bounced from one belief system to the next. In the end, oddly enough,
both
wound up here, working in the casinos of Las Vegas, praying in the
city's
mosques - strangers to each other, but in spirit the closest of travel
companions.
"I wanted to find all the truths," said Khan, a 53-year-old security
guard
at the Main Street Casino. "I wanted to see all the holy places.
Growing up
in Muslim society, I was kept like in a cave, in life's cave, even
though I
was from a very educated family. It's a cave that had no information
from
the outside: What's right? What's wrong? How can you verify?"
For years Khan toiled in the engine rooms of commercial ships that
supplied
U.S. military bases overseas. On shore leave he would hunt for used
books
on history and religion and make visits to the landmark shrines of all
faiths. While at sea he studied the texts and also taught himself
languages
- German, Greek, Arabic - preparing to converse with people he
encountered
at ports of call.
"I checked everything," he said. "I talked to people. I learned about
humans. I learned about their livings, their religions, how they act. I
started going to churches. I went to synagogues. I learned about
Catholics,
about Orthodox, Protestants. All of that."
He frowned.
"I still don't know a lot about Mormons."
Richards, a soft-spoken, 52-year-old black man, worked as a bellhop at
the
Imperial Palace hotel and casino on the Strip until circulatory disease
forced him into early retirement a few years ago. He has been a
practicing
Muslim for a decade, the last leg of a journey that began in his late
teens
with a visit to a Detroit synagogue.
Richards was a physical presence back then, weighing a well-muscled 215
pounds. As he stepped into the doorway, the rabbi thrust his hands into
the
air, as if expecting to be robbed…
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM DAY OUT IN ATLANTA
Shelia M. Poole, Atlanta Journal Constitution, 08/04/04
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/atlanta_world/0804/04muslim.html
Thousands of Muslims - Syrians, Egyptians, Indians and
African-Americans -
recently gathered in Atlanta's Grant Park to celebrate diversity in
Islam
and bring that community in Atlanta closer.
Events included a sports competition, picnic, international
marketplace,
food vendors, recitations from the Quran and an Islamic quiz contest.
A Street of Cultures provided a peek into the global diversity of Islam
as
well as the local community.
"This was a time to come out and get to know each other," said
Pakistani-born Amjad Taufique, one of the organizers. He said
non-Muslims
were also invited…
---
NC MUSLIM ATHLETE: JUMPING TO THE FOREFRONT
Chuck McShane, Fayetteville Observer, 8/4/04
http://www.fayettevillenc.com/printer-search.php?storyId=956338&year=2004
Aminah Ghaffar has been setting the pace for the newly formed Angel
Elite
track club this summer. The 9-year-old won two gold medals at the AAU
Region 3A Track Championships in Knoxville, Tenn., in July.
She set a regional record in the triathlon with a score of 787, then
beat
her personal record set at last year's regionals with a long jump of 11
feet, 113/4 inches.
With the two gold medals, Aminah qualified for the AAU Junior Olympic
Nationals this week in Des Moines, Iowa.
Aminah's no stranger to the winner's circle. She won the gold medal in
the
long jump at the 2003 AAU Region 3A meet with a 10-4 jump.
She isn't the only Angel Elite member going to nationals. Shot putter
Jaynell Brown and 100-meter sprinter Wynola Cain also qualified. But
Aminah
is the most versatile.
She competes in the triathlon, which includes the high jump, shot put
and
200 meter, and the long jump. She also ran the 100 meters at this
year's
regionals and finished just short of qualifying...
-----
SUSPECTED ISRAELI SPY ALLEGED TO BE USING CANADIAN PASSPORT
CBC NEWS, 8/04/04
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/08/04/israel_passport040804.htm
l
OTTAWA - Canadian authorities are investigating reports that a
suspected
Israeli spy is using a stolen Canadian passport to travel through Asia.
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Reynald Doiron confirmed that Ottawa is
investigating allegations that Zev William Barkan is using a Canadian
passport under the name Kevin William Hunter.
Barkan is alleged to be one of three suspected Israeli agents who tried
to
illegally obtain a New Zealand passport.
Two Israeli men were sentenced last month to six months in prison for
their
part in the New Zealand passport scheme. But they denied they belong to
Mossad, Israel's secret service.
New Zealand imposed diplomatic sanctions on Israel following the
incident.
The passport allegedly being used by Barkan was reported stolen in
China in
April…
-----
IMAN SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR DAY LABORER CAMPAIGN
Over the last four months IMAN has been paving the way to become the
first
Muslim community organization to play an active and significant role in
a
very important city-wide campaign struggling for Day Laborers' rights.
In
standing along side other organizations like the Union Latina, CIME,
CCH
and ICIRR, IMAN intends to demonstrate to the Latino community and
larger
society that Muslims are committed and concerned about the issues that
affect the vulnerable and disenfranchised segments of our city. IMAN
urgently needs Muslim volunteers to join this effort.
Please contact us or just come to the volunteer meeting:
Sunday, August 15, 12:00 pm
IMAN Office - 3344 W. 63rd Street
Chicago, IL
For More Information Contact:
Adalberto Madrigal
IMAN Latino Outreach Organizer
E-Mail: daylaborer@imancentral.org
Tel: (773)434-4626
Web: http://www.imancentral.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
-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR CALLS ALLEGED NY MISSILE PLOT 'DEEPLY TROUBLING'
Group says case should not be used to associate Islam with violence
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/5/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today said an alleged plot by two men associated with an
Albany, N.Y., mosque to help purchase a shoulder-fired missile from an
FBI
informant is a "deeply troubling" development that should not be used
to
associate all American Muslims with violence.
In a statement, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR) said:
"The government's allegations against the two men are deeply troubling
to
the American Muslim community. We strongly support any legal efforts to
ensure the safety and security of our nation. As the investigation goes
forward, we must all remember that every defendant is presumed innocent
until proven guilty in a court of law and that the alleged actions of
individuals should not be used to tar an entire community with the
brush of
terrorism.
"All too often, these types of cases are used by those with political
or
religious agendas to smear Muslims and to demonize Islam. We should
stick
to the facts of the case and avoid generalizations and stereotypes that
only serve to create societal divisions and promote anti-Muslim
bigotry."
CAIR's statement noted that Federal agents today arrested a Chicago man
for
allegedly plotting to blow up a federal courthouse with a fertilizer
truck
bomb. The Associated Press reports that Gale William Nettles, 66, was
arrested with a pickup truck containing 1,500 pounds of fertilizer he
allegedly thought was ammonium nitrate, the same substance used to blow
up
the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995. Prosecutors say Nettles
apparently had a grudge against the court system and did not belong to
any
political group.
"Allegations of terrorist activity should be treated equally, whatever
the
faith or ethnicity of the alleged perpetrators," said CAIR.
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
-----
In the Name Of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/5/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: TEACH GOODNESS
* CAIR-NY: JOB OPENING FOR CIVIL RIGHTS COORDINATOR
* MI: PRO-ISLAM RESOLUTION SPARKS DEBATE (Detroit FP)
- MI: Anger Over Charlie Daniels Appearance (AP)
* CAIR-LA: MUSLIM COMMUNITY TO RALLY FOR DETAINEE
- CA: Many Faiths Voice Support for El-Mazain
* ARAB AMERICANS MULL PRESIDENTIAL RACE (Forward)
- Kerry: Building Bridges to the Muslim Community
* PENTAGON TO PROBE TREATMENT OF MUSLIM CHAPLAIN (AP)
- Collateral Damage (Oregonian)
- Honda: Investigation Granted into Chaplain Yee Case
* NV: MUSLIMS IN LAS VEGAS, PART 5 (Los Angeles Times)
* ISRAEL MOVES TOWARD SETTLEMENT EXPANSION (AP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: TEACH GOODNESS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "God and His angels, the
dwellers of the Heavens and of the Earth, even an ant in its hole and
fish
(in the depths of the sea), invoke blessings on (a scholar) who teaches
people goodness."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 70
-----
CAIR-NY: JOB OPENING FOR CIVIL RIGHT COORDINATOR
The New York office of the Council on American-Islamic Relation
(CAIR-NY)
has an opening for the part-time position of civil rights coordinator.
The
ideal candidate will be an undergraduate degree holder (students
welcomed
to apply) with a familiarity issues related to civil rights/liberties
atmosphere.
Ideal candidates will have a dedication to attention to detail and will
be
persistent in the pursuit of justice.
CONTACT Wissam Nasr or Feroze Abdul-Munim at (212) 870-2002.
-----
PRO-ISLAM RESOLUTION SPARKS DEBATE
NIRAJ WARIKOO, Detroit Free Press, 8/5/04
http://www.freep.com/news/cfp/11/kislam5_20040805.htm
The idea was a simple one, said Dearborn Heights City Councilman Bob
Constan: to honor Islam and the growing Muslim population with a
special
council resolution.
But Constan's plan has stirred emotions in Dearborn Heights and
generated a
complex debate about the role of religion in public life.
It also has drawn attention to a 2001 council election tainted by an
anti-Arab poll done for his campaign.
At a recent council meeting, Constan introduced a resolution that said
the
city "recognizes the Islamic Holidays and the Holy Month of Ramadan,
and
encourages all residents of the City of Dearborn Heights to come to
know
and to better understand the Islamic Faith."
The resolution also said that Islam is a "Religion of Peace, Family,
Community and Wisdom." If passed, the resolution would not cost any
money
or require any action; it would basically be for symbolic value.
But a number of residents, both Christian and Muslim, said Constan's
resolution was unnecessary and violated America's tradition of
separation
of church and state. Others on the seven-member council spoke against
the
resolution.
City residents "don't need seven politicians telling them to love thy
neighbor," said Councilwoman Catherine Heise. "That's why we have the
Bible. That's why we have the Koran."
After an intense debate, the resolution was tabled and sent to a study
committee. Constan said he's working on revising the resolution and
might
reintroduce it later.
But some people say Constan's move is an attempt to make up for his
actions
during a council race in 2001, shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks.
In the fall election of 2001, Constan, an attorney, ran for City
Council
against two incumbent councilmen, Jumanah Judeh and David Turfe, who
are
both of Arab descent. Turfe is also Muslim.
In the weeks after Sept. 11, a man claiming to be a pollster made calls
to
residents in Dearborn Heights. It is unusual for a pollster to be used
for
a City Council race, residents say.
And the pollster's questions had more to do with pointing out Judeh's
and
Turfe's ethnicity and religion than with asking traditional questions.
According to some residents who contacted the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee, the pollster's questions included: "Are
you
aware that two of the candidates this year are Arab American? Are you
aware
that one of the candidates is Muslim?
"In light of the Sept. 11 attacks, are you comfortable with a Muslim
serving on the City Council? Are you afraid that a Muslim will fairly
represent our values in light of the Sept. 11 attacks?"
Constan won the election; Judeh and Turfe were defeated…
SEE ALSO:
ANGER OVER CHARLIE DANIELS APPEARANCE IN HEAVILY ARAB CITY
Associated Press, 8/5/04
http://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw102275_20040805.htm
DEARBORN - Charlie Daniels, the man who wrote and sang "This Ain't No
Rag,
It's a Flag," is drawing heat from Arab-Americans who say it refers to
a
derogatory term used against them.
Daniels, 67, is scheduled to perform Saturday in Dearborn, the center
of
southeastern Michigan's 300,000-member Arab-American community.
After the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Daniels wrote and recorded the song,
which became a country hit.
It begins:
"This ain't no rag, it's a flag and we don't wear it on our heads. It's
a
symbol of the land where the good guys live. Are you listening to what
I
said?"
On Saturday, the Charlie Daniels Band will perform at the
city-sponsored
Homecoming Festival.
"Someone who is trying to get popular through bigotry, bias and hatred
should not be welcome, especially in a city like Dearborn with its rich
diversity," Imad Hamad, regional director of the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee, told the Detroit Free Press.
City spokeswoman Mary Laundroche said no formal complaints have been
received about the performance and the show will go on.
"Ragheads" is a slur used against Arabs, Muslims and others who wear
turbans or cover their heads.
Daniels says the song is not directed at Arab and Muslims in general,
just
at turbaned terrorists like Osama bin Laden…
-----
CAIR-LA: MUSLIM COMMUNITY TO HOLD RALLY FOR DETAINEE
WHAT: The Muslim community will hold a rally following Friday prayers
(Jumah) to call for the fair treatment and release of Abdul Jabbar
Hamdan
currently held in custody by federal authorities on alleged immigration
charges. The community is concerned about allegations that Hamdan is
being
threatened with deportation as a "pressure tactic" to gain information
about an Islamic charity, the Texas-based Holy Land Foundation. (See
article below.)
Ban Al-Wardi, Hamdan's immigration attorney, said her client has
cooperated
fully with federal officials on three separate occasions and has
offered
any and all information.
WHEN: Friday, August 6, 2004; Prayer at 12:45 p.m., Protest to follow
prayer.
WHERE: Santa Ana Federal Building, 34 Civic Center Plaza Federal
Building
Santa Ana, CA; Prayer will be held in the Plaza of the Flags.
CONTACT: West Coast Islamic Society - Ibrahim Subeih - 714-590-3268
COSPONSORS: West Coast Islamic Society, Council on American-Islamic
Relations - Southern California (CAIR-LA); Islamic Shura Council of
Southern California
SEE ALSO:
PEOPLE OF MANY FAITHS VOICE THEIR SUPPORT FOR EL-MAZAIN
Kelly Thornton, Union-Tribune, 8/4/04
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/terror/20040803-2228-hamas-staff.h
tml
Supporters of Mohammad El-Mezain listened as attorney Alex Landon spoke
outside federal court in San Diego yesterday. El-Mezain, charged with
funneling $12.4 million to the terrorist group Hamas, agreed to go to
Texas
to face the charges.
Scores of people crowded the federal courthouse yesterday in support of
a
prominent San Diego Muslim cleric whose arrest on terrorism charges
inspired Jewish, Catholic and Protestant community leaders to come to
his
defense. Mohammad El-Mezain, a former chairman of a Muslim charity shut
down by the U.S. government, was charged last week with funneling $12.4
million to the terrorist group Hamas since 1995.
The indictments of El-Mezain, the Texas-based Holy Land Foundation for
Relief and Development, and six other directors were announced last
week by
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. El-Mezain, 51, a legal U.S.
resident,
was arrested July 27 in Scripps Ranch as he returned home from morning
prayers at a local mosque.
He has been held without bond. At yesterday's hearing in San Diego,
El-Mezain agreed to go to Dallas to face grand jury charges and to
postpone
his bond hearing until he arrives in Texas. He will plead not guilty
and
ask a judge to allow him to post bond after he arrives in Texas, said
his
lawyer, Alex Landon. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Skerlos said
El-Mezain
no longer was considered a danger to the community but remains a flight
risk and should be denied bond. A hearing is scheduled Tuesday in
Dallas…
Landon gave the judge a package containing about 20 letters from
friends
and community leaders, praising El-Mazain for his efforts to bring
together
people of different faiths after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks
and
for his spiritual leadership in the community.
One letter was signed by Roland Lanoue of the National Conference for
the
Community and Justice, formerly the National Conference of Christians
and
Jews.
"In countless meetings, meals and car trips together, Mr. El-Mezain
never
said anything or acted uncharitable when he, as a Palestinian and
Jordanian, and I as an American Jew, discussed Israel and Palestine. I
know
him to be a man of compassion," the letter from Lanoue said…
After the hearing, El-Mezain's supporters rallied with cheers, sermons
and
prayers for his release.
"Everybody loves him," said a friend, Kifah Samara. "This person has
been
here, not only for our community, but for all communities."
The Rev. Art Cribbs of Christian Fellowship United Church of Christ in
Emerald Hills delivered what sounded like a sermon before television
cameras and a bouquet of microphones.
"We have prayed together on these very steps, we have been in mosques,
in
churches and cathedrals!" Cribbs said. "He is a deeply loving, a deeply
scholarly, a deeply generous person.
"I do not believe these charges that have been brought against him,
this
human being, this father, this religious person, this imam. I do not
believe!" Cribbs said to a cheering crowd…
-----
ARAB AMERICANS MULL PRESIDENTIAL RACE
E.J. Kessler, Forward, 8/6/04
http://www.forward.com/main/article.php?ref=kessler200408041111
BOSTON - As the campaigns of President Bush and Senator John Kerry try
to
outdo each other in outreach to the Jewish community, Arab American
voters
are feeling screwed to the wall.
While Arab Americans gave a strong plurality of their vote to George W.
Bush in 2000, many now say they are repelled by his decision to launch
the
Iraq war and his support for the USA Patriot Act, as well as his
perceived
tilt toward Israel. Distress over the administration's Middle East
policy
has led many Arabs to abandon their support of the president and to
switch
their allegiances to the Democratic ticket, a number of polls have
found.
But the Arab American community also is feeling extremely frustrated by
the
strongly pro-Israel rhetoric of John Kerry's presidential campaign,
according to Arab American activists interviewed here last week during
the
Democratic National Convention or by telephone beforehand. As a result,
they said, many voters could end up casting their ballots for
independent
presidential candidate Ralph Nader, himself an Arab American, or
staying
home.
"You have to win Florida and New York, so you cater to the [community]
that
wins you Florida and New York," said Ali Dagher, an Arab American
lawyer
from Dearborn, Mich., who attended the convention as part of a
contingent
of activists from the Arab American Institute, referring to the Jewish
community. "But you also have to have a formula for winning Michigan
and
Ohio," he added, referring to two states with large Arab American
populations.
Bush "lied and made commitments and promises that never came true, and
Republican Arab Americans are completely disillusioned with the Bush
campaign," Dagher said. "But at this point you can't be certain people
will
vote for Kerry, either. Nader's doing well. How do you get that vote?
The
Democratic ticket has to do something to give an incentive to go to the
polls..."
ALSO SEE:
BUILDING BRIDGES TO THE MUSLIM AMERICAN COMMUNITY
(From the Kerry/Edwards Campaign)
John Kerry and John Edwards recognize the many contributions that
Muslim
Americans have made to our nation and will work to protect and defend
the
civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans, including Muslim
Americans. They support rigorous enforcement of our nation s civil
rights
laws so that all Americans, including Muslims, can live, work, learn,
worship, and gather without fear or discrimination. A Kerry-Edwards
administration will not tolerate the targeting of Muslim Americans for
threats, violence or discrimination based on their religion.
End the Era of John Ashcroft: The Ashcroft Justice Department has
unfairly
targeted Muslim and Arab Americans and has selectively enforced the
immigration laws against these communities. John Kerry and John Edwards
will uphold constitutional rights and protections, and civil rights
laws.
They will also strengthen terrorism laws that work, including sharing
information with local law enforcement. And they will ensure that
American
citizens held as detainees receive access to counsel, an opportunity
for
judicial review and at least minimal constitutional safeguards.
Amend the USA PATRIOT Act: While John Kerry and John Edwards support
the
majority of the PATRIOT Act, they, along with a growing number of both
Democrats and Republicans, believe that certain provisions should be
modified. They support efforts, such as the bipartisan-sponsored
Security
and Freedom Ensured (SAFE) Act, to amend the PATRIOT Act to set
reasonable
limits on access to library, medical, and other records containing the
sensitive, personal details of the lives of law-abiding Americans and
on
the conduct of so-called sneak and peek searches.
End Racial Profiling: As a former prosecutor, John Kerry knows that
racial
profiling is nothing more than ineffective law enforcement and must be
prohibited. He and John Edwards support the End Racial Profiling Act,
which would ban racial profiling and require federal, state, and local
law
enforcement to take steps to end and prevent racial profiling.
Strengthen Hate Crime Laws: John Kerry and John Edwards support strong
enforcement and equal justice for all victims of hate violence. Both
support expansion of our nation s hate crimes law and Kerry has
consistently voted for the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, also
known as the hate crimes bill.
Promoting Mutual Cultural Understanding: Kerry and Edwards will
support
the establishment of study centers within American universities, expand
development of American corners in educational and cultural
institutions in
Muslim countries, and launch a significant translation project. They
will
work with the private sector and international institutions to help
civil
society groups and governments aid democracy, public participation,
free
expression, transparency and efficient economic management.
Protect Workplace Religious Freedom: John Kerry has led the fight for
the
Workplace Religious Freedom Act which will ensure that no American is
forced to choose between the job they need and the faith that sustains
them.
-----
PENTAGON INSPECTOR GENERAL TO PROBE TREATMENT OF MUSLIM CHAPLAIN
Erica Werner, Associated Press, 8/5/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/politics/9320393.htm
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon's inspector general will investigate the
treatment of a Muslim chaplain imprisoned in solitary confinement for
76
days and then cleared in an espionage probe at Guantanamo Bay,
according to
a letter to lawmakers.
House and Senate Democrats have been pushing for the probe of the case
of
Capt. James Yee, who submitted his resignation to the Army on Monday.
Yee
is now based at Fort Lewis, Wash.
Yee was arrested last year and charged with mishandling classified
material
and other crimes in a suspected espionage ring at the Naval base prison
in
Cuba, but the criminal charges were later dropped. He was then
reprimanded
for adultery and downloading pornography, but an Army general threw out
that reprimand.
"We will conduct an investigation into the issues raised with respect
to
your correspondence," John R. Crane, an assistant inspector general,
wrote
in a July 29 letter to House Democrats who sought the investigation.
The
letter was released Wednesday. He wrote that because of "other ongoing
and
urgent matters" the investigation would start in the fall rather than
immediately.
Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Rose-Ann Lynch confirmed the contents of
the
letter but declined to comment further.
Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., who chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific
American Caucus, welcomed the development.
"I am deeply concerned that Chaplain Yee did not receive appropriate
legal
treatment by the U.S. Army in its investigation into his alleged
wrongdoings," Honda said. "For many members of the Asian American and
Pacific Islander American community, this case has elements that are
painfully reminiscent of the case of Dr. Wen Ho Lee, who suffered
character
assassination as a result of false allegations brought against him."…
ALSO SEE:
COLLATERAL DAMAGE
Oregonian, 8/4/04
http://www.oregonlive.com/editorials/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/109
1621010167640.xml
Capt. James Yee was proud to be one of the first Muslim chaplains ever
appointed to the U.S. armed forces, and his pride showed, according to
a
copy of his performance review obtained by The Seattle Times. Yee's
work at
the Guantanamo Bay prison camp won the highest possible marks.
Yee was "instrumental in making this detainee operation successful,"
his
Sept. 8 evaluation states. "Yee is an asset to the Army and should be
promoted at the first opportunity."
Just two days later, however, Yee was accused of being a traitor. He
was
arrested Sept. 10 on suspicion of mutiny and sedition, espionage and
aiding
the enemy. For a soldier, it doesn't get much worse. Yee's lawyers were
told he would face the death penalty.
But while he was sitting in solitary confinement for 76 days, a strange
thing happened to the charges against him -- they shrank. When the Army
couldn't make the original charges stick, he was accused of mishandling
classified information and some lesser offenses. In March, these were
dismissed, as well.
As if to ensure that Yee would be humiliated if nothing else, the Army
also
accused Yee of the noncriminal offenses of adultery and downloading
pornography. Although he was found guilty of these tangents and
reprimanded, even this final stain on his record was removed in April.
But this week, he submitted a letter of resignation, effective in
January,
admitting defeat. Despite the fact that he has prevailed in court
against
his accusers, he wrote, his reputation and his prospects in the Army
are
ruined…
---
HONDA: INVESTIGATION GRANTED INTO CHAPLAIN YEE CASE
Inspector General Agrees to Request for Formal Inquiry
Washington, DC - US Rep. Mike Honda (D-San Jose) today announced that
the
Inspector General (IG) of the US Department of Defense has agreed to
his
formal request for an investigation into the US Army's court martial of
James Yee, the Muslim chaplain who resigned from the Army on August 2
after
being subjected to months of questionable military legal procedures.
"Chaplain Yee's treatment by the US Army clearly warrants an
investigation
into the handling of his entire case, including whether his detention
was
supported by adequate evidence and appropriate legal charges,"
Congressman
Honda said. "I have grave concerns about the government's track record
of
unsubstantiated charges - most notably in the case of Wen Ho Lee - and
Chaplain Yee's case raises serious questions about the way the military
administers justice."
Citing "irreparabl[e] injur[ies]" to his personal and professional
reputation due to the Army's "unfounded allegations," Chaplain Yee on
August 2 submitted a letter of resignation to the Army, requesting
formal
discharge as of January 7, 2005.
The issue stems from the September 10, 2003 arrest of US Army Chaplain
Yee,
a commissioned officer of Islamic faith whom Army officials held in
solitary confinement for 76 days on a variety of charges ranging from
treason to mishandling classified documents. The Army later dropped
all
criminal charges, opting to pursue a non-judicial punishment that
Chaplain
successfully fought on appeal before his full reinstatement.
In response to allegations that the Army denied Chaplain Yee the
military
courtesies commensurate with his rank and targeted him because of his
religious affiliation with Islam, Rep. Honda publicly called for an
investigation into the matter to ensure that the Army complies with
accepted rules of law…
-----
PRIVATE MOMENTS IN THE PUBLIC EYE
Peter H. King, Los Angeles Times, 8/5/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-vegas5aug05,1,7058723.s
tory
LAS VEGAS - A full year had passed and it was time for a final visit to
the
Muslims of Las Vegas. April to April, spring to spring, the world had
coughed up one arresting image after another, from the fire-streaked
thunderclouds of shock and awe to the charred body parts of Americans
dangling from a bridge in Iraq.
And every day, it seemed, a fresh body count from the war -- one, two,
three more Americans dead. And every month or so, another front-page
picture of rubble and ripped limbs, another dateline marking the latest
large-scale terrorist assault -- Riyadh, Casablanca, Jakarta, Istanbul,
Moscow, Madrid.
While these calamitous events translated into more unease, more
muttered
comments from co-workers, more hard looks in airports, they were not,
in
fact, the touchstone moments by which Las Vegas Muslims measured the
previous 12 months.
Rather, like people everywhere, the landmarks they looked back on
tended to
involve the universal turns of everyday life: a death in the family, a
business venture gone bust, a child who made the honor roll, a new
house, a
memorable trip.
Muhammad Ali, the car lot philosopher who had suggested that heightened
scrutiny of Muslims since Sept. 11 was only natural -- "If you are
bitten
by a snake, you are going to be afraid of a rope" -- did not seem
himself
as he sat down in his tiny office off the showroom floor.
He had proved over the course of many conversations to be a man of good
humor and wit. At home one Sunday, he had punctuated a family
discussion
about patriarchal customs by breaking into an Archie Bunker
impersonation.
At the lot, he had laughed along with colleagues when they warned
customers
that, if they didn't buy a truck, "Muhammad will light his shoe..."
-----
ISRAEL MOVES TOWARD SETTLEMENT EXPANSION
PETER ENAV, Associated Press, 8/5/04
MAALEH ADUMIM, West Bank (AP) - Israeli bulldozers churned across a
West
Bank hill Thursday gouging a rough road needed for a government plan to
build housing in an area it hopes to make a permanent part of the
Jewish
state, despite strong objections from both the Palestinian leadership
and
the Bush administration.
The road would link the sprawling Jewish settlement of Maaleh Adumim to
Jerusalem, four miles away, and officials confirmed Thursday that they
foresee thousands of new homes along the route - despite a provision of
the
internationally supported ``road map'' peace plan that calls for a halt
to
growth of Israeli settlements.
In another development, Israeli officials decided to allow Palestinian
police to carry weapons again, which could help shore up the prestige
of
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and improve security in
Palestinian
areas.
Underlining growing lawlessness in those areas, masked gunmen forced
three
Palestinian Cabinet ministers to stop speaking at a news conference in
the
Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun on Thursday and forced them to leave
town.
Israel has already built an elaborate system of roads linking Jerusalem
to
Maaleh Adumim, where 31,000 Israelis live, and the latest project is
seen
as part of a government effort to win over hardline lawmakers opposed
to
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
White House envoy Elliot Abrams met with Sharon on Thursday and was
expected to restate U.S. opposition to the expansion of settlements in
the
West Bank. Earlier this week, the State Department objected to a
separate
plan to build 600 more housing units inside the current boundaries of
Maaleh Adumim.
Israeli media reported that Sharon told Abrams there were no current
plans
to link Maaleh Adumim and Jerusalem. The reports said Sharon told the
envoy
that a plan to build hotels in the area dates to 1994.
Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said Palestinian Prime
Minister
Ahmed Qureia discussed the Maaleh Adumim plan at a meeting with Abrams
earlier Thursday. Erekat called it a ``land grab'' meant to deny the
Palestinians the state envisioned for them under the road map.
The U.S. administration has insisted Israel abide by the terms of that
plan, which calls for an end to four years of violence and creation of
a
Palestinian state. In the first phase, the plan states that Israel
``freezes all settlement activity.''
Palestinians from nearby neighborhoods watched as bulldozers and
mechanical
shovels dug into the parched, rocky soil of a hill across from Maaleh
Adumim. Palestinians, who claim all the West Bank, are concerned that
roads
like this would make it impossible for them to create a viable state.
At a shopping mall in the center of Maaleh Adumim, residents expressed
strong support for the proposed new housing…
-----
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/ .
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR AND ACLU OFFER LEGAL HELP TO FBI INTERVIEWEES
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/6/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today announced that it is teaming up with the American
Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to offer free legal advice and support to
Muslims who are approached by the FBI for voluntary interviews.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says
it
will work with ACLU offices nationwide to provide access to local
attorneys
for those targeted during the FBI's current round of counter-terrorism
interviews.
"CAIR's partnership with the ACLU will help Muslims who are unaware of
their legal rights or who just have concerns about being approached by
the
FBI," said CAIR Civil Rights Director Engy Abdelkader. She added that
if
anyone is aware of actual terror-related activities in their community,
they should immediately contact the nearest FBI Field Office. SEE:
http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm
Abdelkader said American Muslims who wish to obtain free legal advice,
support or referrals may call 202-488-8787 or e-mail
ekader@cair-net.org.
SEE: "ACLU OFFERS MUSLIMS LEGAL HELP"
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040805-010603-7320r.htm
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
-----
In the Name Of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/6/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: ALL BELIEVERS ARE BROTHERS
* QUOTE OF THE DAY: MUSLIMS AND MUD-WRESTLING WOMEN
* CAIR-SV: MUSLIMS HONOR AUTHOR OF HATE CRIMES RESOLUTION
- CAIR-FL: Church Condemns Anti-Muslim Bias
* FL: GOP REP REGRETS BOGUS TERROR PLOT CLAIM (AP)
- Tall Tale of Terror (Herald Tribune)
* FL: JUDGE RAISES BURDEN OF PROOF IN AL-ARIAN CASE (AP)
- ABA Report: Immigrants Denied Due Process (UPI)
* NY: SECURITY ISSUES AT WORK (Newsday)
- NY: Muslim Merchants Air Fears (D & C)
* AMERICAN MUSLIM CONVERTS WITH DAILY PHONE TEXT MESSAGE (AP)
* FL: GROUP PUTS IN OFFER FOR CHURCH (Orlando Sentinel)
* CZECHS PROTEST PLANS TO BUILD MOSQUE (AP)
- New Mass Grave of Muslims Found in Bosnia (AP)
- France: Vandals Paint Swastikas on Muslim Graves (AP)
- UK: Row Over 'Black Heart of Islam' (Guardian)
* A NEW RACIST REALITY FOR THE ARABS OF SAFED (Haaretz)
* IL: MUSLIM YOUTH COLLECT CLOTHING FOR THE POOR
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: ALL BELIEVERS ARE BROTHERS
"All believers are but brethren. Hence [whenever they are at odds,]
make
peace between your two brethren, and remain conscious of God, so that
you
might be graced with his mercy."
The Holy Quran, 49:10
-----
QUOTE OF THE DAY: MUSLIMS AND MUD-WRESTLING WOMEN
Bill O'Reilly, Fox News: The O'Reilly Factor, 8/5/04
O'REILLY: OK, we have been attacked more viciously than any channel in
the
history of American television. So you must have tough guys at the
door,
bouncers if you will, because these people are blatantly... you know
the
smear merchant stole video from us, stole video over an eight year
period
and put it out. I could make you, Mr. Block, look like a communist, a
fascist, a Muslim, or a mud-wrestling woman if I get eight years of
video
and cut and paste it. You know what I'm talking about here.
-----
CA MUSLIMS HONOR AUTHOR OF HATE CRIMES RESOLUTION
CAIR-SV hosts community reception for supporters of AJR64
(SACRAMENTO, CA, 8/6/04) - The Sacramento Valley office of the Council
on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SV) hosted a reception this week to
honor
Assembly Member Dr. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), the author of Assembly
Joint Resolution 64 (AJR64). The reception also honored legislators,
government officials, law enforcement authorities, community leaders,
and
organizations that supported the anti-hate crimes resolution.
AJR64, which targeted bias-motivated crimes against Arab Americans,
Muslim
Americans, South Asian Americans and Sikhs, was adopted by the
California
State Assembly (72-0) on April 1, 2004 and by the California State
Senate
(33-0) on June 16, 2004. The measure was sponsored by CAIR-California
and
co-sponsored by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer. It received
the
enthusiastic support of over fifty-five public officials, law
enforcement
leaders, and community organizations. California is the first state in
the
United States to adopt such a resolution.
"AJR64 sends a strong message that California as a state will not
tolerate
hate crimes against the Muslim-American, Sikh-American, Arab-American
and
South Asian American communities," said Assembly Member Dr. Judy Chu.
"Today's gathering of state legislators, locally elected officials, and
local law enforcement agencies reflects our commitment to work together
to
protect all Californians from hate motivated incidents. This resolution
is
one step in our efforts to eliminate the continuing backlash of hate
violence post 9-11," Chu added.
"As the author of the first hate crimes law in California, Attorney
General
Lockyer urges all prosecutors to join him in ensuring that the civil
rights
of all Californians are vigorously protected and that those who prey on
others because of their race, color, ancestry or religion are
prosecuted to
the fullest extent of the law," said Mark Chekal-Bain, Legislative
Advocate
for Attorney General Bill Lockyer.
"AJR64 is an important statement by California legislators that
reflects
their commitment to fight hate," said Dr. Hamza ElNakhal of CAIR-SV's
Executive Committee. "Muslim Californians welcome this action by the
legislature, and are grateful for the support from California Attorney
General Bill Lockyer, local public officials, and community
organizations."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 28 offices nationwide and in Canada.
CONTACT: Basim Elkarra, CAIR-SV, (916) 289-3748
-----
GOOD NEWS: FL CHURCH CONDEMNS ANTI-MUSLIM BIAS
The following is a letter received by the Florida office of the Council
on
American-Islamic Relations in response to a recent incident of
anti-Muslim
bias.
"I am writing on behalf of the leaders of the Woodlawn Presbyterian
Church
who at their most recent session meeting voted unanimously to send this
letter of encouragement to you and the families of the Community
Education
Center.
"We are saddened that students and staff of the school were the victims
of
a crime and an act of hate earlier this month, when someone scrawled
terrible messages on the walls of your Islamic educational center in
Lutz.
"Please know that we condemn this awful behavior and it does not
represent
the values of the majority of our community. We condemn bigotry and
hate
in all its forms. Our Christian beliefs compel us to speak out against
this
crime.
As Christians and Americans we believe in freedom of religion and
firmly
believe that all Americans should be able to worship God as they choose
without concern for intimidation and threats. We believe that the acts
of
vandalism and hate were cowardly acts by people who do not understand
nor
practice the true values of our country.
In response to this incident, you were quoted in the St. Pete Times as
saying, 'Our faith does not teach violence.' We agree and add that our
faith, also, does not teach violence. We call upon all people of faith
to
stand together in Tampa Bay for peace and justice for all. People of
faith
must speak up for freedom of religion in our own community, our country
and
in the world. We pray that some good will may be a positive outcome
following this unfortunate and terrible incident."
-----
HARRIS REGRETS BOGUS TERROR PLOT CLAIM
Associated Press, 8/4/04
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20040804_2183.html
WASHINGTON Aug. 4, 2004 - Republican Rep. Katherine Harris said
Wednesday
she regrets concerns caused by her claim that a plot existed to blow up
the
power grid in Carmel, Ind. City officials disputed the claims of a
plot.
"I was told in an open, group setting that a recent situation
threatened a
Midwestern community and that it had been diffused," Harris said
Wednesday.
"I regret that I had no knowledge of the sensitive nature of this
situation
and any undue concern this may have caused."
But the Florida lawmaker stands by her statement that the United States
has
thwarted more than 100 potential terrorist attacks.
Harris, who was at the center of the political storm over the disputed
2000
presidential election, made the comments about terrorism and the plot
on
Monday at a rally for President Bush in Venice, Fla., and a subsequent
interview with the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
She told the audience that while in the Midwest recently, a mayor told
her
about a plot in Carmel and how a man of Middle Eastern heritage had
been
arrested and hundreds of pounds of explosives were found in his home.
"He had plans to blow up the area's entire power grid," she said,
according
to the newspaper.
City officials in Carmel said they know of no such plot...
SEE ALSO:
TALL TALE OF TERROR
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040806/OPINION/408060388/1030/OPINION01
As a member of Congress, with the nation engaged in a war on terror,
Katherine Harris should be careful of what she says and certain about
her
facts.
People already on edge from high alerts and suspicious of
foreign-looking
neighbors don't need their congresswoman ratcheting up their fears.
Tales
of sinister plots should not be spun for political gain.
Unfortunately, Harris, R-Longboat Key, showed neither discretion nor
good
sense in her recent public statements about a purported terrorist plot
in
Indiana.
In a speech to Republican supporters Monday in Venice, Harris extolled
President Bush's record in the war on terror. As an example, she told
of a
plot by an man of Middle Eastern heritage to blow up a Midwestern power
grid. The plot, she said, was thwarted and the man arrested.
The trouble is, there appears to be no record of such a plot, and no
one
who can confirm Harris' story. Neither the mayor nor the police chief
of
Carmel, Ind., which Harris said was at the center of the plot, knows
anything about it. Neither do counterterrorism officials in Indiana nor
anyone in the governor's office.
Harris says she heard the story "secondhand" from another mayor in
Indiana,
but she has refused to name that person or to provide more details to
support her story…
-----
TAMPA JUDGE RAISES GOVERNMENT'S BURDEN OF PROOF IN AL-ARIAN CASE
Vickie Chacere, Associated Press, 08/06/04
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040805/APN/408051063
Tampa - Prosecutors putting a former professor on trial on charges he
raised money for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad will have to prove
financial
contributions to the group were used for terrorist attacks rather than
charitable purposes, a federal judge has ruled.
The ruling from U.S. District Judge James Moody was applauded Thursday
by
defense attorneys for former University of South Florida professor Sami
Al-Arian. They said it will make the government's allegations that
Al-Arian
used a charity as a fund-raising front for the Islamic Jihad more
difficult
to prove.
Al-Arian and three others face a 50-count racketeering indictment which
accuses Al-Arian of being the North American head of the Islamic Jihad.
Al-Arian denies that either the charity or academic think tank he
created
were fund-raising fronts for the group's terrorist attacks, which have
claimed more than 100 lives in Israel.
"It's a monumental victory because the government's posture in this
case
was all you have to do was be a member of one of these organizations
and
that was sufficient for them to charge you with conspiracy," said
William
Moffitt, one of Al-Arian's defense attorneys. "The government has a
much
tougher row to hoe."
Stephen Bernstein, the attorney for co-defendant Sammeeh Hammoudeh,
said
Moody "hit the nail on the head."
"He found exactly what this case is going to turn on," said Bernstein.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa declined to comment on the ruling,
which was delivered to attorneys late Wednesday.
Moody's 20-page order comes after the government asked him to
reconsider a
March ruling that essentially set the standard for the government's
case
against Al-Arian, Hammoudeh and two other men scheduled to go to trial
in
January.
In March, Moody turned down a request from Al-Arian's defense attorneys
that the charges against him be dismissed, arguing the charges involved
acts of fund-raising and freedom of association which are protected
under
the First Amendment.
But Moody said to avoid constitutional concerns, the government would
have
to prove Al-Arian and the others sought to support the Islamic Jihad's
criminal activities.
Moody wrote in the ruling that those limits "does not, will not, and
should
not hamper the government's anti-terrorism efforts."
"The court reiterates that it is in no way creating a safe harbor for
terrorist or their supporters to try to avoid prosecution through
utilization of shell 'charitable organizations' or by directing money
through the memo line of a check toward lawful activities," Moody
wrote…
ALSO SEE:
ABA REPORT: IMMIGRANTS DENIED DUE PROCESS
United Press International, 8/6/04
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040804-053534-2733r.htm
Washington, DC - Sweeping changes in immigration laws have eroded the
due
process protection afforded to immigrants, an American Bar Association
report said Wednesday. Due process, or fair and complete legal
proceedings,
is guaranteed by the Constitution.
The report was produced jointly by the ABA and the Leadership
Conference on
Civil Rights Education Fund.
The ABA said the report, "American Justice Through Immigrants' Eyes,"
details how "seven years of changes in the nation's immigration laws
have
created a two-tiered justice system for American immigrants, and
recommends
ways to restore immigrants' due process rights…"
-----
SECURITY ISSUES AT WORK; APPLICANTS FACE MORE SCRUTINY
Maryann James and Christopher Latham, Newsday, 8/6/04
http://www.newsday.com/business/local/newyork/ny-bzterr063920117aug06,0,947509.story
Is the guy sitting in the next cubicle some kind of terrorist?
That's the question a lot of employers have been asking ever since the
9/11
attacks - a question brought into sharp focus this week amid
speculation
that al-Qaida might have planted employees at major financial companies
to
plan an attack. By some accounts, an increasing number of employers
have
been doing background checks on potential hires.
But the increased scrutiny creates a delicate balancing act for
employers,
who are supposed to avoid discrimination based on religion or ethnic
and
national origin. Apparently, not all of them are succeeding, say
lawyers
and advocates for Muslim and Arab employees.
"Companies get worried," said Wissam Nasr, executive director of the
New
York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "They don't
want
any of their transactions to be misconstrued as providing direct or
indirect support of terrorism. Sometimes they might be overzealous..."
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM MERCHANTS AIR FEARS
Alan Morrell, Democrat and Chronicle, 8/6/04
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/news/08054E551IP_news.shtml
Rochester - The Rochester Police Department's massive reorganization -
consolidating seven patrol sections into two - went into effect in June
with the goal of reducing crime.
By many accounts, the change has succeeded. But on Wednesday the leader
of
a group of Muslim store owners said the revamping has created problems
that
need addressing.
"We used to know the officers; now you don't know who is coming when
you
call," said Shakeel Cheema, owner of MLK Grand Market at 202 Grand Ave.
and
president of the Rochester Muslim Business Association. "You get
(police)
who are not familiar with the territory. Eighty percent of the time,
you
get someone you don't know. We used to have community policing. To me,
it
has changed for the worse."
Cheema and about a dozen other Muslims met with Chief Robert Duffy and
members of his command staff Wednesday to discuss safety issues. The
meeting was in response to the July 30 shooting death of Fadhle
Hussein,
who was shot to death inside of Hudson Grocery, a store he owned at 515
Hudson Ave.
After the fatal shooting, Muslim store owners and employees complained
that
police leave them vulnerable to violent drug dealers who congregate
outside
their businesses.
Wednesday's meeting was the first of what Duffy said would be monthly
meetings with the store owners...
-----
AMERICAN MUSLIM CONVERTS WITH DAILY PHONE TEXT MESSAGE
Associated Press, 8/6/04
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/technology/080504_aptech_muslim.html
JAKARTA, Indonesia- An American Muslim convert has found a new way to
reach
believers in cell-phone crazy Indonesia: He sends them a daily text
message
containing the teachings of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
The popularity of Craig Abdurrahim Owensby's service underscores a
growing
religious revival in Indonesia, where practice of the faith has
traditionally been less rigid than in other Islamic countries.
More than 100,000 people have signed up so far. They also get a number
to
call to hear sermons from moderate preachers in the world's most
populous
Muslim nation.
"It's a little oasis of calmness," said Uray Fitri Yani, a 27-year-old
financial consultant who subscribes to the service. "The messages give
me
hope."
The service, which starts at about 11 cents a day, is likely to grow,
as
cell phone users in this 210-million strong nation are small but rising
fast. Like many Southeast Asians, Indonesians like text messaging
because
it is cheaper than making a voice call on their cell phone…
-----
FL: MUSLIM GROUP PUTS IN OFFER FOR OCOEE CHURCH BUILDING
Sandra Mathers, Orlando Sentinel, 08/06/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-locchurch06080604aug06,1,6091489.story
OCOEE - Mayor Scott Vandergrift likes to tout his once-rural city's
growing
ethnic diversity by listing a variety of nationalities that call Ocoee
home.
Now the city's changing face may be getting a new -- and more visible
--
symbol of that diversity: a Muslim mosque.
The Foundation of Lights, a Muslim organization, has signed a contract
to
buy the Ocoee Oaks United Methodist Church for $600,000 and has raised
about half the $200,000 down payment needed to seal the deal, said
foundation board member Naeem Nasir.
The mosque, which initially is expected to trade off days at the church
with the Christian congregation, would be only the second in west
Orange.
About 40,000 Muslims live in Central Florida, which has 15 mosques,
Nasir said.
"I'm hoping the sale will be closed within the month," Nasir said this
week. "We are raising part of the money and asking the church to hold
the
mortgage at zero [percent] interest."
He said Muslims don't deal with interest, which they consider usury, or
an
excessive payment. Instead, groups interested in starting mosques raise
money from their communities and other mosques…
-----
CZECHS PROTEST PLANS TO BUILD MOSQUE
Associated Press, 8/6/04
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/ap/ap_story.html/Intl/AP.V6999.AP-Czech-Unwanted-.html
PRAGUE - Investors canceled plans to build a mosque in a Czech spa
after
residents protested, saying they feared a terrorist attack, the mayor
said
Friday.
A firm representing Dubai investors withdrew from the project earlier
this
week, said Jaroslav Kubera, the mayor of Teplice, 50 miles northwest of
Prague.
Kubera said plans to build the mosque and a hotel were scrapped after
some
5,000 citizens signed a petition, protesting construction of the
mosque.
They claimed it could attract terrorists, the mayor said.
The mosque and the hotel were designed to serve some of several
thousands
of Muslims from many countries who come to Teplice for treatment of
arthritis and related joint diseases each summer.
Kubera said the city has not had negative experience with patients from
the
Muslim countries so far…
SEE ALSO:
FORENSIC EXPERTS FIND NEW MASS GRAVE IN SOUTHEAST BOSNIA
Associated Press, 8/6/04
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20040806-0324-bosnia-massgrave.html
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina - Forensic experts found a new mass grave
believed to contain about 160 bodies of Bosnian Muslims killed by Serb
forces at the beginning of the 1992-95 Bosnian war, officials said
Friday.
The bodies were dumped into a canyon near the town of Foca, some 45
miles
southeast of Sarajevo. Bosnian Serb troops allegedly covered the mass
grave
with boulders and other material from a nearby quarry.
According to Sejid Koso of the Bosnian Commission on Missing Persons,
16
victims have been exhumed from the location so far. He said he believed
that most of the victims were from the nearby town of Gacko and the
villages of Miljevina and Kalinovik.
He said the mass grave site was discovered following testimony of a
person
who managed to escape the killings. The exhumations were expected to
last
some two weeks…
---
VANDALS PAINT SWASTIKAS ON MUSLIM GRAVES
Associated Press, 8/6/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=France%20Muslim%20Graves
STRASBOURG - Vandals painted swastikas on the graves of France's Muslim
servicemen at a military cemetery in eastern France, officials said
Friday.
President Jacques Chirac condemned the desecration of about 15
headstones
at the cemetery in the Cronenbourg neighborhood in Strasbourg. The
vandalism was discovered Friday, local officials said.
"Rest assured that the public forces will be mobilized to identify and
punish the authors of this cowardly profanation," he wrote in a letter
to
Abdelhaq Nabaoui, head of the regional Muslim council in Alsace. "I
express
the solidarity of the nation to all the families concerned, the Muslim
community and its leaders."
"And beyond their religious affiliation, I restate forcefully that to
insult the memory of the soldiers who gave their lives for the homeland
is
a grave offense to all French people," Chirac said in the letter, a
copy of
which was provided to reporters.
The attack was the latest in a months-long series of anti-Muslim
graffiti
appearing in France. Several cemeteries containing Muslim graves were
vandalized in a similar manner in June…
---
BRITISH COUNCIL IN ROW OVER "BLACK HEART OF ISLAM"
Tania Branigan, Guardian, 8/6/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1277423,00.html
Muslim groups and individuals have flooded the British Council with
complaints after learning that one of its senior press officers
allegedly
wrote controversial Sunday Telegraph articles attacking "the black
heart of
Islam".
The government-funded body, which recently commissioned a handbook on
Islam
"to prevent ignorant comments about Muslims being made in [the]
national
press", has suspended Harry Cummins while it investigates the claims,
which
were first disclosed in the Guardian Diary.
He denies writing the articles, which have prompted calls for the Press
Complaints Commission to intervene.
They appeared under the byline "Will Cummins", which the Sunday
Telegraph
later described as a pseudonym.
Muslim organisations say the comment pieces incite racial and religious
hatred, and the British Council describes the articles as deeply
offensive.
But the Sunday Telegraph has refused to rule out publishing further
contributions from the author of the articles. Its editor, Dominic
Lawson,
told the Guardian that he did not regret printing them.
The allegation is deeply embarrassing for the British Council, which
works
to improve relations between communities.
Last year, Mr Cummins helped to promote a seminar "to debate press
freedom
and responsibilities with emerging and potential Muslim leaders".
"Will Cummins" has compared Muslims to Nazis and argued that Muslim
voters
have a "global jihadi agenda". One of his articles states: "All
Muslims,
like all dogs, share certain characteristics." Another argues: "It is
the
black heart of Islam, not its black face, to which millions object."
Other articles by the author have claimed that "Muslim foreigners ...
have
forced themselves on us", and that "Christians are the original
inhabitants
and rightful owners of almost every Muslim land and behave with a
humility
quite unlike the menacing behaviour we have come to expect from the
Muslims
who have forced themselves on Christendom".
The author described voters in Leicester and Birmingham as "local
Janjaweed" - in a reference to the atrocities committed in Darfur,
Sudan -
and claimed that Islam is "sanctified by the principle ... that any
civilisation, however repulsive, has the same value as any other".
The British Council's director general, David Green, has told the
Muslim
Council of Britain: "There is no place in the British Council for
people
who publish such hateful utterances..."
-----
A NEW RACIST REALITY FOR THE ARABS OF SAFED
Tal Hassin, Haaretz, 8/5/04
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/460656.html
Posters warning young Jewish girls of abuse, beatings and abductions by
Arabs are appearing all over the city.
Mohammed Halihal, who lives in Akbara, Safed's Muslim neighborhood,
woke up
to a new reality last Sunday. Wherever he looked were red and white
posters
warning the girls of Safed and their families against him. "Warning!"
screamed the poster, "Ten Jewish girls are being held captive by the
Arabs
of Akbara." Further on, the poster explains what happened to them:
"Beatings and violence, hard drugs, prostitution and crime."
"I have gotten used to the cries of `Arabs go home,' I am familiar with
the
`Death to the Arabs' graffiti, but this time I feel personally
offended,"
he says. Someone in Safed worked hard Saturday night. Dozens of posters
of
various sizes were scattered throughout the city. They were stuck to
fences
of homes, hung on the walls of the shopping mall, attached to bulletin
boards and electrical fuse boxes. Some were even glued to signs at the
two
entrances to the city. City workers hurried to remove them, but a week
later, posters forgotten in less central locations or parts of posters
partially torn town that left a word here and a sentence fragment there
could still be seen: "Beatings," "drugs," "Akbara," "Jewish girls held
captive by Arabs."
Superintendent Amir Aharon, the commander of the Safed, Hatzor and Rosh
Pina police station, when asked if are there any women being held
captive
in Akbara, says, "Nonsense, there is no such thing."
There are about 500 people living in Akbara, a neighborhood on Safed's
southwestern outskirts. Over 60 percent of them belong to the Halihal
clan.
Many of them have university degrees, are lawyers and doctors; almost
all
work in Safed. They did not participate in the demonstrations by
Galilee
Arabs in October 2000, many voted in the last elections for the Likud,
and
a few volunteer to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Their
neighborhood,
which has not yet been hooked up to the sewage system despite promises,
and
which has only one bus a day, is called Safed the Village.
The relations between the residents of the village and the city are
good.
Someone is trying to undermine those relations, says Mohammed Halihal,
28,
a lawyer with many Jewish clients. On the morning the posters were
hung,
his mobile phone rang incessantly. "Did you see it? Did you hear? What
should we do?" he was repeatedly asked. Four days went by, and while
still
trying to digest the developments, Safed was inundated with a new
poster,
this time by the ultra-Orthodox organization Yad La'ahim. It held a
moving
appeal to "Cherished girls of Israel," warning them against "the Arabs
that
hang around among you and try to seduce you ... to take you to the Arab
villages and abuse you and release all their hatred on you..."
-----
YOUNG MUSLIMS TO SERVE HUMANITY, COLLECT CLOTHES FOR POOR
WHAT: Young Muslims Serving Humanity (YMSH) will be collecting clothes
for
the poor.
WHEN: Friday August 13th, 2004, 12pm-6pm
WHERE: Mosque Foundation Parking Lot, 360 W. 93rd St Bridgeview, IL
60455
If you are unable to drop off your donation on August 13th between 12pm
to
6pm, please call 708-299-YMSH (9674) to schedule a pick-up.
Ibn Abbas related that the Prophet (PBUH) said: Any Muslim who gives a
Muslim a garment to wear will be in Allah's safekeeping as long as a
shred
of it remains on him (Ahmad, Tirmidhi).
-----
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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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/9/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: WITH HARDSHIP COMES EASE
* INCITEMENT WATCH: KERRY ATTACKER SMEARS ISLAM
* CAIR SEEKS REPORTS FROM CON ARTIST VICTIMS
* MI: ISLAMIC BELIEFS ENTER U.S. MAINSTREAM (Det News)
- SC: Scouts Serving Allah and America (Herald)
- New Magazine: America's Muslim Family
- ME: Hospital Gown Resigned for Muslim Patients (AP)
- AZ: No Need to 'Rebuild' Islam (Daily Star)
- Rand Study on Islam
* CAIR-MD/VA: NORTHERN VA FAMILY AND CIVIC PICNIC
* NY: MUSLIM GROUP WORKS TO END NEIGHBORHOOD VIOLENCE
* MD: VANDALISM PUZZLES ARAB FAMILY (Wash Post)
- NY: Woman Charged With Harassing Muslims (Buffalo News)
* FL: DETAINEE IN TERROR SCARE TALKS OF PROFILING (Sun-Sent)
- WA: Talk of FBI Targeting at Mosque BBQ (Seattle Times)
- NY: US Sting Raises Human Rights Fears (FT)
- Detainee Says He Was Abused in Afghanistan (AP)
* CONCERNS WITH PATRIOT ACT MOUNT (NY Times)
* 9/11 REPORT DID NOT MAKE USE OF MUSLIM EXPERTS (KR)
- Chairman Calls for 'World War IV' (Daily Star)
* MISREADING THE TRUTH IN SUDAN (NY Times)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: WITH HARDSHIP COMES EASE
"Verily, with every hardship comes ease. Therefore, when thou art freed
(from distress), remain steadfast. And turn to thy Sustainer with
love."
The Holy Quran, 94:8
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: KERRY ATTACKER SMEARS ISLAM
WHO IS JEROME CORSI, CO-AUTHOR OF SWIFT BOAT VETS ATTACK BOOK?
http://mediamatters.org/items/200408060010
While much has been written about the identity and history of John E.
O'Neill -- one of the authors of the forthcoming Regnery book Unfit for
Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry (whose links
in
the GOP go back to his days as "protégé of Nixon-era dirty trickster
Charles Colson") -- little has been said about his co-author, Jerome R.
Corsi, PhD…
Corsi is also a frequent participant in FreeRepublic.com's online
forums,
posting under the pseudonym "jrlc" since 2001. (Click here to read a
full
set of Corsi's posts; click here to read the post in which "jrlc"
admits to
being Jerome Corsi.)
On FreeRepublic.com, Corsi has, among other things, said that
"ragheads"
are "boy buggers"; referred to "John F*ing Kerry"; called Senator
Hillary
Clinton a "Fat Hog"; referred to her daughter as "Chubby Chelsie"
Clinton;
referred to Janet Reno as "Janet Rhino"; called Katie Couric "Little
Katie
Communist"; suggested Kerry was "practicing Judaism"; and expressed the
wish that a small plane that had crashed into a building in Los Angeles
had
instead crashed into the set of NBC'S The West Wing, thereby killing
actor
Martin Sheen.
Following are some examples. [Spelling and punctuation are Corsi's
own.]…
On Islam and Arabs
CORSI: Let's see exactly why it isn't the case that Islam is a
worthless,
dangerous Satanic religion? Where's the proof to the contrary?
(04/24/2004)
CORSI: Islam is like a virus -- it affects the mind -- maybe even
better as
an analogy -- it is a cancer that destroys the body it infects... No
doctor
would hesitate to eliminate cancer cells from the body. (11/26/02)
CORSI: Islam is a peaceful religion as long as the women are beaten,
the
boys buggered, and the infidels killed. (11/22/2002)
CORSI: How's this as an analogy -- the Koran is simply the "software"
for
producing deviant cancer cell political behavior and violence in human
beings. (02/15/2002)…
-----
CAIR SEEKS REPORTS FROM CON ARTIST VICTIMS
CAIR is seeking reports from anyone who fell victim to the con artist
who
impersonates well-known personalities in the Islamic world in order to
defraud Muslims.
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.
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS REQUESTED:
Anyone who ACTUALLY SENT FUNDS to the con artist is asked to e-mail
details, along with contact information, to: cair@cair-net.org (Include
your name and contact information, details of the phone calls, Western
Union transfer numbers, amount sent, etc.) Use the subject line: "Con
Artist Victim"
-----
ISLAMIC BELIEFS ENTER MAINSTREAM
Doug Guthrie, Detroit News, 8/9/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/religion/0408/09/a01-236403.htm
When the Islamic call to prayer was allowed to be broadcast through the
streets of Hamtramck, it thrust religious tradition into the national
spotlight and illustrated the growing influence of Muslims in the
multi-ethnic enclave.
But the religious and cultural practices of Muslims in Metro Detroit
are
taking hold on a much quieter and broader scale with schools,
businesses,
hospitals, funeral homes and even cemeteries adjusting to meet their
needs.
At Henry Ford and St. John hospitals, policies have been adopted that
allow
Muslim women to maintain their religious modesty during medical
treatment.
East-facing graves are being added at cemeteries like White Chapel in
Troy
to meet the growing demand for graves facing Mecca. And schools in
Hamtramck and Dearborn are tailoring schedules and offering Halal food
that
meets the dietary needs of Muslims.
"Accommodation of beliefs is very important for the Muslim community
and
society as a whole," said Sally Howell, a University of Michigan
graduate
student and member of a research team that studied Metro Detroit Arabs
last
year. "Mainstreaming their culture is a boost to them, but perhaps more
important to the rest of the community to increase our understanding of
them."
Nehaya Silmi, 25, found the kind of childbirth experience she wanted,
but
it was after her first two children were delivered by male doctors.
Her third child, Yousef, was born Feb. 28 at Henry Ford Hospital in
Detroit
with the help of a female midwife. Silmi's husband, Ramzi, whispered
the
child's first call to prayer in his right ear, followed by a prayer in
the
left ear.
"It was very, very important to us," she said. "According to the
religion,
if there is a woman who can do the job, that is best. This time, there
was
and that made me feel better. The privacy of a woman is a simple
thing..."
ALSO SEE:
SC: SERVING ALLAH AND AMERICA
Andrew Dys, Herald, 8/9/04
http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/3736448p-3340215c.html
YORK -- Under an American flag, after a plaintive rendition of the Star
Spangled Banner, almost 300 scouts received khaki scout hats and merit
badge armbands Sunday. The best scout camp softball team mugged for
photos.
The best camp cook took a good-natured ribbing. The York County Sheriff
and
the head of South Carolina's FBI office clapped and handed out
certificates.
Then the campers recited the Koran and pledged their lives to Allah.
Sunday's award ceremony was for the Muslim Scouts of America after a
month-long camp held at Islamville, a 40-acre tract outside York. About
a
hundred of the Group Muslims of the Americas have lived at Islamville
for
more than 20 years. Islamville was chosen for the camp because its site
features a holy shrine that is part of what residents say is God's
guidance
to teach both Islam and American patriotism.
"We are part of the basic premise of scouting, service under God," said
Ali
Rashid, one of Islamville's senior leaders.
Men between the ages of 15 and 35 came from rural compounds in almost
20
states to sleep in tents and play camp games. But mostly they learned
about
the Koran, plus the Bible and Christianity, and how to be good Muslims
in
America while the War on Terror across the globe gives all Muslims a
bad
name.
Muslims of America stresses Islam while affirming patriotic values and
commitment to America. The group renounces terrorism and rebuked the
Sept.
11, 2001, attacks as works of spite and wickedness.
"Islam is our religion, but America is our homeland," Khalifa Hussain,
one
of the camps leaders, told the campers and their families Sunday. "We
love
our country. Muslims and Christians will have to work together to
protect
America from any terrorist threat."
For years, Sheriff Bruce Bryant and the Muslims of Islamville have had
a
strong relationship. The FBI's Les Wiser, special agent in charge of
South
Carolina, told the camp graduates that America celebrates its
differences
and unity at the same time. The camp's ideals of trustworthiness,
loyalty
and service are the same values as he learned in scouts decades ago.
"My duty is to protect diversity," Wiser told the campers and their
families. "I'm here to build trust between you and me."
More than 100 Muslim Scouts volunteered at Ground Zero after the 9-11
attacks. The men who attended the past month took vacations and leave
from
jobs. Many have children of their own.
"Brotherhood," said Nasir Abduul-Wadud of Springfield, Mass. "Unity.
Leadership. We learned so much here."
---
NEW MAGAZINE: AMERICA'S MUSLIM FAMILY
http://www.americasmuslimfamily.com
America's Muslim Family Magazine is a quarterly publication designed to
reach the Muslim community and those interested in understanding Islam
and
Muslims.
Regular features include profiles of Muslims from all walks of life,
family-friendly ideas and activities, recipes, articles on historical
and
contemporary issues relating to Islam and Muslims and more.
---
HOSPITAL 'JOHNNY' RESIGNED BECAUSE OF SOMALIS' COMPLAINTS
David Sharp, Associated Press, 08/9/04
Portland, Maine - Everyone who has been hospitalized or has undergone
an
outpatient procedure knows - and probably loathes - the skimpy,
ill-fitting, one-size-fits-none hospital gown.
Maine Medical Center finally decided to do something about it upon
discovering that Muslim women accustomed to being fully covered were
skipping appointments to avoid the immodest garments.
The redesigned hospital gown made available to all Maine Medical
patients
six weeks ago leaves them fully covered.
"This is a great example of a challenge raised by a specific community
that
can ultimately benefit all patients," said Dana Farris Gaya, manager of
interpreter and cross-cultural services.
The "johnny," as it's known across New England, is the butt of jokes
because of the discomfort it causes patients. Typically, it's a short
gown
tied in the back, often leaving one's backside exposed.
Of course, the johnny was not designed with patient comfort in mind.
And
the institutional garment has endured in large part, despite patient
complaints and various efforts to improve upon the design…
---
NO NEED TO 'REBUILD' ISLAM - UNDERSTAND IT
Siraj Mufti, Arizona Daily Star, 8/8/04
http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/opinion/33237.php
A new policy document published by conservative think tank the RAND
Corp.,
"Civil Democratic Islam: Partners, Resources and Strategies," presents
yet
another attempt by the neoconservatives to impose their hegemonic
agenda in
"rebuilding" Islam by aligning Muslims against each other.
Author Cheryl Benard is otherwise unknown except that she is married to
Zalmay Khalilzad, a special assistant to President Bush and the chief
official on the national Security Council for the Persian Gulf and
Southwest Asia.
Khalilzad is a protégé of the neoconservative mastermind Paul Wolfowitz
and
received his training at RAND.
Prior to this, Benard published feminist themed novels that ridiculed
Muslim women who wear hijab as a symbol of "female subordination."
Benard's grandiose ambition is to "rebuild" Islam, despite admitting:
"It
is no easy matter to transform a major world religion. If nation
building
is a daunting work, religion building is immeasurably more daunting and
complex."
The fact that the majority of Muslims are traditionalists seems to
frustrate Benard. She is, moreover, unaware that reform movements of
awakening (ihya) and renewal (tajdid) are natural occurrences in
traditional Islam.
Thus Islamic reform comes from within this traditionalism and has taken
place several times in the Islamic history. It cannot be imposed from
outside.
In a blind zeal characteristic of neocons, she castigates leaders of
the
mainstream moderate Islamic reformist movements who are opposed to any
acts
of violence and committed to bring about the desired change only
through
democratic means.
These she categorizes as "fundamentalists" who "put forth an
aggressive,
expansionist version of Islam that does not shy away from violence"-
while
quite the opposite is the actual reality.
Consider the following quotes by Graham Fuller (Foreign Affairs,
March/April 2002), a former vice chairman of the National Intelligence
Council at the CIA.
"Islamism has become, in fact, the primary vehicle and vocabulary of
most
political discourse throughout the Muslim world. When Westerners talk
about
political ideas, they naturally hark back to the Magna Carta, the
American
Revolution and the French Revolution.
"Muslims go back to the Quran and the Hadith to derive general
principles
about good governance (including the ruler's obligation to consult the
people) and concepts of social and economic justice."
Moreover, "Non-Muslims should understand that democratic values are
latent
in Islamic thought if one wants to look for them, and it would be more
natural and organic for the Muslim world to derive contemporary liberal
practices from its own sources than to import them wholesale from
foreign
cultures..."
SEE: CIVIL DEMOCRATIC ISLAM: PARTNERS, RESOURCES, AND STRATEGIES
http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1716/
-----
4TH ANNUAL NORTHERN VA FAMILY AND CIVIC PICNIC
WHAT: 4th Annual Northern VA Family and Civic Picnic ($2 per person for
the
ticket). There will be a great halal BBQ, family fun, games,
Moon-bounce,
voter registration, plus candidates and government officials.
WHEN: Saturday, August 14, 12-5 p.m.
WHERE: Lake Fairfax Big Shelter in Reston, VA
SPONSORED BY: ADAMS, Dar Al-Hijrah, Manassas Mosque, Muslim Association
of
VA,
MAS Freedom Foundation, CAIR MD&VA, and MPAC
DIRECTIONS: Lake Fairfax Park in Reston, VA - 1400 Lake Fairfax Drive
Large Shelter and Picnic Area, near the large bathroom facility.
From Dulles toll road: Lake Fairfax Park may be reached by taking
Reston
Parkway and then taking a right on Baron Cameron Avenue. Then go past
Wiehle and take a right on Lake Fairfax Drive and then go to the
Large Shelter and Picnic Area. Please look for Family Civic Picnic
Signs
with arrows pointing to the picnic area.
-----
NY: MUSLIM GROUP WORKS TO END NEIGHBORHOOD VIOLENCE
WOKR TV, 8/8/04
http://www.wokr13.tv/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=AD7C97AE-15A4-473B-9AE
4-243BEA0BCE0F
ROCHESTER - In an effort to stop violent crime, a Muslim group from
Rochester is doing what it can to keep city streets safe.
Members of the Da' Wah patrol spent Saturday evening going door to door
in
the Central Park neighborhood. They're asking people to commit to a
more
active role in their communities to help end violence.
Yusaf Sharif of the Da' Wah patrol said, "...it effects everybody
regardless of race, religion, whatever. It effects everybody. We can
see it
from the city to the county--it doesn't matter."
Organizers say they'll canvass a different neighborhood every weekend
in
August.
-----
VANDALISM PUZZLES ARAB FAMILY
Joshua Partlow, Washington Post, 8/8/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47035-2004Aug6.html
Rabab Saab stepped backward from her front porch in Waldorf and pointed
up
at the streaks of egg yolk on the second floor windows.
She motioned to where another egg broke a shutter, where soggy toilet
paper
still draped through the shrubbery, where the dog feces had been spread
on
her daughter's car and her own front door.
Her house had been vandalized, that was obvious. But what did it mean?
If
it had happened just once, Saab said, she would have assumed it was a
case
of bored teenagers with nothing better to do. But last Sunday's episode
marked the second time in about two weeks her house was vandalized in a
similar manner.
"It's probably kids that decided they wanted to play a game, and we
were
out of town. Or they decided they didn't want Arabs around," she said.
"It's a 50-50 chance someone doesn't want us around here."
The Charles County Sheriff's Office is investigating the vandalism as a
possible hate crime, partly because of the family's Arab heritage. No
offensive words or messages were left on the property, authorities
said.
Saab, 48, is from Beirut. She immigrated to the United States more than
25
years ago and has lived in Waldorf for the past eight years. One of her
two
daughters, Ruba Nuwayhid, 18, graduated from Westlake High School this
year.
Nuwayhid said she did not experience prejudice at her school, and she
does
not believe the family is being targeted because of its heritage. "I
just
think it's kids being stupid," she said. But the severity of the
vandalism
surprised her...
ALSO SEE:
WOMAN, 19, CHARGED WITH HARASSING MUSLIMS
Buffalo News, 8/9/04
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20040809/3025092.asp
A 19-year-old Buffalo woman has been charged with harassing two Muslim
teenagers last month on the city's West Side.
Kimberly A. McDonnell of Albany Street was charged Friday with
second-degree assault, second-degree harassment and second-degree
reckless
endangerment by Central District Detective Timothy McDonald and Officer
John Williams, according to police reports.
McDonnell is accused of yelling obscenities at two Muslim sisters and
making threatening remarks about their Islamic background at Plymouth
Avenue and Vermont Street on the evening of July 24.
McDonnell also is accused of driving her car at Suna Shafie, 17, and
her
sister Muntaha, 16, of Vermont Street. The vehicle allegedly ran over
and
broke Suna's right foot, according to police reports.
-----
DETAINEE IN TERROR SCARE TALKS OF PROFILING
Beth P. Krane, Sun Sentinel, 8/7/04
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pmohammad07aug07,0,3347
238.story
An Arab-American man at the center of last week's Port of Palm Beach
terrorist scare said Friday that he thinks law enforcement officials
overreacted because of his first name.
Riviera Beach police and federal law enforcement officials detained
Mohammad Suid, 30, of the U.S. Virgin Islands, for hours and shut down
the
port and surrounding communities after stopping the businessman for
speeding and finding his name on a national watch list. Officials later
said it was a case of mistaken identity.
"I'm an ordinary, regular guy. I've never had anything like this
happen,"
said Suid, who was born and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands. "I
definitely felt like it was racial profiling. ... I understand they
were
trying to do their jobs, but I think they could have handled it a lot
better."
Suid, who runs a chain of department stores in the Virgin Islands with
his
father, said he was speeding in a U-Haul at the port when police
stopped
him. He had come from Orlando, where he purchased a cargo truck and
furniture for his stores, with his cousin and had just dropped off the
truck and other items to be shipped to the Virgin Islands. Suid said he
was
speeding because he was in a hurry to catch a flight from Miami back
home.
"An officer asked me for my license, saw my name and asked me to step
out
of the truck," he said. "Then they started searching the truck."
Officers seemed uneasy when they found a license plate Suid had used to
drive the new cargo truck from Orlando to the port, he said. They kept
Suid, his cousin and a third man, who had driven the truck from
Orlando, on
the ground near the trucks for more than two hours before Federal
Bureau of
Investigation and U.S. Border Patrol agents began swarming the area, he
said…
ALSO SEE:
TALK AT MOSQUE BBQ: POSSIBLE FBI TARGETING
Brandon Sprague, Seattle Times, 8/9/04
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002000263_mosque09m.html
For the fourth year, Northgate's Idriss Mosque opened its doors and
cooked
up a storm yesterday to thank the community for its help immediately
after
the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
As Catholic priests mingled with elder Afghan men sporting long beards
and
Somali women in headscarves, the event reflected not only Islamic
tradition
but also the religious community of Seattle.
While the mood was festive, there were worries that the FBI may be
targeting Seattle's small Muslim community.
Attorney General John Ashcroft recently said law-enforcement officials
are
stepping up efforts to contact Muslims and Arab Americans because of
information that terrorists are planning a major attack.
Melissa Schuler, a spokeswoman for the FBI office in Seattle, said
yesterday that her supervisors were not aware of any specific effort to
interview Muslims in the Seattle area. "If they were interviewed, it
was
not because they're Muslim," she said.
But reports persist that local Muslims have recently been quizzed by
federal agents. And if such contacts are taking place, the FBI should
acknowledge them, Muslim leaders said.
Idriss Mosque officials have worked cooperatively with the FBI and
other
federal agencies in the past, said mosque director Hisham Farajallah.
But
since a change in leadership at the Seattle FBI office, the mosque
hasn't
had the same relationship with the agency.
"Of course the community has concerns," Farajallah said of the reports
of
interviews. "And when they contact us, we don't have an answer for
them..."
---
US STING RAISES HUMAN RIGHTS FEARS
Guy Dinmore, Financial Times, 8/8/04
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/325c9d1a-e987-11d8-b556-00000e2511c8.html
A government anti-terrorist sting operation that entrapped two leaders
of a
small mosque in New York state has heightened concerns among human
rights
groups over how the war on terror is threatening civil liberties and
damaging relations with America's Muslim community.
The two men, Mohammed Mosharraf Hossain and Yassin Muhhiddin Aref, are
due
to appear in a federal court in Albany on Tuesday on charges of
money-laundering and concealing a plot to use a shoulder-fired weapon
to
kill a Pakistani diplomat. The weapon and conspiracy were invented by
an
undercover government agent.
Coming just days after the US raised the terror alert to "orange" for
financial institutions in New York city and the capital, senior
politicians
and law enforcement officials celebrated the arrests as a victory in
the
war on terror. They said the US had shown that it had the means to
infiltrate militant organisations and disrupt their plans, while the
ears
and eyes of the public were alert to threats around them.
George Pataki, Republican governor of the state, told a news conference
on
the arrests: "The fact is, there are terrorists among us who want to
engage
in acts to attack us again and take away our freedom."
He said the Bush administration would "continue to be aggressive and
pro-active against those who would wish to do us harm".
According to Albany court documents, conversations taped by the
informant
working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation show that Mr Hossain
and Mr
Aref were lured into receiving $5,000 (€4,060, £2,720) for helping the
informant, identified as CI-1, to launder $45,000.
As part of the sting operation, CI-1 invented the story that he had
earned
the money from smuggling an anti-aircraft weapon into the US that was
to be
used to strike the Pakistani consulate in New York or hit its
ambassador.
But the official indictment also reveals that Mr Hossain told CI-1 that
now
was not the time for "violent jihad" or struggle, and that importing
such
weapons was illegal. Both accused refused a request to help transport
the
smuggled weapon through New York.
The FBI said CI-1, a convicted felon, had agreed to conduct the sting
operation in the hope of receiving a reduced sentence he had received
in a
fraud case. Speaking "on background", law enforcement officials said
the
two accused had possible ties to Ansar al-Islam, a radical group
formerly
based in northern Iraq with possible ties to al-Qaeda. No mention was
made
of this in the court documents.
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations,
said the case had sent a chill through the Muslim community, and
enhanced
the perception of "profiling" by law enforcement authorities. He noted
that
a separate case the same day of anon-Muslim man plotting to blow up a
federal court house in Chicago with a truck bomb received less media
coverage.
"Unfortunately we are seeing growing hostility from certain segments of
society, based largely on anti-Muslim rhetoric growing in our society,
particularly on talk radio," Mr Hooper said.
---
DETAINEE SAYS HE WAS ABUSED IN AFGHANISTAN
Ian James, Associated Press, 08/08/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ats-ap_us14aug08,0,5793974.st
ory
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba - A Tunisian detainee testified
Saturday
before a U.S. military review hearing that he was abused while in
captivity
in Afghanistan before being brought to the prison camp at Guantanamo
Bay, a
military official said.
The 35-year-old Tunisian told the review panel he was held in the dark
and
without sufficient drinking water for more than two months in
Afghanistan,
said a military officer who served as the tribunal recorder and whose
identity was barred from being disclosed.
Military officials said the detainee was captured by the Northern
Alliance
before being turned over to U.S. troops. The man didn't specify which
force
was holding him at the time of the alleged mistreatment, but he told
the
panel the experience led him to falsely confess to training with
militants,
the tribunal official said.
The Tunisian told the panel he made the false confessions due to the
``mistreatment he had received in Afghanistan, or as he phrased it,
torture,'' the officer said.
As recently as March 2003, he allegedly told interrogators he had
received
paramilitary training. But on Saturday he denied having received the
training, saying ``he's been treated well'' during two and a half years
at
Guantanamo and ``felt there wasn't going to be any retribution'' if he
told
the truth, the officer said.
It wasn't possible to independently confirm the detainee's words
because a
group of journalists ended a five-day visit and left the naval base
Saturday…
-----
CONCERNS WITH PATRIOT ACT MOUNT
Timothy Egan, New York Times, 8/7/04
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/nation/9347941.htm
TUMWATER, Wash. - After saluting the flag and purring about a potluck
invitation from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the City Council of this
town
of 13,000 got down to the business of the night: a public hearing on
whether to oppose the USA Patriot Act.
Liberals quoted Newt Gingrich, the Republican former House speaker, who
says the federal law passed just after the Sept. 11 attacks needs to be
reined in to protect basic civic birthrights.
Conservatives praised the campaign against the act by the American
Civil
Liberties Union, which says the law gives government unchecked power to
rifle through an individual's financial and computer records and
bookstore
purchases.
In the end, the concerns about the Patriot Act - real or phantom - were
enough to compel the Tumwater City Council on July 20 to join more than
330
communities and four states that have condemned or expressed worry
about
the act. The resolution called on city employees in this town near
Olympia
not to follow provisions of the law that violate the Constitution -
though
leaving it vague how they would interpret this.
In the past two months, a small window has opened into just how the
government might be using the most contentious parts of the law, and it
has
revealed enough information to stoke fresh fears in civic forums, in
Congress and among librarians.
The law, passed overwhelmingly in Congress just 45 days after the
terrorist
attacks, is a grab bag of enhanced police and prosecution powers. In
the
presidential campaign, it serves as bumper-sticker fodder for opponents
and
a centerpiece of President Bush's effort to show he has responded
aggressively to domestic terror.
In fact, most of the fine points in the 342-page law have generated
minimal
debate. But at least two parts have caused a furor across party lines.
One provision empowers authorities to search people's homes without
notifying them at the time. That provision might have been used by
federal
agents to rummage through possessions of Brandon Mayfield, the lawyer
from
the Portland, Ore., area suspected and later cleared of a connection to
the
bombings in Madrid earlier this year, said his lawyer, Steven T. Wax.
Another clause, granting the government authority to go through
personal
library, business, medical and other personal records, might have been
used
in another case, though federal documents make it unclear just what the
purpose was.
Librarians are so riled about that provision of the Patriot Act -
Section
215 - that they plan a nationwide survey to see whether reading and
Internet habits have changed because of it. And in Congress, a vote to
knock out that section fell one vote short of passage July 8.
Last September, Attorney General John Ashcroft, in trying to quell what
he
called "baseless hysteria," declassified some data and said the
government
had not once used the law to go into libraries.
But librarians point to an internal FBI memorandum, dated Oct. 15,
2003,
and released in June as part of a lawsuit brought by the ACLU. It
indicates
the government might have used the power of the law that allows it to
request personal records from a third party. The memorandum was written
a
month after Ashcroft made his statement.
Justice Department officials say the memorandum revealed only intent,
not
action.
"The document showed that the FBI sought permission," said Mark
Corallo, a
Justice Department spokesman. "That's all it is. It doesn't say whether
it
was granted."
Under the anti-terrorism law, the government does not have to say
whether
it is looking into someone's records, and people who have been asked to
turn over such records are required to keep the request secret. The
government needs these powers, federal authorities say, to help fight
new
types of crimes and threats.
Another FBI memorandum seems, to critics, to expand the reach of what
the
government can obtain in secret searches. The memorandum, offering
internal
guidelines for federal agents, interprets a part of the law that allows
the
government to seize "tangible things" in an "ongoing investigation" to
include an apartment key from a landlord.
"You might be able to get the key," Corallo said. "But they could not
use
it to enter a house or apartment."
-----
9/11 REPORT DID NOT MAKE USE OF EXPERTS, ISLAMIC STUDIES SCHOLARS SAY
Bill Tammeus, Kansas City Star, 08/09/04
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/editorial/9354930.htm
"The recommendations of this commission may end up formulating a 'good
Muslim/bad Muslim' policy for the United States."- Carl Ernst,
professor of
religious studies at the University of North Carolina.
UNITED STATES: The US Government Printing Office bookstore displays the
9/11 Commission's final report after it was released 22 July, 2004, in
Washington, DC. The commission cited lack of sharing information as
well as
missed opportunities as some of the factors leading up to the September
11,
2001, attacks on the US.
The 9/11 Commission offered a simplistic view of radical Islam in its
recent report because it failed to draw on insights from academic
scholars,
some of those researchers say.
The report, released July 22, contains an analysis of the growth of the
militant brand of Islam promoted by Osama bin Laden and his network of
terrorists, who led the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The commission devoted
24
pages of its nearly 600-page report to describing what it called "the
foundation of the new terrorism."
"There are a number of factual errors that could have been avoided
easily
by having these few short pages reviewed by one of the hundreds of
qualified scholars of Islamic studies," says Brannon Wheeler, associate
professor of Islamic studies and comparative religion at the University
of
Washington.
"It is astounding to me that the commission does not seem to have
consulted
any of the scholars of contemporary Islamic studies in the U.S. or
elsewhere in the world in its attempt to explain Islam, Muslim
religious
activism or bin Laden."
The report briefly recounts the recent rise of extremist Islam,
pointing
especially to a 1998 call by bin Laden to kill Americans "in any
country in
which it is possible to do it." It also tries to outline basic Islamic
beliefs and to describe some historic sources radicals cite to justify
violence…
-----
MISREADING THE TRUTH IN SUDAN
Sam Dealey, New York Times, 8/8/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/08/opinion/08dealey.html
L FASHER - Tucked behind the featureless hills that rise abruptly from
the
Saharan sands outside El Fasher, Musa Khaber sits cross-legged beneath
a
parched tree in the early dusk. Clothed in a flowing white djellaba and
turban, Mr. Khaber, a Janjaweed militia leader, is guarded by armed
followers, their guns trained nervously on the meeting spot.
Mr. Khaber is a wanted man. It is Janjaweed bands like his that the
international community accuses of waging a proxy war for Sudan's
government against rebellious African tribes in Darfur. Seventeen
months
into this conflict, some 30,000 people have died and more than one
million
have been forced from their homes.
It is also bands like Mr. Khaber's that expose three myths of one of
the
worst humanitarian crises - that the Janjaweed are the sole source of
trouble and are acting only as proxies for Khartoum; that the conflict
pits
light-skinned Arabs against black Africans; and that the Sudanese
government can immediately end the war whenever it wishes. Until the
international community puts aside these simplifications, no
sustainable
solution can emerge.
Last month, the United States Congress denounced Khartoum for genocide
in
Darfur, and the United Nations Security Council last week adopted a
resolution giving Khartoum 30 days to disarm the militias. "Since they
turned it on, they can turn it off," Secretary of State Colin Powell
has
said, summarizing the conventional view.
It may be clear to Washington that Khartoum controls the conflict, but
in
Darfur the situation is more complex.
Mr. Khaber, for one, denies that his Janjaweed are aligned with anyone.
"We
are not with the government, we are not with the rebels," he said. "We
are
in hell. We want what is due." For 25 years, he said, he and his gang
have
waged war against a succession of regimes that failed to adequately
care
for his people...
-----
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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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/10/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: AVOID LOVE OF WEALTH
* CAIR PSA TO BE BROADCAST 8/12
* CAIR-HOUSTON OFFERS TRAINING TO FIRST RESPONDERS
- CAIR-OPED: Attitudes of Ignorance (Common Dreams)
* MUSLIMS & ARABS NOW EAGER TO VOTE (NY Daily News)
- CO: Mosque to Serve as Polling Station (AP)
- Muslims Launch Website Supporting Kerry
- Muslims for Bush
- Few Muslims to Attend GOP Convention (NY Sun)
- NY: Muslim Appointed Commissioner of Human Rights
* WA: MOSQUE WELCOMES COMMUNITY FRIENDS (Seattle Post)
- IL: Pakistan Festival Tells of Freedom (Chicago Trib)
* FL: AL-ARIAN RULING MAKES SENSE (Ledger)
- YEE: Chaplain Due Honorable Exit (Seattle Post)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: AVOID LOVE OF WEALTH
"As for man, when his Lord tries him through giving him honor and
blessings, he says: 'My Lord is bountiful to me.' But when He tries him
through restricting his subsistence, he says: 'My Lord has humiliated
me.'
Nay! But you did not show kindness to the orphan, nor did you encourage
each other in feeding the poor. Greedily you lay your hands on the
inheritance of the weak, and you love wealth with all your hearts."
The Holy Quran, 89:15-20
-----
AMERICAN MUSLIM PSA TO BE BROADCAST 8/12
PSA designed to reduce anti-Muslim stereotyping, prejudice
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/10/04) - A public service announcement (PSA),
called
"I am an American Muslim," will be broadcast by satellite to television
stations nationwide on Thursday, August 12.
The 30 and 60-second PSA, produced by the Washington-based Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), is designed to challenge anti-Muslim
bias. The PSA features American Muslims of European, African-American,
Hispanic, and Native American heritage. Each person in the PSA states
how
they and their families have served America and ends by saying, "I am
an
American Muslim."
TO VIEW THE PSA, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/default.asp?page=PSAJun2004
The PSA may be recorded from the following satellite feed:
DATE: Thursday, August 12
TIME: 2:45 pm - 3 pm (ET), 11:45 am-12 pm (PT).
SATELLITE COORDINATES: C-BAND, AMC 9 Transponder 22, D/L 4140 H
For more information, or to obtain hard copies of the PSA, contact:
Rabiah
Ahmed at 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441. E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR-HOUSTON OFFERS TRAINING TO FIRST RESPONDERS
Medical personnel learn about Islamic beliefs and practices
(HOUSTON, TX, 8/10/04) - The Houston office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston) recently provided sensitivity
and
diversity training to health care professionals and first responders at
that city's Ben Taub Hospital.
The CAIR-Houston presentation covered basic Islamic beliefs and
practices,
as well as specific information about Muslim perspectives on illness,
medical treatment, gender relations, and the sanctity of human life.
Attendees received copies of CAIR's booklet, "A Health Care
Professional's
Guide to Islamic Religious Practices." (The booklet may be requested by
e-mailing: pubs@cair-net.org)
"Today's presentation was one of the best events that we have
sponsored,"
said Chaplin Paul Stephenson, Director of Spiritual Care. "We have
already
received several requests to replicate the event and materials, and we
plan
to incorporate your presentations into our Chaplin's residency
curriculum."
"We believe that misrepresentations of Islam today are most often the
result of ignorance and reluctance on the part of Muslims to clearly
articulate their beliefs," said CAIR-Houston Executive Director Iesa
Galloway.
Galloway said CAIR-Houston training is available to clubs and other
organizations. (Speaker requests may be submitted online at:
http://www.cairhouston.org/speaker.htm )
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
CONTACT: CAIR-Houston, Iesa Galloway, 713-838-CAIR-(2247), E-Mail:
iesa.galloway@cairhouston.org
-----
ATTITUDES OF IGNORANCE - A CONSEQUENCE OF MEDIA PORTRAYAL OF ISLAM AND
MUSLIMS
Parvez Ahmed, Common Dreams, 8/10/04
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0810-02.htm
A well functioning democracy requires an effective media that in the
words
f critic Eric Alterman focuses on the 'spinach' of hard news and not
the
'candy' of sensationalism. From reluctance to critically question WMD
assertions prior to Iraq War to obsession over covering celebrity
trials,
all points to a media that has discarded its traditional role of a
watchdog
in favor of an ill defined goal of infotainment.
This apparent change in philosophy has not resulted in any major gains.
Despite growth in US population, newspaper circulation remains flat and
audiences for news dwindling. A study by Harvard University reports 58
percent of people perceive news as sensational, 84 percent as
depressing,
42 percent as misleading, and 47 percent as biased.
Perhaps the most egregious of these failures is the media's coverage of
Islam or Muslims. A search of past newspaper articles shows that
terrorism,
militancy or extremism by a Muslim is frequently linked to his faith.
The
association is 1000 to 1 times more likely for Muslims than any other
faith
group. This lopsided association is troubling given the fact that that
all
religions, not just Islam, have in the recent past fallen prey to
misinterpretation by a radical fringe. Certainly the ills of a
misguided
minority do not justify the victimization of the peaceful majority. The
consequences of such imprudent associations are often overlooked.
In 1999 Wall Street Journal ran a story on the ongoing struggle for
democratic reform in Iran. The article suggested that the struggle in
Iran
is between, 'Islamic clerics and secular reformers.' The struggle for
reform was and is still being lead by a cleric, current Iranian
President
Khatami. A reader later pointed out that a Muslim does not have to be
'secular' to believe in the universal values of social justice and
human
dignity.
The 9/11 Commission reported with alarming alacrity that 'Islamist
terrorism' is the greatest threat posed to the United States. A
University
of Washington professor of Islamic studies Brannon Wheeler now
questions
why the commission did not use any Islamic scholar to 'explain Islam,
Muslim religious activism or bin Laden.' Journalists in expected their
watchdog role should have been more diligent, asking the commission to
explain 'Islamist' instead of leaving its meaning open to the
imagination
of uninformed readers.
Parvez Ahmed, Ph.D., is a board member for the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations, (CAIR).
-----
MUSLIMS & ARABS NOW EAGER TO VOTE
Leslie Casimir, NY Daily News, 08/10/04
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/story/220451p-189513c.html
Rameen Mosref Javid did not bother voting in the 2000 elections. Back
then,
the 35-year-old Afghan was more interested in Far Eastern politics. He
didn't consider himself a minority, and he didn't feel any persecution
or fear.
Then came the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, and the American Muslim
world
changed.
"After 9/11, we became a target," said Javid, a Flushing resident, who
said
he has been "selected" for random airport checks each of the nine times
he
has flown since the attacks.
He now plans to vote for the first time - and hopes other Muslims will
do
the same.
"A lot more is at stake for this community," said Javid, who two months
ago
began registering voters in front of area mosques after Friday Jumah
services.
A flurry of voter activity drives is underway in Muslim and Arab
enclaves
throughout the city. A patchwork of organizations is hitting the
streets to
galvanize Muslims into what they say could become a potent voting
bloc...
"There are so many Muslims who are disillusioned out there and that
might
show at the polls," said Wissam Nasr, the New York director of the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations. The council has set up a voter
information
booth in front of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York - the city's
largest mosque - on E. 96th St. and Third Ave...
ALSO SEE:
ARAPAHOE COUNTY MOSQUE WILL SERVE AS POLLING STATION
Associated Press, 8/10/04
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/3637479/detail.html
DENVER - Leaders of one of Colorado's largest mosques have opened the
building up to voters for Tuesday's primary election.
Officials at the Colorado Muslim Society's Islamic Center asked
Arapahoe
County to use the building as a polling station to help them connect
with
the community. Voters from six precincts will cast their votes in the
portion of the building used for Sunday school so voters will not be
required to remove their shoes as visitors are asked to do in the
mosque
itself.
"We thought it would be a good thing to have more community
involvement,
especially with recent events of the past three years," said Rima
Barakat-Sinclair, who helped coordinate the event.
Churches, schools and fire stations are frequently used as polling
stations
but this is the first time a mosque is believed to have been used,
county
clerk Nancy Doty said.
"I think it's good for the community," Doty said. "I think it's going
to
show that these people want to be part of the community and that they
believe in the voting process and want to be a part of it."
Sheriff's deputies said they would provide security at the Islamic
Center
as people cast ballots. It has been the target of telephone threats and
graffiti since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
---
MUSLIMS LAUNCH WEBSITE SUPPORTING KERRY
A group of private citizens is officially launching a new website
encouraging Muslim Americans to vote for John Kerry in the November
presidential election. The site http://www.muslimsforkerry.com features
news, articles, testimonials, forums, voter registration links and a
blog.
Its primary goal is to educate Muslim American voters about the
Kerry-Edwards campaign and to show that this November there is a clear
choice when it comes to the issues Muslims care about most.
After the 2000 presidential elections, Muslim voters in swing states
(such
as Ohio, Michigan, Florida and Virginia) proved to be crucial voting
blocs.
Many analysts argue that the decision of leading Muslims organizations
to
endorse George W. Bush helped tip the election in his favor. Since
2000,
though, Muslim voters have formed stronger opinions and are far more
politically active, making their foreseeable impact on the 2004
presidential election even larger.
"Muslims voters in this election are a crucial demographic for the
campaigns, because of their concentration in battleground states like
Michigan and Ohio," said Shahed Amanullah, one of the founders of
MuslimsForKerry.com. "In this election Muslim voters will come out in
large
numbers and vote for the candidate that offers this country the
brightest
future. That candidate is clearly John Kerry, and we believe that as
Muslims weigh the various options in the months ahead, they will come
to
the conclusion that Kerry is the right man for the presidency of the
United
States of America."
Muslims have become increasingly outspoken in their opposition to
specific
policies of the Bush Administration - from the deterioration of civil
rights and unqualified use of military force, to the struggling economy
and
the sickly state of health care. Recognizing this heightened awareness,
Muslim organizations are launching educational initiatives and
registering
unprecedented numbers of voters, many of whom are becoming involved for
the
first time.
SEE: http://www.muslimsforkerry.com
CONTACT: Nabeel Yousef, 614-578-8186, press@muslimsforkerry.com;
Shahed Amanullah, 650-248-6135, webmaster@muslimsforkerry.com;
---
MUSLIMS FOR BUSH
http://www.muslimsforbush.com/
-----
MUSLIMS DISCLOSE SENSE OF APATHY TOWARD CONFAB
Steven Weiss, New York Sun, 8/10/04
www.nysun.com
Local Muslims have few plans to participate in protests against the
Republican National Committee Convention in New York City this month,
according to a sampling of area mosques.
Imams and administrators at Islamic institutions across New York City
said
their communities are generally apathetic toward the convention.
"The people from our mosque are generally not the ones who will be
demonstrating," said Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf, a leading spokesman for
the
Muslim community and a spiritual leader of Masjid al Farah mosque on
the
Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Imam Abdul Rauf said Muslims have traditionally found themselves more
in
alignment with the Republican Party because of "its personal values and
its
family values."
He said many Muslims find themselves caught between a loyalty to those
values and a disagreement with Bush administration policies "since
9/11,"
such that "the winds have been more toward the Democratic side."
His sentiment is consistent with the perspective of Mubashir Ahmed, one
of
two Muslims working closely with United for Peace and Justice to
develop a
massive protest in New York City prior to the convention. The group was
a
primary organizer of the anti-Iraq-war protest in the city last year
that
drew an estimated 500,000 attendees…
---
NY: MUSLIM APPOINTED AS COMMISSIONER OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Human Rights Commissioner Nassau County NY Zahid-Ali Syed Zahid-Ali
Syed a
Labor and Community activist appointed by Nassau County to serve as a
Human
Rights Commissioner in Nassau County, Long Island New York, Mr.
Zahid-Ali
have long time community service record and he is active community
member
who have been active in Labor, Politics and Immigration matters and
fought
for it.
Zahid-Ali have been elected twice for Working Families Party Queens
Co-Chair (WFP is the third Largest Political Party in NY), and he have
been
elected three time as different positions as a Labor Leader, right now
he
serve Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW/AFL-CIO which is the largest Labor Union in
the
United States. Mr. Zahid-Ali also serves as committee member in
Democrat
Party Nassau County.
Nassau County is the Nation's largest suburb, and Nassau County Family
income is in the top ten percent of the nation, The county's
educational
system is the best in the nation, South Asian and Muslim community is
the
fastest growing community in the Nassau County.
-----
MOSQUE WELCOMES COMMUNITY FRIENDS WITH OPEN DOORS, OPEN ARMS
Paul Shukovsky, Seattle Post, 8/10/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/185426_community09.html
Some came out of curiosity, some simply to enjoy a good barbecued
burger.
But most of the hundreds of people at yesterday's third annual Idriss
Mosque community appreciation day came to celebrate their common
humanity
with a community sometimes caught in the middle by the war on
terrorism.
Two days after the 9/11 attacks, two members of the mosque near
Northgate
saw a man pouring gasoline on a car parked outside the mosque. When
they
followed him, he fired at them with a handgun, jumped in a car and
fled.
No one was hit by the gunfire, but the man crashed into a telephone
pole
and was arrested on federal charges.
That hate crime caused the community to coalesce around the mosque,
said
Aziz Junejo, a Muslim community spokesman.
"For three months after 9/11, (members of) the church council stayed
here
day and night, 24 hours a day, to protect the mosque," Junejo said.
"And
the mosque was bombarded with people coming to bring flowers."
Yesterday, the mosque was bombarded by friendship in an event meant to
promote just that.
One man walked up to mosque director Hisham Farajallah, stuck out his
hand
and said with a smile: "Hi. I'm Bill, just a neighbor. Any chance we
could
look inside?"
And there were others such as Mary Margaret Pruitt, who, when offered a
hamburger, declined, saying, "I came for fellowship…"
SEE ALSO:
FESTIVAL TELLS A STORY OF FREEDOM
Jon Anderson, Chicago Tribune, 8/10/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0408100141aug10,1,5478493.story
First came the big horn-honking parade, with many floats, along Devon
Avenue.
On Sunday afternoon, the street was aflutter with the national flag of
Pakistan, dark green with a white bar, representing the country's
Muslim
majority, as well as its respect for minorities. A crescent indicates
progress. A five-pointed star represents light and knowledge.
Then came the Mela, a gala festival for more than 10,000 people in
nearby
Warren Park.
Some 40 vendors were selling everything from South Asian clothing to
food,
notably trays of grilled chicken; biryani, a meat-and-rice dish; and
chappal kebabs, described as minced meat with chili and an egg, all
deep-fried. There was also homemade ice cream.
"It's like the 4th of July," said Azam Mirza, the chairman of the
committee
that put together the hefty 88-page program for this year's 16th
Pakistan
Independence Day Parade, an annual and growing event in the local
Pakistani
community.
"The story of why Pakistan came into existence--that's what we want to
tell
the American people. It is especially important now that Pakistan is on
the
front lines, helping to deal with terrorism," Mirza said, noting that
the
day had a more serious side.
What most Americans know about Pakistan, suggested Mirza, is "not
misinformation. It's no information."
For many, Sunday's events offered a quick course in the history of a
homeland created for 80 million people of the Muslim faith after the
separation of the Indian subcontinent from British colonial rule on
August
14, 1947.
"Today is a day to pay tribute to the heroes of our independence
struggle,
to remember those who laid down their lives and suffered for the cause
of
freedom," said Hammeedullah Khan, parade chairman. "Let us join hands
to
build a great community. Let us unite to solve our many problems. Let
us
pledge that we will uphold the value of religious tolerance--and not
succumb to any prejudice, whether sectarian, regional or ethnic."
These are not easy times, others noted.
-----
AL-ARIAN RULING MAKES SENSE
The Ledger, 8/10/04
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040809/NEWS/408090321/1036
A federal judge's ruling raising the standard of proof required to
prosecute former University of South Florida Professor Sami AlArian is
a
simple affirmation that a person must have criminal intent to be
convicted
of a serious crime.
U.S. District Judge James S. Moody Jr. ruled in Tampa last week that
the
government cannot get a racketeering conviction against Al-Arian unless
it
proves that his financial support for "charitable" organizations
actually
was used for terrorist attacks by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Government
prosecutors had argued that it was sufficient to prove AlArian's
involvement with the organizations that sent money to Islamic Jihad.
The
government hasn't alleged that Al-Arian was directly involved in
Islamic
Jihad activities.
But the judge agreed with defense attorney's arguments that the lower
standard of proof sought by the prosecution amounted to guilt by
association, which is unconstitutional. Moody said he had "grave
concerns
about the constitutionality" of the law under which Al-Arian is being
prosecuted. Without proof of direct conduct with terrorist activities,
Moody said he was "concerned that ordinary people could not understand
that
innocuous conduct . . . would be prohibited by the statute…"
SEE ALSO:
CHAPLAIN DUE HONORABLE EXIT
Seattle Post, 8/10/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/185241_yeed.html
The Army has no hope of salvaging the once-promising career of Capt.
James
Yee. His request to resign in January ought to be honored.
Though a talented officer's skills may be lost, there's little else to
do
in light of how the Army has treated him.
The Muslim chaplain was held in solitary confinement, denied treatment
normally accorded officers in detention and subjected to leaks of wild
charges about possible espionage. Ultimately, all actions against Yee,
who
had served at the Guantanamo Bay enemy combatants prison, were dropped.
A
commander even removed a reprimand issued for non-criminal matters.
After all that, Yee returned to work as a chaplain assigned to Fort
Lewis.
At least judging from statements by his family and attorney, it appears
that the Army might still have retained the West Point grad's interest
in a
long career. But having had to back down on every accusation, the Army
has
never apologized. In his resignation letter, Yee cited the lack of
apology
as one reason for deciding to leave.
Perhaps there are reasonable explanations for the Army's conduct. But
it's
appropriate that the Pentagon's inspector general launch an
investigation
into his treatment, as several members of Congress have asked…
-----
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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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. MUSLIMS URGE END TO FIGHTING NEAR IRAQI SHRINE
CAIR says attack would harm America's image in Islamic world
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/11/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today said a U.S. attack on the Imam Ali Shrine in the
Iraqi
city of Najaf would harm America's image in the Muslim world and called
for
negotiations to end the fighting.
Marine commanders say they are preparing a final assault on an Iraqi
militia group holding out in Najaf, where the Imam Ali Shrine, its
associated educational institutions and an ancient cemetery are
located.
Any American assault would likely involve attacks on and possible
damage to
the shrine, a site revered by millions of Shia Muslims in Iraq and
around
the world.
SEE: "U.S. Forces, Close to Attack in Najaf, Suddenly Pull Back"
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/11/international/middleeast/11CND-IRAQ.html
In its statement, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR) said:
"An attack by U.S. forces on the Imam Ali shrine, and the inevitable
damage
and civilian casualties resulting from such an attack, would only serve
to
further harm America's image in Iraq and throughout the Muslim world.
We
call on all parties to the ongoing conflict in Najaf and elsewhere in
Iraq
to respect religious sensitivities, remove weapons from religious
institutions, avoid any actions that might threaten damage to holy
places,
and seek negotiated settlements to outstanding political disputes."
The statement noted that Iraq's Deputy President Ibrahim Jaafari is
urging
U.S. troops to leave Najaf. "I call for multinational forces to leave
Najaf
and for only Iraqi forces to remain there," said Jaafari.
An article in today's Washington Post indicated that the fighting in
Najaf
has already resulted in widespread damage to that city's cemetery.
SEE: "Cemetery Fight Haunts Some U.S. Troops"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53557-2004Aug10.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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/11/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THIS LIFE AND THE NEXT
* CAIR-FL AIMS TO REDUCE ANTI-MUSLIM HATE CRIMES
- CAIR-GA Joins Rally Against Profiling in Atlanta
* CAIR-CAN SEEKS PROBE OF ANTI-MUSLIM POSTERS
- Univ Head Decries Anti-Muslim Posters (Toronto Star)
- CAIR-CAN Meets with Gov on Islamic Arbitration
* AZ MUSLIMS MEET WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS
- AZ Muslims Think Profiling Still Used (AZ Repub)
* CAIR-SV: FBI BREAKS ICE WITH MUSLIMS (Pakistan Link)
- MN: FBI Visits Disturb Somalis (Pioneer Press)
- NY: Appeals Court Asked to Set Bail for Doctor (AP)
* ANTI-KERRY AUTHOR SORRY FOR ISLAMOPHOBIC SLURS (AP)
* BORDER PATROL GAINS POWER TO DEPORT ALIENS (NYT)
- U.S. Linking Immigrant Status to Hospital Aid (NYT)
* NC: TEEN FOUND WITH PIPE BOMB CACHE (AP)
* IL: OPPOSITION TO MOSQUE FIZZLES OUT (Daily South Town)
- OH: New Dome on the Way for Mosque (Toledo Blade)
* CONTROVERSY OVER 'ISRAELIS ONLY' ROADS (UPI)
- Kerry Mideast Adviser Lauded (JTA)
- 'Speak Hebrew or Shut Up' (Guardian)
- Israel Discriminates Against Arabs (Maariv)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THIS LIFE AND THE NEXT
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Among those who will be
in
the worst position...on the Day of Resurrection, will be a man who has
squandered his future life at the expense of someone else's worldly
interests."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1327
-----
CAIR-FL: THE CONFERENCE WAS HELD IN ST. PETERSBURG
Chris Hawes, BAYNEWS9, 8/11/04
http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2004/8/10/51793.html
Several hundred anti-Muslim hate crimes have been reported in the U.S.
since 9/11, and there have been more than 50 in the Bay area so far
this year.
Therefore, on Tuesday, the Council on American Islamic Relations met
with
FBI agents and a dozen local church leaders in St. Petersburg. The
National
Conference for Community and Justice hosted the meeting.
Tampa FBI Special Agent in Charge Carl Whitehead showcased an
educational
video produced with the FBI's help. It included a dramatization of a
hate
crime and how they can be stopped.
"They're being distributed to schools all around Florida," said
Whitehead.
There have been dozens of instances of anti-Muslim hate crimes locally.
Investigators said they need all Floridians to be more than just aware
of
the issue; they need members of the community to step forward with tips
to
solve them…
ALSO SEE:
CAIR-GA JOINS RALLY AGAINST PROFILING IN ATLANTA
On August 14, 2004, the local affiliates of four national civil rights
organizations will join together to speak out against racial and
religious
Profiling.
The CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) North Georgia, is
being
joined by NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People) DeKalb Co. Chapter, ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America) SE
Region, and ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) Atlanta, will rally
to
stop the alarming increase in racial & religious profiling.
WHEN: SATURDAY, AUGUST 14 2004, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: City of Decatur - Town Square, next to the Courthouse. Catch
MART to
the Decatur Station, Town Square is to your right as you exit the
station.
CONTACT: Call Jabril Alexander, 678.937.1495, or Yusof Burke,
770.312.0426
or CAIR-GA, 770.220.0082
-----
CAIR-CAN SEEKS PROBE OF ANTI-MUSLIM POSTERS AT UNIVERSITY
Group called "Full Blooded Israeli Brigades" claims responsibility for
earlier incident
(OTTAWA, CANADA - 11/08/2004) - The Canadian Council on
American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-CAN) today called on the administration of Ryerson
University and Toronto police to investigate a second hate incident
this
summer targeting Muslims at the university.
Reports indicate that flyers were found on bulletin boards at four
locations last week. One of the flyers reportedly said: "The Islamic
infidels have no belonging in Toronto and in the world at all . . . we
ask
that whenever you spot a Muslim . . . that you beat them and cause harm
to
them. Kill these Islamic infidels."
Earlier this summer, the multi-faith room at Ryerson University was
sprayed
with the words "Die Muslim Die" and Stars of David. A notice found last
week and signed by a group called "Full Blooded Israeli Brigades"
claimed
responsibility. The group stated, "...While this may be considered a
hate
crime or a despicable act, it is not. We are just getting back at the
Muslim faggot that vandalized Jewish property and wrote anti-Semitic
graffiti. We assure the Muslim students at Ryerson University that we
will
continue to send messages and that this incident is only the first of
many.
We want to let them know that no Muslim student will be safe and that
security isn't going to stop us."
In a statement issued today, CAIR-CAN wrote:
"The latest hate incident at Ryerson University, the second this
summer, is
chilling and a cause for great concern to all people of conscience. We
are
calling on the Toronto police to treat this crime with the utmost
seriousness and work with all diligence to bring the hate-mongers who
perpetrated it to justice.
"We are also calling on Ryerson University to explain what measures, if
any, have been taken to address this very serious pattern of hate
incidents. Not only do we expect to see a clear, unequivocal message
that
such hate crimes will not be tolerated, we need to see concrete action.
The
safety of all students should be the university's highest priority."
Since September 2001, CAIR-CAN has documented hate-activity against 17
Islamic institutions and mosques, including attempted arson,
destruction
and defacement of mosque property, and graffiti threats.
CONTACT: Riad Saloojee at 613-254-9704 or 613-795-2012
SEE ALSO:
RYERSON HEAD DECRIES ANTI-MUSLIM POSTERS
Toronto Star, 8/11/04
www.torontostar.com
Posters saying all Muslims should be killed have appeared at Ryerson
University, the Canadian Arab Federation said.
Arab and Jewish groups met with Ryerson's administration yesterday to
discuss the typed posters, found in four prominent campus locations
last
Tuesday and Wednesday.
Arab federation president Omar Alghabra said he was shocked while
Ryerson
president Claude Lajeunesse denounced the messages. Anti-Muslim
graffiti
were also found on campus in June.
The police hate crimes unit is investigating both cases.
---
CAIR-CAN MEETS WITH ONTARIO GOVERNMENT REGARDING ISLAMIC ARBITRATION
OTTAWA, CANADA In a meeting this week with Marion Boyd, former
Attorney
General of Ontario, the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR-CAN) presented a written submission on the recent proposal to
create
an Islamic arbitration process in Ontario.
The Attorney General of Ontario and the Minister for Women's Issues
appointed Ms. Boyd earlier this year to review the province's
arbitration
process and any current problems with the Arbitration Act, with
specific
reference to faith-based arbitration.
In its submission, CAIR-CAN supported the principle behind the proposal
that the Muslim community in Canada is entitled to use the alternative
resolution tools provided under Ontario's Arbitration Act in order to
resolve civil disputes according to Islamic Personal/Family Law.
However, CAIR-CAN recognized the challenges posed by the current
scheme.
Accordingly, CAIR-CAN made the following recommendations in its
submission
to Ms. Boyd:
* The term "shariah" should not to be used to describe the arbitration
tribunal. The tribunal should be a form of Muslim dispute resolution
equipped to settle specific and limited set of civil disputes.
Judgments
made by the tribunal should be consistent with Canadian law and the
Charter
of Rights and Freedoms.
* To ensure voluntary participation by the parties, they must be given
independent legal advice and educated about the Arbitration Act and
Canadian law.
* The Ministry must ensure that the arbitrators are properly qualified
and
meet minimum standards of training in mediation and arbitration.
* A Registry should be created that will allow participants to gain
access
to past decisions so that they make informed decision about particular
arbitrators and arbitration centers.
CONTACT: Mihad Fahmy, CAIR-CAN Legal Department at 613-254-9704
-----
ARIZONA MUSLIMS MEET WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS
PHOENIX, AZ - The Arizona office of the Washington-based Council on
American Islamic Relations (CAIR-AZ), the ASU Muslim Student
Association,
and leaders from seven valley Musjids met Tuesday with the FBI's
Phoenix
Division to discuss ways to promote better relations between law
enforcement and the state's Muslim and Arab-American Communities.
Officials from the Phoenix Police Department, Tempe Police Department,
Mesa
Police Department, Chandler Police Department, Tucson Police
Department,
University of Arizona and Arizona State University Police, U.S.
Attorney's
Office, Arizona Attorney General's Office, and Maricopa County
Prosecutor's
Office also took part in the meeting.
Special Agent in Charge Charlene Thornton informed CAIR-AZ that her
office
will not tolerate any hate crimes against the Muslim community and
stressed
that Americans of all faiths have the right to enjoy freedom and must
work
together to protect America.
Participants agreed in principal to attend town hall events with the
Muslim
community and law enforcement agencies throughout Arizona. CAIR-AZ and
other Islamic organizations represented at Tuesday's meeting pledged to
do
their utmost in helping to make Arizona and America more secure…
CONTACT: Deedra Abboud, 602-262-2247 OR director@cairaz.org
SEE ALSO:
SOME MUSLIMS THINK ETHNIC, RELIGIOUS PROFILING STILL BEING USED
Dennis Wagner, Arizona Republic, 8/11/04
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0810muslims10-ON.html
Valley Muslim leaders met Tuesday with FBI officials for a
bridge-building
meeting, but members of the Middle Eastern community remain frustrated
over
what they perceive as ethnic and religious profiling by
counter-intelligence agents.
"There's a lack of trust," said Omar Shahin, imam at the Islamic
Community
Center of the East Valley. "We have to start building the trust -
building
the bridges.
"We would like to know what the FBI wants, and we will give it to them
. .
. We live in this country, and we are concerned about the security of
this
country."
Shahin and other Muslims who attended the closed-door meeting at
Arizona
State University's downtown Phoenix campus said they were encouraged by
FBI
overtures, but not entirely satisfied. Since the Sept. 11, 2001
attacks,
they said, they have been upset about interrogation methods employed by
some federal agents, and about suspicious delays with immigration
paperwork
for Muslims.
"We came to this country like others, to enjoy freedom," said Shahin.
"We
are not feeling secure anymore. So we shared our concerns with the
FBI."
The meeting was convened just weeks after FBI headquarters in
Washington,
D.C., confirmed the launch of a new round of intelligence-gathering
interviews - primarily directed at Middle Easterners.
Charlene Thornton, special agent in charge for the FBI in Arizona, said
the
meeting Tuesday was one in a series of get-togethers designed to build
"a
good working relationship" between law enforcement and Arizona Muslims.
She said the FBI does not single out subjects for questioning based on
their religion or ethnic background, but because agents believe they
can
fill specific intelligence gaps. "People may not even realize that they
have information that might be useful to us," she added…
Islamic leaders said they remain convinced that the government's
counter-terrorism program relies on ethnic and religious profiling.
Shahin,
for example, told of being singled out from a group of 43 travelers
returning from Mexico recently. He said he was interrogated,
fingerprinted
and delayed for no apparent reason.
"I'm not happy," he said. "Why do they pick me out of 43 people."
Deedra Abboud, executive director at the Arizona chapter of Council on
American-Islamic Relations, said she is optimistic that Muslims and
investigators can reconcile, and noted that Middle Eastern Americans
are
trying to help prevent attacks.
But terrorists operate in the underground, she noted, and don't
advertise
their plans to fellow Muslims or Arabs. "We keep our eyes open," Abboud
said. "We are willing to turn in anybody who breaks the law, or intends
to
break the law…"
-----
FBI TRIES TO BREAK THE ICE WITH U.S. MUSLIMS
Ras H. Siddiqui, Pakistan Link, 8/11/04
http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=e293832216a41fc7fa2e81d94f10d86f
SACRAMENTO - Against the backdrop of announcements this year of an
elevated
terrorist threat to the United States, an outreach effort is underway
across this country as U.S. Muslim leaders and officials of the Federal
Bureau of Investigations (FBI) have been getting together to address
both
sides' concerns and expectations.
And it was in this vein that a meeting arranged by CAIR, or the Council
on
American-Islamic Relations, was held in Sacramento on July 15 during
which
around 30 leaders from the local Islamic community gathered together to
hear from the FBI and to interact with it in an informal setting.
Special Agent Keith Slotter and two associates represented the FBI.
To start things off on a lighter note here, a participant made a
comment as
to why it was suddenly so quiet in the room. Another replied, "Because
the
FBI is here!"
And as the proceedings started this reporter felt that with a Special
Agent
named "Slaughter" addressing us, this was indeed going to be a one
sided
event, but that was an error because Special Agent "Slotter" turned out
to
be a pretty reasonable guy.
The meeting started off with a recitation from the Koran by Imam Adil
from
Lodi and an English translation by Imam Luqman of Sacramento.
CAIR-Sacramento Valley Executive Director Basim El Karra conducted the
proceedings. Introductions were made of each individual present
followed by
a background how this meeting came about, presented by local CAIR
President, Rashid Ahmad.
"It is our hope that we will develop a better understanding," said
Rashid,
who added that the community need not forget that we also happen to be
protected by law enforcement.
Special Agent Keith Slotter spoke next. He thanked everyone for
arranging
this meeting and thought that it would be most beneficial for all
present
if there was a discussion held instead of a presentation. He added that
one
of the things that he hoped to accomplish this evening was to give us a
better understanding of his agency (the FBI). He spoke of the battle
against terrorism prior to Sept. 11 and after. He said that before
Sept. 11
counter-terrorism was a priority but today it was "a number 1
priority..."
ALSO SEE:
FBI VISITS DISTURB SOMALIS
Todd Nelson, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 8/11/04
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/9368038.htm
Somalis and other Muslims in the Twin Cities reportedly are receiving
more
contacts from federal agents, prompting community groups to issue
reminders
about their rights during such encounters.
On Tuesday, the Somali Justice Advocacy Center of St. Paul began
distributing "know your rights" fliers in the Cedar-Riverside
neighborhood
of Minneapolis and other Twin Cities areas where Somalis live. Omar
Jamal,
the center's executive director, said he hoped to make the fliers, in
Somali and English, available in Rochester and Mankato and at mosques
throughout the state on Friday.
"My serious concern in all of this is that when an interview happens,
out
of fear and a lack of understanding of the system, they might
incriminate
themselves when they haven't done anything wrong," Jamal said. "It's a
very
tense, very fearful, very confused situation as it stands right now."
The number of visits by agents to Somali residences appears to have
increased in the last two or three weeks, based on calls and questions
from
community members, Jamal said. The fliers ask anyone contacted by law
enforcement agents or immigration officers to call the center at
651-917-0383. The fliers recommend having a lawyer present when talking
to
authorities.
Special Agent Paul McCabe, spokesman for the FBI office in Minneapolis,
said members of the agency's local Joint Terrorism Task Force had been
conducting more interviews with community members in recent months. All
are
a result of intelligence information and none are done at random.
McCabe described the interviews as low-key and said no one had been
detained while they took place. FBI agents and task force members go
through cultural diversity training to prepare them to conduct the
interviews. Agents also explain civil rights to interview subjects, and
the
FBI office has received no complaints about the interviews.
"We have reached out since 9/11 … to alleviate fears about these kinds
of
interviews," McCabe said. "Really, all we're asking for is their
cooperation in the war on terrorism, and for the most part they have
been
very cooperative and very helpful to law enforcement..."
---
ATTORNEY ASKS APPEALS COURT TO SET BAIL FOR MUSLIM DOCTOR
William Kates, Associated Press, 8/11/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--charityarrests0811aug11,0,292311.story
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - A Muslim doctor held in jail without bail for 18
months on
charges he illegally sent money to Iraq on Wednesday asked the
2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to set terms for his release.
Federal judges have denied bail to Dr. Rafil Dhafir four times
previously,
ruling he is a flight risk if freed.
The appeals court reserved a decision after hearing each side argue its
case for about 20 minutes, said defense attorney Deveraux Cannick.
"They asked about the trial date. We are hoping they will make a
decision
before that," Cannick said.
Dhafir goes on trial Sept. 27 in U.S. District Court.
The 56-year-old Fayetteville oncologist was charged in February 2003
with
conspiring to violate a U.S. embargo against Iraq through a
Syracuse-based
charity he started called Help The Needy. Dhafir has steadfastly
maintained
the money was used to help Iraq's poor. Prosecutors said Help The Needy
raised nearly $5 million from 1994 until February 2003, and at least
$160,000 wound up in Iraq.
Dhafir has not been charged with any terrorism crimes, but prosecutors
say
Help The Needy sent checks totaling nearly $42,000 to a pair of
now-outlawed charities, Global Relief Foundation and the Benevolence
International Foundation.
Five people, including Dhafir's wife, Priscilla, have pleaded guilty in
the
case.
The original 14 charges against Dhafir were money laundering counts.
Since
Dhafir's arrest, prosecutors have added charges that he defrauded
Medicare
out of $274,000 through his former Rome oncology practice, and that he
evaded $400,000 in federal income tax payments by writing off the
illegal
charity donations.
Cannick contends the charges are nothing more than white-collar crimes
and
that a reasonable bail should be set for Dhafir.
A U.S. citizen born in Iraq, Dhafir has said the government is
selectively
prosecuting him because he is Muslim and Iraqi. Prosecutors have denied
any
racial or ethnic motivations.
In legal papers filed last week asking the lower court to dismiss the
charges, Cannick has said other individuals and corporations that sent
money to Iraq have faced only civil penalties, not criminal charges.
-----
ANTI-KERRY BOOK AUTHOR SORRY FOR SLURS
Jennifer C. Kerr, Associated Press, 8/11/04
http://www.salon.com/books/wire/2004/08/11/slurs/
WASHINGTON - One of the authors of a new anti-John Kerry book
frequently
posted comments on a conservative Web site describing Muslims and
Catholics
as pedophiles and Pope John Paul II as senile.
But as he prepared to launch the book, ``Unfit for Command,'' Jerry
Corsi
apologized for the remarks in an interview with The Associated Press
Tuesday, saying they were meant as a joke and he never intended to
offend
anyone.
In chat room entry last year on freerepublic.com, Corsi writes: ``Islam
is
a peaceful religion - just as long as the women are beaten, the boys
buggered and the infidels are killed.''
In another entry, he says: ``So this is what the last days of the
Catholic
Church are going to look like. Buggering boys undermines the moral base
and
the lawyers rip the gold off the Vatican altars. We may get one more
Pope,
when this senile one dies, but that's probably about it.''
Corsi, who described himself as a ``devout Catholic,'' said the
comments
are being taken out of context. ``I considered them a joke,'' said
Corsi,
who owns a financial services company and has written extensively on
the
anti-war movement.
SEE ALSO:
WHO IS JEROME CORSI, CO-AUTHOR OF SWIFT BOAT VETS ATTACK BOOK?
http://mediamatters.org/items/200408060010
-----
U.S. TO GIVE BORDER PATROL NEW POWERS TO DEPORT ILLEGAL ALIENS
Rachel L. Swarns, New York Times, 8/11/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/10/politics/10CND-IMMIG.html
Washington - Citing concerns about terrorists crossing the nation's
land
borders, the Department of Homeland Security announced today that it
planned to give border patrol agents sweeping new powers to deport
illegal
aliens from the frontiers abutting Mexico and Canada without providing
the
aliens the opportunity to make their case before an immigration judge.
The move, which will take effect this month, represents a broad
expansion
of the authority of the thousands of law enforcement agents who
currently
patrol the nation's borders. Until now, border patrol agents typically
delivered undocumented immigrants to the custody of the immigration
courts,
where judges determined whether they should be deported or remain in
the
United States.
Homeland Security officials described the immigration courts - which
hear
pleas for asylum and other appeals to remain in the country - as
sluggish
and cumbersome, saying illegal immigrants often wait more than a year
before being deported, straining the capacity of detention centers and
draining critical resources. Under the new system, immigrants will
typically be deported within eight days of their apprehension,
officials said.
Immigration legislation passed in 1996 allows the immigration service
to
deport certain groups of illegal aliens without judicial oversight, but
until now the agency only permitted officials at the nation's airports
and
seaports to do so. The new rule will apply to illegal aliens caught
within
100 miles of the Mexican and Canadian borders who have spent 14 days or
less within the United States. The border agents will focus on
deporting
third-country nationals, rather than Mexicans or Canadians, and they
are
expected to begin exercising their new powers on Aug. 24 in Tucson and
Laredo, Tex...
ALSO SEE:
U.S. IS LINKING IMMIGRANT PATIENTS' STATUS TO HOSPITAL AID
Robert Pear, New York Times, 8/11/04
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040810/ZNYT02/408100718
Washington - The federal government is offering $1 billion to hospitals
that provide emergency care to undocumented immigrants. But to get the
money, hospitals would have to ask patients about their immigration
status,
a prospect that alarms hospitals and advocates for immigrants.
When Congress decided to provide the money last year, state officials
and
hospital executives saw it as a breakthrough. For years, they had
argued
that the federal government was responsible for immigration policy and
should cover the costs of medical care for illegal immigrants because
it
had created the problem. These costs weigh heavily on border states
like
Texas, Arizona and California and on states like New York and Illinois,
with large numbers of such immigrants.
The largest allocations are going to California, $72 million a year;
Texas,
$48 million; Arizona, $42 million; New York, $12 million; Illinois, $10
million; and Florida, $9 million.
But federal health officials, under guidelines developed in the last
couple
of weeks, said hospitals had to ask questions about immigration status
to
make sure the money would be used as Congress intended, for "emergency
health services furnished to undocumented aliens."
Hospital executives and immigrant rights groups said the questioning
would
deter undocumented immigrants from seeking hospital care when they need
it,
and some hospitals said compliance might cost them more than they would
receive in federal aid.
Marcela G. Urrutia, an analyst at the National Council of La Raza, a
Hispanic civil rights group, said: "We are extremely concerned about
this
requirement. It will deter Latino communities from seeking emergency
care.
That could lead to serious public health problems, including the spread
of
communicable diseases…''
-----
NC: TEEN FOUND WITH PIPE BOMB CACHE
Associated Press, 8/11/04
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/South/08/10/pipe.bombs.ap/
FUQUAY-VARINA - A 17-year-old high school senior was arrested when six
pipe
bombs were discovered in the car he was driving and more than a dozen
bombs
and explosive-making chemicals were found in his home, police said.
The discovery of the alleged caches prompted the evacuation of a day
care
and dentist's office, and later several houses around suspect Jarrett
William Brown's home. Brown was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
Police said they discovered the explosives while investigating a
hit-and-run accident Monday afternoon in front of a shopping center. No
one
was hurt and a witness described the suspect vehicle.
A police officer recognized a vehicle matching a description less than
10
minutes later and pulled it over in the dentist's parking lot. The
officer
said he noticed the devices in the back seat, each less than 6 inches
long.
The pipe bombs allegedly found in Brown's convertible prompted the
evacuation of the day care and dentist's office for about three hours.
A
library across the street was locked down, with no one allowed to enter
or
exit.
Brown allegedly later led investigators to the additional bombs and
chemicals in his home. Residents in nine homes left their houses and
were
able to return shortly after midnight.
Brown was charged with 24 counts of possession of weapons of mass
destruction, according to Cary police Sgt. R.C. Barker. Brown also was
charged with hit and run, Barker said…
-----
OPPOSITION TO MOSQUE FIZZLES OUT
Dan Lavoie, Daily South Town, 08/10/04
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsnews/081nd3.htm
Six weeks after Orland Park trustees voted to approve the village's
first
mosque over rancorous protests, the project is quietly moving forward.
Mosque backers have already hit up local donors, including some
non-Muslims
sympathetic to their cause, for a "significant chunk" of the $3.5
million
it will take to build the house of worship, backers said.
Meanwhile, promised political retribution has fizzled out.
After Orland Park trustees unanimously approved plans for the mosque
June
21, hundreds of protesters threatened to turn to the ballot box to
evict
Mayor Daniel McLaughlin and the three trustees facing re-election in
April.
Leaders of the planned Orland Park Prayer Center and village officials
say
they've heard little from opponents since.
"I've heard nothing, not a single word (about ongoing protests)," said
Malik Ali, one of the leaders of the mosque project. "Nothing. It's
uncanny. It's like the controversy never happened, which is a good
thing."
A promised petition drive to get a non-binding mosque referendum on the
November ballot has gone nowhere.
Less than two weeks before the August 18 deadline, the village clerk's
office has not received any of the 1,750 signatures needed to get the
referendum on the ballot.
But some who objected to the mosque promise anger over the idea is
still
resonating and may yet find an outlet in the April election...
SEE ALSO:
NEW DOME ON THE WAY FOR MOSQUE
DAVID YONKE, Toledo Blade, 8/11/04
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040811/NEWS18/408110333/-1/NEWS
One of the most eye-catching structures in northwest Ohio will be
getting a
new shiny look when the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo is crowned
with a
$300,000 geodesic-type - and possibly golden - dome.
The change is being made because the existing dome atop the Middle
Eastern-style mosque, near Perrysburg at the busy confluence of I-75
and
I-475, is covered with an epoxy that requires frequent recoating,
Hussien
Shousher said yesterday.
The new dome will be 30 feet high and weigh 18,000 pounds. It is being
manufactured by a California firm that has built 6,000 aluminum domes
for
structures ranging from religious buildings to solid-waste facilities.
The
company, Temcor, has built domes for two other mosques, both in Saudi
Arabia, a company spokesman said yesterday.
Toledo's SSOE Inc. will oversee the structural and architectural
aspects of
the dome. It will be assembled at the Perrysburg Township site and put
in
place atop the existing dome by the Toledo construction firm
Rudolph-Libbe Inc.
The aluminum dome most likely will be painted gold, although the board
will
make a final decision on the color next week, Mr. Shousher said. The
paint
should last 25 to 30 years before requiring another coat, he said…
-----
CONTROVERSY OVER 'ISRAELIS ONLY' ROADS
Joshua Brilliant, United Press International, 8/11/04
Tel Aviv, Israel - An Israeli human rights group Monday slammed the
government for restricting Palestinian travel on 41 routes in the West
Bank.
The Israeli army denied some figures, said restrictions are "an
essential
part of its defense mechanism," and noted Israelis are barred from
using
other routes.
B'Tselem, which monitors human rights issues in the occupied
territories,
issued the report titled, "The Forbidden Road Regime in the West Bank:
An
Apartheid Practice."
It says Israeli restrictions apply to "more than 700 kilometers (437
miles)
of roadway."
Some roads are "sterile" and Palestinian traffic is completely
prohibited
there. Manned roadblocks ascertain that only Israelis use those routes,
B'Tselem said.
Routes linking those roads to Palestinian villages are blocked, the
report
noted...
ALSO SEE:
KERRY MIDEAST ADVISER IS LAUDED, BUT SOME PREFER TO WAIT AND SEE
Ron Kampeas, JTA, 08/11/04
http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=Kerry+Mideast+adviser+praised&intcategoryid=3&SearchOptimize=Jewish+News
Washington - The big blank space on Mel Levine's CV - being out of the
inner circle of Middle Eastern diplomacy for 10 years - may be the
biggest
asset he brings to John Kerry, who took him on last week as his
campaign's
top Middle East adviser. Levine, 62, served as a member of the U.S.
House
of Representatives from California from 1983-1993, earning a reputation
as
one of Israel's closest friends on Capitol Hill.
For Kerry, bringing Levine on board is "a brilliant move," said Steven
Spiegel, a scholar with the Israel Policy Forum, a dovish group that
promotes U.S. engagement in the region.
"You want someone in that kind of a position who has impeccable
pro-Israel
credentials, who is not controversial, who has broad respect from a
variety
of figures - that's hard to get these days. It shows the campaign is in
close touch with the community."
Levine, who is Jewish, will play a key role in a close election in
which
both campaigns are chasing Jewish votes in swing states.
Nonetheless, he downplayed his role in the Kerry campaign's "Middle
East
policy working group."
"One of the things that is unique about this presidential campaign, the
principal foreign policy person for Kerry is Kerry," he said. "He's
steeped
in knowledge of these issues, so no foreign policy adviser should
overestimate the role he or she would play."
That may be the case, but many in the Jewish community were relieved at
Levine's hiring by a candidate who still is not particularly well known
outside his home state of Massachusetts, and who - despite a 100
percent
pro-Israel voting record during 19 years in the U.S. Senate - still is
seen
as an unknown quantity on Israel.
"Mel Levine is highly respected in the American Jewish community, and
his
appointment is a strong addition to the Kerry campaign foreign policy
team," said Josh Block, spokesman of the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee, where Levine until recently served as a board member…
---
'SPEAK HEBREW OR SHUT UP'
The Guardian, 8/11/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1280376,00.html
Israel's official code of ethics says troops can only use force if
threatened. But at a checkpoint near Nablus, Israeli author Etgar Keret
witnessed another code of behaviour in operation...
A few days ago, the philosopher Assa Kasher, who had just finalised the
Israel Defence Force's Code of Ethics, paid me a visit on the
television
screen in the dentist's waiting room and explained to me, in a
nutshell,
how it really works. The Code of Ethics, if I understood it right, says
that a soldier can exert force and, under certain circumstances, can
even
cause suffering if he does it to protect his own safety or the safety
of
the citizens of Israel. An elderly woman sitting next to me, even more
bored than I was, stared at the screen and said that was very good and
if
she wasn't mistaken, the IDF was the only army in the world to take the
trouble to "commission", in her words, a code like that, and not from
just
any hack, but from a university professor.
If, two weeks earlier, I hadn't gone to the Haware checkpoint, not far
from
Nablus, I probably would have been quick to agree with her. After all,
I
was brought up to agree with elderly women. But during that purely
chance
visit to the checkpoint, more the result of a weak character and my
girlfriend's nagging than anything else, I saw a different, rival code,
one
that might be a little less ethical, but works like a charm. We can
call it
Udi's Practical Code.
Udi was the checkpoint commander at Haware that day, and his Code was
very
simple - smiling people don't get through. Of course, he didn't
formulate
it as a Code - it worked more as intuition - but more than once I heard
him
and his buddies at the checkpoint exchanging intelligence information
on
all sorts of smilers in the queue. "You see that guy over there, the
tall
one with the tie?" I heard a soldier say to Udi, "Do you see how he's
laughing at us? Don't worry, I'll wipe that smile off his face." Udi
nodded
his agreement, and the smiler was in fact detained for more than an
hour.
When he tried to show them the permit that would justify his smile - he
was
just a man on his way to his own wedding - it was already too late. A
happy
father who had bought his three-year-old son a birthday cake imprinted
with
a picture of the child had also violated the code and was detained. The
official reason - he didn't wait in line like everyone else…
---
ILA DEFIES HCJ, CONTINUES DISCRIMINATING AGAINST ARABS
Maariv, 8/10/04
http://www.maarivenglish.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=printArticle&articleID=10637
The ILA (Israel Land authority), the government-controlled body which
owns
90% of all the land in Israel is continuing to flagrantly discriminate
against Arabs citizens, in clear and bold faced violation of previous
HCJ
(High Court of Justice) decisions ordering them to desist from such
illegal
practices.
Fuad and Athamna Abu-Ria, Israeli citizens wanted to buy a house in
Karmiel, one of the Galilee's major urban centers (47,0000). Karmiel
was
built in the 1960s on land expropriated from surrounding Arab villages,
ostensibly for security purposes (preventing the emergence of an Arab
majority in the Galilee-Maariv International).
After looking for a few months Fuad (a doctor) and Athamna (a lawyer)
found
a house they liked, and paid a NIS 50,00 deposit. When they went to the
land registry to register the property they were told that they could
not
purchase it, as the ILA, which owns the land refused to approve the
purchase.
The ILA said they could not register the transfer, as it had been
vetoed by
the JNF (Jewish National Fund-Keren Kayemet), a major partner in the
ILA.
The JNF said that they are the Jewish National Fund, with a mandate to
buy
land in Israel for Jewish settlement only, and their charter forbids
them
to sell land they own to Arabs. The JNF was chartered about a century
ago
to buy land in Eretz Yisrael for Jewish settlement.
About two years ago the HCJ ruled in another case in which an Arab
family
was refused permission to buy a home in a Jewish settlement that
Israeli
law prohibited any discrimination, and that any such segregation policy
was
illegal, and any decisions emanating from it null and void...
-----
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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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FL MUSLIMS SEEK PROBE OF TEACHER'S ANTI-ISLAM REMARKS
Student says teacher smeared Islam, ridiculed her Muslim name
(MIAMI, FL, 8/12/04) - The Florida office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) today called on that state's Levy
County School District to investigate allegations that a high school
teacher made Islamophobic comments to a Muslim student in her class and
ridiculed the girl's name as being similar to that of former Iraqi
dictator
Saddam Hussein.
The Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said that
if
true, the allegations should result in disciplinary action against the
teacher.
According to the 15-year-old girl's family and written statements from
four
non-Muslim students in a world history class at Chiefland High School
in
Chiefland, Fla., the teacher said all Muslims are suicidal terrorists
who
must kill at least one American. She also allegedly called the student
"[First name] Saddam Hussein" and suggested that other students stay
away
from Muslims. The school is conducting an investigation of the incident
following a meeting Wednesday with the girl's family.
"Students of all faiths must feel secure in their classrooms and should
never be subjected to religious, ethnic or racial harassment," said
CAIR-FL
Executive Director Altaf Ali. "School district officials must
demonstrate
in concrete terms that these allegations will be investigated and that
appropriate action will be taken based on the results of that
investigation."
Ali added that CAIR publishes a booklet, called "An Educator's Guide to
Islamic Religious Practices," designed to prevent just such incidents.
The
booklet is available by e-mailing: pubs@cair-net.org (Include name,
address
and phone number when requesting the booklet.)
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 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; 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/ .
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/12/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: INVITE TO GOD'S PATH WITH WISDOM
* CAIR JOB OPENING: CIVIL RIGHTS COORDINATOR
* NADER VS. THE ADL (Wash Post)
* FILM ON CRUSADES MAY STEREOTYPE MUSLIMS (NY Times)
- Film on Gaza: Land of Lost Lives (Wash Post)
* IL: COALITION OFFERS MUSLIMS LEGAL ADVICE
* TODAY IRAQ, TOMORROW IRAN (Salon.com)
- U.S. on Sensitive Ground in Najaf (LA Times)
- GIs In Iraq: Why Are We Here? (Boston Globe)
- Bombing of Kut Kills 84 (Turkish Press)
* MI: JUSTICE DISPUTES KEY TERROR CASE EVIDENCE (AP)
- U.S. Nears Deal to Free Hamdi (Wash Post)
- The Hamdi Back Flip (Wash Post)
- Behind Media Reports on Al-Arian Case (WP)
* FL OFFICIALS LEARN SENSITIVITY TO MUSLIMS, ARABS, SIKHS
- Canadian Muslim Student Threatened (G&M)
* PROFESSOR PUTS QURAN IN MODERN-DAY ENGLISH (AP)
* MUSLIMS FACE PERSECUTION IN IVORY COAST (AP)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: INVITE TO GOD'S PATH WITH WISDOM
"Invite (all mankind) unto thy Sustainer's path with wisdom and goodly
exhortation, and argue with them in the most kindly manner. For,
behold,
thy Sustainer knows best who strays from His path...Hence, if you have
to
respond to an attack (in argument), respond only to the extent of the
attack leveled against you. But to bear yourselves with patience is
indeed
far better for (you, since God is with) those who are patient in
adversity."
The Holy Quran, 16:125-126
-----
CAIR JOB OPENING: CIVIL RIGHTS COORDINATOR
CAIR has an immediate opening for an experienced dynamic person to fill
the
position of Civil Rights Coordinator. The position involves handling of
civil rights cases, doing research on issues pertaining to civil and
religious rights in America, maintaining a civil rights data base
system,
and generating reports, charts and graphs. Candidates should have a
Bachelor degree in a related field with general knowledge of the US
Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
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. When applying via email please
ensure to write the position title "Civil Rights Coordinator" in the
subject of the email. Please send your application with cover letter
and
complete resume and references by August 27th, 2004. Absolutely no
phone
calls please.
-----
NADER VS. THE ADL
Brian Faler, Washington Post, 8/12/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58007-2004Aug11.html
Ralph Nader, that master of controversy, has a new bete noire: the
Anti-Defamation League. The independent presidential candidate has
become
embroiled in an ugly exchange with the Jewish organization, after he
suggested that President Bush and Congress were "puppets" of the
Israeli
government.
"The days when the chief Israeli puppeteer comes to the United States
and
meets with the puppet in the White House and then proceeds to Capitol
Hill,
where he meets with hundreds of other puppets, should be replaced,"
Nader
said earlier this summer. That prompted an angry letter from the
league,
which complained that the "image of the Jewish state as a 'puppeteer,'
controlling the powerful US Congress feeds into many age-old
stereotypes
which have no place in legitimate public discourse."
Nader is not backing down. In a letter to the group that will be
released
today, he reiterated his arguments, challenged the league to cite a
recent
example of when American leaders have pursued a policy opposed by the
Israeli government and pointed to Israeli peace groups that he said
share
his criticism of that country's leadership. "There is far more freedom
in
the media, in town squares and among citizens, soldiers, elected
representatives and academicians in Israel to debate and discuss the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict than there is in the United States," Nader
wrote…
-----
FILM ON CRUSADES COULD BECOME HOLLYWOOD'S NEXT BATTLEGROUND
Sharon Waxman, New York Times, 8/12/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/12/movies/12crus.html
LOS ANGELES - With bloody images of Muslims and Westerners battling in
Iraq
and elsewhere on the nightly news, it may seem like odd timing to
unveil a
big-budget Hollywood epic depicting the ferocious fight between
Christians
and Muslims over Jerusalem in the Crusade of the 12th century.
But 20th Century Fox is planning a release next year for "Kingdom of
Heaven," a $130 million production by the Oscar-nominated director
Ridley
Scott, shot in Morocco with hundreds of extras, horses and elaborate
costumes. The script, by William Monahan, is based on real characters
of
the three-century Crusades, including Balian of Ibelin, a Crusader
knight
who led the defense of Jerusalem in 1187, and the Muslim leader
Saladin,
who defeated him.
While the studio has tried to emphasize the romance and thrilling
action,
some religious scholars and interfaith activists who were provided a
copy
of the script by The New York Times questioned the wisdom of a big
Hollywood movie about an ancient religious conflict when many people
believe those conflicts have been reignited in a modern context…
The Rev. George Dennis, a Jesuit priest and a history professor at
Loyola
Marymount University in Los Angeles, who was one of five experts
provided
with the script for "Kingdom of Heaven," said he was impressed by its
nuance and accuracy. "Historically I found it pretty accurate," he
said. "I
can't think of any objections from the Christian side. And I don't
think
Muslims should have any objections. There's nothing offensive to anyone
in
there, I don't think."
But Khaled Abu el-Fadl, a professor at the University of California,
Los
Angeles, who studies Islamic law, vehemently disagreed, calling the
screenplay offensive and a replay of historic Hollywood stereotypes of
Arabs and Muslims.
"I believe this movie teaches people to hate Muslims," he said. "There
is a
stereotype of the Muslim as constantly stupid, retarded, backward,
unable
to think in complex forms. It's really annoying at an intellectual
level,
and it really misrepresents history on many levels."
Mr. Fadl argued that the movie would reinforce negative attitudes
toward
Muslims in America. "In this climate how are people going to react to
these
images of Muslims attacking churches and tearing down the cross and
mocking
it?" he asked.
ALSO SEE:
GAZA, LAND OF LOST LIVES: AN UNBLINKING LOOK AT THE COST OF CONFLICT
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 8/12/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58408-2004Aug11.html
On HBO tonight, you can watch a 14-year-old boy die. When we first see
Salem al-Shaer, in the documentary "Death in Gaza," he is being taken
from
an ambulance, still conscious, still able to raise his head. In the
hospital, doctors roll him over, revealing blood-soaked sheets, and
find a
bullet wound in his back. He was shot, we're told, after throwing
stones at
an Israeli bulldozer.
"I can't bear it," he says, crying as the doctors implore him not to
move.
He dies six hours later and is buried, by hand, in a sandy grave in the
Gaza Strip. His death is celebrated as another martyrdom in the
resistance
against Israeli occupation.
It's a waste, an infuriating waste of a child, and an almost unbearable
several minutes in this unbearably wrenching film. It might feel
voyeuristic, a boy dying as cameraman James Miller moves in close to
record
it all -- the physical pain of the young man, the emotional pain of his
mother, the exhaustion and tempered anger visible in the faces of the
doctors -- but for one thing. Miller himself is killed shortly after he
filmed this scene, also by an Israeli bullet, also in Gaza. Not showing
Salem's death would have turned this into a movie about the movie
maker,
the risks he took and the consequences he suffered. Showing it, on the
other hand, both justifies those risks and gives the title -- "Death in
Gaza" -- a broader, sadder, more encompassing meaning…
-----
AS FBI LAUNCHES NEW ROUND OF QUESTIONING, LEGAL COALITION MOBILIZES TO
OFFER LEGAL ADVICE TO ARABS AND MUSLIMS
CHICAGO -- A coalition of Chicago-area legal organizations today opened
a
telephone hotline for Arabs and Muslims designated for surveillance and
questioning by federal law enforcement authorities in a new round of
interviews underway across the country. FBI Director Robert Mueller and
Attorney General John Ashcroft recently announced their intent to
direct a
series of dragnet-like interviews involving individuals from the Muslim
and
Arab community across the United States.
Individuals designated for an interview by the FBI who wish to contact
a
volunteer lawyer can call the ACLU of Illinois hotline at 800-572-1092
or
the Muslim Civil Rights Center hotline at 866-440-6272.
The plan for questioning Muslims and Arabs is reminiscent of programs
conducted by the Justice Department in late 2001 and 2002, in which the
Department attempted to locate and interview eight thousand (8,000)
Arabs
and Muslims without any indication that these individuals had any
information that might be helpful in the fight against terrorism. The
series of interviews never resulted in a single arrest. Rather, the
process created distrust and fear throughout immigrant communities.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, the Chicago Chapter of
the
National Lawyers Guild, the Muslim Bar Association and the Muslim
Civil
Rights Center announced that they would again join together to provide
basic legal information and representation -- at no cost -- to any
Muslim
or Arab who requested such assistance in the Chicago area.
"People targeted for investigation are undoubtedly in need of legal
counsel," said Harvey Grossman, legal director for the ACLU of Illinois
in
announcing the formation of the coalition. "It is in the highest
tradition
of the American bar that these organizations and attorneys step forward
and
offer their services without compensation to these individuals. In so
doing, these attorneys also fulfill our fundamental constitutional
values."
"MCRC's collaboration with the ACLU and other groups will greatly
benefit
the area Muslims and Arabs who are concerned about being approached by
law
enforcement agents and need legal representation during questioning,"
said
MCRC President Rasheed Ahmed.
The coalition will provide lawyers with a broad range of experience
across
the Chicago area who will offer legal services pro bono to persons
contacted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or other law
enforcement
agencies acting on behalf of the federal government, in connection with
the
nationwide investigation
CONTACT: Edwin C. Yohnka of the American Civil Liberties Union of
Illinois,
312-201-9740, ext. 305 or 847-687-1129 (cell), eyohnka@aclu-il.org
-----
TODAY IRAQ, TOMORROW IRAN
Martin Sieff, Salon, 8/11/04
http://salon.com/opinion/feature/2004/08/11/iran/index.html
These must be strange days to be a neoconservative: caught between
exultant
hope and wild terror; utterly discredited, yet still securely in power;
proven totally wrong on Iraq, yet still determined to believe against
all
odds that one more wild throw of the dice will recoup all.
To the casual observer, the neocons in the Bush administration and
their
impeccably drilled and regulated cheering section across the commanding
heights of the U.S. broadcast and print media have been routed. Since
the
hand-over of power to the interim Iraqi government, the media have for
the
most part turned their sensitive faces away from Iraq, giving the
public
the false sense that it is becoming quiet there. The 138,000 U.S.
troops
still bogged down in Iraq know better, even if Deputy Secretary of
Defense
Paul Wolfowitz can't recall before a congressional committee just how
many
Americans have died: Fifty-four were killed in July, a significant rise
from the 42 who died in June, the month before the hand-over; and the
total
in August already looks as if it will exceed that in July.
But the perception that the neocons -- including Wolfowitz, Richard
Perle
and Douglas Feith -- have been routed, or are in retreat, could not be
further from the truth. They are as firmly in control of the levers of
real
power in the government as they were in the yearlong, synchronized
buildup
to their war in Iraq. Not a single National Security Council or
Pentagon
official who eagerly rode the bandwagon for the war has been fired.
Dick
Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, and aide John Hannah
continue to enjoy the full confidence of the vice president.
In the media, it is the same story. Rupert Murdoch has not suffered a
sudden fit of shame and forced William Kristol to relinquish control of
the
Weekly Standard. Time magazine and the Washington Post have not shown
one
iota of embarrassment that they continue to provide a platform for
columnist Charles Krauthammer, whose histrionics have now ascended into
a
call for our next "preemptive" war -- this time with Iran. If that
happens,
of course, hundreds, probably many thousands, of young Americans will
pay
with their lives for a new wave of appalling bungles. And if the past
is
prologue, no neocon in government should ever expect to lose a job.
None of these characters (like the president) has said as much as an "I
am
sorry" or "I was mistaken" over their major assumptions and assertions
about Iraq, every one of which has been proved wrong. They have shown
no
capacity whatsoever for self-criticism, so it is not surprising that
they
do not seem interested in self-correction that might prevent a repeat
of
their policy catastrophes…
ALSO SEE:
WORLD'S SHIITES WARN THAT U.S. IS TREADING ON SENSITIVE GROUND
Henry Chu and Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 8/12/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-fg-mosque12aug12,1,392409.story
BAGHDAD- With its twin minarets and glinting gold dome, the Imam Ali
Mosque
in Najaf has been a beacon for the Muslim faithful for more than a
thousand
years. But with fighting raging around the Iraqi shrine, one of the
holiest
sites in Shiite Islam is reprising a different historical role:
rallying
point against foreign forces.
In 1920, rebels intent on kicking out British troops occupying the
region
gathered at the mosque and readied for revolt. Among their leaders was
Sayyid Mohammed Sadr - the scion of a prominent Shiite family and a
future
prime minister.
Eighty-four years later, cleric Muqtada Sadr, one of Sadr's
descendants,
wants the U.S. military out. All eyes are once again trained on the
shrine,
where a final showdown between Muqtada Sadr's militia and American
troops
may yet take place.
"Keep fighting even if you see me detained or martyred," Sadr said
Wednesday to his armed followers, many of whom are holed up in the
shrine.
"I thank the dear fighters all over Iraq for what they have done to set
back injustice."
With U.S. military officials saying they have received permission from
Najaf's governor to strike the mosque if necessary, religious and
political
leaders from Iran to Los Angeles are voicing grave warnings that an
American assault on the shrine could be catastrophic to the U.S. image
in
Iraq and the Muslim world.
"The United States is slaughtering the people of one of the holiest
Islamic
cities, and the Muslim world and the Iraqi nation will not stand by,"
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of neighboring Iran, said in
an
address on Iranian state television.
Three major American Muslim organizations also issued statements
Wednesday
calling for negotiations to end the conflict...
---
GIS IN IRAQ ARE ASKING: WHY ARE WE HERE?
Anne Barnard, Boston Globe, 8/12/04
http://www.iht.com/articles/533600.html
RAMADI - Four months into their tour of duty at one of the most
dangerous
American bases in Iraq, young marines say the slow pace of progress is
shaking their faith in their mission.
Playing cards one recent evening while on call to respond to any sudden
outburst of violence, Lance Corporal David Goward and the rest of his
squad
voiced two growing concerns: that the U.S. military would linger here
indefinitely and that the troops' very presence was provoking the
fighting
it was meant to stop.
They are ready for any battle, they said, but a pervasive sense that
Iraqis
do not want their help has killed their enthusiasm for the larger goals
of
introducing democracy and rebuilding the country.
"I don't think any of us even care what happens to this country,"
Goward
said, as a half-dozen marines, all stationed here in the capital of the
restive Anbar Province, nodded in agreement. "I'm here to make sure
these
guys get home safely. And they're here to make sure I do."
Senior Marine Corps and Army commanders in this Sunni Muslim region
west of
Baghdad, an area they say must be tamed for the new U.S.-$ backed Iraqi
government to succeed, repeatedly cautioned a reporter that
junior-level
troops did not see the big picture.
Grunts don't hear Anbar's governor asking the United States not to
leave,
the senior officers said. They don't see Iraqi officials shouldering
new
responsibilities; they don't see Iraqi police doing a better job on the
outskirts of Ramadi, the provincial capital, than they do in the more
anti-American downtown…
---
US BOMBING OF IRAQI CITY OF KUT KILLS 84, WOUNDS 176: HOSPITAL
Ali al-Alaak, Turkish Press, 8/12/04
http://www.turkishpress.com/turkishpress/news.asp?ID=24333
KUT - Heavy overnight US bombing of Kut killed 84 people and wounded
nearly
180 others, a day after clashes between Iraqi police and Shiite
militiamen
in the southern city, a hospital official said Thursday.
"There were 84 people killed and 176 wounded," said Qassim al-Mayahi,
head
of Al-Zahra hospital in Kut, although the health ministry said earlier
that
75 people were killed in the bombing and 148 wounded.
Many of the dead and wounded were women and children, said another
official
at the hospital...
-----
JUSTICE DISPUTES KEY TERROR CASE EVIDENCE
Sarah Karush and John Solomon, Associated Press, 8/12/04
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20040811_2073.html
The Bush administration's already troubled case against an accused
terror
cell in Detroit is being dealt another blow with revelations that a
witness
came forward after the trial to undercut a key piece of video evidence
presented to jurors.
Lawyers and Justice Department officials said Wednesday night that a
man
shown in a videotape of landmarks in New York, Las Vegas and California
has
told investigators the tape was an amateur film and not surveillance as
prosecutors portrayed at the trial of four suspected terrorists.
The witness interview was conducted in January, months after the trial
in
Detroit ended, and was turned over this summer to defense lawyers. It
could
deal a significant blow to the Bush administration's first major terror
prosecution since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The Justice Department is nearing completion of a monthslong review of
prosecutors' conduct during the case, and a judge will rule on a
defense
request to reverse the convictions of three men.
``During the course of this review, information has come to the
government's attention that we were obligated to turn over the defense,
and
we did so,'' Justice spokesman Mark Corallo said Wednesday night. ``The
review is ongoing and at the end of the day, the government will do the
right thing based on the facts and the evidence.''
Though both sides have known about the witness interview for some time,
they were precluded from disclosing it because of a judge's gag order.
Both
sides confirmed it Wednesday after the judge lifted the gag order
because
one of the original prosecutors in the case, Richard Convertino,
granted an
interview to The Associated Press this week…
ALSO SEE:
U.S. NEARS DEAL TO FREE ENEMY COMBATANT HAMDI
Thomas E. Ricks and Jerry Markon, Washington Post, 08/12/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58002-2004Aug11.html
The U.S. government, which has held Yaser Esam Hamdi incommunicado in a
Navy brig for two years without charges, much of the time without a
lawyer,
indicated yesterday that it is nearing a deal that would free him
altogether.
The government is negotiating with Hamdi's lawyers about "terms and
conditions acceptable to both parties that would allow Mr. Hamdi to be
released from . . . custody," according to documents filed in federal
court
in Norfolk. The legal papers, submitted jointly by federal prosecutors
and
Hamdi's attorneys, asked the court to stay all proceedings for 21 days
while negotiations continue.
Terms of the release are still being hammered out but, according to
people
familiar with the situation, are likely to include that Hamdi renounce
his
U.S. citizenship, move to Saudi Arabia and accept some travel
restrictions,
as well as some monitoring by Saudi officials. In addition, he may have
to
agree not to sue the federal government over whether his civil rights
were
violated.
U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar in Norfolk has yet to rule on the
request for a stay.
Hamdi was captured alongside pro-Taliban forces on the battlefield in
northern Afghanistan in November 2001 and taken to the U.S. military
prison
at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. There he told investigators that he was born
in
Louisiana to Saudi parents. He subsequently spent most of his life in
Saudi
Arabia, but his family said he never renounced his U.S. citizenship.
Hamdi was moved to the Navy jail at Charleston, S.C., in April 2002 and
has
been held there since as an enemy combatant. The government has not
charged
him.
In June, the Supreme Court ruled that as a U.S. citizen, Hamdi must
have
access to the U.S. legal system. All of the justices except Clarence
Thomas
rejected the Bush administration's contention that the federal courts
could
exercise no supervision over such a case.
"We have long since made clear that a state of war is not a blank check
for
the President when it comes to the rights of the Nation's citizens,"
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote in a passage of the ruling that
seemed to
summarize the dominant view of the court.
The indication that Hamdi might be released soon is "a huge
embarrassment
for the administration," said Michael Greenberger, a Justice Department
official in the Clinton administration who is now a law professor at
the
University of Maryland…
---
THE HAMDI BACK FLIP
Washington Post, 8/12/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58314-2004Aug11.html
Ever since the military brought Yaser Esam Hamdi to American shores 2
1/2
years ago, the government has argued that compelling national security
interests required his detention without any semblance of normal legal
protections. Mr. Hamdi was not charged with a crime, was not given an
opportunity to challenge the government's claims against him and for
most
of his detention was denied access to his lawyer. Then, in June, the
Supreme Court rightly declared this state of affairs unacceptable: Mr.
Hamdi, an American citizen born in the United States to Saudi parents,
cannot be held indefinitely with no meaningful chance to contest his
designation as an "enemy combatant," the justices ruled. And since then
the
administration has done an adroit back flip. In a joint court filing
with
Mr. Hamdi's attorney, the government revealed yesterday that it was
negotiating Mr. Hamdi's release and asked a federal judge in Virginia
to
freeze all proceedings in the case for 21 days so that these
negotiations
can continue.
Far be it from us to second-guess the government when it works
diligently
to make reasonable arrangements for detainees. We have argued, to the
contrary, that the government needs to do far more of this sort of work
with respect to inmates at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. And Mr. Hamdi has
always
seemed -- at least from the outside -- like a prime candidate for a
relatively swift disposition. Unlike the other U.S. citizen held as an
enemy combatant -- Jose Padilla -- he has never been alleged to have
been a
particularly dangerous character. Even the military has claimed no more
than that he was a Taliban foot soldier. And his intelligence value --
if
he ever had any -- was exhausted months ago. The instinct to explore
seriously whether the case can be resolved, as the joint motion puts
it,
"under terms and conditions acceptable to both parties that would allow
Mr.
Hamdi to be released from . . . custody" is certainly a laudable one…
---
AFTER THE FACT: WHAT'S BEHIND MEDIA REPORTS ON THE AL-ARIAN CASE
John F. Sugg, Weekly Planet, 8/12/04
http://www.weeklyplanet.com/news.html
Nothing triggers the onset of media weak bladders in the Tampa Bay area
faster than a discussion that involves Middle East politics. Example:
As
the Weekly Planet pointed out last week, a Jacksonville man named Harry
Shapiro six years ago planted a bomb in a synagogue in an attempt to
assassinate former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres. Shapiro, a
radical
right-wing opponent of peace initiatives between Israel and Palestine,
had
planned to blame the bombing on -- can you guess? -- Arab terrorists.
In a
telephone threat he claimed to be a member of the Palestinian Islamic
Jihad, the group that Tampa's very own most famous Arab, Sami Al-Arian,
is
accused of supporting.
The ostensible link to the Islamic Jihad is about the only similarity
between Shapiro's and Al-Arian's cases. Shapiro actually tried to kill
people, was jailed but offered the chance to post bail, and was
"sentenced"
to psychiatric evaluation by federal authorities. Al-Arian, whom the
feddies concede never participated in any violent act, has not been
allowed
to bail out and, if convicted, he certainly won't get a cushy funny
farm --
he'll serve a gazillion years of hard time.
Oh, did I mention that 1,500 people attended the Peres event? We can be
grateful Shapiro, a butcher (no joke intended) and gas station
attendant by
trade, was incompetent in the bomb-making department. Had he been a tad
better at taping together explosives and connecting them to a
detonator,
then conceivably a crowd of people equal to half those slain on 9/11 in
the
World Trade Center could have been killed.
I mention all of this as a public service because I'm quite certain you
haven't read about the incident. It got one teensy-eensy 100-word
mention
in The Tampa Tribune's national briefs column in 1997 when Shapiro
pleaded
guilty. Nothing, nada, zilch in the St. Petersburg Times. Ever. People
around the world read substantive stories about Shapiro in The New York
Times, the Jerusalem Post, the Sydney, Australia Daily Telegraph, USA
Today, The Chicago Tribune and many other publications. Just not those
in
the Tampa Bay area. Hmmm.
While you're pondering why two puffed-up daily newspapers chose to
ignore
the attempted assassination of a world leader just a media stone's
throw
from their offices, let's take a look at another example: In March,
Al-Arian won a stunning ruling from Federal District Judge James Moody,
who
said federal prosecutors would have to show that Al-Arian intended to
commit a crime in order to convict him in his 50-count indictment.
That's
supposed to be the norm in American justice -- laws should clearly
spell
out what's illegal so that people will know when they're engaged in
wrongdoing.
The government is going to have a real, real hard time convicting
Al-Arian
and his three co-defendants now that Moody has ruled in favor of the
U.S.
Constitution. Which is why the federal prosecutors want desperately to
overturn Moody's decision…
-----
POLICE OFFICERS AND OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS PARTICIPATE IN ETHNIC
SENSIBILITY TRAINING ABOUT ARABS, MUSLIMS AND SIKHS
Amy Sherman, Miami Herald, 8/12/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/9377251.htm
Police officers and other government officials gathered in Hollywood on
Wednesday to learn about the Arab, Muslim and Sikh cultures. Since
Sept.
11, 2001, the Community Relations Service of the U.S. Department of
Justice
has sponsored hundreds of forums to help law enforcement and
communities
work together.
This was the first of its kind in Broward County. Law enforcement
officials
say as they work to protect the country from terrorism, they need the
communities' help and can't trample on their civil rights.
Police officers said they are now better equipped to do their job.
''Knowledge is power,'' said Collier County investigator Daniel
Wheless,
who said he learned that he shouldn't put anything on top of a Quran,
the
holy book for Muslims. ''Anything I can learn will help me do the job
better.''
About 70 police officers and other government workers gathered at
Hollywood
Beach Community Cultural Center Wednesday, and many plan to take the
lessons they learned back to their departments.
Cosponsors included the Hollywood Police Department and the
Asian-American
Advisory Board of the Miami-Dade Community Relations Board.
A repeated refrain at the seminar: If police officers aren't familiar
with
a community, they can't serve it. There are about 40,000 Muslims and
500
Sikh families in South Florida, according to advocates for the two
groups.
Presenters included Preetmohan Singh, national director for the Sikh
Mediawatch and Resource Task Force, and Lobna ''Luby'' Ismail,
president of
a company called Connecting Cultures Inc., both of the Washington,
D.C.,
area...
ALSO SEE:
LEADER OF RYERSON'S MUSLIMS THREATENED
Chris Lackner, Globe and Mail, 8/12/04
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040812.wxryerson0812/BNStory/National/
Only days after anti-Muslim flyers were discovered at Ryerson
University,
the Muslim Students' Association has received a letter threatening its
leader's safety.
The letter was found in the group's campus mailbox on Tuesday and
turned
over to police. ''[The note] said, ''Your president is next,' '' said
Ahmed
Arshi, who currently holds the position. ''It's sad and shameful that
this
is happening now.''
Campus security and the Toronto Police Service are investigating the
anti-Muslim flyers -- typed on letter-sized paper -- that were posted
on
four campus bulletin boards last Thursday.
One of the notices was signed "FBC Ridaz" and directly threatened
Muslim
students: "This incident is the first of many. We want to let them know
that no Muslim student is safe and that security isn't going to stop
us."
The letter also claimed responsibility for a June 23 incident in which
Ryerson's multifaith prayer room was defaced with anti-Muslim graffiti.
Another notice, signed by a group calling itself the Full Blooded
Israeli
Brigades, contained more explicit threats.
Police said yesterday it is impossible to determine whether the flyers
were
posted in conjunction with the delivery of Mr. Arshi's letter. Until
Tuesday, Mr. Arshi had not checked the group's mailbox, which is open
to
the public, for close to a month.
"I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but this isn't hate propaganda
any
more; this is a direct threat to an individual," Omar Alghabra,
president
of the Canadian Arab Federation, said yesterday…
-----
PROFESSOR PUTS QURAN IN MODERN-DAY ENGLISH
Richard N. Ostling, Associated Press, 8/12/04
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/9383201.htm
When M.A.S. Abdel Haleem was a youngster in Egypt all the boys in his
school were required to memorize the entire Quran and were tested
annually
to make sure they maintained this knowledge.
The veteran University of London professor of Islamic studies says he
obeys
a promise to his father to read the Quran daily and the childhood
training
means he doesn't need a printed text. "I can do this anytime, even when
I
am walking or riding the Underground."
Haleem has put his lifelong immersion in the Quran and the Arabic
language
to good use the past seven years, working on a new Quran translation in
English that appeared last month: "The Quran" (Oxford University
Press).
It's hard to overstate the importance of the Quran, which defines the
belief and conduct of a billion-plus Muslims, including a growing
number of
immigrants in English-speaking nations.
Unlike Christians with their Bibles, Muslims believe the Quran is
Scripture
only in Arabic because it existed in that form in heaven before it was
revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Only the Arabic is literally God's
word
and is always used in Quran quotations during rituals and sermons.
In times past there were debates about whether it was even proper to
translate the Scriptures. Early English versions came from non-Muslims
(the
subtitle of the very first, in 1649, called the Quran "the Turkish
vanities"). No Muslim produced an English Quran till the 20th century.
But
nowadays even strict Muslims promote English editions to aid "dawah,"
Arabic for "call," meaning missionary work.
Haleem says translations are essential so that Muslims in the West,
including his own children and grandchildren, can remain knowledgeable.
Georgetown University's Yvonne Haddad says most immigrants' children
"cannot read the Quran in Arabic. They may recite it, but they don't
understand it..."
-----
MUSLIMS FACE PERSECUTION IN IVORY COAST
Daniel Balint-Kurti, Associated Press, 8/12/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apafrica_story.asp?category=1105&slug=Ivory%20Coast%20Cornered%20Muslims
ABIDJAN- Strutting through a muddy labyrinth of market stalls, a
paramilitary policeman in Ivory Coast's commercial capital heads toward
a
military truck with his latest catch - five Muslims rounded up after
spot
checks on their identity papers.
Merchants at Abidjan's sprawling Adjame market say it's a daily ritual,
and
that they know what happens next: Those rounded up - almost always
Muslim
immigrants - are driven to a secluded area, stripped to their underwear
and
robbed, then forced to pay hefty bribes to be released.
In the south of war-divided Ivory Coast, Muslims - from Ivory Coast's
north, and from neighboring northern countries - say they are beaten
and
robbed day in, day out by security forces.
The south is home to the Christian and animist ethnic groups that long
have
held power in Ivory Coast. The country is the world's largest
cocoa-producer and until a 1999 coup, followed by a 2002-2003 civil
war,
was one of West Africa's most stable and prosperous nations.
The millions of Muslims who migrated to southern Ivory Coast for jobs
since
its independence from France in 1960 now outnumber indigenous Christian
and
animist ethnic groups in many areas, triggering resentment and fear.
Since rebels triggered the 9-month civil war with an unsuccessful
September
2002 coup attempt, the repression has become worse, they say.
Tensions turned especially deadly in March. Loyalist soldiers killed
more
than 100 people in a crackdown after an attempted opposition rally in
the
skyscraper-lined commercial capital, Abidjan.
Most of those killed were Muslims, many in night raids on poor
neighborhoods such as this…
-----
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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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TX MUSLIM STORE TORCHED, NY MUSLIM BEATEN
'Go Home' painted on store, cabbie told 'You are Muslim'
(WASHINGTON, DC, 8/13/04) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today called on the FBI to investigate an intentionally-set fire
at
a Muslim store in McAllen, Texas, as a possible hate crime and sought
felony charges in a bias attack on a New York Muslim taxi driver.
According to the Texas grocery store owner, a U.S. resident of
Jordanian
origin, the fire occurred late last week and followed two separate
incidents in which unknown parties painted the phrase "Go Home" on the
door
of the store that sells halal meat and other items. ("Halal" for
Muslims is
similar to the term "kosher" in Jewish beliefs.) Jewelry kept in the
store
was reportedly stolen.
The hate-graffiti appeared just after the store began running
advertisements on local television that featured a Muslim woman wearing
an
Islamic head scarf.
Fire officials tell CAIR that the blaze "appears intentionally set" and
was
"incendiary" in nature. CAIR has contacted local law enforcement
authorities to ask that a possible bias motive be investigated.
"If whoever set this fire was motivated by anti-Muslim bias, that
person
needs to be brought to justice before he or she can strike again," said
CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "The FBI should use its
resources and expertise to help local law enforcement authorities find
the
perpetrators."
The Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group also asked
that felony charges be brought against a person who allegedly attacked
a
Muslim taxi driver in New York.
In that incident, a Bangladeshi Muslim cabbie was punched in the face
by a
pedestrian near the World Trade Center site Wednesday after being told
"You
are Muslim." The alleged assailant was charged with third-degree
assault
and harassment, both misdemeanors.
SEE: "CABBIE ASSAULTED IN BIAS CRIME"
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/nyc-bias0813,0,4418537.story
Other incidents targeting Muslim individuals and Islamic institutions
have
occurred recently across America. Late last month, two Muslim teenagers
in
Buffalo, N.Y., say they were targeted by white teenagers who shouted
ethnic
slurs and then tried to hit the girls with their car. A Muslim woman
driver
in Illinois and a Muslim shopper in California were assaulted at the
end of
June by attackers shouting anti-Muslim and racist slurs.
In Florida, vandals wrote "Kill all Muslims" inside the Islamic
Community
Center in the Tampa suburb of Lutz. The FBI is also investigating
vandalism
and threatening messages targeting the Islamic Community of Southwest
Florida in Charlotte Harbor. In Missouri, vandals painted a Nazi
swastika
and the word "die" on an addition under construction at the Islamic
Foundation of Greater St. Louis. Three Miami Islamic centers were
vandalized.
Earlier this year in Texas, a man was arrested for threatening an El
Paso
Islamic center, 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. A home-made bomb exploded in the mailbox
of a
Houston, Texas, Islamic center.
In response to anti-Muslim incidents, CAIR published a "Muslim
Community
Safety Kit." The safety kit may be obtained free of charge by e-mailing
pubs@cair-net.org. (Include name, address and phone number when
requesting
the safety kit.)
CAIR, America's largest 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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
American Muslim News Briefs, 8/13/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: RIGHTEOUS DEEDS
* CAIR-FL: NO-PORK POLICY WAS DISCRIMINATION (Orlando Sent)
* CAIR-CAN: PM CLARIFIES CANADIAN POLICY ON HIJAB
- United Against Hate (Toronto Star)
* RIGHTS GROUPS CHALLENGE U.S. ON ARAB-AMERICAN DATA
- CAIR Signs Joint Statement on Census-DHS
* POLLS: ARAB-AMERICANS GRAVITATING TO KERRY (Boston Globe)
- Muslim Voter Drive Swamps County Office (Miami Herald)
* STARK, MAHMOOD OFFER BIPARTISAN REBUKE OF BUSH POLICIES
* ATHENS STRUGGLES TO MEET NEEDS OF MUSLIM ATHLETES (VOA)
* PRO-ISRAEL LEGISLATION TARGETS OPEN DEBATE (SA Express)
- US Congressman's Appeal on Behalf of Pollard (INN)
* U.S. LOSES SUPPORT OF IRAQ SHI'ITE ALLIES (Reuters)
- Soldiers Use Online Resources to be Heard (KR)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: RIGHTEOUS DEEDS
"Verily, as for those who have faith and do righteous deeds - the
gardens
of paradise will be there to welcome them."
The Holy Quran, 18:107
-----
NO-PORK POLICY WAS DISCRIMINATION, LAWSUIT SAYS
Brian Baskin, Orlando Sentinel, 8/12/04
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/9386959.htm
ORLANDO- Lina Morales claims she was fired from an Orlando company
because
she ate a BLT sandwich at work.
In her religious-discrimination lawsuit against Rising Star
Telecommunications, she alleges she lost her job as administrative
assistant for violating a policy banning pork and pork products from
the
workplace.
Morales says the rule constitutes religious discrimination because it
is
based in Islamic law for the benefit of some Muslim employees who were
offended by the presence of pork - and at the expense of non-Muslims
such
as Morales, who is Catholic. She also is suing under the Florida
Whistleblower Act because she claims she was held to a higher level of
scrutiny and labeled insubordinate for complaining to her employer that
the
no-pork policy violated her civil rights.
"I felt I was being discriminated against because I was not Muslim. I
wasn't trying to make somebody else eat it," Morales said this week.
Typically, religious discrimination cases involve an employee who has
been
prevented from practicing aspects of his or her faith by an employer,
said
Travis Hollifield, Morales' attorney, who filed the suit in February in
Orange Circuit Court.
"This is unusual in the sense that my client is not seeking an
accommodation to practice a particular religious belief, but instead is
being discriminated against because she is failing to conform to the
religious belief of management," he said.
Officials with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal
agency that handles workplace discrimination complaints, said Morales'
case
was "a groundbreaker."
But Kujaatele Kweli, chief executive officer of Rising Star, said
Morales
was fired for insubordination, not for eating bacon. He said she cooked
bacon in the office lunchroom's microwave after she was warned twice
that
her eating pork at work offended co-workers and clients. Rising Star
produces self-help DVDs and is designing an Internet filter that would
block sites Muslim parents might find inappropriate for their children…
Although Muslims avoid pork, which is forbidden in the Quran, most
would
not be bothered by its presence, said Ahmed Bedier, spokesman for the
Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"It just depends on the Muslim and their perceptions of their
religion,"
Bedier said. "At the same time our religion is a moderate way of life
and
does not impose its beliefs on others."
-----
PRIME MINISTER CLARIFIES CANADIAN POLICY ON HIJAB
Assurance to CAIR-CAN follows pattern of discrimination documented at
Pierre Trudeau airport
(Ottawa, Canada - 13/08/2004) - In a letter to the Canadian Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN), the Prime Minister's office has
assured Canadian Muslims that their religious right to wear a hijab, or
Islamic headscarf, will be respected and protected when photographs are
taken for the Permanent Resident (PR) Card.
The letter came after a formal complaint was filed with CAIR-CAN by
numerous Muslim women who were told to remove their hijab for their PR
Card
photograph by Canadian immigration officials at the Pierre Trudeau port
of
entry. During the recent federal election, CAIR-CAN also called on
other
party leaders to make their positions clear regarding this issue.
(CAIR-CAN's original statement on the issue may be viewed at:
http://www.caircan.ca/itn_more.php?id=A1023_0_2_0_M).
In his July 23, 2004 letter, the Prime Minister wrote: "Please be
assured
that your concerns regarding Permanent Resident (PR) Card photographs
have
been given careful and appropriate considerations...CIC policy is that
allowances be made for practitioners of religious faiths that prohibit
the
removal of head coverings. CIC does not require the head covering to be
completely removed, but for security purposes, all facial features must
be
visible for the photographs."
NDP Leader Jack Layton responded by stating that "New Democrats
strongly
support the protection of the fundamental rights to freedom of religion
and
expression in Canada, and we view the behaviour of the immigration
officers
in these cases as infringing on those rights. It is particularly
unfortunate that these were among the first Canadians the new
immigrants
met on arrival, as it reflects poorly on our nation."
The leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Stephen Harper, has yet
to
respond.
"We welcome the statement by the Prime Minister's office clarifying
this
important issue that has affected many recent immigrants to
Canada," stated CAIR-CAN spokesperson Abdurahman Salman.
"We hope that the CIC officials in question, who clearly acted outside
of
Canada's guidelines regarding religious accommodation, will now conduct
themselves in accordance with the stated principles articulated by the
Prime Minister," he added.
-END-
CONTACT: Abdurahman Salman at 613-254-9704; Cell: 613-795-2012
SEE ALSO:
UNITED AGAINST HATE
Toronto Star, 8/13/04
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1092348630999&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795
A string of abhorrent and despicable acts has struck Ryerson
University.
The school's multi-faith prayer room was vandalized in June with
anti-Muslim graffiti.
Flyers spouting hate against Muslim students were posted last week
around
the downtown campus.
Now, threats have been made against the president of the Ryerson Muslim
Students' Association.
In our multicultural society, it is difficult to imagine that such
hatred
can exist.
Yet, we have already seen several frightening examples this year, from
vandalism at a Pickering mosque to the firebombing of a Jewish school
in
Montreal. Peaceful and open-minded as Canadians are, people with
repugnant
attitudes lurk among us.
The very best response to such loathsome acts is for people of goodwill
to
be vigilant, and to stand together and denounce hate with one voice.
That's the approach the Canadian Arab Federation and Canadian Jewish
Congress wisely adopted as they joined Ryerson in publicly condemning
these
incidents. Their solidarity against those who preach hatred and
division
reflects the wider community's revulsion, and should inspire us all.
Their decent voices will prevail.
-----
RIGHTS GROUPS CHALLENGE US ON USE OF DATA ON ARAB-AMERICANS
Agence France Presse, 8/12/04
WASHINGTON - A coalition of rights groups Friday called for a probe
into
the circumstances surrounding the provision of census data on
Arab-Americans to the US Department of Homeland Security.
Brushing aside the department's explanation that it had only used the
data
to create Arab-language signs at US airports, the groups said the issue
merited a "proper, documented investigation" and, if necessary,
congressional hearings.
"These actions are a violation of the public's trust in the Census
Bureau,
and a troubling reminder of one of our nation's darkest days when the
sharing of similar information resulted in the internment of Japanese
Americans during World War II," the coalition said in a statement.
The Census Bureau supplied the data on the location and national-origin
of
millions of Arab Americans to the department in 2003, but the
information-sharing only became public earlier this month.
And while US officials maintained that their interest was innocuous, it
heightened concerns of racial profiling of Arab Americans, who have
been
the focus of intense official surveillance in the wake of the September
11
attacks.
In their statement Friday, the groups said officials had failed to show
they had acted consistently by seeking out similar information on other
ethnic groups and tailoring airport signs for them too.
Almost two dozen civil rights and minority groups signed the statement,
including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Council on
American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the National Immigration Forum.
ALSO SEE:
CAIR SIGNS JOINT STATEMENT ON CENSUS-DHS
We, the undersigned civil liberties, faith-based, civic and human
rights
organizations, express grave concern regarding the issuance of
tabulations
on the Arab-American population, prepared by the Census Bureau to the
United States Customs Service in 2002 and, later, the Bureau of Customs
and
Border Protection at the Department of Homeland Security in 2003.
The information, provided by the Census Bureau to Customs includes
specific
data on the Arab American population in the United States, broken down
by
population size (1000 or more Arab Americans) as well as by
zip-code. Troublingly, the data are further delineated by the specific
ancestry or national-origin of the Arab Americans.
These actions are a violation of the public's trust in the census
bureau,
and a troubling reminder of one of our nation's darkest days when the
sharing of similar information resulted in the internment of Japanese
Americans during World War II.
The explanation so far provided by the Department of Homeland Security,
stating that the information was used only to create language-specific
signage for outbound airport operations, does not justify the need for
any
data on where Arab Americans live, nor does it justify where they live
by
zip code. Furthermore, there is no rational relationship between of
the
national origin of Arab Americans (i.e. Egyptian, Lebanese, Iraqi,
Syrian,
Palestinian, Jordanian, etc.) and Arabic signage at airports.
Moreover,
most (98%) of Arab Americans speak and read English fluently. Hence
the
rational for the data requirements is inconsistent with reality.
Additionally, while stating otherwise, the Department of Homeland
Security
and the Census Bureau have failed to provide proof that similar
information
related to other ethnicities was requested and/or obtained for similar
language-specific signage in languages other than Arabic during the
same
period.
In conclusion, this troubling issue calls for an immediate and clear
explanation from the Department of Homeland Security, a proper
documented
investigation, and, if necessary, hearings by the United States
Congress.
List of organizations:
1) American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
2) American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
3) Arab American Institute (AAI)
4) Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS)
5) Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
6) Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR)
7) Coalition De Derechos Humanos - Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras
8) Congress of Arab American Organizations-Michigan (CAAO-MI)
9) Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)
10) Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
11) Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
12) Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR)
13) Lebanese American Heritage Club (LAHC)
14) LaRaza Centro Legal (LRCL)
15) Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS)
16) Migration Policy and Resource Center - Urban and Environmental
Policy
Institute (Occidental College)
17) National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials
(NALEO)
Educational Fund
18) National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (NAPALC)
19) National Immigration Forum
20) National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild
21) National Network of Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR).
22) South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow (SAALT)
23) United American Lebanese Federation (UALF)
ADC Chapters (expressly endorsing statement):
1) ADC-Austin Chapter
2) ADC-Greater Detroit Chapter
3) ADC-Greater Kalamazoo Chapter
4) ADC-Houston Chapter
5) ADC-Kentucky Chapter
6) ADC-Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter
7) ADC-New Jersey Chapter
8) ADC-New Orleans Chapter
9) ADC-New York Chapter
10) ADC-Philadelphia Chapter
11) ADC-Sacramento Chapter
12) ADC-San Diego Chapter
13) ADC-San Francisco Chapter
14) ADC-Seattle Chapter
15) ADC-Tucson Chapter
16) ADC-Washington, DC Area Chapter
17) ADC-Wisconsin Chapter
-----
POLLS SUGGEST ARAB-AMERICANS GRAVITATING TOWARD KERRY
Bryan Bender, Boston Globe, 8/13/04
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/08/13/polls_suggest_arab_americans_gravitating_toward_kerry
Arab-American voters, disenchanted with President Bush's policies on
the
Middle East and what they consider an assault on their civil liberties
around the country, are abandoning the Republican president and
throwing
their support behind his Democratic opponent, John F. Kerry, according
to
polls and community leaders.
The nation's 3.5 million Arab-Americans constitute a voting bloc that
perhaps more than any other has shifted its party loyalties since the
2000
election, when nearly half voted for Bush. Polls conducted this summer
indicated Kerry leading Bush by more than a 2-to-1 ratio.
Their votes could prove crucial this year, analysts say, especially in
such
battleground states as Michigan, Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, each
with
more than 100,000 voters of Arab descent. But their support for Kerry
appears soft, some say, in part because both he and Bush have taken
strong
pro-Israel positions. As a result, the ultimate allegiance of
Arab-Americans remains volatile, with a significant number considering
a
vote for independent Ralph Nader, a Lebanese-American who has called
for
the United States to pull out of Iraq and the repeal of the USA Patriot
Act…
"It's a dilemma," said Taleb Salhab, coordinator of the Florida Arab
American Leadership Council. "We have worked diligently with the Kerry
campaign to get them to address some of these concerns, but the Nader
factor remains an issue in our community."
Peter Camejo, Nader's running mate, said in an interview: "The
Muslim-Arab
community is very anti-Bush and is going to Kerry, but it's also one
area
where Nader is getting a lot of support."
There are an estimated 270,000 Arab-Americans in Florida, 400,000 in
Michigan, 160,000 in Ohio, and 150,000 in Pennsylvania. About 70
percent of
Arab-Americans are Christians.
A high voter turnout is expected this fall. "People are really,
really
fired up about this election," said Salhab, a Kerry supporter. "I think
Florida will play a critical role as it did the last time. I am
confident
our community will turn out to vote in record numbers…"
ALSO SEE:
VOTER REGISTRATIONS SWAMP COUNTY OFFICE
Ericka Bolstad, Miami Herald, 8/13/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/9386992.htm
Get-out-the-vote groups dropped off so many voter registration
applications
that the Broward elections office will be hard-pressed to get
identification cards to the new voters before the Aug. 31 primary.
All summer, organizers from a Muslim group called ''Voting is Power''
have
been sending workers door to door through low-income and minority
neighborhoods of South Florida. They've signed up 3,000 new voters,
whose
forms they proudly dropped at the Broward Supervisor of Elections
office
the day the books closed on the voter roll for the primary.
The huge stack of applications forced the elections office to pay
workers
overtime to process them, and some new voters may not get voter ID
cards
before the election.
''They'll probably get there, but it's going to be very close,'' said
Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes. ''They've really put our
backs against the wall.''
Thousands of registrations are streaming in from grass-roots voter
organizations hoping to mobilize high turnout among like-minded people
on
Nov. 2. The organizations often hold on to the registration forms long
enough to enter them in their own database. That way, they can call or
visit people before the elections and urge them to vote.
ACORN, the organization supporting the statewide campaign to raise the
minimum wage, dropped off 2,400 voter registration forms three days
after
the Aug. 2 deadline.
Those new voters won't be able to vote in the primary, Snipes said, and
it's unlikely they will get voting cards until just before the Nov. 2
election.
Snipes said she appreciated the hard work put into signing up new
voters,
but the volume of paper was overwhelming her staff at the last
minute...
''I'm very concerned that they might not get their voter registration
cards,'' said Bret Wask, the South Florida director of the Voting is
Power
campaign.
The group, which is affiliated with the Muslim American Society, has a
door-to-door campaign designed to get out the vote among Muslims.
They're
focusing on states with large Muslim populations as well as
battleground
states such as Florida…
-----
STARK, MAHMOOD OFFER BIPARTISAN REBUKE OF BUSH POLICIES
Fortney "Pete" Stark and Syed Mahmood, Daily Review Online, 8/13/04
http://www.dailyreviewonline.com/Stories/0,1413,88~11010~2329765,00.html
AS a Democrat and a Republican who two years ago ran against each other
for
a seat in Congress, one wouldn't think there's much on which we agree.
We've debated many issues and disagreed often, as Republicans and
Democrats
do. That said, with our nation and world in turmoil, there is one issue
on
which we both agree: the United States needs a dramatic new foreign
policy.
The Bush Administration is pursuing a foreign policy that is reckless,
irresponsible and dangerous. In addition to making our country less
safe,
it has seriously wounded the international reputation and credibility
of
the United States.
How can a bad situation turn into an ugly one? Let's look at the
present
condition of Afghanistan and Iraq. After the attack on 9/11, the whole
world united against this heinous crime, an act of terrorism
perpetuated
against humanity. And what did the Bush Administration do with that
unity?
It squandered it. By alienating our allies and starting an unjust war,
the
Bush Administration obliterated any hope of international cooperation
and
exposed Americans to greater risk.
It is far easier to win the war than to win the peace, as the Bush
Administration is just now realizing. The U.S. is still struggling to
pacify Afghanistan. Just after 9/11, the United States ousted the
Taliban
and its crooked regime. Now, more than two years later, most of
Afghanistan
is still under the control of warlords. The opium trade is thriving,
reconstruction work is very slow, and 50 percent of Afghanis are out of
work. Monumental work remains to be done in Afghanistan and the United
States should have concentrated its efforts on finishing the job.
Instead,
George W. Bush decided to go to Baghdad.
The invasion of Iraq was a monumental blunder. To begin with, it was
founded on false pretenses: 1) that Saddam had weapons of mass
destruction
putting us in imminent danger; (2) that the removal of Saddam from
power
would help resolve the Israeli and the Palestinian issue; 3) that the
war
would bring democracy to Iraq; and, (4) that the war would make the
world a
safer place. None of these have proved to be true.
What has the U.S. achieved so far except deposing Saddam Hussein from
power? Our young soldiers of underprivileged families are dying every
day.
The elites of our society are enjoying life without sacrificing any of
their luxuries. We agree with U.S. retired General and a former
commander-in-chief of the U.S. Central Command, Anthony Zinni, who
said:
"Iraq was the wrong war at the wrong time -- with the wrong strategy."
It is important that we recognize the very real costs imposed by
President
Bush's Iraq policy, not just in lost American and Iraqi lives, but lost
opportunities here at home...
(Rep. Pete Stark represents California's 13th Congressional District,
which
includes Alameda, Fremont, Hayward, Newark, San Leandro, San Lorenzo,
Sunol, Union City and small portions of Oakland and Pleasanton. Syed
Mahmood, a resident of Union City, is a business consultant and founder
and
president of American Institute of International Studies. He was
Stark's
Republican opponent in 2002.)
-----
ATHENS STRUGGLES TO MEET NEEDS OF MUSLIM ATHLETES, TOURISTS
Brian Padden, Voice of America, 8-12-04
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=A31A002B-3612-4985-96884A5A7B57B117
The Olympics will bring to Greece thousands of visitors from all over
the
world. For Muslims coming to Athens to see the games, finding a mosque
to
attend prayer services will not be easy. While there are more than
100,000
Muslims in Athens there are no official mosques in the entire city.
Maher Rassas' small store in this Muslim neighborhood of Athens serves
as
the local gathering point. Every evening, his basement serves as the
local
mosque. While Maher Rassas does not mind part of his home being used
for
prayer services, he says the building of an official mosque in Athens
would
help send a signal that all religions should be valued and respected.
"I like these people in government to in the future see Islam as more
better than now," he said.
Since Greece won its independence from the Muslim Ottoman empire in
1821,
the Greek Orthodox church has been the dominant religion. Professor
Stephanos Rozanis of the Pantheon University of Athens says the church
is
also a powerful political force that has blocked all efforts to build a
mosque in Athens.
"The Greek Orthodox Church harbors a lot of fanaticism and this is also
reflected in Greek society as a whole, that Greeks are afraid or
against
what is different," he explained.
Father Demetrius Niku, pastor of the Mitropolis Cathedral in Athens,
denies
the church has played any part in preventing Muslims from building a
mosque
in Athens. He says the influx of large numbers of Muslim immigrants to
Athens is a recent development.
"Now since the need is arising for Athens to have a mosque, there is no
one
stopping them from creating a place to carry out their worship," he
said.
But Greek Muslim leader Imam Sherif is hoping the Olympics, and the
thousands of journalists who are in town to cover the games, will make
a
difference. Imam Sherif is the coordinator for Muslim prayer services
in
the Olympic village.
"I hope that the attention that the Olympics brings will solve it.
There
are over 100,000 Muslims in Athens and it is time they have a place to
pray," he said.
He says Athens and much of the world should follow the example of
Olympic
athletes, both Christian and Muslim, who pray side by side at prayer
services in the Olympic village.
------
PRO-ISRAEL LEGISLATION TARGETS OPEN DEBATE
Mel Kikhia, San Antonio Express-News, 8/13/04
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/columnists/melkikhia/stories/MYSA081304.7B.mansour.1ebde1ee.html
Martin Kramer, a political science professor at the University of Tel
Aviv,
and Daniel Pipes, the director of the Middle East Forum and a notorious
Islamophobe, are two hard-core Zionists unhappy with the way politics
of
the Middle East are taught at U.S. universities.
They accuse many American Middle Eastern scholars of being anti-Israel.
To
stem that, they set up an organization called Campus Watch to expose
the
professors, students and academic programs in American universities
they
regard as anti-Israel. Individuals who do not meet their expectations
were
placed on the Campus Watch's "apologists for terror" list.
The list is made up of more than 200 American scholars of the Middle
East
and Islam who opposed Pipes' attempts at academic censorship. American
scholars of all faiths flocked to be included on the list.
Two years ago I asked Campus Watch to honor me by including me in the
list
of smeared American academics. The list has recently been removed from
the
organization's Web site as an increasing number of scholars asked to be
included in it.
Pipes was nominated by the neoconservatives for a position at the U.S.
Institute of Peace. The anger displayed by civil rights groups at his
statements and beliefs, as well as his nomination, led some members of
the
Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor and Pensions to oppose him.
President Bush circumvented the committee and made a recess appointment
of
Pipes.
Currently, Pipes is the instigator of an important bill making its way
through Congress. If approved, free speech and debate on the Middle
East in
America will end. Introduced by Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., the
International Studies in Higher Education Act is supported by the
American
Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation
League,
Kramer and Pipes.
Stanley Kurtz, a research fellow at the Hoover Institute and another
associate of Pipes and Kramer, was the primary witness at the hearings.
Basing his arguments on Kramer's latest book, Kurtz suggested that
Middle
East studies and other such areas tended to be anti-American and
anti-Israel.
Proponents of the bill advised that such Title VI programs (which
ensure
that public funds are not used to promote racial discrimination) at all
federally funded institutions be tightly monitored and controlled.
Indeed,
they proposed the creation of a seven-member committee made up of two
Senate appointees and two House appointees, with two of the remaining
three, chosen by the secretary of education, coming from federal
security
agencies.
The committee would have wide power and control over curriculum and
subject
matter, as well as faculty hiring...
ALSO SEE:
US CONGRESSMAN´S APPEAL ON BEHALF OF POLLARD
Israel National News, 8/12/04
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=67252
American Congressman and Democratic Whip Anthony D. Weiner,
representing
New York's Queens and Brooklyn boroughs, is requesting that the White
House
pardon jailed Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard.
"Mr. President, the time has come to free Jonathan Pollard. As he
celebrates his 50th birthday in jail, I respectfully urge you to grant
him
clemency and send him home to Israel," Rep. Weiner wrote in an August
7th
letter to US President George Bush.
The following are further excerpts from Mr. Weiner's letter:
"Today is Mr. Pollard's 50th birthday. This is the 19th year he has
celebrated his birthday in prison. No other person convicted of
espionage
on behalf of an United States ally has ever been imprisoned for so
long.
"Mr. Pollard has admitted he broke U.S. laws. He has expressed sorrow
for
what he did. Mr. Pollard cooperated fully with the investigation into
his
activities and he waived his right to a jury trial. He has served more
than
enough time for the crime of passing information to an ally.
"The life sentence which Jonathan Pollard is now serving is not a
reflection of the severity of the crimes he committed, but rather the
result of ineffective counsel...
-----
U.S. LOSES SUPPORT OF IRAQ SHI'ITE ALLIES
Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Reuters, 8/13/04
BAGHDAD - When the United States wanted a Shi'ite cleric to strengthen
the
credibility of the Iraqi Governing Council, it turned to Mohammed Bahr
al-Uloum, whose family was almost annihilated for opposing Saddam
Hussein.
Watching his hometown of Najaf come under U.S. bombardment to crush
Moqtada
al-Sadr and his followers, Uloum has lost faith in American intentions
toward Iraq and says millions of moderates like him, who welcomed last
year's invasion, now regard Washington as an enemy.
"The Americans have turned the holy city into a ghost town. They are
now
seen as full of hatred against Najaf and the Shi'ites. Nothing I know
of
will change this," the former president of the now defunct council said
on
Friday.
"I do not understand why America craves crisis. A peaceful solution to
the
confrontation with Moqtada could have been reached. We were hoping that
Prime Minister Iyad Allawi would lead the way, but he sided with
oppression."
Uloum has been one of the most outspoken critics of violence fuelled by
Sadr and his supporters, who have challenged the authority of elder
clerics
such as Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and Uloum himself.
The established clerical class has come under mounting criticism from
ordinary Shi'ites for remaining silent over the U.S. offensive,
especially
Sistani, who expressed sorrow at the events in Najaf but did not
condemn
the U.S. offensive...
ALSO SEE:
SOLDIERS USE ONLINE RESOURCES TO MAKE VOICES HEARD
Joseph L. Galloway, Knight Ridder, 8/11/04
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9374647.htm
WASHINGTON - Two young Army officers with time in Iraq are the brains
behind a new Web site called Operation Truth that will be launched
later
this month.
Former Capt. David Chasteen and 1st Lt. Paul Rieckhoff, who is still
serving in the Army National Guard, hope to "educate the American
public
about the truth of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from the
perspective of
the soldiers who have experienced them first-hand."
Toward that end they hope that their Web site, www.optruth.org, will
provide a forum for soldiers and Marines still serving in Iraq or just
returned, to tell their stories, post their digital photos and voice
their
complaints.
Chasteen, a native of Muncie, Ind., and Rieckhoff, a native of New York
City, said Operation Truth is a nonprofit soldiers advocacy
organization
and is nonpartisan, nonpolitical and not affiliated with any candidate.
But, like the soldiers they hope will post on their website, they have
more
than a few bones to pick with those in charge of the ongoing wars in
Iraq
and Afghanistan.
Rieckhoff told me, "This is just a big, big After Action Review. After
an
operation in the military we sit down and talk it over. What was good,
what
was bad and how do we fix what was bad. The only people who ought to be
afraid are those who have screwed up."
Both Chasteen, a chemical and biological war specialist, and Rieckhoff,
a
Guard infantry officer, served with the 3rd Infantry Division in the
attack
that took Baghdad early last year.
What they know is that today's all-volunteer military is made up of a
very
small part of America's population. Most Americans don't know anyone in
uniform and no one in their family has served in the last generation or
two.
"The dialogue between soldiers and the people they serve is gone, and
we
want to restart it," Rieckhoff said. "If the majority of Americans are
content to be protected and defended by a small minority of volunteer
soldiers then they need to pay attention to those soldiers and take
care of
them and their families."
Although it is nonpartisan, Operation Truth and the issues it wants to
debate before the American people are likely to cause the Bush
administration some heartburn. Their brochure says, "We intend to
publicize
how poorly planned policies and approaches have manifested themselves
as
problems on the front lines and back at home. We will act domestically
to
protect our troops and to aid them in their fight to protect us."
-----
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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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/15/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: ALL THE EARTH CONTAINS
* INCITEMENT WATCH: ‘OUR ENEMIES ARE ARABS/MUSLIMS’
* CAIR-HOUSTON: MEN CHARGED IN MOSQUE BOMBING
- CAIR-KY: New Group Looks at Islam in Kentucky
- CAIR-CAN: Let Muslim Women Keep Hijabs On (Gazette)
* IL: CONVERTS TO ISLAM TALK ABOUT THEIR CHOICE (News-Demo)
* THE RESTRAINT OF AMERICA'S MUSLIMS (Seattle Times)
- CA: Revoking the License to Hate (SF Chronicle)
- NY Muslim Sues CBS for Libel (Democrat & Chronicle)
- WA: Former Material Witness Faces Continued Scrutiny
- NY: Feds Deport Pakistani Immigrant (AP)
* MUSLIM ROOTS OF THE BLUES (San Francisco Chronicle)
- Jewish, Muslim, Christian Heritage in Spain (AJC)
- CAIR-AZ: Museum Shows Arab-American Contributions
* NADER DEFENDS ISRAEL 'PUPPETEER' COMMENTS (Jerusalem Post)
- Nader’s Letter to the ADL
* IRAQI-AMERICANS DEMAND U.S. PULLOUT (AP)
* MD: RIVER OF TEARS FOR DROWNED MUSLIM YOUTHS (Wash. Post)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: ALL THE EARTH CONTAINS
“If every person that has done injustice possessed all that the earth
contains, he would be willing to offer it in ransom to redeem himself
(on
Judgment Day)…But judgment will be passed on them in all equity, and
they
will not be wronged.”
The Holy Quran, 10:54
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: ‘OUR ENEMIES ARE ARABS/MUSLIMS’
MUSLIMS MUST MAKE A CHOICE TO STAY IN U.S.
Home News Tribune 08/14/04
http://www.thnt.com/thnt/story/0,21282,1026350,00.html
With so many reports of possible terrorist plots, and with charges
flying
back and forth between the presidential candidates as to who can best
protect us, I think we are losing sight of the constant: Our enemies
are
Arabs/Muslims.
They brought us 9/11, they have beheaded innocent civilians, and they
are
plotting against us, right here, right now. They, not George Bush or
John
Ashcroft, deserve your hatred and fear. Your local mosque, not
Republican
campaign headquarters, is where these plotters find support and
funding.
Their Dark Ages interpretation of Islam, not the Jews or Israel, is why
they hate us.
Each time a Muslim cleric is arrested, the community insists that he is
innocent. This has to stop. Muslim-Americans have to make a choice: You
are
Americans or you are Islamic barbarians. If you will not help law
enforcement rout out the terrorists in your midst, sooner or later you
will
not be allowed to stay here.
But, you say, this is not the American way. Arabs/Muslims should be
treated
the same as everyone else. No way. They are the threat -- not Poles, or
Italians, or Puerto Ricans.
If and when my people, Jews, fly planes into American buildings and
threaten further attacks, we should receive the same harsh treatment.
Abe Krieger
HIGHLAND PARK
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.)
Send letters to the editor to: letters@thnt.com (Include your name and
phone number.) COPY TO: phartman@thnt.com, cpaolino@thnt.com,
cair@cair-net.org
-----
SPRING MEN CHARGED IN MOSQUE BOMBING
Children saw man put a device inside a mailbox
ROBERT CROWE, Houston Chronicle, 8/14/04
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2735209
Two Spring men have been arrested and charged in the July Fourth
bombing of
a mailbox at a Spring mosque.
Jody David Ferguson, 31, and Arthur Menno Mann IV, 30, both of the 9500
block of Dundalk, are charged with possession of an illegal weapon, a
third-degree felony. Both men were arrested and charged last month.
Both
have been released on $5,000 bail each…
Authorities said the men used a "dry ice bomb" to destroy the mailbox
at
the mosque.
No one was injured. Children playing outside the mosque saw a man place
a
device in the mailbox and saw a license plate of a car in which he and
another man drove away...
Najat Elsayed of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Houston
said
the incident should be taken very seriously.
"Regardless if (the bomb) was simple and easy to make, there's rules
and
regulations," she said. "We're in an environment today that doesn't
allow
anybody to play games with such things."
On June 18, the day an American engineer Paul Johnson was beheaded in
Saudi
Arabia, a package of headless fish was left near the mosque's entrance.
---
NEW GROUP LOOKS AT ISLAM IN KENTUCKY
HERALD-LEADER, 8/14/04
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/living/religion/9388995.htm
A kick-off meeting for the newly formed Lexington chapter of the
Council on
American-Islamic Relations in Kentucky will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Aug.
21
at the Radisson Plaza Hotel, 369 West Vine Street.
"The reason why we decided to open in Lexington is because there has
been a
growing Muslim population in Kentucky," chairman Abdul Quayyum said.
"With
everything going on, we wanted to project a more positive image of
Islam."
The purpose of the organization is to promote religious tolerance,
sensitivity training for police and a better understanding of Islam;
participate and initiate local community activities; and fight against
Muslim discrimination.
"We also want to ensure that people understand that we are a part of
this
society," Quayyum said. "We are American Muslims."
For more information, call Quayyum at (859) 221-9081 or visit
www.cairky.org.
---
LET MUSLIM WOMEN KEEP HIJABS ON
ALAN HUSTAK, The Gazette, 8/14/04
http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=acebec1e-a
395-4dea-b0b9-4569624548b1
Prime Minister Paul Martin doesn't want Muslim women arriving at Pierre
Trudeau International Airport in Dorval to be required to remove their
headscarves as they pass through security.
Four Muslim women complained this summer after they were told to take
off
their hijabs so pictures of them could be taken for their
permanent-residency cards.
Martin wants the practice stopped, saying an Islamic woman's right to
wear
the hijab must be respected.
Immigration is in part a Quebec jurisdiction, however, and it remains
to be
seen whether his instructions will be carried out.
Immigration Quebec was not available for comment yesterday.
In each of the four cases, Quebec immigration officials at the airport
insisted the hijab had to come off so all facial features could be
seen.
The Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations accused the
immigration
authorities of being overzealous.
The prime minister agreed.
In a July 23 letter to the council, Martin said allowances should be
made
for "practitioners of religious faiths that prohibit the removal of
head
coverings. Immigration Canada does not require the head covering to be
completely removed, but for security purposes, all facial features must
be
visible for the photographs."
Ears and hair are not considered facial features.
According to Islamic belief, the hijab is removed only among family and
other women; being seen without it in a photograph violates that rule.
"There have always been isolated instances, but nothing in a similar
pattern," Riad Saloojee, the council's executive director, said
yesterday.
"The string of cases was troublesome. We have not had any complaints
from
any other airport in Canada but Trudeau…"
-----
PEORIA CONVERTS TO ISLAM TALK ABOUT THEIR NEW CHOICE
MICHAEL MILLER, Belleville News-Democrat, 8/15/04
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/state/9406549.htm
PEORIA - Islam's reputation took a hit in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Spokesmen spent hours defending the faith against claims that it was a
violent religion. Concerns were raised that Muslims would be attacked
here
out of a sense of revenge.
But out of sight of the media, some life-changing decisions were being
made. People were converting to Islam in spite of attacks -- or
possibly
because of all the attention given to the faith in their wake.
Dustin Boggs, for instance, had long had some "serious, fundamental
questions" about certain teachings of Christianity.
"I couldn't find any satisfactory answers to these questions (about)
the
Trinity, original sin, where certain holiday traditions come from," the
self-employed construction worker said.
"You are taught these things and accept them, and that's it. I wasn't
really satisfied," he explained.
After listening to a conversation between a Christian and a Muslim in
2002,
his interest in Islam was piqued.
He began checking out books on Islam from a library, something which
was
noticed by a Muslim librarian. The man offered him literature on the
faith
and invited him to visit the Islamic Center of Peoria.
Now known as Ahmed Shafeeq, the Peoria man converted to Islam by the
end of
2002, joining nearly a dozen other Peoria residents who have embraced
the
religion since the 2001 attacks.
Dr. Muhammad F. "Fayaz" Malik, spokesman for Peoria's Islamic
organizations, said many of the converts had already been studying
Islam.
"Some people who might have been straddling the fence made a choice,"
Malik
said.
National Islamic organizations and analysts said there is a lot of
anecdotal evidence of increased conversions, but no hard statistics…
-----
THE RESTRAINT OF AMERICA'S MUSLIMS
Tom Plate, Seattle Times, 8/15/04
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002004787_broder15.html
LOS ANGELES — If I were an American Muslim, I might be getting a little
angry.
Just listen to this: "Islam is like a virus, it affects the mind. It is
a
cancer that destroys the body it infects. The Koran is simply the
'software' for producing deviant cancer-cell political behavior and
violence in human beings. No doctor would hesitate to eliminate cancer
cells from the body."
Those are the considered views of one of the two authors of the
anti-Kerry
book: "Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John
Kerry."
Or how about this? In a Florida high school earlier this month, a
15-year-old Muslim girl, her account backed up in writing by at least
four
non-Muslim students in her history class, complained to authorities
that
the teacher made fun of her last name as sounding like Saddam Hussein's
and
said all Muslims were suicidal terrorists who must kill at least one
American. (The Florida office of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
has lodged a formal complaint that the school is investigating.)
And who can ever forget (answer: perhaps our commander-in-chief) the
remarks of U.S. Army Lt. Gen. William Boykin, who publicly called the
war
on terrorism a battle with "Satan," claimed America had been targeted
"because we're a Christian nation," and condemned Allah as "an idol,"
compared to the "real God," Christ.
If you were Islamic, mightn't you get a little hot under the collar?
What's therefore astonishing is the restraint of America's Muslims.
There
are more than 5 million of them, about two-thirds clustered in 10
states.
But while Jewish-American groups have long had a profound impact on
U.S.
politics, Muslim Americans have not yet.
That may be changing. In the 2000 presidential election, many
registered
Muslim Americans voted for Republican George Bush. They responded
warmly to
his emphasis on conservative family values, and his outspoken
opposition to
detaining any American citizen, including Muslims, without proper
safeguards. But with the widely publicized brutal treatment of detained
Muslims in Iraq, the rise of the U.S. Patriot Act, Republican support
for
even tougher such legislation, and the failure to discipline Boykin,
Muslims have begun to worry that the Christian Bush's praise for Islam
as a
"religion of peace" may be lip service at best.
One poll showed Bush's 83-percent 2001 favorable rating among Muslims
to
have been cut at least in half; another poll of Arab-American voters in
four key electoral states (Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania)
placed
the president's approval rating at about 30 percent; a recent poll by
the
Council on American-Islamic Relations revealed Muslims much less
inclined
to vote for Bush than Kerry, about whom, however, they were so far
anything
but enthused…
UCLA professor Tom Plate, a member of the Pacific Council on
International
Policy, is the founder of the Asia Pacific Media Network
(www.asiamedia.ucla.edu).
SEE ALSO:
REVOKING THE LICENSE TO HATE
Jess Ghannam, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/13/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/08/13
/EDGSV86DR11.DTL
It has become fashionable to hate in America. Even in cities known for
their liberal and progressive views, hate speech is promoted and
supported
in the media. Bellicose rhetoric streams out of Washington on a daily
basis, proclaiming that "we are engaged in a war on terror" and that
"our
safety as Americans is in danger."
The targets of these rants are Arabs and Muslims, wherever we live,
work
and worship. Culturally we are consumed by the "war on terror" and its
foreign and domestic manifestations. On the international scene, there
are
the massive assaults and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, as well
as
political provocations toward Syria, Iran and Palestinians. On the
domestic
front, we have the Patriot Act, with its secret detentions, profiling
of
Arab Americans and Muslims and the aggressive activities of the FBI.
Our cultural climate has created skewed political and civic spaces: On
the
one hand, the space for dissent and opposition is shrinking, while the
space to hate the "other" is expanding. The ease with which it is
permissible to hate in America is expansive, and it is having a
chilling
effect on many basic constitutional freedoms -- for example, the
freedom to
speak, the freedom to offer dissent and the freedom to be different.
Equally distressing is that it has become one's civic duty to readily
take
on this discourse -- it has become patriotic to hate. Radio talk-shows
are
replete with such comments as "We should bomb the Middle East and then
American will be safe" and "These Arabs should just go back to where
they
came from." Arab Americans and Muslims are under siege in the United
States. We live in a prison, the prison of being the "other," the
targets
of hate. This prison has reduced the space within which we are able to
freely exercise our constitutional rights to be different, to voice
dissent
and to have an identity that is rooted in our ethnic, linguistic and
religious histories.
Here are a few examples of what it is like for Arab Americans and
Muslims
today:
-- A former San Francisco cabdriver, Balbir Singh Sodhi, who wore a
turban
but was neither an Arab nor Muslim, was shot to death in Arizona
because he
"looked Middle Eastern."
-- A young man named Ahmed, when asked for his name during a casual
social
event, answers with "Tony" for fear of being known as a Muslim.
-- A woman wearing a hijab is harassed by neighbors in the East Bay for
being "the daughter of Osama bin Laden."
It may surprise some people that two of these examples occurred in the
Bay
Area, our great liberal bastion of openness, tolerance and diversity.
Far
from being such a place, the Bay Area has become a haven for
state-encouraged hate against my community and most communities of
color.
Watching and reading the major media have become intolerable. Day after
day, night after night, "terrorism experts" speak about how "Arabs only
understand force" and how "Islam is a religion that teaches hate."
---
LOCAL MAN SUES CBS FOR LIBEL
News show misidentifies him as a former terrorism suspect.
Steve Orr, Democrat & Chronicle, 8/14/04
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/news/0814KA57RBM_news.shtml
(August 14, 2004) — A Pittsford software consultant filed suit against
CBS
News on Friday, claiming the network defamed him by mistakenly airing
his
photograph in place of that of a former terrorism detainee.
Asif Iqbal, 31, has frequently been confused with a 22-year-old British
resident with the same name who was detained as a terrorist suspect at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, until earlier this year.
The CBS Evening News aired its story about Guantanamo detainees on Aug.
4.
The Pittsford Iqbal's photo appeared shortly after a CBS correspondent
mentioned one detainee who had threatened to kill Americans if
released.
“I was absolutely freaked out. I didn't sleep at all that night,” Iqbal
said at a news conference Friday morning. “I think it was very
irresponsible behavior on the part of CBS.” He said he has canceled his
travel plans since then and largely stayed at home, for fear someone
who
saw the broadcast would think he was the one-time terrorist suspect.
---
FORMER MATERIAL WITNESS IN TERROR CASE FEARS HE FACES CONTINUED
SCRUTINY
Noel S. Brady, King County Journal, 8/15/04
http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/170810
He saw it coming.
When hijacked airline jets destroyed the World Trade Center, Abdullah
Al-Kidd knew his life would never be the same.
The former Lindbergh High School football star, who converted to Islam,
would find himself in jail for 15 days as a material witness accused of
aiding terrorists.
Now released from travel restrictions, Al-Kidd is angry and unsure if
he'll
ever be free of the post-9/11 dragnet.
FBI agents ``said I spoke well of the (terrorist) organizations,'' he
said,
``but in fact what I said was the exact opposite. It's part of my
religion
to kill that evil.''
Al-Kidd predicted that the attacks launched on Sept. 11, 2001, weren't
on
the United States alone, but would also land on American Muslims.
A year and a half later, in March 2003, FBI agents arrested him outside
Washington, D.C., as he was about to board a plane for Saudi Arabia. He
was
held as a material witness in a terrorism case against a man he
attended
college with at the University of Idaho.
After 16 days of jail and more than a year of suspicion and travel
restrictions, Al-Kidd, who's known in his hometown of Renton as Lavoni
T.
Kidd, was cleared by a federal judge in June.
But he's still looking over his shoulder.
``They did a lot of lying to me,'' Al-Kidd, 31, said at home in Las
Vegas
recently about the federal agents who accused him. ``To me, the means
didn't justify the ends.
``The picture they painted of me is not a clear picture, it's not an
honest
picture,'' he said. ``In fact, the things that I said should keep me
out of
the radar.''
With no official travel restrictions, Al-Kidd is now trying to get back
on
track in his studies, his work and his personal life. However, he
doesn't
know what level of scrutiny awaits him when he decides to travel again…
---
FEDERAL OFFICIALS DEPORT PAKISTANI IMMIGRANT
Associated Press, 8/14/04
http://www.theithacajournal.com/news/stories/20040814/localnews/1046903.html
HUDSON (AP) -- A Pakistani immigrant who was detained after the 2001
terrorist attacks for taking pictures of an Upstate New York reservoir
has
been deported after losing a fight to stay in the country.
Customs and immigration officials Thursday escorted Ansar Mahmood, 27,
out
of the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia where he was flown
back
to Pakistan.
The former pizza deliveryman was questioned by police about a month
after
the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks after snapping photos of a reservoir in his
adopted hometown of Hudson, N.Y.
No terror-related charges were filed against Mahmood, but investigators
discovered that he co-signed an apartment lease and registered a car
for an
area Pakistani couple with expired visas. He was convicted in January
2002
of illegally harboring aliens and later ordered deported to Pakistan.
Last month, Federal officials denied Mahmood's request to defer a
removal
order.
Mahmood's fight to remain in the United States garnered support from
many
of his neighbors who felt he was unfairly targeted because he was from
Pakistan. Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton
were
among the congressional members who lent support…
-----
MUSLIM ROOTS OF THE BLUES
Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/15/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/08/15/INGMC85SSK1.DTL
Sylviane Diouf knows her audience might be skeptical, so to demonstrate
the
connection between Islam and American blues music, she'll play two
recordings: The Muslim call to prayer (the religious recitation that's
heard from mosques around the world), and "Levee Camp Holler" an early
type
of blues song that first sprang up in the Mississippi Delta more than
100
years ago.
"Levee Camp Holler" is no ordinary song. It's the product of ex-slaves
who
worked moving earth all day in post-Civil War America. The version that
Diouf uses in presentations has lyrics that, like the call to prayer,
speak
about a glorious God. ("Well, Lord, I woke up this mornin', man, I
feelin'
bad . . . Well, I was thinkin' 'bout the good times, Lord, I once have
had.") But it's the song's melody and note changes that closely
parallel
one of Islam's best-known refrains. As in the call to prayer, "Levee
Camp
Holler" emphasizes words that seem to quiver and shake in the reciter's
vocal chords. Dramatic changes in musical scales punctuate both "Levee
Camp
Holler" and the call to prayer. A nasal intonation is evident in both.
"I did a talk a few years ago at Harvard where I played those two
things,
and the room absolutely exploded in clapping, because (the connection)
was
obvious," says Diouf, an author and scholar who is also a researcher at
New
York's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. "People were
saying,
'Wow. That's really audible. It's really there.' "
It's really there because of all the Muslim slaves from West Africa who
were taken by force to the United States for three centuries, from the
1600s to the mid-1800s. Upward of 30 percent of the African slaves in
the
United States were Muslim, and an untold number of them spoke and wrote
Arabic, historians say now. Despite being pressured by slave owners to
adopt Christianity and give up their old ways, many of these slaves
continued to practice their religion and customs, or otherwise melded
traditions from Africa into their new environment in the antebellum
South.
Forced to do menial, back-breaking work on plantations, for example,
they
still managed, throughout their days, to voice a belief in the God of
the
Quran. These slaves' practices eventually evolved -- decades and
decades
later, parallel with different singing traditions from Africa -- into
the
shouts and hollers that begat blues music, historians believe.
Another way that Muslim slaves had an indirect influence on blues
music:
the instruments they played. Drumming (which was common among slaves
from
the Congo and other non-Muslim regions of Africa) was banned by white
slave
owners, who felt threatened by its ability to let slaves communicate
with
each other and by the way it inspired large gatherings of slaves.
Stringed
instruments (which were favored by slaves from Muslim regions of
Africa,
where there's a long tradition of musical storytelling) were generally
allowed because slave owners considered them akin to European
instruments
like the violin. So slaves who managed to cobble together a banjo or
other
instrument (the American banjo originated with African slaves) could
play
more widely in public. This solo- oriented slave music featured
elements of
an Arabic-Islamic song style that had been imprinted by centuries of
Islam's presence in West Africa, says Gerhard Kubik, an ethnomusicology
professor at the University of Mainz in Germany who has written the
most
comprehensive book on Africa's connection to blues music ("Africa and
the
Blues").
An influence on the blues
Kubik believes that many of today's blues singers unconsciously echo
these
Arabic-Islamic patterns in their music…
SEE ALSO:
JEWISH, MUSLIM, CHRISTIAN HERITAGE IN SPAIN EXPLORED
MARY M. BYRNE, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/14/04
http://www.ajc.com/saturday/content/epaper/editions/saturday/faith_values_14
d19512e3d0a1980050.html
"It's really not so much about where you go," says Plemon El-Amin, imam
of
the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam. "It's who you go with."
This summer, 32 Atlantans took a 10-day journey together through
Andalusia
--- the region of southern Spain that includes Grenada, Seville and
Toledo
--- and to Morocco, to see remnants of a distinctive way of life that
once
flourished there.
And in planning the trip, called "Interfaith Pathways to Peace," the
Atlantans took their cues from the ancients.
While Europe --- as many scholars say --- languished in the Dark Ages,
Muslims, Jews and Christians in Al-Andalus together formed an intricate
social fabric. From 711 to 1492 A.D., the people of Al-Andalus had a
closely entwined, occasionally clashing, and culturally fruitful
collaboration.
This summer's trip was a deliberate effort to re-create a modern-day
version of this interfaith culture, or "convivencia."
Gilbert Friend-Jones, pastor of Central Congregational United Church of
Christ and trip organizer, carefully fashioned the group to include
members
of each religion. He had hoped for equal representation, but the final
roster included seven Muslims, 13 Jews and 13 Christians, ranging in
age
from 13 to 88 and including one pilgrim from New Jersey. Some traveled
on a
partial subsidy to offset the $3,000 price tag.
El-Amin was one of the group's three spiritual leaders, which also
included
Rabbi Analia Bortz of Congregation Or Hadash in Sandy Springs and
Friend-Jones…
Jamillah Karim, a member of the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam, will soon
begin
her first year as a professor of Islamic studies at Spelman College.
For
her, witnessing the remains of a fertile civilization set in motion by
Muslims was a powerful encounter.
But the end of that era was on stark display too. After the expulsion
of
Jews and Muslims from Spain, Christians turned the mosques and
synagogues
into churches and cathedrals.
---
MESA SOUTHWEST MUSEUM SHOWS ARAB AMERICAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO AZ
http://www.mesasouthwestmuseum.com
Mesa Southwest Museum Shows Arab American Contributions to Arizona
The Mesa Southwest Museum will present an exhibition this fall that
focuses
upon the history and cultural contributions of Arab Americans in
Arizona.
The exhibition, which will open October 9, will explore the migrations
of
Arabic-speaking peoples to Arizona since the latter part of the 19th
century including a number of high-profile families whose names will
sound
familiar to current Arizona residents.
It will examine why different nationalities from the Middle East chose
to
come to Arizona, whether they were seeking new opportunities or
escaping
hardships in their native lands.
The exhibition will explain the diversity of various Arab American
communities in central Arizona, their religious beliefs, social
customs,
dress, language, music, family structure, and traditions of
hospitality,
and how such elements have influenced their assimilation into American
society. The exhibition will present costumes, musical instruments,
calligraphy, jewelry, metalwork and historical items to document the
Arab
American experience in Arizona, and the considerable economic and
cultural
contributions the groups have made here.
To create the exhibition, the museum has embarked upon an ambitious
program
of collaborations, working with the Middle East Studies Association and
the
Center for Middle Eastern Studies of the University of Arizona, the
Islamic
Community Center of Tempe, the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
the
Arab American Cultural Association, the Muslim Voice Newspaper and The
Bead
Museum in Glendale.
"It is the obligation of museums to educate the public about Arizona's
diverse peoples and cultures," said Mesa Southwest Museum director
Thomas
H. Wilson. "As it has with Native American subjects and currently with
Chicano art, the Mesa Southwest Museum will explore the history and
contributions of a significant cultural group within our state, the
Arab
Americans. The museum is honored to collaborate with prominent Arab
American families and businesses in the valley, such as Basha, Coury,
Habeeb, Saba and Tibshraeny, to bring this project to fruition."
The Arizona Humanities Council is supporting educational programs
accompanying the exhibition, which will run through March 6, 2005.
For additional museum information, visit
http://www.mesasouthwestmuseum.com
-----
NADER DEFENDS ISRAEL 'PUPPETEER' COMMENTS
JANINE ZACHARIA, Jerusalem Post, 8/12/04
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid
=1092280019381
WASHINGTON - Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader stood by
his
characterization of the White House and Congress as "puppets" of the
Israeli government, in a letter sent to Anti-Defamation League national
director Abraham Foxman this week.
In early July, after Nader made the "puppet" comment, Foxman and
Barbara
Balser, ADL's national chairman, wrote to Nader, saying, "the image of
the
Jewish State as a 'puppeteer,' controlling the powerful US Congress
feeds
into many age-old stereotypes which have no place in legitimate public
discourse."
In a three-page letter dated August 5, Nader responded to Foxman by
noting,
"The Israelis have a joke for the obvious – that the United States is
the
second state of Israel." "How often, if ever, has the United States –
either the Congress of the White House – pursued a course of action,
since
1956, that contradicted the Israeli government's position?"…
SEE ALSO:
NADER WRITES TO THE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE
http://www.votenader.org/why_ralph/index.php?cid=119
The letter below to the Anti-Defamation League describes Ralph Nader’s
position on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by highlighting the voice
for
peace that he would emphasize when working toward a peaceful resolution
of
the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
August 5, 2004
Abraham H. Foxman
National Director
Anti-Defamation League
823 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Dear Mr. Foxman:
How nice to hear your views. Years ago, fresh out of law school, I was
reading your clear writings against bigotry and discrimination. Your
charter has always been to advance civil liberties and free speech in
our
country by and for all ethnic and religious groups. These days all
freedom-loving people have much work to do.
As you know there is far more freedom in the media, in town squares and
among citizens, soldiers, elected representatives and academicians in
Israel to debate and discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than
there is
in the United States. Israelis of all backgrounds have made this point.
Do you agree and if so, what is your explanation for such a difference?
About half of the Israeli people over the years have disagreed with the
present Israeli government’s policies toward the Palestinian people.
Included in this number is the broad and deep Israeli peace movement
which
mobilized about 120,000 people in a Tel Aviv square recently.
Do you agree with their policies and strategy for a peaceful settlement
between Israelis and Palestinians? Or do you agree with the House
Resolution 460 in Congress signed by 407 members of the House to
support
the Prime Minister’s proposal? See attachment re the omission of any
reference to a viable Palestinian state – generally considered by both
Israelis and Palestinians, including those who have worked out accords
together, to be a sine qua non for a settlement of this resolvable
conflict
– a point supported by over two-thirds of Americans of the Jewish
faith.
Would such a reasonable resolution ever pass the Congress? For more
information on the growing pro-peace movements among the American
Jewish
Community see: Ester Kaplan, “The Jewish Divide on Israel,” The Nation,
June 24, 2004.
Enclosed is the “Courage to Refuse – Combatant’s Letter” signed by
hundreds
of reserve combat officials and soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces.
It
is posted on their web at: www.seruv.org.il/defaulteng.asp . One
highlight
of their statement needs careful consideration: “We shall not continue
to
fight beyond the 1967 borders in order to dominate, expel, starve and
humiliate an entire people. We hereby declare that we shall continue
serving in the Israel Defense Forces in any mission that serves
Israel’s
defense. The missions of occupation and oppression do not serve this
purpose – and we shall take no part in them” (Emphasis in original). Do
you
agree with these patriotic, front line soldiers’ observation that
Israel is
dominating, expelling, starving and humiliating an entire people – the
Palestinian people – and that in their words “the Territories are not
Israel?”
What is your view of Rabbi Lerner’s Tikkun’s call for peace, along with
the
proposals of Jewish Voice for Peace, the Progressive Jewish Alliance
and
Americans for Peace Now? As between the present Israeli government’s
position on this conflict and the position of these groups, which do
you
favor and why?
Do you share the views in the open letter signed by 400 rabbis,
including
leaders of some of the largest congregations in our country, sent this
March by Rabbis for Human Rights of North America to Ariel Sharon
protesting Israel’s house-demolition policy?
Have you ever disagreed with the Israeli government’s treatment of the
Palestinian people in any way, shape or manner in the occupied
territories?
Do you think that these Semitic peoples have ever suffered from bigotry
and
devastation by their occupiers in the occupied West Bank, Gaza or
inside
Israel? If you want a reference here, check the website of the great
Israeli human rights group B’T selem.
Since you are a man of many opinions, with a specialty focused on the
Semitic peoples, explain the United States’ support over the decades of
authoritarian or dictatorial regimes, in the greater Middle East, over
their own people which is fomenting resistance by fundamentalists.
These questions have all occurred to you years ago, no doubt. So it
would
be helpful to receive your views…
-----
IRAQI-AMERICANS DEMAND U.S. PULLOUT FROM HOMELAND
Jim Irwin, Associated Press, 8/13/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/metro/0408/13/-241938.htm
DEARBORN -- Chanting “Get out of Najaf, get out of Iraq,”
Iraqi-Americans
assembled Friday to protest fighting in the Islamic holy city and
demand
sooner-than-scheduled elections in their native country.
“Stop the guns from talking and let’s negotiate!” Imam Husham
Al-Husainy,
leader of the Karbalaa Islamic Educational Center, shouted through a
bullhorn while leading 50 men and boys as young as 5 in the peaceable,
hour-long demonstration.
Some held hand-lettered signs that read, “Occupation is not liberation”
and
“No puppet government in Iraq.” A handful of black-clad women stood
silently off to one side of the demonstrators outside the Shiite
mosque.
Al-Husainy led chants that alternated between English and Arabic,
offered
prayers for peace in Iraq and called for elections ahead of the Dec.
31,
2005 target date.
The cleric, who strongly supported the U.S. invasion of Saddam
Hussein’s
Iraq, also spoke directly to President Bush: “You are abusing the
democratic values of America. Where are the elections you promised us?
...
If you can’t bring peace and democracy to Iraq, then you don’t deserve
to
be re-elected…”
SEE ALSO:
IRAQIS SAY SOLDIERS ROB THEM
RAY SÁNCHEZ, Newsday, 8/15/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-woarmy133930543aug15,0,1378
679.story
BAGHDAD, Iraq - On a scorching July night last year, the Abdullatif
family
was sleeping on the flat roof of their modest house to escape the heat.
An
explosion jolted them awake. U.S. troops on a counterinsurgency raid
had
blown open the front door. Military helicopters swooped down, so close
they
seemed almost to land on the roof.
U.S. troops armed with M-16s arrested Omar Abdullatif, then 17, his two
brothers and their 63-year-old father, who suffers from dementia, as
suspected terrorists.
As the troops searched the house, in Baghdad's al-Alam neighborhood,
they
broke open the locked, wooden chest in the parents' bedroom that held
the
family's savings, the Abdullatifs said.
Omar Abdullatif said he saw U.S. soldiers stuff several gold bracelets,
necklaces, rings and about $3,500 in Iraqi dinars, into pockets
underneath
their body armor.
Like most Iraqis arrested by U.S. troops, the Abdullatifs ultimately
were
released and given a U.S. military document saying there were no
charges
against them. But they never recovered their cash and jewelry.
Early this month, Omar's mother, Razqya Hasan, 52, trekked to Iraq's
Human
Rights ministry. The ministry's guards would not let her in, telling
her
the agency had no authority over U.S. troops and that she would have to
make her complaint elsewhere.
"I hate America for this," Hasan said shortly afterward as she served
an
American visitor a lunch of steamed rice, pickled vegetables and Iraqi
bread. In U.S.-occupied Iraq, "It doesn't matter if you're innocent or
not," she said.
The Abdullatifs are an example of what appears to be a widespread
problem
that U.S. military authorities have yet to address: alleged theft by
U.S.
troops, notably during night- time anti-guerrilla raids. For months,
ordinary Iraqis have complained - to human rights monitors, Iraqi
officials
and journalists - about such thefts...
-----
RIVER OF TEARS
One day Fahad Huque was at home -- vibrant and cherished. The next he
was a
vanished hero, and his family's vigil had begun
Reshma Memon Yaqub, Washington Post, 8/15/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54719-2004Aug10.html
We've all stood on the banks of the Potomac River, taking in its
grandeur,
its jutting landscape, its unforgiving current. And not often, but
sometimes, the river takes in one of us. Seduces us right from its
banks,
and swallows us whole:
Two local college students are scaling rocks on a Wednesday afternoon
study
break, thinking about anything but the final exams looming ahead. The
first, Amer Chaudry, 20, slips, bounces down 30 feet of rocks and falls
into the water. The second, Fahad Huque, 24, jumps in to save him. Two
of
their friends watch from above, stricken, frantically dialing their
cell
phones, which flash "No Service." It is 5:15 p.m. on April 28. Soon,
across
town, two phones will ring. Two families will learn that a river has
claimed one of their children.
Fahad's brother Farhan, 25, gets the first call, cell phone to cell
phone.
But he misses it, and the next 29 calls, too; he has left his cell
phone in
his car while he is at the gym. When he finally gets the messages, it
is 7
p.m. Farhan doesn't immediately call the rest of the family. He just
drives, fast, to Canal Cut, the heavily wooded area of the Virginia
shoreline where his little brother -- the one everyone mistakes for his
twin -- stood on solid ground less than two hours ago.
Rescue workers are long into their search when he gets there.
Authorities
actually saw Fahad enter the water -- by chance, a Fairfax County Fire
and
Rescue boat was about a mile away, on a training mission. Fahad had
even
been waving to it shortly before Amer fell in. The boat was close, but
not
close enough.
Farhan immediately joins the search. He plans to retrieve his baby
brother,
who will surely be wet and shaken up, and bring him home to their
parents'
house in Rockville for a toast to Fahad's bravery, and a stern lecture
on
safety. The sun begins its descent, and the rescue mission is called
off
before Farhan musters the courage to call his family and tell them that
something is unimaginably wrong. At home -- an end-unit townhouse a few
blocks from Montgomery College -- Fahad's sister, Sobia, 21, is
upstairs
checking her e-mail, and his mother, Sayeeda, 49, has just eaten the
first
bite of her dinner of chicken, rice and lentils. Both are enjoying the
last
few minutes of peace that they might ever know. It is 8:25 p.m…
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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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http://mail2web.com/ .
In the Name Of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/16/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: A GARMENT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
* INCITEMENT WATCH: ANN COULTER IMAGINES BEING MUSLIM
* BOTH PARTIES COURTING OHIO MUSLIMS (Cincinnati Enquirer)
- Nader Offers Platform for Muslims (The Times)
- Israel, the Ultimate Swing State? (AP)
- CAIR Election Update #16
* CANADA: EQUALITY IN THE MOSQUES (National Post)
* SC: PROFESSOR IS LIAISON FOR SOMALI REFUGEES (The State)
* JEWISH EXTREMISTS PLOTTING VIOLENCE (Fox)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: A GARMENT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
"O children of Adam! Indeed, We have bestowed upon you garments to
cover
your nakedness and as a thing of beauty. But righteousness is the best
garment of all. Herein lies a message from God, so that man might take
it
to heart."
The Holy Quran, 7:26
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: ANN COULTER IMAGINES BEING MUSLIM
THE BLONDE ASSASSIN
SHOLTO BYRNES, The Independent (London), 8/16/04
http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/story.jsp?story=551959
"I ask [Ann Coulter] to imagine what she would feel if she had been
brought
up a Muslim. 'In that case, I would like a steak knife, please, so I
can
cut your throat and disembowel you. And then I shall kill all the
Jews!'"
SEE ALSO: http://www.anncoulter.com/
-----
BOTH PARTIES ARE COURTING OHIO MUSLIMS
Carl Weiser, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/16/04
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/08/16/loc_col1weiser.html
WASHINGTON - Could the ultimate swing vote in the ultimate swing state
turn
out to be...Muslims?
The latest group working in Ohio to support Democrat John Kerry is
Muslims
for Kerry-Edwards. They launched their Web site,
www.muslimsforkerry.com,
last week.
The Bush campaign is not conceding the Muslim vote in Ohio. There's a
rival
Web site, www.muslimsforbush.com, touting the president.
"President Bush is very proud of his record of appointing more Arab-
and
Muslim-Americans to senior positions than any president in U.S.
history,"
said Bush campaign spokesman Kevin Madden.
And immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks, Bush spoke out in defense
of
Islam and Arabs, and asked Americans not to harm either group, Madden
said.
But the Muslim-Democrat group thinks it has the edge.
"I can't think of any other group that has been as adversely affected
in
the last four years as the Muslim community," said Nabeel Yousef of
Upper
Arlington, spokesman for the national group.
Every group this year claims to be the key swing group. But Muslims
have
two statistics on their side: They vote, and polls show there's been an
extraordinary switch in allegiance since 2000.
While 78 percent of Muslims voted for President Bush in 2000 - they
liked
his conservative stance on values - polls now generally show his
support
among Muslims hovers near single digits.
No one knows how many Muslims there are in the United States. Ohio is
home
to an estimated 150,000 - a bloc big enough and angry enough to swing
Ohio,
Yousef said. Bush won Ohio by 165,000 votes in 2000.
Cincinnati's chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has
been
registering voters outside mosques after Friday prayers.
"We are trying to make it easy for Americans of the Muslim faith to get
involved," said Karen Dabdoub, executive director of the local
chapter...
SEE ALSO:
NADER OFFERS PLATFORM FOR EMBATTLED MUSLIMS
Nicholas Wapshott, The Times (London), 8/16/04
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1218164,00.html
Five days after the attacks of September 11, 2001, President Bush made
a
remark that sent a chill through America's six million Muslims. "This
crusade, this war on terrorism, is going to take a while," he declared.
The following day, after the State Department was besieged by anguished
calls, the President made amends. "The face of terror is not the true
faith
of Islam," he said. "That's not what Islam is all about."
Since then the Government has been careful to distinguish between the
creed
of hatred espoused by al-Qaeda and the benign religion of peace-loving
Muslims. However, there remains a widespread suspicion of Muslims in
America, a wave of misgiving that is about to be given a boost by
Kingdom
of Heaven, a new film by the British film-maker Ridley Scott, the
director
of Blade Runner.
Kingdom of Heaven tells of the bloody war to drive out Christian forces
occupying Jerusalem waged by a young Arab, played by Orlando Bloom; the
parallels with the American occupation of Iraq are hard to avoid…
Despite the President's insistence that Muslims should not be treated
differently to other Americans, the search for terrorists within the
United
States has been directed at them. Muslims complain of being unfairly
discriminated against by government officials and airport screeners
simply
because of their appearance or because they have Muslim-sounding names.
Their anxiety has been fuelled by a series of recent events. In July it
was
revealed that the Census Bureau has supplied the Department of Homeland
Security with the location and national origin of all Arab-Americans,
sensitive information that the department claims, bizarrely, is needed
to
provide more Arab-language signs at airports.
While the Administration appears to be genuinely concerned not to
invite
public hostility towards Muslims, the same cannot be said of many of
the
President's most ardent supporters. Jerome R. Corsi, co-author of Unfit
for
Command, which challenges the accuracy of John Kerry's military record,
has
been accused of posting hateful anti-Muslim slurs on the internet…
While it is hard to distinguish much difference in their attitude
towards
Israel and Islam of either the President, who is strongly pro-Israel,
or
John Kerry, whose grandfather was Jewish, there is a ready alternative
for
Muslims in the third-party candidate Ralph Nader. Although not a
Muslim, Mr
Nader, who is of Lebanese-Christian descent, has backed three policies
that
Arab-Americans prefer: withdrawal from Iraq, the repeal of the Patriot
Act
and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The effect of Mr Nader attracting a large proportion of Muslim voters
may
make all the difference between whether Mr Bush or Mr Kerry wins in
November.
---
ISRAEL, THE ULTIMATE SWING STATE?
RANDALL RICHARD, Associated Press, 8/15/04
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/08/15/politics1215EDT0455.DTL
When decision time comes this fall, the real swing votes in the 2004
presidential election may not come from Pennsylvania, Ohio or even the
notorious Florida. The ultimate Bush-Kerry battleground may turn out to
be
somewhere more far-flung and unexpected -- Israel, Britain, even
Indonesia…
Although an official census has never been taken, between 4 million and
10
million American citizens are believed to be living abroad. Those over
18
are entitled to have their absentee votes counted in the state where
they
last lived -- no matter how long ago that was. And many are planning to
do
just that…
Overseas voters are considered particularly important this year. Polls
suggest razor-thin margins in several battleground states, and votes
coming
in from abroad -- a score here, a dozen there -- could well tip the
balance.
Contrary to widespread belief, it was more likely American voters in
Israel, not Florida, who put George W. Bush in the White House four
years
ago -- a phenomenon that has Kerry's supporters in Israel vowing to do
whatever it takes to make certain that doesn't happen again in
November.
Kerry's sister Diana speaks several languages and has been using them
all
in campaign swings throughout Europe. Sharon Manitta, spokeswoman for
the
group Democrats Abroad, said Kerry supporters have been active in
"overseas
outreach efforts" in Europe, Indonesia, Mexico and even Iran. In 2000,
the
organization had 30 overseas chapters; now it has a presence in 73
countries -- including an Iraq chapter called "Donkeys in the Desert."
Bush, too, has advocates chasing the overseas vote on his behalf,
according
to Ryan King, deputy director of Republicans Abroad, which has chapters
in
50 countries. Among those crossing the oceans for Bush this fall are
former
Vice President Dan Quayle and George P. Bush, son of the president's
brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush…
Those who doubt that Americans living abroad could tip the balance in
2004
might consider this: Various chads aside, Al Gore received 202 more
votes
than George W. Bush on Election Day 2000 in Florida. Only after all the
overseas votes were counted, including more than 12,000 from Israel
alone,
was Bush's election victory certified. The margin was 537 votes…
In 2000, according to King, Israel was one of the keys to Bush's
success.
No other foreign country's U.S. citizens contributed more to Bush's
narrow
Florida victory, he said.
Harvard Professor Gary King, co-compiler of a survey analyzing
Florida's
overseas vote in 2000, has no doubt that expatriate Americans gave Bush
his
victory four years ago. And while it's unclear whether the vote from
Israel
alone was enough to put Bush over the top, 185,000 U.S. citizens live
there
-- an undetermined number from Florida...
Republicans Abroad: www.republicansabroad.org
Democrats Abroad: www.democratsabroad.org
---
CAIR ELECTION UPDATE 316
http://www.cair-net.org/muslimvote2004/aug132004.asp
-----
EQUALITY IN THE MOSQUES
Shahina Siddiqui, National Post (Canada), 8/16/04
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/comment/story.html?id=cf80bfb3-1e4c-427e-b20b-6c6b40a3c569
When I first came to Canada as a young mother in 1976, I was surprised
to
see that in North America mosques -- or masjid as they care called in
Arabic -- were open to women just as they were during the time of
Prophet
Mohammed. The Prophet stated: "Do not prevent the female servants of
Allah
from attending mosques." Yet in Pakistan, from which I had come, women
generally do not frequent mosques.
But since that time, I have seen physical partitions going up in
mosques
across North America, and women have been relegated to separate
quarters
for congregational prayer, often far away from the main prayer halls. I
became a vocal opponent against this trend: Not only does it contradict
the
tradition of our Prophet, but it also poses potential social and
educational barriers for women that can lead to the spiritual, social
and
political exclusion of women from community life. In many mosques,
these
partitions have marginalized women from participating in policy
development
and decision-making…
Critics of women's efforts to increase female participation in mosques
allege our motive is to have women eventually take over the position of
prayer leader, or imam. This is incorrect: According to Islamic
tradition,
an imam -- whether for a mixed congregation or an all-male congregation
--
must be a man. Furthermore, there is no equivalent to the Christian
priesthood in Islam. Thus, any parallels being drawn with the current
campaign to appoint female priests -- or rabbis or ministers -- is
misleading.
Nor do activists such as myself suggest men rub shoulders with women
during
prayer service, for this would also violate our Prophet's tradition. We
do
not seek to upend the ritual aspects of Islam. Rather, leadership in
Islam
entails service, management, stewardship, accountability and
responsibility, and it is in this context that Muslim women are seeking
a role.
I am often told that by raising the issue of female participation in
mosque
life I am giving ammunition to those who want to bash Islam. The fact
is
that I and many others, both men and women, care because we have seen
the
negative effect this has had on our development as a cohesive
community. We
cannot afford to ignore the fact that a lack of women's involvement in
community affairs adversely affects our youth and makes us weak and
vulnerable…
-----
PROFESSOR IS LIAISON FOR SOMALI REFUGEES
JOHN C. DRAKE, Associated Press, 8/16/04
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/9414962.htm
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Crises of resettlement, big and small, stir Allen
University professor Garane Garane from bed each morning.
At 5:30 a.m. one recent morning, he awoke, as he has countless times
over
the past nine months, to the tune of his cell phone.
One of the Somali Bantu refugees, calling from his north Columbia
apartment, was on the other end of the line. The man had received a
disturbing call from a man in Somalia who claimed the refugee's father
was
very sick and needed money.
The Somali man had offered to handle the transfer. Garane phoned the
excessively neighborly Somali and coaxed him into acknowledging he had
schemed to take a hefty fee for his generosity and the father was not
that
sick.
Garane is the go-to friend, counselor, spiritual leader and teacher for
the
50 Somali Bantu refugees who have resettled in Columbia over the last
year.
"He has been much, much more than a translator," said Hannah Foh,
interim
area manager for Lutheran Family Services. "He's been a mediator, a
peacemaker."
A Somali native, Garane, 45, is well-acquainted with the challenges of
learning new cultures, combining disparate cultures and communicating
through language barriers.
At 16, Garane, the son of a high-ranking government official, left the
Somali capital of Mogadishu to study political science in Italy. He
later
moved to France, where he met his future wife, an American born in
Michigan…
The Garanes' life has changed dramatically since the Bantu resettlement
began. His has been the first face most of the refugees see when they
arrive at Columbia Metropolitan Airport. The late nights and the early
morning phone calls from homesick refugees have taken their toll.
"It was more peaceful before, but I am enriching myself, understanding
my
own culture," Garane said. "I learned I am a tough man. I thought I
would
collapse."
He has not been to Somalia since 1985, but through the Bantus, he and
his
children are connecting to their Somali ancestry. His 8-year-old son,
for
example, regularly reads in English to some of the Bantu children…
-----
JEWISH EXTREMISTS PLOTTING VIOLENCE
Fox News, 8/16/04
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,129014,00.html
JERUSALEM - A cache of weapons discovered hidden in caves in the West
Bank
has raised extra alarm bells among Israel's internal intelligence
service
because the terrorists are Jewish extremists.
The weapons were stolen from the army by members of the same movement
that
tried to blow up an Arab girls' school in Jerusalem two years ago using
a
trailer packed with explosives…
Israel's minister for internal security has issued a warning that
Jewish
extremists are again planning to attack mosques in the hopes of
igniting a
war and halt any peace process.
Itamar Ben Gvir is one of the leaders of the outlawed Kach Movement -
followers of the radical Rabbi Meir Kahane. The posters in their office
call for expelling the Arabs from Israel. This Jewish group with an
office
in downtown Jerusalem is listed both in Israel and the United States as
a
terror group...
-----
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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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ILLINOIS MUSLIM WORKER FILES BIAS SUIT
Sears subsidiary employee called 'crazy Muslim'
(CHICAGO, IL, 8/17/04) - The Chicago office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) today announced that a Muslim
worker in Illinois filed a religious and national origin discrimination
lawsuit against a subsidiary of Sears, Roebuck and Co., one of the
nation's
largest retailers.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Illinois (Eastern Division), alleges that employees of Sears Logistics
Services repeatedly called the Muslim plaintiff "Bin Ladin," "Taliban,"
"terrorist," and "crazy Muslim." They also allegedly mocked the
plaintiff's
Middle Eastern accent and asked if he was going to blow up the
building.
The harassment continued despite what the lawsuit said were the
plaintiff's
repeated objections to the employees and to supervisors.
In fact, the lawsuit states that a company manager told the Muslim
worker
that: "…as a result of 9/11, and as a result of Plaintiff's appearance
and
accent, Plaintiff should get used to being treated differently."
On November 14, 2003, the Muslim employee filed a charge of religion
and
national origin discrimination with the EEOC. On November 28, 2003, the
worker was terminated for allegedly being a total of six minutes late
to
work over the course of three days. The plaintiff says he arrived at
work
on time on all three days.
The lawsuit seeks reinstatement of the Muslim employee, back wages, as
well
as other compensatory and punitive damages.
"Given America's increasingly diverse workforce, employers must learn
to
address issues related to religious, ethnic and national origin
discrimination," said CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Yaser Tabbara.
Tabbara said CAIR publishes a booklet, called "An Employer's Guide to
Islamic Religious Practices," designed to prevent just such incidents.
The
booklet is available by e-mailing: pubs@cair-net.org (Include name,
address
and phone number when requesting the booklet.)
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Chicago, Yaser Tabbara, 312-718-3725; 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
-----
In the Name Of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/17/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: JESUS
* MUSLIM VOTE AND BUSH CONVERTS (Christian Science Monitor)
* CA: MUSLIMS WORSHIP UNDER WATCHFUL EYE OF FBI (NC Times)
- CAIR and ACLU Offer Legal Help to FBI Interviewees
- Possible Error in N.Y. Terror Evidence (AP)
- INCITEMENT WATCH: Racial Profiling a Matter of Survival
* OH: ANTI-MUSLIM BIAS HAS NO PLACE IN AMERICA (Cincinnati Enquirer)
* SCHOLAR STUDIES ARCHITECTURE OF AMERICAN MOSQUES (Boston Globe)
- MA: Learning More About Islam (Metro West Daily News)
* PATRIOT WONDERS WHAT SON DIED FOR IN IRAQ (Chicago Sun-Times)
* BUSH 'PEACE' APPOINTEE ENDORSES ISRAELI VIGILANTE CAMP
- Israeli Soldiers Kill 9-Year-Old Boy (AP)
- Sharon Ends West Bank Construction Freeze (AP)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: JESUS
"And in the footsteps (of earlier Prophets) We sent Jesus, the son of
Mary,
confirming the law that had come before him. We sent him the Gospel,
wherein was guidance and light…a guidance and an admonition to those
who
are conscious of God."
The Holy Quran, 17:15
-----
MUSLIM VOTE AND BUSH CONVERTS
Dante Chinni, Christian Science Monitor, 8/17/04
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0817/p09s01-codc.html
The Muslim vote long fell fairly reliably into the Democratic column,
but
that changed in 2000. A combination of perceived slights by the Gore
campaign and active wooing by Mr. Bush led to a break in the
conventional
wisdom. Major Muslim community groups actually went so far as to
endorse
Bush in 2000, in large part due to one big issue: racial profiling. On
the
campaign trail and in the debates, Bush used the issue to talk about
his
support of the Secret Evidence Repeal Act, a proposal to reverse parts
of a
Clinton-era law that made it easier for prosecutors to use secret
evidence
in terrorism cases.
Polls in 2000 showed Muslims favored Bush over Mr. Gore by a wide
margin -
some showed support in the 90 percent range - and some groups argued
that
some 60,000 Muslim votes put Bush over the top in Florida.
It's amazing how much can change in four years - years that have
included
Sept. 11, John Ashcroft, and the Patriot Act. The latest poll by the
Council on American-Islamic Relations shows John Kerry with 54 percent
of
the Muslim vote in the 2004 race, comfortably ahead of Ralph Nader, who
garners 26 percent. The president? With a little work he may break out
of
the single digits with Muslim-American voters…
In Washington, where handicapping the presidential race sits just below
self-promotion as a favorite pastime, there is a theory about the 2004
campaign, and it goes a something like this: Going into the stretch run
of
the election season, Bush has the weaker hand. The electorate is so
polarized and the 2000 election was so close that most of the famous
"advantages of incumbency" do not apply. Everyone in Washington, and
even
in the great hinterlands beyond, knows a wavering former Bush voter,
someone who cast their ballot for the president in 2000, but is not
sure
about 2004 - or, worse for the administration, someone who is sure they
aren't voting for Bush this year. In the last four years he has done
something that offends them or taken a stand they cannot abide.
The same can't be said of former Gore voters. The overwhelming majority
of
them have never warmed to the president or considered him as a serious
option. For Bush, in other words, any erosion of support is noteworthy.
Do the 1,000 votes in Hamtramck mean something? Maybe not, especially
in
Michigan, where the latest poll has John Kerry up by seven points. But
every time the call to prayer sounds here, it is a reminder that the
Bush
campaign must not just try to reach a group of previous supporters but
to
grow one that now barely exists - Bush converts.
-----
MUSLIMS WORSHIP UNDER WATCHFUL EYE OF FBI
AGNES DIGGS, North County Times, 8/16/04
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/08/17/special_reports/religion/8_16_0422_08_18.txt
The faithful who come to worship at the Masjid Al-Ittehad in Vista on
Friday crowd the prayer hall and spill over into the courtyard.
At this masjid, or mosque (literally "place of prostration"), Nader
Dehani
serves as imam, conducting the service, which opens with a call to
prayer.
He stresses to the congregation the importance of adherence to the laws
of
Islam, the Shari'a. He offers words of encouragement to all in getting
through the difficult times everyone is facing. He offers blessings.
And on some days, while others share a meal and fellowship, Dehani and
other members of the mosque leadership sit in the building's small
office
and politely answer questions posed by agents from the Federal Bureau
of
Investigation.
No one protests. No one complains. No one mentions that the free
exercise
clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits
government
interference with a person's right to practice their religion.
But what if your religion has been taken hostage by politics? What if
the
very name of your faith has come to be associated with terror and
death?
What if you had to submit to interrogation because your faith fit the
profile of those who are sworn enemies of America and its way of
life?...
If the government feels the need to monitor immigrants from certain
countries, there is no other place to find them in concentrated
numbers, he
said. It was the same situation during the civil rights movement in the
1960s, Evans said.
"If there was some other place that American Muslims show up every
weekend,
the FBI would show up there. But there is no other place," Evans said.
"It
was the same thing with the black church in the '60s."
There's an intimidation quality to it, Evans said, and if you're a
recent
immigrant, you might not have certain knowledge about your rights…
The FBI visits to the mosque are uncomfortable for some, coming at a
time
of prayer. Praying five times a day is one of the five pillars of the
faith.
Some people are now staying away from the mosque, afraid to misspeak or
otherwise create trouble for themselves.
"It seems to be cause to be fearful if you speak up and express your
faith," Jebril said. "Worshipping God should be what brings you the
most
peace."
She understands that the investigators must do their jobs, but there is
a
fine line to be walked.
"This is a powerful country," she said. "But there's a lot of
responsibility with power."
FBI agents have made several visits to the Vista mosque, but always
after
calling first, said Jan Caldwell, FBI media coordinator. They can ask
agents not to come, she said.
"They have no reason to be afraid of us," Caldwell said. "If they say
no,
that's not an issue. That's part of democracy."
Visits to mosques actually began before the Iraq war when agents
reached
out to Muslim communities not only to gain information but also to
remind
them that the FBI was there to help them should they become victims of
hate
crimes, Caldwell said...
SEE ALSO:
CAIR AND ACLU OFFER LEGAL HELP TO FBI INTERVIEWEES
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1153&page=NR
---
POSSIBLE ERROR IN N.Y. TERROR EVIDENCE
MICHAEL VIRTANEN, Associated Press, 8/17/04
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Federal prosecutors have acknowledged a possible
error
in a key piece of evidence used to arrest and detain two Albany mosque
leaders accused of supporting terrorism.
Defense attorneys say the translation error undermines the entire
government case, and the men should get out on bail at another
detention
hearing scheduled Aug. 24.
"It's a travesty," lawyer Terence Kindlon said.
U.S. attorney Glenn Suddaby said authorities are not sure which
translation
is correct, and it doesn't change the case.
"It doesn't change their behavior. It doesn't change the significance
of
where this notebook was found. We're going forward," he said Tuesday.
In a federal court affidavit, the FBI said it received information that
U.S. soldiers found a notebook at "a terrorist camp" in northern Iraq
last
summer with an Arabic entry that called 34-year-old Yassin Muhiddin
Aref
"commander" and listed his former address and phone number in Albany.
However, FBI translators now have a copy of the original entry,
disagree
with the Defense Department and say the Kurdish phrase actually means
"brother," prosecutors told the judge in a letter.
Aref, a native of Kurdistan in northern Iraq, came to the United States
as
a refugee. He has several brothers and nephews still there, Kindlon
said.
"I think when the key piece of information at the detention hearing
proves
to be false, that we should reopen the detention hearing and let my
client
go back to his wife and children," Kindlon said Tuesday...
---
RACIAL PROFILING: A MATTER OF SURVIVAL
Michelle Malkin, USA Today, 8/17/04
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-08-16-racial-profiling_x.htm
When our national security is on the line, "racial profiling" -- or
more
precisely, threat profiling based on race, religion or nationality --
is
justified. Targeted intelligence-gathering at mosques and in local
Muslim
communities, for example, makes perfect sense when we are at war with
Islamic extremists.
Yet, last week, the FBI came under fire for questioning Muslims in
Seattle
about possible terrorist ties. Members of a local mosque complained to
Rep.
Jim McDermott, D-Wash., who called for a congressional investigation of
the
FBI's innocuous tactics. The American Civil Liberties Union of
Washington
accused the agency of "ethnic profiling."
But where else are federal agents supposed to turn for help in
uncovering
terrorist plots by Islamic fanatics: Buddhist temples? Knights of
Columbus
meetings? Amish neighborhoods?
Some might argue that profiling is so offensive to fundamental American
values that it ought to be prohibited, even if the prohibition
jeopardizes
our safety. Yet many of the ethnic activists and civil-liberties groups
who
object most strenuously to the use of racial, ethnic, religious and
nationality classifications during war support the use of similar
classifications to ensure "diversity" or "parity" in peacetime.
The civil-rights hypocrites have never met a "compelling government
interest" for using racial, ethnicity or nationality classifications
they
didn't like, except when that compelling interest happens to be the
nation's very survival...
ACTION REQUESTED:
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COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
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-----
ANTI-MUSLIM BIAS HAS NO PLACE IN AMERICA
Dr. Baher Salem Foad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/17/04
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/08/17/editorial_ed1foad.html
I read the syndicated column by Zef Chafets "In real world, Islam not
so
peaceful" (Aug. 10), and it clearly sends a message of hate. He cites
the
actions of few Muslims who are being investigated as representative of
the
attitude and beliefs of American Muslims. I would like to use the
Muslim
community in Cincinnati to illustrate the opposite viewpoint that
Muslims
are hard-working, peace-loving and caring members of society.
There are more than 100 physicians in Cincinnati who are dedicated and
care
for their patients. Muslim engineers, teachers and business people are
actively involved in the affairs of their community. They are good
neighbors and sincere friends. The Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati
opened in 1996 and has been a great asset to our community. More than
30,000 visitors have been welcomed and toured our facility, as well as
countless number of school and college students, and members of
churches
and synagogues. Our center is open to the public and we have nothing to
hide. We have welcomed priests and rabbis, and our members have visited
many churches and schools and answered questions about our faith and
beliefs…
Stereotyping Muslims and propagating a message of hate serves no useful
purpose. On the contrary, we should respect the rights and intentions
of
others and not allow differences of faith prejudice our attitude or
behavior. It is the diversity of our nation and its tolerance and
freedom
that is the real strength of America and what makes our country great.
Bias, prejudice and hate have no place in our community or our beloved
America. We should judge people by what they do, not by their skin
color or
religious affiliation.
Those who distort the message of Islam for their own purpose should be
exposed and fought. We should no longer sit idle watching our freedom
attacked. It is not only the duty of Muslims, but of decent
non-Muslims, to
stand up and speak against prejudice and hate.
Dr. Baher Salem Foad of Madeira is a practicing arthritis specialist
and
director of education at the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati in
West
Chester Township.
-----
AN MIT SCHOLAR'S STUDY OF THE ARCHITECTURE OF AMERICAN MOSQUES REVEALS
A
MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN SEARCH OF ITSELF.
Theresa Everline, Boston Globe, 8/15/04
http://www.boston.com/
WHEN THE ISLAMIC CENTER of Ocean County is completed, the small
southern
New Jersey township of Toms River will have its second Islamic house of
worship. Ziaulhaq Zia, the chairman of the center's board of trustees,
describes what the building will look like. "We will have a minaret,"
he
says. "We will have a dome."
In other words, the building will have the most recognizable features
of
traditional mosque architecture, reflecting certain tenets of Islam:
the
dome symbolizing the divine power engulfing the believers; the minaret,
as
it aspires toward heaven, representing the declaration of faith
embodied in
the call to prayer.
Does the congregation prefer this traditional appearance? Yes, says
Zia,
but with reservations. After all, since construction on the center
began in
2000, it has been vandalized seven times.
Like other immigrant communities, Muslim Americans have a desire to
signal
their presence. Yet since 9/11, the Muslim community in America has
become
both increasingly visible and increasingly nervous about that
visibility.
The question for America's approximately 6 million Muslims who confront
daily not only the charged post-9/11 political climate but also the
pressures and expectations of life in a country of strip malls, rap
videos,
and exuberant individualism is what outward form that visibility should
take.
For Omar Khalidi, a scholar of Islamic religion who has been
documenting
the American mosque for a decade, the approximately 1,500 mosques
dotting
the American landscape provide an answer, if not always a simple one.
Although most mosques in America today are housed in buildings
converted
from other uses restaurants, storefronts, theaters there are more than
100
that have been built expressly as mosques. These are the mosques built
everywhere from New York City to Plainfield, Ind.; from Wayland, Mass.,
to
Albuquerque, N.M. that most interest Khalidi, whose aim, he explains,
is to
explore "the difficult process of expressing identity through
architectural
forms."
Khalidi, who is the bibliographer for the Aga Khan Program for Islamic
Architecture at MIT, is one of several scholars around the country who
are
examining how mosque architecture in America reflects the tensions and
yearnings within America's evolving and ethnically diverse Muslim
community. (According to a 2001 survey by the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations, 33 percent of the mosque-going population is South Asian, 30
percent African American, and 25 percent Arab. Almost 90 percent of
mosques
have at least some representatives of each of the major ethnic groups.)
Today's American Muslims face a heightened version of a question that
generations of Christians, Jews, and others have faced before them: Is
it
best to express identity by preserving old, traditional forms or to
discover a new language appropriate to a new setting?. . .According to
the
Koran, the only requirement for a mosque is that it have a niche,
called a
mihrab, in the wall, known as the qibla, that faces Mecca. "Everything
else
is up for grabs," says Akel Kahera, assistant professor of architecture
at
Texas Tech University and author of "Deconstructing the American
Mosque"
(2002)…
SEE ALSO:
LEARNING MORE ABOUT ISLAM
Charlie Breitrose, Metro West Daily News, 8/17/04
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=75673
FRAMINGHAM -- Not a day goes by that something from the Muslim world
does
not make the headlines, but many in the United States, including school
teachers, have sparse knowledge of the culture and history of Islam.
Forty teachers from around the state are spending the week at Cameron
Middle School to build their knowledge about Islam so they can return
to
class this fall to teach the subject that is now required under the
state's
history curriculum frameworks.
The teacher workshop, called "The Genesis and Genius of Islam," covers
a
variety of topics, from the founding of Islam, to the expansion and
achievements, to how the religion changed. The weeklong course is
hosted by
Primary Source, a Watertown-based group that runs teacher workshops on
history and humanities.
Yesterday, teachers heard about women's role in Islam and how it has
changed. Barbara Petzen, who runs the outreach center for Harvard's
Center
for Middle Eastern Studies, was the speaker.
To generalize about Islam and women's place in Muslim societies, Petzen
said, would be as wrong as painting all Christians with the same brush…
-----
PATRIOT WONDERS WHAT SON DIED FOR IN IRAQ
TOM McNAMEE, Chicago Sun-Times, 8/16/04
http://www.suntimes.com/output/mcnamee/cst-nws-mcnamee16.html
Jack Collins says President Bush was wrong to go to war in Iraq. Some
would
say that makes him unpatriotic. You tell me.
Last Sunday, Jack and his wife, Angel, were visiting relatives in
Chicago
when their young daughter Lauren called from home in Crystal Lake.
"There are people at the door," Lauren told her mother. "Two Marines."
Jack and Angel knew what that meant. When you have a son fighting in
Iraq,
you live in dread that two Marines might one day show up at your door.
Jack got on the phone and asked one of the Marines to give it to him
straight. But the Marine said softly, "Mr. Collins, we'd like to talk
to
you in person."
"So I knew," Jack told me later…
But as much as Jack and Angel stood by their son and every other
American
soldier in Iraq, working with other families to send food and gifts,
they
have never believed in this war.
"We believe we can separate the politics from what's going on there,
from
what our soldiers are being asked to do," Jack said. "I agreed with why
we
went to Afghanistan. I think we needed to. But we misread what was
going to
happen in Iraq."
But what do you say, I asked Jack, to those who think we must rally
around
the president?
"The last time I looked, our right as United States citizens is to
question
our leaders," Jack said. "That is what my son died for us to do. We
shouldn't just blindly follow along."
A wake for Lance Cpl. Jonathan W. Collins USMC will be held today from
3 to
9 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 1023 McHenry Ave. in
Crystal Lake. A funeral mass will be offered at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
You might want to go and show your respect for a patriot.
And for his brave son who died.
-----
BUSH 'PEACE' APPOINTEE ENDORSES ISRAELI VIGILANTE CAMP
http://www.opshiloh.com
Excerpts from the Operation Shiloh web site endorsed by Daniel Pipes,
who
was appointed by President Bush to the board of the United States
Institute
of Peace (www.usip.org): (Note that Pipes endorses a group that
promotes
conspiracy theories about Muslim involvement in the 1995 Oklahoma City
bombing.)
Every church, synagogue, school and community center should have a
security
committee, and those people should take the OpShiloh course. If your
organization does not have a security committee, we will show you how
to
start one.
TRAIN TO SURVIVE: On September 11, 2001, America lost her innocence.
Yet as
Americans are warned of the overwhelming likelihood of more terror
attacks
on US soil, we are encouraged to continue in our normal routines. AS
CITIZENS, THERE IS MORE WE CAN DO TO HELP.
* We KNOW there are THOUSANDS of terror cells in the US
* We KNOW the enemy is gathering intelligence against potential targets
on
US soil.
* We KNOW there have been attempted terror attacks that have been
averted.
"Operation Shiloh impresses me as a way, drawing on Israel's unique
counter-terrorism strengths, for concerned citizens to equip themselves
against terrorist threats. I recommend it highly." - Daniel Pipes,
member
of the presidentially-appointed board of the U.S. Institute of Peace,
and a
prize-winning columnist for the New York Sun and The Jerusalem Post
"In my book, The Third Terrorist, I document the involvement of radical
Islamist terror cells in the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal
Building in
Oklahoma City. Because federal authorities have failed to act, these
terror
cells are still active in cities and towns across America. They are
planning additional attacks, and I worry that more bombings are likely.
"The Operation Shiloh Civilian Counter-Terrorism course is the only
training I know of that provides anti-terror guidance and training to
American civilians. With proper training, you can help foil the plans
of
the radical Islamist terror cells in our midst. I urge you to take this
course and put it into practice in your community." - Jayna Davis,
author
of The Third Terrorist: The Middle East Connection to the Oklahoma City
Bombing"
SEE ALSO:
ISRAELI SOLDIERS KILL 9-YEAR-OLD BOY
ALI DARAGHMEH, Associated Press, 8/17/04
NABLUS, West Bank (AP) - Israeli soldiers on Tuesday shot and killed a
9-year-old Palestinian boy in Nablus as he sat on the front steps of
his
home eating a sandwich, relatives said.
The troops were enforcing a curfew when they drove by 9-year-old Khaled
Usta's home, the boy's aunt, Ferial Usta said. Youths threw stones at
the
troops, but the group fled when the soldiers got out of the jeep and
pointed their guns at a fence just behind the boys, she said.
Khaled was sitting just behind the fence eating a sandwich when one of
the
soldiers fired his rifle, the aunt said…
---
SHARON ENDS WEST BANK CONSTRUCTION FREEZE
MARK LAVIE, Associated Press, 8/17/04
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has approved the
construction of 1,000 more homes in Jewish settlements in the West
Bank,
officials said Tuesday, violating a U.S.-backed peace plan that calls
for a
building freeze.
Sharon's aides said they had Washington's tacit approval for the
construction, because the houses would be built inside existing
settlements
that are among the enclaves Israel insists on keeping under any peace
settlement with the Palestinians.
But the U.S. Embassy criticized the construction plan, and Palestinians
denounced it. Israel's moderate opposition Labor Party, mentioned as a
possible partner in Sharon's governing coalition, demanded that the
project
be canceled…
-----
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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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FL MUSLIMS MOBILIZE TO AID HURRICANE VICTIMS
Friday designated "Disaster Relief Day" in mosques
(TAMPA, FL, 8/17/04) - The Florida office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL), in cooperation with the Islamic
Center of Southwest Florida (ICSWF) of Ft. Meyers, today announced
plans to
mobilize that state's Muslim community to provide disaster relief for
victims of Hurricane Charley.
CAIR-FL is calling on Islamic centers and mosques across the state to
designate this Friday as "Hurricane Disaster Relief Day." (Friday is
the
day for Islamic congregational prayers, or "Jummah.")
Hurricane Charley devastated more than two dozen Florida counties,
leaving
thousands homeless and hundreds of thousands without power or water.
The
estimated cost of disaster recovery could reach into the billions.
The Quran enjoins Muslims to "cooperate with one another toward
righteousness." When asked to describe some of the best actions a
Muslim
can perform, the Prophet Muhammad said: "To feed (the needy) and to
greet
those you know and those you don't know." The Prophet also said: "Speak
the
truth…and be a good neighbor."
CAIR-FL is encouraging Muslims across Florida and the United States to
aid
their fellow Americans by sending donations to one or both of the
following
two organizations:
United Way Hurricane Charley Relief Donation Fund
A General Relief Fund (Designate County)
Mail Checks to: United Way of Tampa Bay
Pay to: Hurricane Charley Relief Donation Fund
1000 N. Ashley Drive, Suite 800
Tampa, FL 33602 or call 813-274-0900
Donate online (Safe & Secure): http://www.unitedwayhc.org
Islamic Center of Southwest Florida Hurricane Relief Fund
Mail Checks to: ICSWF Hurricane Relief Fund
3337 Broadway Ave
Fort Myers, FL 33901
TEL: 239-939-0292
Donations to both groups are tax-deductible.
ADDITIONAL ACTIONS REQUESTED:
1. Announce, post and distribute this Action Alert. Imams can use the
Friday sermon to remind worshipers about the Islamic obligation to help
neighbors. Organize a "Disaster Relief Drive" at your Islamic center or
mosque after prayers this Friday. Relief agencies suggest that money is
the
best donation as it allows them to get necessary items to those in
need.
2. Mobilize volunteers to collect items and cash after Friday prayers.
Urge
worshipers at the prayer to donate to this cause. Establish a plan to
forward relief supplies to victims by using a local donation drop-offs
sites. Mail fund collections to United Way or ICSWF. Report your
community's plan and results to CAIR-FL.
3. Make dua.
Call CAIR-FL offices in Tampa (813-514-1414) or Broward (954-916-5661)
for
more information.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 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
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
-----
In the Name Of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/18/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: EXCEL IN GOOD WORKS
* CAIR-AZ HOLDS MUSLIM VOTER DRIVE
* CO: ACQUITTED MUSLIM GETS POLITICAL (Denver Post)
- Somali-American Acquitted (Denver Post)
* NY MUSLIM REPORTS JFK HARASSMENT (Poughkeepsie Journal)
- LA: Teacher Fights Firing Over Scarf-Pulling (TP)
- IL: Muslim Ex-Employee Sues Sears (Chicago Tribune)
- IL: Muslim Says he was Called 'Bin Laden' (Sun-Times)
* CAIR-CAN: HIJABS NOT A SECURITY THREAT (National Post)
- NJ: All Terrorists Aren't Muslim (The Record)
* RETIRING GOP REP SAYS IRAQ WAR UNJUSTIFIED (AP)
* NADER DRAWS IRE OF PRO-ISRAELI AMERICANS (Daily Star)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: EXCEL IN GOOD WORKS
"If God had so willed, He could have made all of you a single nation.
But
He willed otherwise in order to test you in what He has given you.
Therefore try to excel one another in good works. Ultimately you shall
all
return to God. Then He will show you the truth of those matters over
which
you dispute."
The Holy Quran, 5:48
-----
CAIR-AZ HOLDS MUSLIM VOTER DRIVE
(PHOENIX, AZ, 8/18/04) - The Arizona office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-AZ) and the Arizona Leadership
Institute
are sponsoring a coordinated effort to encourage Muslims to vote in the
upcoming elections. The two groups have undertaken a voter registration
drive with a goal of registering 5,000 Muslim voters before the
November
elections. So far, more than 1,000 new Muslim voters have been
registered.
Registration Dates and Locations:
8/20 Islamic Community Center (ICC) - Tempe
8/20 Musjid Omar - Tempe
8/27 Islamic Center of the North East Valley (ICNEV) - Scottsdale
CONTACT: CAIR-AZ Executive Director Deedra Abboud, 602-262-2247,
602-790-9319
-----
ACQUITTED MUSLIM GETS POLITICAL
Jim Hughes, Denver Post, 8/17/04
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2341214,00.html
After losing his business and finding his freedom threatened by a
federal
investigation run by Denver's Joint Terrorism Task Force, Ismail Barre
says
he has decided to change his ways as a U.S. citizen.
For the first time in five years, he is going to vote.
"I'm campaigning for my community and everybody for regime change. The
Muslim community is suffering under the Ashcroft team," he said,
referring
to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. "I'm an American citizen. I'm
exercising my right."
Barre, a 34-year-old Somali- American, was acquitted Monday in federal
court of a felony illegal-money-transfer charge. A day after assuring
his
freedom, Barre said he believes he was targeted for prosecution because
he
is a Muslim. He was accused of illegally transferring more than $2
million
overseas from 2000 to 2004 through his small Aurora grocery, according
to
court records.
On Monday, Judge Lewis Babcock ruled that the government had failed to
prove its case and found Barre not guilty.
But the verdict came at a high price to Barre, who said: "They almost
destroyed my life. But justice has been served. That's one reason the
United States is different, because you can go to trial and have
justice…"
SEE ALSO:
SOMALI-AMERICAN ACQUITTED OF SENDING MONEY ILLEGALLY
Denver Post, 8/17/04
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2339355,00.html
A Somali-American who ran an Aurora convenience store was acquitted
Monday
of sending thousands of dollars to the Middle East illegally when U.S.
District Judge Lewis Babcock found Ismail Barre not guilty on the first
day
of trial.
Barre was accused of making illegal money transfers to the United Arab
Emirates.
"The government is disappointed by the judge's verdict," U.S.
attorney's
office spokesman Jeff Dorschner said.
Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center in
Minnesota, said Barre, a Muslim, was targeted because authorities
suspected
he was a terrorist.
"The feeling of terrorism was always there, but the government could
not
prove its case," Jamal said. "There is a climate of fear in the
community,
but the best way to combat terrorism is through democracy."
Barre denied the charges. He said he is happy with the decision but
will
move away after all he and his family have been through.
-----
LOCAL MAN DETAINED AT JFK AIRPORT
Lawyer alleges harassment by federal agent
Kathianne Boniello, Poughkeepsie Journal, 8/18/04
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/today/localnews/stories/lo081804s4.shtml
Hopewell Junction resident Aziz Ahsan says he was improperly detained
by a
federal agent.
A Hopewell Junction attorney claims he was harassed, threatened and
nearly
arrested without provocation by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection
agent
Aug. 6 at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The incident unfolded after Aziz Ahsan and his three children returned
to
the United States from a business trip to Pakistan and the United Arab
Emirates.
Ahsan, 49, said he was approached by the agent when the family stopped
to
use the restrooms after a 14-hour non-stop flight.
The encounter resulted in deportation threats and harassment by the
agent
which became physical, said Ahsan, a Pakistan native who has been a
U.S.
citizen for more than 20 years.
"Having gone to that part of the world, I was really careful, because
everybody was saying, 'Don't tell them you're an American or show your
passport,'" said Ahsan, who said he never expected a problem returning
home. "It was a big relief, that feeling of 'Thank God, I'm home
safe.'"
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has received a complaint filed
on
Ahsan's behalf by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The agent made repeated derogatory statements about foreigners to
Ahsan,
called him "boy," and tried to arrest him for no reason, Ahsan said.
This
occurred as Ahsan waited for his daughter to return from the restroom,
he
said.
Just as the agent attempted to place handcuffs on him, and after the
agent
allegedly tried to grab the family's luggage and passports from Ahsan,
another agent approached, Ahsan said.
The family was led to a different part of the airport and met with the
agent's supervisor, who offered to let Ahsan file a formal complaint.
Complaints of harassment from Muslim travelers are becoming more
frequent,
says the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"We're getting all too many of these kinds of reports from Muslim
travelers," council spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said. "At minimum, there
needs
to be an investigation to see what the officer involved has to say
about it."
SEE ALSO:
JEFF TEACHER TO FIGHT MOVE TO FIRE HIM
Muslim student says her scarf was pulled
Rob Nelson, Times-Picayune, 8/18/04
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1092821374184280.xml
Embattled former West Jefferson High School teacher Wes Mix, who was
accused of using racial slurs and yanking the head scarf off a Muslim
student, plans to fight Jefferson Parish public schools Superintendent
Diane Roussel's recommendation to fire him.
Under policies governing tenured employees, Mix has requested a private
hearing with the School Board scheduled for Oct. 13 in which the board
can
uphold, amend or reject Roussel's recommendation, board attorney Jack
Grant
said Tuesday.
"It's (Mix's) right of appeal under the tenure law," Grant said.
In February, then-sophomore Maryam Motar said Mix, her world history
teacher at the Harvey school, pulled back her religiously mandated head
scarf and said, "I hope God punishes you. No, I'm sorry. I hope Allah
punishes you."
According to Motar, Mix also said during the Jan. 30 incident, "I
didn't
know you had hair under there."
Motar, whose family enlisted the support of the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations in Washington, D.C., said those remarks were part of a string
of
ethnically charged jokes Mix used against his students…
---
MUSLIM EX-EMPLOYEE SUES SEARS
Matt O'Connor, Chicago Tribune, 8/18/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/chi-408180324aug18,1,1970729.story
A Muslim former employee of a Sears, Roebuck & Co. subsidiary alleged
in a
federal lawsuit Tuesday that co-workers constantly referred to him as a
terrorist and used other derogatory terms.
Belal Degedeh, who is of Palestinian descent, alleged that when he
complained, a general manager at Sears Logistics Services in Manteno
told
him that he "should get used to being treated differently," the suit
alleged.
Chris Brathwaite, a spokesman for Hoffman Estates-based Sears, said the
company had not yet seen the lawsuit, but it disputed any allegations
of
discrimination. Sears will defend itself, he said. Logistics Services
is
Sears' supply and distribution unit.
Degedeh, 27, of Kankakee worked for little more than two months last
year
before he was dismissed for tardiness--an allegation disputed by
Degedeh.
He unloaded merchandise from trucks at a receiving dock.
Last October, within a couple of weeks after he started, co-workers
repeatedly called him "Bin Laden," "Taliban," "terrorist" and "crazy
Muslim," mocked his Middle Eastern accent, and asked if he was going to
bomb their workplace, the lawsuit alleged…
The lawsuit quoted the manager as telling Degedeh "that as a result of
9/11, and as a result of [Degedeh's] appearance and accent, [Degedeh]
should get used to being treated differently."
---
MUSLIM SUES, SAYS HE WAS CALLED 'BIN LADEN' WHILE WORKING
NATASHA KORECKI, Chicago Sun-Times, 8/18/04
http://www.suntimes.com/output/terror/cst-nws-muslim18.html
A Muslim who worked at a subsidiary of Sears said he was repeatedly
called
"bin Laden," "Taliban" and "terrorist," then was fired after he
complained.
Belal Degedeh, who is of Jordanian and Palestinian origin, filed a
federal
lawsuit Tuesday charging he was discriminated against for his ancestry
and
religion.
Degedeh worked for Sears Logistics Services Inc. as a merchandise
distributor. He claims as he unloaded trucks at a receiving dock,
co-workers asked him if he was going to blow up the building and
whether he
had a bomb. When he told another co-worker he was from Palestine,
Degedeh
said he was asked: "Is that where the crazy Muslims are blowing
themselves up?"
He claims the harassment happened in late 2003, and after he complained
of
the harassment he started getting poor work assignments and once was
sent
home without pay.
Degedeh is suing for emotional distress, inconvenience, lost wages and
lost
benefits.
-----
HIJABS NOT A SECURITY THREAT
Abdurahman Salman, National Post, 8/18/04
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/comment/letters_story.html?id=6655bf18-21da-4db1-8991-3dd70b12656b
Re: Security Slip, letter, July 16.
In reaction to the story Muslim Women Arriving In Canada Need Not
Remove
Hijabs At Security Check, PM Says (Aug. 14), Morton Eisen somehow
concludes
that the Prime Minister agreed to allow "Muslim women to cover their
faces
while being photographed."
The facts, detailed in your story, are: Muslim women complained after
they
were told by immigration officials at the Trudeau International Airport
in
Dorval to remove their hijabs (or headscarves) for their Permanent
Resident
Card photograph; the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations
brought
the women's case to the Prime Minister's attention; and the PM
responded
stating that allowances be made for "practitioners of religious faiths
that
prohibit the removal of head coverings."
The hijab, a religiously mandatory attire for Muslim women, covers the
hair
and ears -- not the face. If Muslim women choose to wear it, their
fundamental rights to freedom of religion are protected while security
concerns are not compromised.
Abdurahman Salman, communications coordinator, the Canadian Council on
American-Islamic Relations, Ottawa.
SEE ALSO:
ALL TERRORISTS AREN'T MUSLIM
The Record (Bergen County, NJ), 8/18/04
http://www.bergenrecord.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxNCZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NjU3MDc5Mg==
(Scroll down.)
What's newsworthy?
Earlier in the month, Gale Nettles was arrested for plotting to bomb
the
Everett McKinley Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago. Nettles purchased
500
pounds of what he was told was ammonium nitrate fertilizer from an
undercover FBI agent. This is the same material used to build the bomb
used
to destroy Oklahoma City's federal building in 1995.
I have been patient and waiting to see if The Record or other
mainstream
media will cover this report with the seriousness it deserves. To my
disappointment, The Record has not covered it as yet.
Instead, there have been articles like "Terror probe puts N.J. imam in
spotlight" (Page A-1, Aug. 10) about a man (Muslim, of course) who
hasn't
even been charged with anything, just suspected. Why such a long
article on
this Muslim man and not even a single line about Gale Nettles, who is
accused of actually plotting to bomb a federal building?
The media that did cover the Nettles story said, "He is not part of any
terrorist group." It seems that today we only reserve the title
"terrorist"
for Muslims.
Sumaira Toor
-----
RETIRING GOP REP.: IRAQ WAR UNJUSTIFIED
The Associated Press, 8/18/04
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A top Republican congressman has broken from his
party
in the final days of his House career, saying he believes the U.S.
military
assault on Iraq was unjustified and the situation there has
deteriorated
into "a dangerous, costly mess."
"I've reached the conclusion, retrospectively, now that the inadequate
intelligence and faulty conclusions are being revealed, that all things
being considered, it was a mistake to launch that military action,"
Rep.
Doug Bereuter wrote in a letter to his constituents.
Bereuter is a senior member of the House International Relations
Committee
and vice chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He is stepping
down
after 13 terms to become the president of the Asia Foundation effective
Sept. 1.
The letter, sent to constituents who have contacted him about the war,
was
reported by the Lincoln Journal Star in its Wednesday editions…
In addition to "a massive failure or misinterpretation of
intelligence,"
Bereuter said the Bush administration made several other errors in
going to
war despite warnings about the consequences.
"From the beginning of the conflict, it was doubtful that we for long
would
be seen as liberators, but instead increasingly as an occupying force,"
he
said. "Now we are immersed in a dangerous, costly mess, and there is no
easy and quick way to end our responsibilities in Iraq without creating
bigger future problems in the region and, in general, in the Muslim
world."
Bereuter said as a result of the war, "our country's reputation around
the
world has never been lower and our alliances are weakened."
-----
NADER DRAWS IRE OF PRO-ISRAELI AMERICANS
Consumer advocate turned presidential candidate looks for Arab support
Hussein Ibish, Daily Star, 8/18/04
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=7432
WASHINGTON: Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader is again
receiving considerable support from Arab-American activists, spurred in
part by his bold criticism of the US role in the Middle East and
Israel's
role in the United States.
Surveys suggest that Nader received about 14 percent of the
Arab-American
vote in 2000, and stands to do at least as well in the vote this
November.
Perhaps more than any other important national political figure in the
United States of Arab origin, Nader really has begun to sound like a
representative of his community on issues such as Palestine and Iraq...
Nader told The Daily Star that while he has been getting considerable
support, "too many Arab Americans have equipped themselves with
microscopes, desperately trying to find differences between (President)
Bush and Kerry on foreign policy, and there is none - they are both
trying
to run to the right of each other."
"We are the only anti-war candidacy and have a lot more knowledge of
the
Middle East than the other two," he said.
He urged Arab-Americans to "deny Bush their vote, and send a message to
Kerry by voting for us, because when you are taken for granted, you are
taken."
Some prominent American Muslim leaders who supported Bush in 2000 are
known
to be quietly but strongly supportive of Nader, but are keeping a low
profile because they do not wish to be seen as indirectly supporting
Bush
again.
Naseem Tufaha, an Arab-American activist in Seattle, is among those
involved in creating an "Arab-Americans for Nader" website, which seeks
to
generate support for the campaign in the community through online
activism.
He dismisses the idea that supporting Nader is simply an indirect way
of
supporting Bush, telling The Daily Star, "the Arab-American vote is
being
taken for granted by Bush and Kerry - we need to create an environment
where candidates feel they have something to lose and something to gain
from paying attention to our views."
Many Democrats allege that in 2000 Nader siphoned off voters almost
entirely from former Vice-President Al Gore, ensuring the election of
George W. Bush, and express deep anxiety that Nader's candidacy this
year
might similarly doom Kerry's aspirations. Nader has persisted in
running
despite intense criticism from Kerry supporters, and a series of
setbacks,
including not being re-adopted as the candidate of the Green Party -
which
has an extensive grassroots network - and failing to get on the ballot
in a
number of states, including California.
Nader said his participation in the upcoming televised candidates'
debates
is "all important - it's the only way to reach tens of millions of
people,
unless you are a billionaire. We call ourselves the greatest democracy
in
the world, and a private corporation created and controlled by the two
parties since 1987 - the Commission on Presidential Debates -
determines
who reaches the tens of millions of voters."
In an effort to create a non-partisan forum for the debates this year,
a
group of 17 American civic leaders from a range of political
perspectives
have founded a new organization called Open Debates. The group's
executive
director, George Farah, recently announced that Open Debates has
scheduled
five presidential and one vice-presidential debates in the coming
weeks.
Although Nader has welcomed this development, it remains to be seen
whether
Kerry or Bush will agree to participate in any of these
citizen-organized
debates.
Albert Mokhiber, a Washington attorney supportive of Nader and a former
president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, told The
Daily Star, "there aren't two candidates, there are three, and the
other
two are exactly the same on foreign policy. ... Would you rather have
arsenic or cyanide?" he asked rhetorically.
"I'd rather have a vitamin, and Nader is a vitamin."
-----
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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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MUSLIMS WELCOME PENTAGON REPORT ON BOYKIN'S SPEECHES
DoD probe finds that general violated military regulations
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/19/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today welcomed a Department of Defense (DoD) report that
says speeches made by a top general who claimed Muslims worship an
"idol"
violated Pentagon rules and warrant "corrective action."
Last fall, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) asked that disciplinary action be taken against Lt. Gen. William
G.
Boykin, whose views came under scrutiny when media reports revealed
that in
a public discussion of his efforts to capture a Muslim Somali warlord,
he
said, "I knew my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real
God
and his was an idol." The Pentagon launched an internal investigation
into
the propriety of the general's public speeches.
The final report from the DoD's Office of the Inspector General found
that
Boykin's speaking activities violated military regulations because he
failed to clear the content of his speeches, failed to issue required
disclaimers and failed to report a travel payment from a non-government
source. The report recommends that "appropriate corrective action" be
taken
by the military.
SEE: "U.S. General Violated Rules with 'Satan' Speeches"
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6013543
"We welcome the Pentagon's report and urge that any disciplinary action
be
commensurate with its findings," said CAIR Communications Director
Ibrahim
Hooper. "General Boykin is free to hold whatever views he wishes, no
matter
how stereotypical or inaccurate. But he should not use his position of
respect in our nation's military to promote those views."
Hooper repeated a recommendation made by CAIR last year that Boykin, a
top
intelligence officer in the war on terror, be reassigned to a position
in
which he will not be able to harm America's image in the Muslim world.
He
also said that the findings of the investigation could have mitigated
some
damage to America's international image had they been released earlier.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 28 offices and chapters nationwide and in
Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: 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/
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR ACTION ALERT #431
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S OCT. 2-5 BANQUET & CONVENTION
Join us in our nation's capital for 4 days of exciting activities
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/19/04) - Registration is now available online for
CAIR's 10th Annual Fundraising Banquet and Convention, October 2-5, in
Washington, D.C. TO REGISTER, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/ (Remember, CAIR dinners have
all
sold out in the past, so reserve your tickets today!)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 6 P.M.-10 P.M. - 10TH ANNIVERSARY BANQUET DINNER
Theme: "Building a Better America: A Decade of Dedication"
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road, NW
Washington DC, Tel: 202-328-2000 Fax: 202-234-0015
Cost: $55 per person, $85 per couple
Limited babysitting available during the banquet: $10 per child
SUNDAY AND MONDAY, OCTOBER 3-4, 9 A.M.-9 P.M. - FIRST ANNUAL CAIR
CONVENTION
Theme: "A Better America in a Better World"
Sheraton Premiere at Tyson's Corner, 8661 Leesburg Pike
Vienna VA, Tel: 703-448-1234 Fax: 703-610-8293
Convention Registration: $150 per person includes meals
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 9 A.M.-NOON - MEETINGS WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS
TOPICS FOR CONVENTION:
* Building Bridges Between America and the Muslim World
* Elections 2004: Issues, Aspirations and Strategies
* Towards a Fair Portrayal of Islam and Muslims in the Media
* Civil and Human Rights in Times of War
* Reasserting the Mainstream Muslim Voice
* The Role of Faith in Promoting Peace, Harmony and Tolerance
* Muslim Contribution Toward Building a Better America
* America and the Muslim World-Strategic Partners for Peace
ACTION REQUESTED:
1. REGISTER ONLINE by going to: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
For more information, call 202-488-8787 or e-mail events@cair-net.org.
After you have filled out and submitted your registration information,
you
will be sent an e-mail confirming that CAIR has received your
information.
2. CAIR NEEDS VOLUNTEERS to help with preparations before and during
the
Annual Banquet and Convention. Anyone interested in volunteering should
attend the first volunteer meeting this Saturday morning in our DC
office
from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Please e-mail irahman@cair-net.org or call
202-488-8787 ext 6050. (Contact CAIR if you would like to volunteer,
but
cannot attend the meeting.)
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -
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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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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/19/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: SPEAK IN A KINDLY MANNER
* CT PRISON GUARD FIRED OVER RACIST REMARKS
* TX: CAIR-SA HOLDS VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE
- Muslim Voter Registration in Illinois
- The 2004 Elections: What Should American Muslims Do?
* MUSLIM HOMESCHOOLERS MEET IN MASSACHUSETTS
* TERROR OF A DIFFERENT KIND FOR MATERIAL WITNESS (NY Times)
- MI: Muslims Seek Peace (Lansing State Journal)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: SPEAK IN A KINDLY MANNER
"And tell My servants that they should speak in the most kindly manner
[to
those who do not share their beliefs], for Satan is always ready to
stir up
discord between men."
The Holy Quran, 17:53
-----
CT PRISON GUARD FIRED OVER RACIST REMARKS
Officer called Muslim colleague 'sand n*gger'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/19/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today applauded the firing of a Connecticut prison guard
who
assaulted a Muslim colleague and called him a "sand n*gger."
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said
the
Muslim correctional officer, who is of Middle Eastern heritage, was
repeatedly harassed and assaulted by another guard at the Garner
Correctional Institution in Newtown, Conn. According to the Muslim
officer,
his colleague threatened him with a gun, assaulted him in the employee
lunch room and said, "Hey, the sand n*gger is here," in front of other
officers.
In a letter to CAIR's Civil Rights Department, an investigator for the
State of Connecticut Department of Correction stated: "The Security
Division determined that [the offending officer] assaulted [the Muslim
officer] and made inappropriate comments towards him. The Affirmative
Action Unit also determined that [the offending officer] made
inappropriate
racial comments towards [the Muslim officer.] As a result of these
findings, [the offending officer] has been dismissed from state
service."
"We hope the decisive response to these disturbing incidents will send
a
clear message that the state of Connecticut does not tolerate bigoted
or
violent actions on the part of its employees," said CAIR Civil Rights
Coordinator Farha Mowlana.
Mowlana said CAIR publishes two booklets, "A Correctional Institution's
Guide to Islamic Religious Practices" and "An Employer's Guide to
Islamic
Religious Practices," designed to prevent just such incidents. The
booklets
may be obtained for $3 each by e-mailing: pubs@cair-net.org (Include
name,
address and phone number.)
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
-----
CAIR-SA HOLDS VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE
(SAN ANTONIO, TX, 8/19/04) - The San Antonio, Texas, office of the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SA) will hold voter registration
drives
on the following dates:
* Friday, August 20th at the Islamic Center of San Antonio, from 12:30
to
3:30 p.m.
* Friday, August 27th at the Carver Public Library, for Masjid Bilal,
from
12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
* Saturday, August 29th at the Code Public Library, for Islamic
Education
Center, from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m.
More than 600 Muslim voters have already been registered.
Any organizations that would like to assist in the voter registration
drive
should call CAIR-SV at 210-378-9528.
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIM VOTER REGISTRATION IN ILLINOIS
WHERE: Int'l Food and Fun Fair, Muslim Education Center, Morton Grove,
Ill.
WHEN: Saturday Aug 21st 2004
CONTACT: Please contact Muslim Community Center, 773.725.9047
---
THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS: WHAT SHOULD AMERICAN MUSLIMS DO?
Dr. Muqtedar Khan, ISPU
http://www.ispu.us/policy/election_policy.html
American Muslims recognize the validity of the democratic process and
are
eager to participate in it to shape the political environment in which
they
live. Recent surveys on political attitudes within the community have
clearly indicated that American Muslims will participate quite
vigorously
in the coming presidential elections and will also engage the political
process at multiple levels. This Policy Brief examines some of the
options
for the Muslim community.
-----
MUSLIM HOMESCHOOLERS MEET IN MASSACHUSETTS
New England Muslim Educators Network
Muslim teachers, homeschoolers, school administrators, and board
members
will meet at Al-Hamra Academy in Shrewsbury, Mass., for the first
Muslim
Educator's Potluck Picnic and Book Fair Saturday, August 21, 2004
Beyond networking, fellowship, job fair, great food and educator's book
fair, two special information sessions have been set up:
2 p.m. STARTING AN ISLAMIC SCHOOL - Those interested in starting an
Islamic
school come and speak to those who've done it, get pointers and tips.
3 p.m. HOMESCHOOLERS - New to homeschooling or interested receive an
information packet and ask questions from veteran Muslim homeschoolers.
New England Muslim Educators Network (NEMEN) serves all Muslim
educators in
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and
Vermont.
For more information about the picnic, Islamic schools in New England,
or
NEMEN please visit the NEMEN website http://www.nemen.net
For additional information about homeschooling
http://www.muslimhomeschool.com or more about Islamic schools
http://www.4islamicschools.org
-----
FOR POST-9/11 MATERIAL WITNESS, IT IS A TERROR OF A DIFFERENT KIND
ADAM LIPTAK, New York Times, 8/19/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/19/politics/19witness.html
LAS VEGAS - Abdullah al Kidd was on his way to Saudi Arabia to work on
his
doctorate in Islamic studies in March 2003 when he was arrested as a
material witness in a terrorism investigation. An F.B.I. agent marched
him
across Dulles Airport in Washington in handcuffs.
"It was the most horrible, disgraceful, degrading moment in my life,"
said
Mr. Kidd, an American citizen who was known as Lavoni T. Kidd when he
led
his college football team, the Vandals of the University of Idaho, in
rushing in 1995.
The two weeks that followed his arrest, he said, were a terrifying and
humiliating ordeal.
"I was made to sit in a small cell for hours and hours and hours buck
naked," he said. "I was treated worse than murderers."
After that, a federal judge ordered him to move in with his in-laws in
Las
Vegas, where his wife was planning to stay until she joined him in
Saudi
Arabia.
Mr. Kidd, who described himself as "anti-bin Laden, anti-Taliban,
anti-suicide bombing, anti-terrorism," was never charged with a crime
and
never asked to testify as a witness. In June, 16 months after his
arrest,
the court said he was free to resume his life.
But at the kitchen table of his dumpy little bachelor flat here, with a
television on the floor and incense in the air, Mr. Kidd said the
experience had cost him dearly. He lost his scholarship, he now moves
furniture for a living, and his marriage has fallen apart. About 60
other
men have been held in terrorism investigations under the federal
material
witness law since the Sept. 11 attacks, according to a coming report by
Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union. Such laws,
meant
to ensure that people with important information do not disappear
before
testifying, have been used to hold people briefly since the early days
of
the republic.
But scholars and critics say the government has radically reinterpreted
what it means to be a material witness in recent years. These days,
people
held as material witnesses in terrorism investigations are often not
called
to testify against others; instead, frequently they are charged with
crimes
themselves. They lack constitutional protections like the requirement
that
criminal suspects in custody be informed of their Miranda rights.
Moreover,
they are often held for long periods in the same harsh conditions as
those
suspected of very serious crimes…
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIMS SEEK PEACE
Lansing State Journal, 8/18/04
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040818/OPINION02/408180305
Robert Rich (letters, Aug. 10) wonders "where has the outrage been"
from
Muslims in response to terrorism.
Where has Mr. Rich been? In his own city of East Lansing, hundreds of
Muslims and people of all faiths protested the 9/11 attacks and
anti-Muslim
violence.
Our neighbors at the Islamic Center have worked for peace and
understanding.
Muslims worldwide have spoken out against terrorism in the name of
Islam.
Terrorism is no more a teaching of Islam than the Salem witch trials
were a
teaching of Christ.
Mr. Rich ought to visit the mosque.
He will find books and information on Islam, delicious halal foods, and
kind people I am proud to call my friends and neighbors.
Cynthia Craig
-----
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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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/20/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: PLAY AND AMUSEMENT
* REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S OCT. 2-5 BANQUET/CONVENTION
* CAIR-CAN CHAIR JOINS BOARD OF CIVIL LIBERTIES GROUP
- CAIR Election Update #17: National Security
- Schedule for Muslim Voter Registration in MD
- Anti-Kerry Author Regrets Anti-Muslim Posts (NYT)
* NY: 'HELP THE NEEDY' CASE POLITICIZED (News Standard)
* MUSLIM FBI AGENT SUES U.S. FOR DISCRIMINATION (Reuters)
* CT: PRISON GUARD FIRED AFTER COMPLAINT (Hartford Courant)
- NJ: 'Wack the Iraq' Boardwalk Arcade Criticized (AP)
* RI: NEW SCHOOL SERVES MUSLIM STUDENTS (Providence Journal)
* RICE: U.S. MUST IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH MUSLIMS (Reuters)
- Remarks by National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice
- Diplomacy Efforts Lack Follow-Through (Wash Post)
- Marine Corps: Islam a Peaceful Religion
* MEDICAL STAFF BLASTED IN IRAQ PRISON ABUSE (LA Times)
- Canadian Tells of Torture by U.S. Soldiers (Star)
- Abu Ghraib Probe Points to Top Brass (Wash Post)
* TERROR-LIST SNAG STOPS KENNEDY - 5 TIMES (AP)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: PLAY AND AMUSEMENT
"You should know that the life of this world is only play and
amusement, a
show and boasting among yourselves, a quest for greater riches and more
children. Its similitude is that of vegetation that flourishes after
rain…then it withers and you see it turn yellow, soon it becomes dry
and
crumbles away…The life of this world is nothing but an
illusion…Therefore,
vie with one another in seeking your Lord's forgiveness."
The Holy Quran, 57:20-21
-----
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S OCT. 2-5 BANQUET & CONVENTION
Join us in our nation's capital for 4 days of exciting activities
TO REGISTER, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
-----
CAIR-CAN CHAIR JOINS BOARD OF CIVIL LIBERTIES GROUP
(OTTAWA, CANADA 20/08/04) - The head of the Canadian Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) has been elected to the Board of
Directors of the prestigious Canadian Civil Liberties Association
(CCLA).
CAIR-CAN Chair Dr. Sheema Khan joins the CCLA Board for a 2-year term.
The CCLA was formed in 1964 and is operated with a volunteer board of
directors made up of prominent citizens that include some of Canada's
most
well known names in law, journalism, politics, the arts, labour,
business
and other fields. (For more on the CCLA, please visit:
http://www.ccla.org.)
"CCLA is delighted with the election of Dr. Khan to its Board of
Directors.
We look forward to her valuable contributions to our efforts at
advancing
civil liberties, protecting human rights and promoting
non-discrimination,"
said John McCamus, Chair of the CCLA Board.
Dr. Khan also spoke recently at the Canadian Bar Association (CBA)
Canadian
Legal Conference. On August 15, she joined Professor Janice Gross
Stein,
Director of the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University
of
Toronto, and broadcaster Ann Medina for the Opening Panel "Engaging
Communities: Human Rights in Context?" (For more on the conference,
please
visit: http://www.cba.org/CBA/annualmeeting/2004_annual/)
Reacting to Dr. Khan's contributions and the positive reception she
received from the delegates, CBA president Susan McGrath said, "Dr.
Khan's
comments were very informative, and highlighted the new realities that
have
emerged in post-September 11 and the role we should be playing as
citizens
and legal professionals in promoting and protecting human rights."
The CBA conference is the premiere annual event for legal professionals
in
Canada. The CBA represents some 38,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law
teachers, and law students from across Canada.
"As Canadian Muslims, we must be willing to be part of Canadian
institutions and to participate in national conferences," said CAIR-CAN
Executive Director Riad Saloojee.
"Such participation ensures that Canadian Muslims will provide
perspectives
on contemporary issues, listen to the viewpoints of all and create a
meaningful exchange of ideas on issues of concern to all Canadians," he
added.
CONTACT: Abdurahman Salman at 613-254-9704
---
CAIR ELECTION UPDATE #17: NATIONAL SECURITY
http://www.cair-net.org/muslimvote2004/aug192004.asp
---
SCHEDULE FOR MUSLIM VOTER REGISTRATION IN MARYLAND
Friday, August 20, ICM, 12:30pm-2:30pm
Friday, August 20, MCC, 12:30pm-2:30pm
Friday, August 20, Casey Community Center, 12:30pm-2:30pm
Friday, August 27, ICM, 12:30pm-2:30pm
Friday, August 27, MCC, 12:30pm-2:30pm
Friday, August 27, Casey Community Center, 12:30pm-2:30pm
Sunday, August 29, Montgomery County Fairgrounds "Pakistan Day,"
12:00pm-2:00pm
---
FRIENDLY FIRE: THE BIRTH OF AN ANTI-KERRY AD
KATE ZERNIKE and JIM RUTENBERG, New York Times, 8/20/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/20/politics/campaign/20swift.html
After weeks of taking fire over veterans' accusations that he had lied
about his Vietnam service record to win medals and build a political
career, Senator John Kerry shot back yesterday, calling those
statements
categorically false and branding the people behind them tools of the
Bush
campaign…
The book outlining the veterans' charges, "Unfit for Command: Swift
Boat
Veterans Speak Out Against Kerry," has also come under fire. It is
published by Regnery, a conservative company that has published
numerous
books critical of Democrats, and written by Mr. O'Neill and Jerome R.
Corsi, who was identified on the book jacket as a Harvard Ph.D. and the
author of many books and articles. But Mr. Corsi also acknowledged that
he
has been a contributor of anti-Catholic, anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic
comments to a right-wing Web site. He said he regretted those comments…
-----
AS 'HELP THE NEEDY' CHARITY TRIAL NEARS, CASE FURTHER POLITICIZES
Madeleine Baran, News Standard, 8/18/04
http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=846
Aug 18 - In the eighteen months since Central New York oncologist Rafil
Dhafir was arrested and charged with violating the US embargo against
Iraq,
he has been sitting in a Syracuse jail, ignored by most of the national
media, as prosecutors continue to add charges threatening him with a
maximum sentence of almost 300 years in prison.
Having been denied bail for a fifth time on August 16, it appears
Dhafir
will remain behind bars until his September 27 trial date…
Although Dhafir has not been charged with any terrorism-related crimes,
politicians have continually linked his case to the government's
so-called
"war on terror."
However, prosecutors have not claimed that any of the Help the Needy
donations funded either the Iraqi government or terrorist groups. In
fact,
evidence uncovered in a government investigation appears to indicate
that
money went toward food and other supplies for needy families.
As the investigation continued, links to terrorism never materialized,
but
prosecutors added additional charges, including allegations that Dhafir
filed a false non-profit request with the IRS, billed Medicare for
chemotherapy sessions at his clinic when he was not present, and made
false
statements to a medical auditor. In April, prosecutors charged Dhafir
with
using a portion of Help the Needy money to purchase real estate in
Syracuse.
Judges have now denied Dhafir bail on five occasions, stating that the
doctor, who has strong ties to Central New York, is a "flight risk."
Dhafir
has not been able to have private access to a lawyer because, he says,
his
Muslim faith prohibits him from consenting to the requisite strip
search.
If he continues to refuse the search, he may not be able to attend his
own
trial. Dhafir says he is not guilty of any of the charges.
Since his arrest eighteen months ago, Dhafir's case has been an enigma.
Unlike others who have violated the embargo against Iraq, including
members
of the peace group Voices in the Wilderness, Dhafir is facing serious
prison time. And, unlike other Muslims denied bail and facing
potentially
even more serious charges, like Jose Padilla and Yaser Hamdi, Dhafir
has
attracted little widespread attention or support.
In a motion filed July 29, Dhafir's lawyer, Deveraux Cannick, requested
that all charges against Dhafir be dismissed, based on claims that the
federal government targeted Dhafir for "selective prosecution." The
defense
alleges that other concerned American citizens who have also violated
the
embargo against Iraq have not been criminally prosecuted, and have
instead
received small civil penalties.
In fact, the best-known organization providing aid to needy Iraqis,
Voices
in the Wilderness, has never been criminally charged, and has only
received
fines for its numerous -- and very public -- violations of the embargo.
"Other people did the same thing and they were treated differently, to
say
the least," said Dhafir friend and supporter Mohamed Khater. "Did any
one
of them spend a day in jail? No…"
-----
MUSLIM FBI AGENT SUES U.S. FOR DISCRIMINATION
Gail Appleson, Reuters, 8/19/04
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N19299368.htm
NEW YORK, Aug 19 (Reuters) - A Muslim FBI agent who was demoted after
working as a supervisor in the Middle East at the time the Sept. 11
attacks
took place sued the U.S. government for racial and religious
discrimination
on Thursday.
Wilfred Rattigan, who was a legal attache in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
charged
in his suit that the FBI harassed and demoted him because he is black
and
reverted to Islam in December 2001.
The suit was filed in Manhattan federal court and seeks unspecified
damages.
Rattigan charged that discriminatory behavior he faced could have
compromised the Sept. 11 investigations and reflects "the ongoing
legacy of
racial discrimination that has roiled the bureau in past 10 to 15
years..."
The legal attache job in Riyadh had responsibility for FBI activities
in
seven countries: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, United Arab
Emirates,
Yemen and Qatar, the suit said.
Rattigan said that after he became the legal attache in July 2000, he
told
supervisors that his office was badly understaffed.
He said the FBI failed to give him enough help even though U.S.
concerns
about terrorism were focused on Saudi Arabia.
The 2000 attack on the U.S. warship Cole in Yemen increased the
workload on
his office, but Rattigan said the FBI refused to ease the burden by
shifting responsibilities to other offices.
And when the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks increased the workload "many
fold,"
Rattigan said his request for additional assistance "for the most part,
fell on deaf ears or was turned down."
He charged that during this time, other attache offices headed by white
employees got more help than Riyadh even though they were less
connected to
the Sept. 11 investigation.
Rattigan said that since he filed an internal complaint in May 2002, he
has
been continually harassed and was eventually transferred out of Riyadh
and
demoted…
-----
PRISON GUARD FIRED AFTER COMPLAINT
DWIGHT F. BLINT, Hartford Courant, 6/20/04
http://www.ctnow.com/news/local/hc-guard0820.artaug20,0,4270215.story
A prison guard at the Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown has
been
fired after a Muslim co-worker complained that the guard harassed and
threatened him with a gun.
The Muslim officer, Fahd Syed, alleged that correction officer
Christopher
Mates once pointed his handgun at him and said: "I got the enemy."
In others incidents, Mates, 28, a six-year veteran of the department,
physically assaulted Syed, who is of Yemeni descent, and once called
him a
racial slur in front of other officers, Syed complained.
An investigation was initiated by the correction department's security
division and affirmative action unit in February after Syed, who has
been
with the department two years, filed an internal grievance and
contacted
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington,
D.C.-based
advocacy group…
Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the council, said he was
pleased with the correction department's handling of the incident.
"They did a thorough job and came to the right conclusion," said
Hooper.
"That indicates to me that it's not a systemic problem, but a problem
with
that one individual."
SEE ALSO:
'WACK THE IRAQ' BOARDWALK ARCADE CRITICIZED AS ANTI-ARAB
Associated Press, 8/19/04
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/ny-bc-nj--iraqarcade0819aug19,0,461219.s
tory
WILDWOOD, N.J. -- A live-target paintball game in which patrons take
aim at
runners dressed as Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden has drawn fire
from
critics who say the game is tasteless and can only encourage violence
against Arabs.
"We don't need any more games that would encourage people to hate Arabs
or
kill them," said Aref Assaf, president of the New Jersey Chapter of
American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
Assaf has called on local officials to shut the game down, which he
considers hate speech. He also wants Wildwood visitors to boycott it.
The game, known as "Wack the Iraq" _ not Iraqi _ has been on the board
walk
in Wildwood for at least a year, but has only recently drawn
complaints,
said Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr.
Troiano agrees the game is tasteless but said it was no more likely to
encourage violence than many popular video games. He also said the city
was
powerless to shut the game down because of the operator's free speech
rights…
-----
NEW SCHOOL SERVES MUSLIM STUDENTS
ZACHARY R. MIDER, Providence Journal, 8/20/04
http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20040820_ww20schl.24b778.html
WEST WARWICK -- The first Islamic school in Rhode Island is set to open
here next month, serving Muslim students from Rhode Island and nearby
states.
In past years, Muslim parents have had to take their children to
parochial
schools in Massachusetts, or send them to local public schools, where
they
sometimes face prejudice, said Jennifer Ead, spokeswoman for the new
Islamic School of Rhode Island.
The new school is in an unusual place -- the site of a former Roman
Catholic parochial school, just behind Sacred Heart Church -- and its
front
door looks out on a grotto honoring an Italian saint.
"It's good to be in the background of a church," said Nasser Zawia, a
member of the school's board of trustees who said he wants the school
to be
an accepted part of the community. "It erases a lot of misconceptions."
The school is open to any student, pre-kindergarten through grade six,
although enrollment may be limited to pre-K through grade three during
the
first year, Ead said. Fewer than 50 have signed up so far. Students are
expected from as far away as Massachusetts and Connecticut. So far, no
non-Muslims have enrolled.
There's been a need for an Islamic school in the area for some time,
but
the backlash against Muslims following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks galvanized the effort to create one, Ead said.
"We wanted our children to come and feel free in who they are and not
have
backbiting and ridicule," she said. Ead said public schools are
particularly difficult for Muslim girls, who often stand out because
they
cover their heads.
Zawia and Ead said overt hate crimes are rare in Rhode Island, although
just last month, someone spray-painted slurs on a convenience store
across
town that is owned by an Egyptian-American…
-----
U.S. MUST IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH MUSLIMS - BUSH AIDE
Caren Bohan, Reuters, 8/10/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6023378
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush's top security
aide
said on Thursday the United States had not done enough to reach out to
the
world's more than 1 billion Muslims, many of whom are critical of the
Iraq
war and see a pro-Israeli bias in U.S. Middle East policy.
White House national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said the Bush
administration wanted to encourage "voices of moderation and tolerance
and
pluralism" in the Muslim world, and dispel an image that the United
States
is a "crass" culture.
It has pursued such goals in the past, but with little success, and
Rice
acknowledged widespread skepticism toward America among Muslims.
"We can and we must do more," Rice said in a speech to the U.S.
Institute
of Peace.
"Our interaction must be a conversation, not a monologue," she said.
The spokesman for a major U.S. Muslim group said any attempts to win
Muslim
hearts and minds would be doomed in the absence of a change in U.S.
Middle
East policy, despite what he described as Rice's "fine sentiments."
"Unless we take real action to be more even-handed in trying to resolve
the
Mideast conflict, little else will matter," said Ibrahim Hooper,
spokesman
for the Council on American-Islamic Relations…
SEE ALSO:
REMARKS BY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR CONDOLEEZZA RICE
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/08/20040819-5.html
---
DIPLOMACY EFFORTS LACK FUNDS, FOLLOW-THROUGH
Robin Wright, Washington Post, 8/20/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17134-2004Aug19.html
The Bush administration is facing growing criticism from both inside
and
outside its ranks that it has failed to move aggressively enough in the
war
of ideas against Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda and other Islamic extremist
groups over the three years since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The Sept. 11 commission last month called for a vigorous strategy for
promoting the image and democratic values of the United States around
the
world, and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said yesterday
that
the administration is working hard on those efforts.
But Middle East experts -- and some frustrated U.S. officials --
complain
that the administration has provided only limited new direction in
dealing
with anti-American anger among the world's 1.2 billion Muslims and is
spending far too little on such efforts, particularly in contrast with
the
billions spent on other pressing needs, such as homeland security and
intelligence.
On its boldest policy ideas, such as the Greater Middle East Democracy
Initiative, the administration has limited its follow-through or
deferred
to the very governments that have most resisted democratic reforms,
specialists and some U.S. officials say.
"It's worse than failing. Failing means you tried and didn't get
better.
But at this point, three years after September 11, you can say there
wasn't
even much of an attempt, and today Arab and Muslim attitudes toward the
U.S. and the degree of distrust in the U.S. are far worse than they
were
three years ago. Bin Laden is winning by default," said Shibley
Telhami, a
member of a White House-appointed advisory group on public diplomacy
and
Brookings Institution scholar...
"There is a total collapse of trust in American intentions and it's
only
gotten far worse over the past year," Telhami said. "When people hate
or
resent the United States far more than they dislike bin Laden, how can
you
succeed? That's the bottom line."
---
ISLAM: PEACEFUL RELIGION AT CORE
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/0/D61BFEE90013AC2385256EF5007BB1E
C
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif., Aug. 19 -- Religion is a
powerful
subject. Many have strong opinions, while others chose to avoid even
the
knowledge of such. The strength and determination religion brings to
those
who believe can be seen throughout the world in an array of forms from
good
faith to assassination.
In Iraq, the war is brutal and said to be a holy war amongst Muslims.
Of
course, 95 percent of the population in Iraq is indeed Muslim. But, 80
percent of all Muslims are not Arabs. There are more found in
Indonesia, a
large minority in China and about five million right here in the United
States.
A Muslim is a person who submits to the will of Allah. To a Muslim,
Allah
is the only divine and worshipful being. They believe he is the God for
all
Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and even atheists.
Islam, with the root word meaning peace, is the actual submission
process
and has five pillars…
Jihad, meaning struggle in Arabic, is allowed when fighting for
religion
and in self-defense. So, there it is, a holy war where each party truly
believes they are right according to a religion passed down from
generation
to generation.
A non-discriminatory religion of peace, torn by power, under one God,
known
to Muslims as Allah.
-----
MEDICAL STAFF BLASTED IN IRAQ PRISON ABUSE
Los Angeles Times, 8/20/04
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/9449487.htm
U.S. military medical personnel grossly abused medical ethics at
Baghdad's
Abu Ghurayb prison, helping to design interrogation techniques, turning
their backs on abuse by guards, failing to protect the rights of
detainees
and actively hiding evidence of abuse, a Minnesota bioethicist charges
in
today's issue of the journal Lancet.
Some even went so far as to revive prisoners for further torture and
falsify death certificates of prisoners killed during interrogation,
according to official documents examined by Steven H. Miles of the
University of Minnesota.
The failings of the medical staff are perhaps even more disturbing than
the
abuses by guards, Miles said Thursday. ``Medical personnel are the
first
and last bulwark against human rights abuses,'' he said. ``It is up to
physicians and medics to intervene'' to protect prisoners. Not only did
they not intervene at Abu Ghurayb but they also actively participated
in
the abuse, Miles said.
Their ``offenses do not merely fall short of medical ideals; some
constitute grave breaches of international or U.S. law,'' Miles
wrote...
SEE ALSO:
KHADR TELLS OF TORTURE BY U.S. SOLDIERS
ANDREW MILLS, The Star, 8/19/04
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Artic
le_Type1&c=Article&cid=1092867012048&call_pageid=968332188492&col=9687939721
54
Detained in an Afghan prison, Abdurahman Khadr says U.S. soldiers
stripped
him naked and repeatedly photographed his genitals. On the 17-hour
flight
to Guantanamo Bay, he was in such pain - shackled to the floor of a
plane -
he just wanted the soldiers to shoot him dead.
And at the military prison, he stood by as prisoners were compelled to
talk
by depriving them of sleep, placing them in smoke-filled rooms or
smothering their faces with feces.
Khadr's testimony in a federal court hearing last month reveals, in
detail,
the conditions that he and other prisoners faced after their capture in
Afghanistan and upon transfer to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba…
He was taken prisoner at Bagram Air Force Base. "They got me naked and
they
were taking pictures of my face and then my private parts, just
constantly
taking pictures of my private parts," he said. They dressed him in an
orange suit, he said, and forced him to lie on a cold concrete slab for
two
days. Soldiers stepped on his shackles, which cut through his skin "to
the
bone," he said. They checked his anus, he testified, "three times in
eight
days." A guard dragged him up a flight of stairs, he said, after he
smiled
at her.
He saw other prisoners hung from a wall by their shackles for as long
as
four days, he testified. When he asked why he, as an informant, had to
suffer, soldiers told him it was to make the prisoners think he was one
of
them, he said.
And then he was bound at the hands, legs and stomach and loaded on the
flight to Cuba, with his head covered, he said.
The fresh paint on the blackout goggles he was forced to wear mixed
with
his tears, burning his eyes. The flight was a "whole torture on its
own."
"There were people screaming around me and there was people begging for
water and nobody was getting anything," he said…
At Guantanamo, he was placed on an isolation block for 30 days, in a
dark
cell with just a hole for food and was allowed out for just 15 minutes
every three days. "They use this room to torture us," he testified.
"They put the heat up or they put it too low so we are freezing or we
are
suffering because there is no air. They put the music on so you can't
sleep. They throw rocks at the block so you can't sleep."
Later, in the general population, prisoners were interrogated at all
hours.
And when they returned, they told Khadr stories of being locked in a
room
that was filled with smoke or having a mixture of feces and blood wiped
on
their faces, Khadr said…
---
ABU GHRAIB PROBE POINTS TO TOP BRASS
Josh White and Thomas E. Ricks, Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A17092-2004Aug19
An Army investigation into the role of military intelligence personnel
in
the abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison reports that the scandal was not
just
caused by a small circle of rogue military police soldiers but resulted
from failures of leadership rising to the highest levels of the U.S.
command in Iraq, senior defense officials said.
The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the
report
has not yet been completed, said the 9,000-page document says that a
combination of leadership failings, confounding policies, lack of
discipline and absolute confusion at the prison led to the abuse. It
widens
the scope of culpability from seven MPs who have been charged with
abuse to
include nearly 20 low-ranking soldiers who could face criminal
prosecution
in military courts. No Army officers, however, are expected to face
criminal charges…
-----
TERROR-LIST SNAG STOPS KENNEDY - 5 TIMES
Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press, 8/20/04
WASHINGTON - Sen. Edward Kennedy on Thursday said that he had been
misidentified on a terrorism watch list when he tried to board
airliners
between Washington and Boston.
The well-known Massachusetts Democrat was stopped five times as he
tried to
board US Airways shuttles because a name similar to his appeared on a
list
or his name popped up for additional screening.
"If they have that kind of difficulty with a member of Congress, how in
the
world are average Americans, who are getting caught up in this thing,
how
are they going to be treated fairly and not have their rights abused?"
Kennedy asked Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson…
Kennedy said he was stopped at airports in Washington, D.C., and Boston
three times in March. Airline agents told him he would not be sold a
ticket
because his name was on a list.
When he asked the agent why, he was told, "We can't tell you…"
-----
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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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/23/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: PRAISE GOD AT ALL TIMES
* REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S BANQUET/CONVENTION
* HATE WATCH: MUSLIMS ARE 'PRIMITIVE BIGOTS'
* 300 ATTEND CAIR-KY KICK-OFF (Herald-Leader)
- CAIR Job Opening: Civil Rights Coordinator
- CAIR-CAN: Respect Muslim Women (Ottawa Citizen)
* SC: MUSLIMS REACH OUT IN NEW WAYS (The State)
- OH: Festival Opens Door to Islam (Toledo Blade)
* MA: TEACHERS PREP FOR QUESTIONS ON ISLAM (Metrowest Daily)
* IL: MUSLIM GROUP REACTS TO ARREST OF LOCAL MAN (MCRC)
- IL: Muslims Suspicious Of Charges (Daily Southtown)
- IL: Indictments as Political Game (Chicago Trib)
* IL: MOSQUE TRIAL TO BEGIN NOV. 15 (Daily Southtown)
* BOYKIN REPORT: MISSING THE POINT (Wash Post)
* NY: 200 DETAINEES LOCKED AWAY (New York Daily News)
* THE JEWISH VOTE: DOES BUSH TAILOR POLICY TO FIT? (Haaretz)
- Bush Reaches Out Aggressively to Jews (JTA)
* ISRAEL BUILDS MORE SETTLER HOMES, WITH US NOD (Reuters)
* NADER: PUPPETS, PUPPETEERS AND ISRAEL (Wash Post)
- Puppets, Puppeteers and Israel (Wash Post)
* AMERICAN MUSLIM PEACE MISSION TO SUDAN
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: PRAISE GOD AT ALL TIMES
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "It is a fine thing when
a
believer praises and thanks God if good comes to him, and praises God
and
shows endurance if smitten by affliction."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 537
-----
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S OCT. 2-5 BANQUET & CONVENTION
Join us in our nation's capital for 4 days of exciting activities
TO REGISTER, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
-----
HATE WATCH: MUSLIMS ARE 'PRIMITIVE BIGOTS'
THE ER BURQA
Val MacQueen, FrontPageMagazine.com, 8/23/04
http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=14754
[NOTE: This item is included in today's CAIR-NET to show the level of
anti-Muslim hatred that exists in the extremist right-wing media. There
are
hundreds of Islamophobic web sites, but this particular one is
sometimes
the source of story ideas for the more "legitimate" right-wing media.
Please DO NOT contact this web site. Any comments from Muslims will
only be
used to further defame Islam. The name "Val MacQeen" may be a
pseudonym.]
Immigrant Muslims have their panties in a bunch again, yet again
demanding
that the host country modify its habits in order to satisfy the
"modesty"
of people recently catapulted through time from the year 600…
The refugees in question are from Somalia, where a little girl
spread-eagled on a table and held down screaming by several adult women
while someone snips off her genitals so she will never experience
sexual
desire or fulfillment is presumably not regarded as "immodest" in their
"culture." [sic.]
Maine Medical Center, noting that many recently arrived Somali women
were
failing to turn up for their - presumably free - consultations, found
that
they preferred to go without medical treatment rather than wear a
garment
that didn't fit in with what they wear to see the doctor back home -
apparently several layers of head to toe black draperies, thick socks
and a
chastity belt. Rather than respect their choice to die a lingering and
painful death, Maine Medical Center set to work getting the gowns
redesigned…
The Portland hospital gamely jumped right in to the new American
tradition
of placating Muslims and massaging American culture to make our Western
ways acceptable to primitive bigots…
And we all know what happens when a Muslim man thinks he has lost face
because his wife went to answer the door without a grill over her face,
or
his daughter refused to marry the Pakistani lout the father promised
her to
when she was six. "Honor" killings provide the answer…
Meanwhile, the University of Michigan, which serves an area that has
around
300,000 Muslim immigrants has not been slow to mould itself to the
diktats
of the newly arrived modesty jihadettes. (The Detroit suburb of
Hamtramck
now has calls to prayer in Arabic assaulting Polish Catholic ears six
times
a day in the holy cause of multiculturalism.)
Again according to AP, "The hospital is thinking of posting signs on
the
rooms of Muslim women warning male visitors and staff to check with a
nurse's station before entering." My suggestion would be, if they don't
want male nurses attending their clitorectomied women who have had
their
labia grafted together, they might want to consider building a
Muslim-funded hospital where their perverse notions of "health care"
could
be catered to without causing widespread merriment. And without public
subsidy -- the Islamicization of America.
-----
CAIR-KY: LOCAL AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS GROUP FORMS
Jason McAlister, Herald-Leader, 8/22/04
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/news/9464645.htm
The meeting began with a 10-minute prayer from the Koran.
The chant echoed the purpose of the newly formed Kentucky chapter of
the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, which held its kick-off meeting
last
night at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Lexington.
Mayor Teresa Isaac, Assistant Police Chief Ronnie Bastin and the
chairman
of the Kentucky chapter of CAIR, Abdul Quayyum, spoke about "building a
bridge of understanding" between Muslims and non-Muslims in Kentucky.
Isaac told the crowd of about 300 she was proud to be the mayor of the
largest city in America with an Arab-American mayor.
Isaac, who has Lebanese heritage, encouraged Muslims to use "candor and
humor" as answers to backlashes against Muslims.
Bastin spoke about his experiences in Mexico that helped him learn to
work
with the Hispanic community. Bastin said the Lexington police
department
had no Arabic speaking officers that he knew of, but he asked those in
attendance for help in finding someone to fit the job.
Fatma Hedeia said she came to find out more about CAIR and how it can
help
build an understanding of the growing Kentucky Muslim population.
"I have lived with ignorant comments for 20 years in Kentucky," said
Hedeia, referring to her attire, called a "hejab," which covers all but
her
hands and face. "When everyone else is freezing, I'm not," she said,
while
sitting under an air conditioning vent.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR JOB OPENING: CIVIL RIGHTS COORDINATOR
CAIR has an immediate opening for an experienced dynamic person to fill
the
position of Civil Rights Coordinator. The position involves handling of
civil rights cases, doing research on issues pertaining to civil and
religious rights in America, maintaining a civil rights data base
system,
and generating reports, charts and graphs. Candidates should have a
Bachelor degree in a related field with general knowledge of the US
Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
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. When applying via email please
ensure to write the position title "Civil Rights Coordinator" in the
subject of the email. Please send your application with cover letter
and
complete resume and references by August 27th, 2004. Absolutely no
phone
calls please.
---
CAIR-CAN: RESPECT MUSLIM WOMEN'S RIGHT, TOO
Abdurahman Salman, Ottawa Citizen, 8/21/04
http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/
Re: Muslim women can remove veil for female officer, Aug. 18.
Letter-writer Ali Ahmad suggested that it's "in our national interest
to
ignore" Muslim women's complaints after they were told by immigration
officials at Trudeau International Airport in Dorval to remove their
hijabs
(or headscarves) for their permanent resident card photograph.
The hijab, a religiously mandatory attire for Muslim women, covers the
hair
and ears, not the face. If Muslim women choose to wear it, their
fundamental rights to freedom of religion are protected while security
concerns are not compromised.
Mr. Ali wrote that oppression forced him to leave his country and seek
"to
live in a free and safe country with equal rights for all." It is
surprising that Mr. Ali expressed "shock" at the prime minister's
assurance
to Canadian Muslim women that their religious right to wear a hijab
will be
respected and protected when photographs are taken for the permanent
resident card.
Canada has a long tradition of promoting equality and protecting
religious
and minority rights as enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The
prime minister simply followed this progressive tradition.
Abdurahman Salman is the Communications coordinator for the Canadian
Council on American-Islamic Relations
-----
MUSLIMS REACH OUT IN NEW WAYS
Christina Lee Knauss, The State, 8/22/04
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/9464561.htm
You might not immediately affiliate Islam with pop culture - but young
Muslims around the country and in the Columbia area are attempting to
change that.
A group of 20- and 30-something Muslims is combining its faith with pop
culture elements, ranging from edgy Web sites to comedy.
It's all part of an increasing effort, they say, to increase Muslims'
impact on mainstream American society and to help non-Muslims
understand
the culture of Islam and, in the aftermath of 9/11, to see their Muslim
neighbors in a nonthreatening way.
One of the year's high-profile elements of this trend - the "Allah Made
Me
Funny" tour - is coming Saturday to Columbia's Keenan Theatre. The tour
features three young Muslim men - Preacher Moss, Azhar Usman and
Columbia
resident Azeem - who use comedy to teach others about their faith and
to
offer fellow Muslims a chance to laugh about shared experiences.
"I do believe that out of every curse God gives a blessing," Azeem
said.
"There had always been something of a stigma in being Muslim before
9/11
... People had no idea what Muslims were all about. Then 9/11 was the
straw
that broke the camel's back. It became necessary for somebody to come
forward and address the issues and show a different perspective on the
Muslim culture, that the fanatics you see on TV are a very small
handful of
the more than 1 billion Muslims in the world."
The tour has sold out shows in Toronto and Washington, D.C., and has
received coverage in mainstream media outlets such as CNN and the
British
Broadcasting Corp.
The three comedians on the tour make jokes about everything from Muslim
cultural traditions to the more sensitive areas of politics and Muslim
life
in post-9/11 America.
"Comedy provides the perfect forum to satirize and poke fun at
ourselves
and at the same time provoke social assessment," Usman said. "We're
bringing the Muslim community to mainstream America..."
ALSO SEE:
FESTIVAL OPENS DOOR TO MUSLIM CULTURE
Meredith Heagney, Toledo Blade, 8/22/04
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040822/NEWS08/408220370/-1/NEWS
Music, art, and a whole lot of food were shared yesterday at the
International Festival at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo. The
festival continues today from noon to 6 p.m., and provides a unique
opportunity for the local Muslim community to share its culture with
the
public.
"We came to tour the Islamic Center and learn a little more about the
people," said Joe Molloy of Perrysburg.
His wife, Suellen, said they had driven by the mosque on Scheider Road
in
Perrysburg, a "million times" but had never stopped to see it.
"Our future seems to be connected to theirs right now," she said. "We
thought we better come and take a look."
The Molloys were one of many families curious about the mosque and
Islam.
Others came to feast in the food tent, where 12 nationalities were
represented. Many children lined up for the mini bungee jump, petting
zoo,
and camel rides. It's all about showing the community that Muslims have
fun, too, said Dr. S. Zaheer Hasan, president of the center.
"Unfortunately, the national media [has depicted] Muslims as angry,
serious, and not family-oriented people," he said. "That's absolutely
not
correct."
That's why, for those interested, the center offers tours, an art
exhibit,
and a bookstore. Dr. Mahjabeen Islam, who runs the bookstore, feels
very
strongly about the role such festivals can have in fostering tolerance.
"It's very enjoyable on the surface," she said, with the food, music,
clothing, and art. "But on a deeper level, it makes people understand
Muslims are regular folk."
Dr. Islam is angry that her religion has been used to justify
violence...
-----
TEACHERS PREP FOR QUESTIONS ON ISLAMIC HISTORY
Charlie Breitrose, Metrowest Daily News, 8/22/04
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=76089
FRAMINGHAM -- The history of Islam was a dusty subject until Sept. 11,
2001, when the terrorist attacks on the United States had students
asking a
lot of tough questions.
Nearly three years later, knowledge of the history of Islam and the
cultures of the dozens of predominantly Muslim nations remains minimal.
In an effort to reverse the trend, a week-long workshop for Bay State
teachers was held at Cameron Middle School in Framingham this past week
to
send educators back into the classrooms armed with answers.
According to the participants, the workshop worked.
"When I teach this year I want to actually help kids understand the
Middle
East," said Framingham history teacher Steve Manning, who teaches at
Cameron Middle School. "How can they understand Iraq if they don't know
the
history of the people..."
ALSO SEE:
LESSONS OF ISLAM FIT INTO EVERY DAY
Safdar Razi, Austin American Statesman, 8/21/04
http://www.statesman.com/life/content/auto/epaper/editions/saturday/life_entertainment_14623f24e3b3c1cf10b2.html
It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad said: My Lord gave me nine
(bits
of) advice and I give them to you. He advised me:
* To be sincere, whether in private or in public.
* To do justice, whether in anger or in happiness.
* To be moderate, whether in riches or in poverty.
* To join (in relations) with those who (try to) cut me off.
* To give to those who deprive me.
* To forgive those who wrong me.
* That my silence be thoughtful.
* That my speech be mindful (of God).
* That my vision be to take admonition.
These pieces of advice contain the basic ethics of Islam, which is not
an
ordinary set of ethics but is divine and prophetic. These principles
have
lasting values and bring eternal blessings.
The challenge is to live by these principles, teach them to our younger
generations, and to form and build a community of faithful who are
willing
to dedicate themselves to them.
Here is a brief description of the principles:
Sincerity: The messenger of God was a sincere person who had purity of
heart and mind. He taught people that true honesty was to act in
private as
one would act in public.
Justice: Justice and fair dealing with all people was the lifestyle of
Muhammad. He taught people to act justly, in both word and deed, even
with
those who hated him and who mistreated him...
May all of us strive to better follow the example of the prophet
Muhammad!
Safdar Razi Ali is the Imam for the Islamic Ahlul Bayt Association,
participants in Austin Area Interreligious Ministries. Learn more about
them at aaimaustin.org.
-----
ILLINOIS MUSLIM GROUP REACTS TO ARREST OF LOCAL MAN
Suspect Should be Granted Due Process, Presumption of Innocence
HICKORY HILLS, Ill. - The Illinois- based Muslim Civil Rights Center
(MCRC)
today reacted to the arrest of Muhammad Salah, an area Muslim who has
been
indicted on charges of racketeering conspiracy to provide money for
terrorist acts.
In its statement, MCRC said:
"While it is important that our government takes effective steps to
protect
our country against terrorist threats, it is equally important that all
those suspected of wrongdoing be given their
constitutionally-guaranteed
right to due process of law, as well as the presumption of innocence.
"Unfortunately, such indictments in the past have been exploited by
those
who have sought to denigrate the American Muslim community.
"Such cases must be judged on basis of the evidence, not on the
religious
beliefs or national origins of the defendants. It is important that the
media and judicial system proceed cautiously and that the legal rights
of
the accused are protected.
"Given previous cases involving innocent Americans like Wen Ho Lee,
Brandon
Mayfield and James Yee, in which evidence proved to be flawed or
missing;
MCRC is concerned about the strength of the charges against Salah.
"MCRC will carefully monitor this situation to ensure that justice is
done
and that no individuals or groups are victimized due to religion or
national origin."
MCRC, an Islamic civil and human rights group based in Hickory Hills,
Illinois, creates awareness about civil and human rights among
American
Muslims and facilitates legal assistance to assure due process and
fair
trial for the community members.
Contact: Ahmad Tansheet of the Muslim Civil Rights Center 708-598-6640
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIMS SUSPICIOUS OF CHARGES
Jonathan Lipman and Allison Hantschel, Daily Southtown, 8/22/04
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsindex/22-ds2.htm
Three days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Mohammed Salah
gathered with hundreds of fellow Muslims at a rally outside of the
Bridgeview mosque where he would worship.
Perched on his shoulders, his 3-year-old son grasped an American flag
in
his right hand and waved the red, white and blue in the autumn breeze.
Salah said he was sickened by the attacks and the massive loss of life
ordered by Osama bin Laden, calling the destruction of that day
"inhuman"
and contrary to the precepts of his Islamic faith.
But in the eyes of the U.S. government, bin Laden and Salah share
common
cause in the world of terror.
In 1995, two years after he moved to Bridgeview, the U.S. Treasury
Department labeled Salah a "Designated Terrorist," his name listed in
the
same column of suspect terrorists as that of bin Laden.
The government froze Salah's assets and severely restricted his ability
to
live a normal American life.
Last week, after more than 10 years of investigation, federal agents
took
the 51-year-old Bridgeview man into custody during a traffic stop in
Oak
Lawn, accusing him of money laundering and recruiting young men for
terrorist activities.
Members of Salah's family say they are tired of what they call biased
and
politically motivated attacks on their community leaders.
Salah's nephew Abdullah Salah described the indictment as "the same
tired
allegations we heard from the U.S. attorney's office 15 years ago."
Before Friday, however, Salah hadn't been charged with a crime in the
United States.
"We know that there was an open investigation, everyone knew that,"
Abdullah Salah said. "Why (the indictment) is now, we have no idea."
Muslim and Arab community leaders said they have learned to be
skeptical of
any terrorism-related criminal cases brought to court since Sept. 11.
"Indictments have been exploited in the past by people who want to
blame
someone just because he or she is Muslim," said Yasser Tabbara,
executive
director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Chicago chapter.
"He
is innocent until he is proven guilty, and we should remember that..."
---
MUSLIMS VIEW INDICTMENTS AS PIECES IN POLITICAL GAME
David Heinzmann and Laurie Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 8/21/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0408210164aug21,1,3494044.story
As Muslim worshipers began to gather before noon for Friday prayers at
the
Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview, most expressed dismay and skepticism
about
the arrest of one of their own community, Muhammad Salah.
They dismissed the charges of terrorism as a political ploy intended to
influence the November presidential election.
Salah, one of three men whose indictment was announced Friday by Atty.
Gen.
John Ashcroft, was arrested Thursday afternoon a few miles from the
Bridgeview mosque.
Men on work breaks for Friday prayers and women dressed in traditional
head
scarves, with children in tow, said they reject the accusation that
Salah,
who lives on the top floor of a three-flat a block from the mosque, was
involved in funding acts of terrorism in Israel.
"He has been just like any other member of the mosque, living and
praying
in the community. I saw him yesterday or the day before," said Rafeeq
Jaber, a board member of the Mosque Foundation and president of the
Islamic
Association of Palestine.
Jaber called the allegations against Salah laughable but predictable.
And
like many people at prayers Friday, he said Ashcroft engineered Salah's
indictment in an attempt to help the Bush administration politically.
"They obviously cannot find anything against Muslims in the war on
terror,
so they go after Muslims supporting the Palestinians," he said. "How
dangerous is this man? He's been living here for 30 years, and now he
can't
even find a job to make a living..."
-----
MOSQUE TRIAL AGAINST PALOS HEIGHTS TO BEGIN NOV. 15
Courtney Greve, Daily Southtown, 8/22/04
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/yrtwn/south/227syt3.htm
A Nov. 15 trial date has been set in a $6.2 million federal lawsuit by
the
Al Salam Mosque Foundation that accuses Palos Heights of civil rights
violations and discrimination in opposing a mosque in the city.
In 2000, Al Salam created a major controversy by announcing its intent
to
buy the Christian Reformed Church of Palos Heights' building, 6600 W.
127th
St., and turn it into a mosque.
Hundreds of residents petitioned the city council to buy the church for
use
as a recreation center, with some openly opposing the mosque, saying
they
did not want Muslims in their "Christian community."
The city offered the mosque foundation $200,000 to back out of the deal
with the church, but then-Mayor Dean Koldenhoven vetoed the settlement,
calling it an "embarrassment" and an "insult" to the Muslim community.
Al Salam officials then decided not to purchase the church property and
later filed the civil rights lawsuit. The suit alleges that city
officials
deliberately derailed the mosque project by refusing to provide written
verification that the appropriate zoning was in place for a mosque.
Gregory Kulis, a Chicago attorney representing the mosque foundation,
could
not be reached for comment.
The city's position has been that it's not common practice to offer
such
written verification, and Al Salam was treated the same as any other
prospective landowner...
-----
MISSING THE POINT
Washington Post, 8/22/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24997-2004Aug22.html
LAST FALL, DEFENSE Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld ducked the embarrassing
matter of grossly offensive, anti-Islamic remarks by Lt. Gen. William
G.
Boykin by asking the Defense Department's inspector general to examine
his
behavior. This was a ruse. The problem with Gen. Boykin's words was
never
the possibility that they violated this or that department regulation
--
the sort of thing inspectors general are charged with investigating.
The
problem was that Gen. Boykin, deputy undersecretary of defense for
intelligence, was delivering himself of bigoted remarks -- generally
while
in uniform -- that directly undercut President Bush's repeated
insistence
that America's war is not against Islam generally and is not a clash of
religious civilizations. By unloading the matter on the inspector
general,
Mr. Rumsfeld and Mr. Bush avoided having to condemn the remarks
forthrightly while seeming to take appropriate action.
Now the inspector general's office has issued its report. And as one
would
expect, it avoids the only important issues that Gen. Boykin's remarks
raised in the first place -- that is, whether the Defense Department
ought
to be espousing religious bigotry and whether Mr. Rumsfeld ought to
take
action when a senior officer does just that. We're still waiting for
Mr.
Rumsfeld to answer that question.
Gen. Boykin's words do not fall in a gray area. He said in one speech
of a
Somali warlord that "I knew that my god was bigger than his. I knew
that my
god was a real god and his was an idol"; he described the war on
terrorism
as a "spiritual battle," noting that "Satan wants to destroy this
nation,
he wants to destroy us as a nation, and he wants to destroy us as a
Christian army"; and he famously described a dark section of a
photograph
of the Somali capital as the "evil" that is the real enemy. "It is not
Osama bin Laden, it is the principalities of darkness. It is a
spiritual
enemy that will only be defeated if we come against them in the name of
Jesus and pray for this nation and for our leaders." Such beliefs are
the
general's right, but when a senior defense official utters them in
public,
they undermine just about every value the administration is trying to
project in this war.
The report, however, finds only that Gen. Boykin failed "to clear his
speeches with the proper [Pentagon] authorities," that he failed "to
preface his remarks with a disclaimer" that the views were his own and
that
he "failed to report travel reimbursement exceeding $260" on his 2002
financial disclosure form. All of this may be true, but the findings
completely miss the point. Then again, that point should have been
clear to
Mr. Bush and Mr. Rumsfeld from the start.
-----
200 LOCKED AWAY & UNDER THE RADAR
Albor Ruiz, New York Daily News, 8/19/04
http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/223389p-191946c.html
There is a little gulag in New York City. And it is nothing to be proud
of.
Its name is the Wackenhut Detention Center, and more than 200 human
beings
- men and women - languish ignored within its walls. Yet most New
Yorkers
have never heard about it.
The situation of the people inside the privately run immigration
maximum-security jail is so hopeless that on Monday, 175 of the
imprisoned
men resorted to a desperate measure: They went on a hunger strike.
"Nobody is eating," said Makham Singh in a telephone interview. An
immigrant from India in his 30s, Singh has a wife and two children who
are
American citizens. He has been in Wackenhut for six months.
"They bring us food and we send it back," added Singh.
The Wackenhut prison is a converted warehouse building with no windows
in
the middle of a warehouse district in Springfield Gardens, Queens.
It is drab and anonymous and out of the way, which works out well for
keeping the men and women imprisoned in it out of New York's collective
consciousness.
But the detainees are determined to do whatever it takes to let
everybody
know about the prison and what goes on inside it.
"We need people to know about our situation," Singh said. "We must be
heard, and we will starve if we have to."
The strikers' demands are nothing if not fair. They are asking for the
right to be treated humanely, the right to due process and appropriate
medical care, the review of their cases and the immediate release of
all
noncriminal prisoners so they can be reunited with their families.
Many of the Wackenhut prisoners - people from all over the world - have
been deprived of freedom for years even though no terrorism-related or
other criminal charges have been brought against any of them.
"Yet they are locked up 23 hours per day, and several have been there a
year or more," said Bobby Khan, a member of the Coney Island Avenue
Project, a group based in the Pakistani community in Brooklyn that
advocates for the rights of imprisoned immigrants.
"Most of them were picked up in the aftermath of 9/11 and have been
held
without criminal charges or due process and, in some cases, without
access
to a lawyer," Khan added. "The food is insufficient and inadequate, and
even though some of the detainees have heart conditions or suffer from
diabetes and ulcers, medical care is practically nonexistent."
Like Singh, several of the detainees - all of them confined for alleged
immigration violations - are married to U.S. citizens and have American
children. Yet the government refuses to release information about their
status or what their future might be - even though few, if any, of the
immigrant detentions since 9/11 have yielded any useful results for
President Bush's "war on terror."
Shameful as it is, the misfortune of these immigrants and their
families is
just one more opportunity for big profits for Wackenhut, the private
corporation running the jail under contract with the federal
government.
"For example, the food they are given is so bad and so little that
detainees have to buy cafeteria food," Singh said.
Inmates receive one dollar a day for work they do within the prison
walls.
Pretty low stuff in anybody's book.
Yes, there is a little gulag in New York City. It is located in Queens
and
its name is the Wackenhut Detention Center. And everybody should know
about
the more than 200 human beings languishing behind its walls.
-----
THE JEWISH VOTE: DOES BUSH TAILOR POLICY TO FIT?
Bradley Burston, Haaretz, 8/23/04
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=467865&displayTypeCd=1&sideCd=1&contrassID=2
This month, the major party least identified with Jewish voters will
for
the first time open its national convention in the American city most
identified with the Jews.
The choice of New York City dovetails smoothly with an unprecedented
campaign by the Republican Party to win over traditionally Democratic
Jewish voters.
The timing may be critical. Bush is running neck-and-neck races in
several
states with pivotal Jewish populations. Republicans, buoyed by a
January
American Jewish Committee poll that showed the president taking as much
as
31 percent of the Jewish vote, had hoped to double Bush's 19 percent
showing in 2000 against Al Gore, who scored nearly eight out of every
10
votes cast by American Jews.
But with the clock ticking toward November, the Bush bid to court
American
Jews shows signs of having stalled.
A highly visible recent poll commissioned by the National Jewish
Democratic
Council showed 75 percent of U.S. Jews backing John Kerry, with a bare
22
percent intending to vote for the Republican incumbent.
The effort to land Jewish votes has been closely watched, meanwhile, by
American Muslims, who are now believed to outnumber Jews in total
population, if not in voting strength.
Of late, the intensive effort to recast the Republican Party in the
eyes of
Jewish voters has left the White House open to charges that it is
tailoring
its policies to suit the pro-Israel leanings of U.S. Jews.
The language of the criticism is in some cases bald enough to recall a
brace of controversial attacks on the Bush administration prior to the
Iraq
war. At the time there were widespread allegations, many tinged with
what
Jews believed was a reincarnated form of classical anti Semitism, that
Jewish neo-conservatives within the administration were lobbying for
war at
Israel's bidding.
As recently as two months ago, maverick independent candidate Ralph
Nader,
a son of Lebanese immigrants, was quoted as stating at a press
conference
at the National Press Club: "The days when the chief Israeli puppeteer
comes to the United States and meets with the puppet in the White House
and
then proceeds to Capitol Hill, where he meets with hundreds of other
puppets, should be replaced."
Last week, when the U.S. Justice Department announced indictments
against
three Arabs suspected of having spent 15 years recruiting for and
financing
Hamas attacks against Israel, the accusations returned to the fore.
Thomas Durkin, an attorney for indicted Washington-area resident
Abdelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq Ashqar, 46, made little effort to glove
his
finger-pointing. "This is a blatant attempt by the Bush-Ashcroft
Justice
Department to cater to the Jewish vote," Durkin said.
"It's a foolish attempt to criminalize one side of an international
political issue that no U.S. administration has had the courage to
resolve," Durkin said...
ALSO SEE:
SENSING KERRY WEAKNESS, BUSH REACHES OUT AGGRESSIVELY TO JEWS
Matthew E. Berger, JTA, 8/22/04
http://jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=Bush+targets+Kerry%92s+Jewish+support&intcategoryid=3&SearchOptimize=Jewish+News
WASHINGTON- Republican Jews believe they can sell their party and their
candidate this year on more than just a pro-Israel record.
President Bush's support for Israel is at the heart of Republican
courting
of the Jewish vote, but the party also is stressing other facets of
Bush's
leadership in the international community.
They're also attacking Bush's opponent, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), for
an
alleged lack of leadership, and - in a change of strategy - are delving
into domestic policy.
With the nation's attention soon to focus on the Republican National
Convention in New York later this month, Jewish Republicans are hoping
to
highlight Bush administration actions they think could swing Jewish
voters
to the GOP.
Some recent polling shows that Republican inroads into the Jewish vote
are
minimal so far, yet strategists say they're intent on attacking what
they
see as weaknesses in Kerry's record and in his outreach to the Jewish
community.
When Republicans first started talking about making inroads into the
traditionally Democratic Jewish voting bloc, party leaders said they
would
focus on the positives of Bush's record, rather than attacking Kerry.
Marc Racicot, chairman of the Bush/Cheney campaign, told JTA in March
that
he did not believe Kerry was weak on Israel, and that the campaign
would
focus instead on comparing the candidates' defense and security
records.
But Republican Jewish officials said they began to see Kerry as
potentially
vulnerable in the Jewish community after his performance in front of
the
Anti-Defamation League in May - Kerry's only major speech to a Jewish
audience so far in the campaign - and believed the Democrats were not
actively trying to court Jewish voters.
"The ADL speech was totally underwhelming," one Jewish Republican said.
"It
showed his strategy was to move closer to the president and hold the
base
he already has."
That analysis has led to an increased effort by Republican Jews. In
addition to highlighting Bush's support for Israel, their appeal to
Jewish
voters has centered on the administration's leadership against
terrorism,
Bush's efforts against global anti-Semitism and his leadership in
volatile
times.
By contrast, they portray Kerry as someone who has not led on Middle
East
issues, and - customizing their broad "flip-flopper" argument for a
Jewish
audience - say he has taken contradictory stances on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"The message is, 'we don't know where John Kerry really stands,' " said
Matthew Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition.
"Right now, given how important things are and how many lives are at
stake,
John Kerry is a risk the Jewish community can not afford..."
-----
ISRAEL BUILDS MORE SETTLER HOMES, WITH US NOD
Dan Williams, Reuters, 8/23/04
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/latestnewsstory.cfm?storyID=3586312&thesection=news&thesubsection=world
JERUSALEM - Israel is building 100 new homes in a settlement outside
Jerusalem, political sources said on Monday, after Washington signalled
it
could accept growth in Jewish enclaves on occupied West Bank territory.
Construction of the new neighbourhood at Har Gilo, already home to some
120
settler families, began earlier this month and is due to be completed
by
the end of the year, the sources said.
"If Israel does not stop this expansionist policy, we will not be able
to
find enough space to establish our state on," Palestinian cabinet
minister
Saeb Erekat told Reuters.
It was not clear if the new project would expand Har Gilo onto
undeveloped
land. The United States, the key Middle East mediator, hinted on
Saturday
it could accept construction within the existing boundaries of
settlements,
after previously insisting on a building freeze.
Palestinians said the U.S. move undermined the peace process and their
dream of independence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The Bush administration said it was amenable to some limited growth in
West
Bank settlements to help embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
push
through his plan to withdraw from occupied Gaza amid opposition from
his
far right.
Washington had long called on Israel to suspend settlement building in
accordance with a U.S.-led "road map" to peaceful Palestinian statehood
in
the West Bank and Gaza.
But the "road map" has been stymied by persistent violence. Israel
blames
Palestinian leaders' failure to rein in militants waging an almost
4-year-old revolt.
Witnesses and medics said Israeli troops patrolling the Gaza border
overnight shot dead an unarmed Palestinian in Rafah, a refugee camp
known
as a militant stronghold. Military sources said soldiers had opened
fire at
a suspected gun nest...
-----
NADER: PUPPETS, PUPPETEERS AND ISRAEL
Ralph Nader, Washington Post, 8/21/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20325-2004Aug20.html
An Aug. 14 editorial's juxtaposition of my words, taken from a
statement
that was rooted in advocacy for an Israeli-Palestinian peace, was
shameful
and unsavory. (Readers can judge for themselves by seeing the full
statement at www.votenader.org.) Your objection to my description of
the
need to replace the Washington puppet show with the Washington peace
show
reinforces the censorious climate against open and free discussion
about
this conflict. When Israelis joke about the United States being "the
second
state of Israel," it sounds like they are describing a puppeteer-puppet
relationship. Or, would your paper prefer using the descriptor
"dominant-subordinate?"
New York Times columnist Tom Friedman used stronger words than "puppet"
when on Feb. 5 he wrote: "Mr. Sharon has the Palestinian leader Yasir
Arafat under house arrest in his office in Ramallah, and he's had
George
Bush under house arrest in the Oval Office. Mr. Sharon has Mr. Arafat
surrounded by tanks, and Mr. Bush surrounded by Jewish and Christian
pro-Israel lobbyists, by a vice president, Dick Cheney, who's ready to
do
whatever Mr. Sharon dictates . . . all conspiring to make sure the
president does nothing."
That many other Israeli and U.S. peace advocates with impressive
political,
business, academic, military and intelligence experience receive no
hearing
in official Washington is further indication of bias inside both
political
parties.
When the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) works to
obtain a
recent 407 to 9 vote for a House resolution supporting the latest
Sharon
strategy and rejecting any mention of an independent Palestinian state,
how
would you describe such a surrender of the privately held positions of
House members who favor a two-state solution?
Half of the Israeli people and more than two-thirds of Jewish Americans
believe the conflict can be settled only by allowing an independent
Palestinian state together with a secure Israel.
Why does your paper object to a description of AIPAC as an awesome
lobby on
Capitol Hill, labeling it "poisonous stuff"? AIPAC has worked hard over
the
years to enlist the support of both Christians and Jews. Its organizing
skills are the envy of the National Rifle Association and other citizen
groups. Muslim Americans are trying to learn from its lobbying skills
to
produce a more balanced congressional debate on Middle Eastern
policies.
How does acknowledging such an achievement play on age-old stereotypes?
The
bias may be in your editors' minds.
ALSO SEE:
PUPPETS, PUPPETEERS AND ISRAEL
John P. Salzberg, Washington Post, 8/21/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20325-2004Aug20.html
Your Aug. 14 editorial criticizes Ralph Nader for describing the
relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the Bush
administration and Congress as one of puppeteer and puppets. But
instead of
picking apart Nader's speech, perhaps your editorial board could tell
us
how providing billions of dollars of U.S. military and economic aid to
Israel, which supports a 37-year military occupation of Palestine, is
consistent with U.S. principles and interests. The Arab and Muslim
world
resents U.S. support for that oppression. This fuels support for
terrorism.
Is this sufficient reason to reassess the United States' uncritical
support
for Israel?
The writer is a member of the Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle
East Peace.
-----
ISNA PEACE MISSION TO SUDAN MEETS WITH SUDANESE CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS
Khartoum, Sudan- The American Muslim Peace Mission to Sudan met with
various Sudanese Civic organizations including International Popular
Friendship Council, Islamic Call Organization and other organizations.
The
meetings included members of the Sudanese Catholic Church, Sudanese
Episcopal Church and Sudanese Pentecostal Church.
The American Muslim Peace Delegation is a delegation organized by the
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) of American Muslim leaders to
investigate the issue of Darfur and look at ways that they can assist
in
achieving peace in the region. The delegation also seeks to look at
opportunities for American Muslims to assist with the humanitarian
crisis. ISNA was assisted by the US State Department in planning this
delegation.
The delegation includes:
1. Shaikh Muhammad Nur Abdullah, President, Islamic Society of North
America
2. Senator Larry Shaw, North Carolina Senate
3. Representative Yaphett Al-Amine, Missouri State Legislature
4. Councilman Patrice Abdullah, Indianapolis City Council
5. Imam Furqan Muhammad, Representative of W.D. Muhammad
6. Dr Talal Sunbulli, Council of Islamic Organization of Greater
Chicago
7. Imam Johari, Chairman, Majlis Ash-Shura of Islamic Organization of
Greater Washington DC
8. Imam Khalid Gregg, Imam and Journalist
9. Talib Al-Amine, Assistant to Representative Al-Amine
10. Shariq Siddiqui, Director of Special Projects
ISNA calls upon Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir to ensure the safety
and
security of all Sudanese citizens. ISNA also calls upon all parties of
the
conflict to cease the violence and put an end to the violence.
The delegation will issue a formal report of its findings on their
return
to the United States.
-----
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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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL.)
Contact the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and
President Bush to urge that the decision to revoke Dr. Tariq Ramadan's
visa
be reversed. You should also send a copy of the letter to your elected
representatives.
GO TO: http://capwiz.com/cair/dbq/officials/
Click on the links for President Bush (click on "President"), Secretary
of
State Colin Powell and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge (click
on
"Agencies"). Enter your ZIP Code to contact elected representatives.
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
Ramadan was to teach at the University of Notre Dame Joan B. Kroc
Institute
for International Peace Studies. SEE: http://www.nd.edu/~krocinst/
Send a copy of your letter to:
R. Scott Appleby
Director
Joan B. Kroc Institute
106 Hesburgh Center
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Phone: (574) 631-5665
Fax: (574) 631-6973
E-mail: Appleby.3@nd.edu
-----
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR CALLS FOR REVERSAL OF PROF'S VISA REVOCATION
Group says DHS action sends wrong message to Islamic world
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/24/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) to reverse its decision to revoke the visa of an Islamic scholar
who
was due to begin teaching at the University of Notre Dame.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said
the
DHS decision to revoke a visa previously granted to Tariq Ramadan, a
well-known Islamic scholar who is often described as a "moderate" and a
"reformer," sends the wrong message to the Islamic world about
America's
willingness to listen to what Muslims have to say.
Ramadan, a citizen of Switzerland, was granted a visa in February
following
a lengthy security check. It was revoked July 28, after his family's
belongings had already been sent to the United States. No reason was
given
for the revocation. A statement issued by Notre Dame said: "Professor
Ramadan is a distinguished scholar and a voice for moderation in the
Muslim
world…We know of no reason his entry should be prevented."
The Chicago Tribune reported today that the decision to revoke
Ramadan's
visa "could have been influenced by some Jewish groups that have waged
a
campaign against scholars and public intellectuals whose views on Islam
and
the Middle East conflict with their own."
SEE: "MUSLIM SCHOLAR HAS VISA REVOKED"
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0408240223aug24,1,3887036.story
"The best way to improve deteriorating relations with the Muslim world
is
by listening to mainstream Islamic political and religious voices, not
by
censoring respected scholars whose views are apparently feared by those
who
seek a monopoly on intellectual debate," said CAIR Executive Director
Nihad
Awad.
Awad said the DHS decision runs counter to recent remarks by President
Bush's national security advisor Condoleezza Rice who said just last
week
that America must expand "efforts to support and encourage the voices
of
moderation and tolerance and pluralism within the Muslim world."
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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/24/04
BREAKING: ALBANY MUSLIMS OUT ON BAIL - LACK OF EVIDENCE
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THE CRY OF THE OPPRESSED
* QUOTE OF THE DAY: ELLIOT ABRAMS A 'LIKUDIK'
* CAIR JOB OPENING: CIVIL RIGHTS COORDINATOR
- CAIR Dinner Volunteer Meetings
* 9/11 PANEL FAULTS PROBE OF MUSLIM CHARITIES (Chicago Trib)
- IL: Sting of Mistrust Haunts Muslims (Chicago Trib)
- NY: Muslims Angry Over FBI Sting (Reuters)
* CANADIAN MOSQUE EVACUATED OVER THREAT
- PA: Islamic Center Open House Sept. 11 (Post Gazette)
* FOR ARABS, LAND OF OPPORTUNITY CAN'T GET LOWER (Wash Post)
* MALKIN BOOK URGES DISCRIMINATION (Daily Star)
* FOLLY IN THE WEST BANK (NY Times)
- No Hospitals for Hunger Strikers (Reuters)
* IRAQI TEENS ABUSED AT ABU GHRAIB (Wash Post)
* 41st ANNUAL ISNA CONVENTION IN CHICAGO
-----
BREAKING NEWS: ALBANY MUSLIMS OUT ON BAIL DUE TO LACK OF EVIDENCE
Ellen Wulfhorst, Reuters, 8/24/04
ALBANY, N.Y., Aug 24 (Reuters) - Two Muslims accused of supporting
terrorism after an FBI sting operation were released on home detention
on
Tuesday after a judge chided the government for building a case that
lacked
evidence.
U.S. Magistrate David Homer said there was not enough evidence to hold
Yassin Aref, 34, and Mohammed Hossain, 49, who were held without bail
on
Aug. 10 after pleading not guilty to money laundering, supporting a
terrorist organization and conspiracy to assassinate a Pakistani
diplomat.
In the wake of the arrest of the men, other Muslims in Albany -- home
to
about 7,000 followers of Islam -- have called the case a tragic
misunderstanding and many have shied away from attending mosques for
fear
of being labeled terrorists.
Aref and Hossain were arrested in Albany after authorities said they
agreed
to help an FBI informant launder $50,000 from the sale of a
shoulder-fired
missile as part of a fake plan to assassinate Pakistan's ambassador to
the
United Nations.
Homer released them on $250,000 bond each on Tuesday and ordered them
to
remain in home detention with electronic surveillance bracelets, but he
was
caustic in his remarks on the case the government built.
"As compared to Aug. 10, there's no longer any presumption that Mr.
Hossain
would cause a risk of flight or danger to the community," Homer said.
"There still is no evidence of Mr. Hossain's involvement with any
terrorist
organization.
The judge added: "The strength of the case against Mr. Aref appears
less
strong than it did appear on Aug. 10.
"There is no evidence ... to support claims that Mr Aref has any
contact
with any terrorist organization..."
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE CRY OF THE OPPRESSED
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once told a newly-appointed
government official: "Fear the cry of the oppressed, for there is no
barrier between it and God."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 1
-----
QUOTE OF THE DAY: ELLIOT ABRAMS A 'LIKUDNIK'
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/468508.html
"He is not pro-Likud," corrected an American official friendly to
Israel
after meeting with Elliott Abrams, the U.S. National Security Council
official responsible for the Middle East. "He's a Likudnik."
-----
CAIR JOB OPENING: CIVIL RIGHTS COORDINATOR
CAIR has an immediate opening for an experienced dynamic person to fill
the
position of Civil Rights Coordinator. The position involves handling of
civil rights cases, doing research on issues pertaining to civil and
religious rights in America, maintaining a civil rights data base
system,
and generating reports, charts and graphs. Candidates should have a
Bachelor degree in a related field with general knowledge of the US
Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
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. When applying via email please
ensure to write the position title "Civil Rights Coordinator" in the
subject of the email. Please send your application with cover letter
and
complete resume and references by August 27th, 2004. Absolutely no
phone
calls please.
ALSO SEE:
CAIR DINNER VOLUNTEER MEETINGS
CAIR will hold 30-minute volunteer meetings for our Annual Banquet and
Convention this Wednesday and Thursday in various mosques. Please check
the
options below, grab a friend, and attend a meeting to help us make this
event a success!
Meeting 1. Dar us Salaam, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 8 pm (after maghrib
prayer):
5301 Edgewood Rd., College Park MD, 20740
Meeting 2. Dar ul Hijrah (library), Thursday, Aug. 26, 8 pm (after
maghrib
prayer): 3159 Row Street, Falls Church, VA 22044
Meeting 3. ADAMS (Room # 303), Thursday, Aug. 26, 8 pm (after maghrib
prayer): 46903 Sugarland Rd, Sterling, VA 20164
If, for any reason, you cannot make one of these meetings but would
still
like to volunteer, please contact Ibrahim Abusway, Community Affairs
Coordinator at 202-646-6043 or email: irahman@cair-net.org
-----
9/11 PANEL FAULTS PROBE OF 2 CHARITIES
Chicago groups' ties to terror unproven
Laurie Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 8/24/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0408240193aug24,1,6574018.story
The government's shutdown of two Chicago-area Islamic charities after
the
Sept. 11 attacks has yet to produce a terrorism-related criminal
conviction
and "raises substantial civil liberty concerns," according to the staff
of
the independent commission that investigated the attacks.
Authorities froze the assets of the charities--Global Relief Foundation
of
Bridgeview and Benevolence International Foundation of Palos
Hills--before
any official finding that they were aiding Al Qaeda or other terrorist
organizations.
The action put Global Relief and Benevolence International out of
business.
But since they were shuttered in December 2001, the government hasn't
proven in court that they were guilty of any terrorism-related crimes.
The commission staff examined the moves against the two charities as
part
of a report on U.S. efforts to combat terrorism funding. The study also
reviewed in detail a case against the Al-Barakaat money-transmission
network, which fell apart because of insufficient evidence.
The report raises questions about the government's claims of success in
its
terrorism financing investigations. It also echoes concerns of civil
liberty abuses raised for years by Chicago-area Muslims and other
supporters of the closed charities.
"I'm really grateful that they looked at it with a degree of
information I
never got and came up with the same conclusion I did," said Roger
Simmons,
an attorney for Global Relief. "There was no hard evidence that [Global
Relief] spent any money in support of Al Qaeda or violent activity of
any
type."
The 152-page study was posted to the commission's Web site on Saturday
afternoon, just after intelligence officials finished reviewing it and
shortly before the panel closed its doors. The commission didn't
formally
deliberate on the report because it had not been completed by the
panel's
last meeting on July 22, a commission spokesman said...
ALSO SEE:
STING OF MISTRUST HAUNTS MUSLIMS
Deborah Horan, Chicago Tribune, 8/24/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/chi-0408240277aug24,1,2888234.story
The knock on his neighbor's door upset Niaz Hussain the most.
More than the invasive questions about which mosque he attends and his
level of religious observance, the FBI's accidental visit to the house
next
door left the Pakistani native feeling the sting of humiliation.
"They look at me very, very funny any time I'm walking by," Hussain
said of
the family that lives next to him in Berwyn. "They look at me like,
`Why is
the FBI after me?' The whole neighborhood looks at me funny."
In the spotlight again amid heightened terror alerts, revelations of
government efforts to track them and high-profile arrests, Arabs and
Muslims in the U.S. are feeling the pinch of negative publicity and
wondering if they will ever stop feeling like they are under a
microscope.
In the last few weeks, police have arrested several Muslims in separate
alleged terror-related incidents. The most recent high-profile arrest
came
Friday in Chicago, when Muhammad Salah, 51, of Bridgeview was charged,
along with two other men, with helping to raise money for Hamas, a
militant
Islamist Palestinian group based in the Gaza Strip.
And the FBI has intensified voluntary interviews of Arabs and Muslims
in
advance of the November elections.
Even more troubling to activists, the U.S. Census Bureau twice gave
demographic information about Arabs--including ZIP codes and nations of
origin--to the Department of Homeland Security, officials acknowledged
in
July. The revelation sent shivers up spines in a community already
fearful
of being rounded up like Japanese-Americans were during World War II...
---
MUSLIMS ANGRY OVER FBI TERRORISM STING IN ALBANY, NY
Ellen Wulfhorst, Reuters, 8/24/04
ALBANY, N.Y. - Angry and saddened, members of a Muslim community in New
York state's capital have been staying away from their mosque for fear
of
being labeled terrorists as they await a bail hearing on Tuesday for
two
men accused of supporting terrorism.
The hearing is the second proceeding against the pair associated with
an
Albany mosque and arrested in an FBI sting operation. It was granted by
U.S. Magistrate David Homer after a possible translation error turned
up in
key evidence against them.
Yassin Aref, 34, and Mohammed Hossain, 49, were first ordered held
without
bail on Aug. 10 when they pleaded not guilty to charges of money
laundering, supporting a terrorist organization and conspiracy.
At the time, U.S. authorities said the evidence included an address
book
found in what they called a terrorist training camp in northern Iraq
that
referred to Aref as "the commander" in Arabic. The Justice Department
says
FBI translators now read the word as "brother" in Kurdish.
In the wake of the translation controversy, other Muslims in Albany
call
the case a tragic misunderstanding. About 7,000 Muslims live in Albany
and
nearby towns.
"I'm upset. It's racial profiling," said Abdul Malik, who worships at
the
small Albany mosque where Aref serves as spiritual leader. "They are
honest
men, good family men."
Faisal Ahmad, a teacher at the mosque, said attendance has been
dwindling
with many in fear of being labeled terrorists.
"The saddest thing about this is it will further the whole
misunderstanding
about Islam," said Ahmad. "Muslims are not terrorist people. Muslims
are
not violent people."
-----
WINDSOR MOSQUE EVACUATED
Canoe, 8/23/04
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2004/08/23/597695.html
WINDSOR -- Nearly 200 Muslims marking the death of a slain Iraqi leader
were forced to evacuate their Windsor Mosque Sunday night after a bomb
threat was phoned in to Windsor police. Visitors from as far away as
London, Hamilton and Detroit were in the midst of a memorial service on
the
second floor of the building when Windsor police interrupted with news
there might be an explosive device inside.
Windsor police Sgt. John Severin said police received word of the bomb
from
a caller on a pay phone not far from the mosque.
Although no bomb was found inside, the memorial service continued on
the
lawn out front of a brick recreational complex that operates as part of
the
Imam Hussain Foundation.
The three-hour service, which featured readings from the Qur'an,
prayers, a
video and speeches, was held in honour of Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir
al-Hakim.
ALSO SEE:
ISLAMIC CENTER OPEN HOUSE SEPT. 11
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 8/24/04
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04237/366686.stm
The Islamic Center of Pittsburgh will hold an open house Sept. 11 from
noon
to 5 p.m. with the theme: "Planting Seeds of Understanding Together for
a
Better Tomorrow."
Visitors will have a chance to meet members of the Muslim community and
learn about Islam, its teachings and its followers.
"The terrorist attack of September 11th, 2001, was a tragedy for all
humankind. As a family does, the citizens of the United States came
together to grieve and work through their fears. Our nation, comprised
of
peoples from different nations and creeds, rallied around the core
ideals
that we share as Americans: a commitment to democratic values, respect
for
diversity; hope for a better tomorrow and trust in God. These are also
the
embodiment of the Islamic belief," said Ahmed Abdelwahab, president of
the
Islamic Center.
The event is free. The center is at 4100 Bigelow Blvd., Oakland. For
more
information, call 412-818-7719 or visit www.icp-pgh.org.
-----
IN ARAB EYES, THE FORMER LAND OF OPPORTUNITY CAN'T GET MUCH LOWER
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 8/24/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27436-2004Aug23.html
CAIRO - Whether he's in his 18th-floor office in Cairo's World Trade
Center, or at his villa near the Pyramids, lawyer and law professor A.
Kamal Aboulmagd moves in very different circles than most Egyptians. In
his
long and distinguished career, he has held ministerial posts in the
Egyptian government, served as an adviser to the crown prince of
Kuwait,
held innumerable positions on panels and advisory committees, and
devoted
himself to human rights issues. He has lived in America and waxes
poetic
about the color of the leaves in autumn.
But his opinion of the United States today is not far removed from that
of
Egyptians of much more modest resources.
"He deserves to be in the Guinness Book of World Records," Aboulmagd
says
of President Bush. "He has changed the minds of the most people, about
America, in the shortest period of time. Five years ago, they would say
they like America, that it is an open society."
But not today, according to Aboulmagd, who bemoans the historically low
esteem in which America is held in the Arab world. In Egypt, according
to a
highly regarded Pew Research Center poll two years ago, only 6 percent
of
people held a positive view of the United States.
And if a Zogby International poll in June, commissioned by the Arab
American Institute, is to be believed, in the past two years
unfavorable
views of America among Egyptians rose from 76 percent to a whopping 98
percent. That makes Egypt the most anti-American of the six Arab
countries
polled by Zogby (3,300 Arabs living in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan,
Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt were questioned).
Perhaps most ominous is yet another Pew poll, released in March, which
found that Osama bin Laden's numbers were far better than Bush's in
several
Muslim countries.
Whether all of this represents momentary frustration and venting, or
the
settling in of a deeper loathing, cannot be determined now. But talk to
people in this part of the world, and it's clear that they feel
themselves
part of a new and implacably anti-American worldview.
It hasn't always been this way.
Hani Shukrallah, the liberal editor of the English-language Al-Ahram
weekly
in Cairo, remembers that Richard Nixon was received as a hero, drawing
crowds in the hundreds of thousands, when he visited Cairo in 1974.
"To see the shift in 30 years, it is really quite amazing," says
Shukrallah, who traces the beginnings of the current, more strident
anti-Americanism to 2000, when Palestinians rose up against Israel in
the
second intifada. "It isn't just a matter of intensity. Before the
second
intifada and all that followed, there was an ambivalence in people's
sense
of the U.S. It's arrogant, yes, and it's imperial, but it's a
democracy.
Now, anything from the U.S. is seen as part of a design to bring us
down,
to humiliate us..."
-----
BOOK URGES DISCRIMINATION IN US AGAINST ARABS, MUSLIMS, DEFENDS
Hussein Ibish, Daily Star, 8/24/04
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=7654
WASHINGTON: A new book by right-wing columnist Michelle Malkin, "In
Defense of Internment," argues in favor of extensive discrimination and
racial profiling against Arab-Americans and Muslims in the United
States,
and passionately defends the imprisonment of tens of thousands of
Japanese
Americans during World War II.
A rising star on the US extreme right, Malkin specifically denies
advocating the mass imprisonment of Arabs and Muslims, but the logic of
her
book strongly contradicts these apparently pro forma disavowals.
"Make no mistake: I am not advocating rounding up all Arabs or Muslims
and
tossing them into camps, but when we are under attack, 'Racial
profiling' -
or more precisely, threat profiling - is justified," she argues.
However,
given her full-throated defense of the wartime imprisonment of tens of
thousands of Japanese-American men, women and children on the
supposition
that their ethnicity made them a security threat, her book does seem to
constitute the brief for the potential internment of Arab- and
Muslim-Americans.
The daughter of Filipino immigrants, Malkin has made a career out of
being
among the strongest critics of immigration and immigrants' rights.
Since
the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks she has been one of the most hostile
commentators toward the Arab- and Muslim-American communities,
consistently
arguing in favor of discrimination and profiling, and describing the
backlash of hate crimes and discrimination against the communities as a
"myth."
Whatever reservations Malkin may have about a mass incarceration of
Arab-
and Muslim-Americans are confined to a single sentence: "In part
because of
the geographical dispersion of the current threat of Islamofascism, it
is
hard to imagine parallel circumstances under which America would be
compelled to replicate something on the scale of the West Coast
evacuation
and relocation during World War II."
Her only apparent concerns, therefore, have to do with practicality and
scale, not any consideration of the legal and constitutional rights of
Arab- and Muslim-Americans, or the moral implications of locking up
large
numbers of people based solely on their identity - a situation she
repeatedly characterizes as an "inconvenience." Even without another
mass
internment, she insists, "there is much else we can learn from the past
if
it is viewed without a knee-jerk impulse to cry 'racism' at every
turn."
Malkin calls for extensive, systematized discrimination, arguing that
"it
is of questionable wisdom to continue allowing Muslims to serve in the
US
military in combat roles in the Mideast and to have access to
classified
information, except under extraordinary circumstances and after
thorough
background checks." She calls for "the strictest scrutiny" for "Muslim
chaplains in the military and prisons," and urges across-the-board
profiling on the basis of "race, ethnicity, religion and nationality…"
-----
FOLLY IN THE WEST BANK
New York Times, 8/24/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/24/opinion/24tue2.html
The Bush administration is driving American credibility as a Middle
East
peacemaker to a new low with its support for a major expansion of
Israeli
settlements in the occupied West Bank. While designed to provide a
short-term boost to Israel's embattled prime minister, Ariel Sharon,
this
cynical change in administration policy will have important long-term
costs. It will further demoralize Israeli and Palestinian moderates,
frustrate Washington's closest European and Middle Eastern allies, and
undermine the American-backed road map peace plan, which, though a long
shot, is the only current peaceful political alternative.
Last week Mr. Sharon issued tenders for the first 1,001 of a planned
1,634
heavily subsidized new apartments in existing West Bank settlements.
Israel
has long contended that expanding existing settlements, which it calls
"natural growth," somehow does not violate the road map's call for a
freeze
on all settlement activity, even though the road map specifically
excludes
this form of expansion. "Natural growth" has accounted for most of the
nearly 100,000 additional West Bank settlers since 1992, a near
doubling of
the settler population there. Most of these, including the latest
group,
have been attracted by huge government subsidies. Yesterday Israel
announced it was rezoning land for a further 533 new settler homes on
the
outskirts of Jerusalem.
Settlements are such a sensitive matter because they cut directly to
the
core of the Israeli-Palestinian issue - the ultimate division of the
land
of Palestine. To be just, workable and sustainable, any peace plan will
have to divide that land into two coherent territories that are
defensible
and economically viable. The presence of more than 250,000 Israeli
settlers
scattered across the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights,
leaving aside the added complications of East Jerusalem, make that
division
immeasurably harder. Every new increase, "natural" or otherwise, adds
to
the challenge. No one step by Israel would be likely to do more to
restart
peace talks and isolate Palestinian terrorists than announcing a
genuine
freeze on all settlement construction.
No recent administration has been less engaged in the pursuit of Middle
East peace than the Bush administration. Now it seems to be sliding
from
dangerous passivity to outright obstruction.
ALSO SEE:
NO HOSPITALS FOR PALESTINIAN HUNGER STRIKE -ISRAEL
Dan Williams, Reuters, 8/24/04
JERUSALEM - Israel declared its hospitals off-limits Tuesday to the
2,800
Palestinians on hunger strike in Israeli prisons, saying they could be
treated in makeshift facilities behind bars if they need medical care.
"I am not prepared for there to be a situation where the lives of
patients
and medical teams are endangered in our hospitals as a result of us
having
to admit these murderers," Health Minister Danny Naveh told Army Radio.
"If a field hospital has to be set up at a Prisons Service
installation,
then that is what should be done," Naveh said.
Israeli Public Security Minister Tzahi Hanegbi, like Naveh a member of
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's right-wing Likud party, said last week he
didn't care if the prisoners starved to death.
Seen by Palestinians as symbols of resistance to Israeli occupation,
the
inmates at 10 jails are refusing food to force wardens to stop strip
searches, allow more frequent family visits, improve sanitation and
install
public telephones.
Israeli officials call the liquids-only fast that began on Aug. 15 a
ploy
by prisoners to secure easier communication with militant groups waging
a
four-year-old Palestinian revolt.
About 7,000 Palestinians taken into custody in security sweeps are held
by
Israel. Among the inmates are those who openly identify with Islamic
groups
sworn to its destruction, and thus elicit little sympathy among the
Israeli
public.
Hisham Abdel-Razek, the Palestinian minister for prisoners affairs,
called
Naveh's comments "inhuman and arrogant."
"Israel is behaving like a state above the law and Israeli ministers
are
acting as if they are above Israeli law," Abdel-Razek told Reuters.
A Prisons Service spokesman said Israel had warned the prisoners in a
leaflet they could be force-fed if critically ill, but that daily
examinations found no serious health problems yet.
"None of the prisoners has required anything more than basic health
care,"
the spokesman, Ofer Leffler, said. "In fact, at least 124 of the
prisoners
have already broken the strike."
Businesses and government offices across the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
which Palestinians want for a state, closed Tuesday in a show of
solidarity
with the prisoners. Many of their relatives are also fasting...
-----
IRAQI TEENS ABUSED AT ABU GHRAIB, REPORT FINDS
Josh White and Thomas E. Ricks, Washington Post, 8/24/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27048-2004Aug23.html
An Army investigation into the Abu Ghraib prison scandal has found that
military police dogs were used to frighten detained Iraqi teenagers as
part
of a sadistic game, one of many details in the forthcoming report that
were
provoking expressions of concern and disgust among Army officers
briefed on
the findings.
Earlier reports and photographs from the prison have indicated that
unmuzzled military police dogs were used to intimidate detainees at Abu
Ghraib, something the dog handlers have told investigators was
sanctioned
by top military intelligence officers there. But the new report,
according
to Pentagon sources, will show that MPs were using their animals to
make
juveniles -- as young as 15 years old -- urinate on themselves as part
of a
competition.
"There were two MP dog handlers who did use dogs to threaten kids
detained
at Abu Ghraib," said an Army officer familiar with the report, one of
two
investigations on detainee abuse scheduled for release this week. "It
has
nothing to do with interrogation. It was just them on their own being
weird."
Speaking on the condition of anonymity because the report has not been
released, other officials at the Pentagon said the investigation also
acknowledges that military intelligence soldiers kept multiple
detainees
off the record books and hid them from international humanitarian
organizations. The report also mentions substantiated claims that at
least
one male detainee was sodomized by one of his captors at Abu Ghraib,
sources said.
"The report will show that these actions were bad, illegal,
unauthorized,
and some of it was sadistic," said one Defense Department official.
"But it
will show that they were the actions of a few, actions that went
unnoticed
because of leadership failures."
The investigative report by Maj. Gen. George R. Fay focuses on the role
of
military intelligence soldiers in the prison abuse. It will expand the
circle of soldiers considered responsible for abuse beyond the seven
military police soldiers already facing charges, officials said, to
include
more than a dozen others -- low-ranking soldiers, civilian contractors
and
medics. Sources have said that the report also criticizes military
leadership, from the prison and up through the highest levels of the
U.S.
chain of command in Iraq at the time.
One Pentagon official said yesterday that Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez,
then
the top U.S. commander in Iraq, is named in the report for leadership
deficiencies and failing to deal with rising problems at the prison as
he
tried to manage 150,000 troops countering an unexpected insurgency.
Sanchez, however, will not be recommended for any punitive action or
even a
letter of reprimand, the source said. About 300 pages of the 9,000-page
report will be released publicly, according to Army officials...
-----
41ST ANNUAL ISNA CONVENTION BRINGS THOUSANDS OF FAITHFUL MUSLIMS TO
CHICAGO
http://www.isna.net
The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), a preeminent international
Islamic organization, and its co-host for the ISNA Annual Convention,
the
Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIO), an umbrella
organization representing over 400,000 Muslims throughout Chicagoland,
are
pleased to announce the 41st Annual ISNA Convention. The theme of this
year's convention is "Islam: Dialogue, Devotion and Development". The
convention will be held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center,
Rosemont, Illinois. From Friday, September 3, 2004 to Monday, September
6,
2004 Muslims will immerse themselves in the pursuit of Islamic
knowledge
through seminars presented by international Islamic experts and
scholars. Over 25,000 attendees are expected at this important annual
event.
Every year during the Labor Day weekend thousands of North American
Muslims
come to the ISNA Annual Convention to enrich their faith, celebrate the
diversity of Islam, take advantage of the wealth of knowledge at
seminars,
enjoy ethnic delicacies and browse through the colorful bazaar.
The ISNA Annual Convention is recognized for providing an avenue for
constructive dialogue involving social, religious, political and
business
leaders. A notable group of Islamic scholars and prominent figures from
a
range of disciplines are scheduled to speak at the convention. The
speakers
include: Sheikh Muhammed Nur Abdullah, ISNA President and Director of
the
Islamic Foundation of Greater Missouri; Dr. Ingrid Mattson, ISNA
Vice-President and professor of Islamic Studies at Hartford Seminary,
Hartford, Connecticut; Hamza Yusuf, founder of the Zaytuna Institute in
Hayward, California; Jamal Badawi, a professor at St. Mary's
University,
Halifax, Nova Scotia and Abdul Hakim Jackson, professor of Arabic and
Islamic Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
A press conference featuring ISNA leadership will be held on Friday,
September 3, 2004 at the Convention Center. The time and room location
will be announced shortly. This will be the best opportunity for the
press
to speak directly with the leaders of one of North America's preeminent
Muslim organizations.
One of the major events of the convention will be the Unity Banquet,
scheduled for Friday, September 3, 2004 at 6:00 p.m. The banquet will
be
an opportunity for leaders of diverse religions, including the
Catholic,
Protestant, Jewish and Muslim communities, to come together, renew
their
bonds and forge a path of unity for the future.
We invite you to attend and cover this pre-eminent Islamic gathering,
scheduled news conferences and interfaith events. Please note members
of
the media must register at the Media Registration Booth located in the
Convention Center lobby to enter the convention and attend events.
Advance media inquiries are suggested to facilitate press passes,
pre-planning for coverage of news events and interviews at the
Convention.
Please contact: Farhan Younus at (630) 926-5566.
-----
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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/25/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A GOOD CAUSE
* REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S BANQUET & CONVENTION
- CAIR Dinner Volunteer Meetings
* CAIR PSA REACHES MORE THAN 2 MILLION AMERICANS
- CAIR-CAN Condemns Anti-Semitic Graffiti
* HI: FBI GETS INSIGHT FROM MUSLIMS (Honolulu Advertiser)
- IL: Muslims Have Reason to Hope (Daily Southtown)
- MS: A Normal Teen and a Muslim (Tallahassee Democrat)
* CAIR-FL: SUNRISE OK'S HUGE ISLAMIC COMPLEX (Miami Herald)
* IL: ARREST CALLED POLITICAL (Chicago Trib)
* CAIR'S LETTER TO DHS ON REVOCATION OF SCHOLAR'S VISA
- Pulled Visa Blocks Scholar from Teaching in US (AFP)
- U.S. Revokes Work Visa for Muslim Scholar (AP)
- IL: Dismay Over Barring of Muslim Intellectual
- Muslim Scholar Urges U.S. Rethink on Visa (Reuters)
* AMJ TO CALL FOR SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINIAN PRISONERS
* GEN. BOYKIN: THREE-STAR BIGOTRY (LA Times)
- Betting on Mr. Sharon (Wash Post)
* THINK TWICE BEFORE TARGETING IRAN (USA Today)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: A GOOD CAUSE
"Whoever recommends and helps a good cause shall have a share in its
blessings, and whoever helps an evil cause shall be answerable for his
part
in it. For God watches over all things."
The Holy Quran, 4:85
-----
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S OCT. 2-5 BANQUET & CONVENTION
Join us in our nation's capital for 4 days of exciting activities
TO REGISTER, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
ALSO SEE:
CAIR DINNER VOLUNTEER MEETINGS
CAIR will hold 30-minute volunteer meetings for our Annual Banquet and
Convention this Wednesday and Thursday in various mosques. Please check
the
options below, grab a friend, and attend a meeting to help us make this
event a success!
Meeting 1. Dar us Salaam, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 8 pm (after maghrib
prayer):
5301 Edgewood Rd., College Park MD, 20740
Meeting 2. Dar ul Hijrah (library), Thursday, Aug. 26, 8 pm (after
maghrib
prayer): 3159 Row Street, Falls Church, VA 22044
Meeting 3. ADAMS (Room # 303), Thursday, Aug. 26, 8 pm (after maghrib
prayer): 46903 Sugarland Rd, Sterling, VA 20164
If, for any reason, you cannot make one of these meetings but would
still
like to volunteer, please contact Ibrahim Abusway, Community Affairs
Coordinator at 202-646-6043 or email: irahman@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR'S PSA REACHES MORE THAN 2 MILLION AMERICANS
Since its release in June of 2004, CAIR's public service announcement
(PSA), "I am an American Muslim," has been seen and heard by more than
2
million people nationwide, airing in top U.S. markets such as New York,
Los
Angeles, Washington D.C., and Dallas.
To view or download the PSA, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/default.asp?page=PSAJun2004
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CAN CONDEMNS BOMB THREAT IN WINDSOR, VANDALISM IN CALGARY
(OTTAWA, CANADA - 25/08/2004) - The Canadian Council on
American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-CAN) today condemned a recent bomb threat that forced
the
evacuation of a Windsor Mosque and anti-Semitic graffiti in a Calgary
neighbourhood.
In a statement released today, CAIR-CAN wrote:
"The recent bomb threat targeting a mosque in Windsor and the
anti-Semitic
messages that appeared in Calgary are disturbing. We call on local
police
in both cities to investigate the incidents and to bring the
perpetrators
to justice."
CONTACT: Abdurahman Salman at 613-254-9704; E-mail: Canada@cair-net.org
-----
FBI GETS INSIGHT FROM MUSLIMS
Peter Boylan, Honolulu Advertiser, 8/25/04
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Aug/25/ln/ln09a.html
Anwar Kazi still gets stopped at airports by security officers wanting
to
know what's in his briefcase and why he's decided to travel off island.
A resident of Hawai'i for the past 23 years, Kazi supports the Bush
administration's war on terror, but admits that the spillover into the
lives of Muslim-Americans can get tiresome.
"I feel sometimes they (airport security) ask too much," said Kazi, a
local
business owner. "I think, at this moment, issues are very hot all over;
that is why we are victims."
Kazi's concerns are shared not only by Muslim-Americans, but by the
local
office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that on Tuesday hosted an
informational lecture about Islam for Hawai'i-based agents and members
of
the state's Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The goal was to help inform agents about the basic tenets of Islam in
order
to make them aware of the culture that many terrorists use as cover.
The
idea is that by educating themselves about the religion and philosophy,
the
FBI can focus on finding the bad guys without offending the community.
"We can't serve the community if we're offending them," said FBI
Special
Agent Arnold Laanui Jr.
The hourlong lecture was given by Hakim Ouansafi, president and
chairman of
the Muslim Association of Hawai'i as well as general manager of the
Aston
Aloha Surf Hotel.
Ouansafi, who recently gave a similar presentation to 800 Schofield
Barracks soldiers preparing to deploy to Iraq, said: "I look at it as
my
Islamic obligation and my obligation as a American to correct any
misinformation that might be out there. I want to correct
misconceptions so
they (the FBI) can do their job and protect our civil liberties and not
exaggerate situations based on their fears..."
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIMS HAVE REASON TO HOPE, PANEL SAYS
Jeff Kelly Lowenstein, Daily Southtown, 8/24/04
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsnews/245nd1.htm
Muslim communities adversely affected by post-Sept. 11, 2001,
immigration
policies can draw hope from a federal civil liberties bill and local
voter
registration efforts, a panel told a crowd Sunday at the Mosque
Foundation
in Bridgeview.
Ben Johnson, director of the Immigration Policy Center in Washington,
D.C.,
said Special Registration programs have done little to combat terrorism
but
have created high levels of fear in Muslim, Arab and south Asian
communities.
"There is very little law enforcement value to targeting whole
communities," said Johnson, who called the programs "poorly
implemented."
About 100 people attended the event, which was sponsored by the Mosque
Foundation, Muslim Civil Rights Center and Illinois Coalition for
Immigrant
and Refugee Rights.
Discussing a recently released report, Johnson said Special
Registration
being portrayed first as an anti-terrorism program and then an
immigration
control tool makes it difficult to understand. He added that the
program's
rules and deadlines were complex, confusing and poorly publicized.
The center interviewed community groups, attorneys and registrants in
Houston, south Florida, New York and Los Angeles from September 2002 to
September 2003 for the event.
Nearly 94,000 people participated in Point-of-Entry registrations,
according to Johnson, while 83,519 males 16 years and older already in
the
United States took part in the Special Call-In Registration.
Deportation proceedings have begun for about 14,000 people, said
Johnson,
adding that the program has disrupted families, stimulated high levels
of
emigration and prompted an avoidance of medical services by community
members.
"There is a high degree of stress and anxiety," Johnson said.
Those feelings also exist in Arab, Muslim and south Asian communities
in
Chicago, according to Mehrdad Azemun, senior organizer for the Illinois
Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights...
---
I AM A NORMAL U.S. TEENAGER - AND A MUSLIM
Eba Hamid, Tallahassee Democrat, 5/24/04
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/opinion/9484662.htm
Growing up as a Muslim female in America, life was not always as sweet
as
apple pie for me.
In Head Start and kindergarten, making friends was easy. No one really
cared what you looked like or what religion you were as long as you
were
quick enough to twirl the merry-go-round or play tag on the playground.
As I got older, though, I realized I was different. I constantly heard
my
classmates talking about church and Jesus, things I never heard around
my
house.
My family went to the mosque and read the Quran. We fasted during
Ramadan
and prayed five times a day. I didn't date, and I didn't attend
sleepovers
or parties. The prevalent language in my house wasn't English, but
Arabic,
and Friday was our equivalent of the Christian Sunday. We didn't
celebrate
Easter or Christmas or any other holiday except the Islamic holiday,
Eid,
which is twice a year. We also focused on the five pillars of Islam:
prayer, charity, fasting, pilgrimage and Shahadah, or confession of
faith.
I told this to one of my fifth-grade friends one day, and the first
thing
she did was invite me to attend church with her the next Sunday so I
could
see "how wrong my religion was." Here I was, only 11 years old, and I
encountered my first taste of how Islam is misunderstood and disdained
in
the views of many Americans.
Five years later, I saw more and more of those views surface. On Sept.
11,
2001, I was in the school library, and I watched as the second hijacked
plane hit the towers. I remember the librarian giving me a hug, with
tears
in her eyes.
I suddenly had many people asking me questions about Islam.
Occasionally, I got a few hateful comments or one of my friends would
say
their parents did not want us to be friends anymore, but for the most
part,
people were just confused and wanted answers...
-----
SUNRISE OK'S HUGE ISLAMIC COMPLEX
Jennifer Rivera-Lyles, Miami Herald, 8/25/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/9486646.htm
A group of South Florida Muslims is planning to build a new Islamic
center
in western Sunrise, complete with a mosque, a day care, a K-12 school
and a
cafeteria.
Islamic leaders say the center will be the largest of its kind in South
Florida, and that it is needed to serve a growing Muslim population
here.
The center needed permission from the Sunrise City Commission to build
on
the southwest corner of Northwest 55th Street and 108th Avenue. That's
because the site -- within the Sunrise Commerce Park -- is in an
industrial
district. The commission granted the exception Tuesday night without
discussion.
The project will include 70,000 square feet of buildings on 11 1/2
acres.
Construction could begin early next year, said Dr. Zahid Qureshi, one
of
the center's founders.
The Islamic center has had a presence in Sunrise since 1991, Qureshi
said,
when it opened a school on Northwest 103rd Avenue.
Since then, the 150-student school has had to turn away many
prospective
students, because of a lack of space.
About 50,000 Muslims now live in South Florida, said Altaf Ali, a local
representative of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a
nonprofit
group based in Washington, D.C.
The growing Islamic population is also the reason for a growing number
of
Islamic centers, Ali said.
''Ten years ago we only had two in the entire tri-county area,'' he
said.
''Today we have 11.''
The Sunrise school would accommodate almost 500 children.
Islamic centers are places of worship. Some include schools, and some
offer
social services to the community. Qureshi stressed they are not
madrassas,
traditional religious schools.
''We teach the same subjects as any other school'', he said. ''In fact,
we
have Christian and Jewish teachers. The religious portion is only 30-45
minutes a day.''
Qureshi conceded that raising funds has not been easy. He said the
project
is expected to cost $7 million to $8 million...
-----
ARREST MADE IN HAMAS CASE CALLED POLITICAL
Laurie Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 8/24/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0408250272aug25,1,4228725.story
A Muslim man who was arrested after his wife was spotted videotaping
the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge is a victim of election-year politics, his lawyer
said Tuesday.
But federal officials said in court papers that the wife was shooting
footage of the bridge as "reconnaissance and surveillance" for a
possible
terrorist attack.
Ismael Selim Elbarasse was taken into custody Friday as a "material
witness" in a Chicago terrorism case, according to his attorney,
Stanley
Cohen. An indictment unsealed in Chicago the same day named Elbarasse
as an
unindicted co-conspirator in a 15-year scheme to finance terrorism in
Israel.
But Cohen said federal authorities arrested Elbarasse as a material
witness
only after he and his family were stopped on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
by
local officials. FBI agents ran his name through a computer and
contacted
Chicago authorities, who then obtained a material witness warrant,
Cohen said.
Cohen blamed top Justice Department officials in Washington, and not
Chicago prosecutors, for what he described as a heavy-handed tactic.
Elbarasse, 57, who lives in northern Virginia, would have appeared
before a
federal grand jury in Chicago if subpoenaed to do so, he said.
"This case is being controlled by the committee to re-elect the
president
in Washington, and the head of the committee is [Atty. Gen.] John
Ashcroft," Cohen said. He is trying to move Elbarasse's case to
Chicago,
although a detention hearing is scheduled for Friday in Baltimore.
Randall Samborn, a spokesman in Chicago for U.S. Atty. Patrick
Fitzgerald,
declined to comment. Material witness warrants, like other grand jury
matters, are secret under federal law.
In court papers filed in Maryland, however, federal agents said they
believed the seven videotapes discovered in Elbarasse's car contain
"footage or images of the Bay Bridge and other structures or potential
targets..."
-----
CAIR'S LETTER TO DHS ON REVOCATION OF SCHOLAR'S VISA
August 24, 2004
The Honorable Tom Ridge
Secretary, Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528
Dear Secretary Ridge,
I serve as executive director of the largest American Muslim civil
rights
and advocacy organization in the United States, representing the
interests
of more than seven million American Muslims. I write to you today about
the
recent revocation of a visa for Professor Tariq Ramadan who was
scheduled
to teach this fall semester at the University of Notre Dame Institute
for
International Peace Studies in South Bend, Indiana. I seriously hope
that
you will reconsider this decision and allow this internationally
renowned
academic to help build bridges between the Muslim World and the United
States. This latest action of such a high profile figure makes our task
to
reach out to the Muslim world much more and unnecessarily difficult.
TIME magazine recently named Professor Ramadan as one of the Top 100
Spiritual Leaders and Innovators in the world in its April 26, 2004,
edition. Such a prestigious distinction by arguably the preeminent
magazine
in America shows the diverse respect that Dr. Ramadan has earned
throughout
his career.
In an official statement, the University of Notre Dame stated that:
"Professor Ramadan is a distinguished scholar and a voice for
moderation in
the Muslim world," the university said. "We know of no reason his entry
should be prevented."
As an organization and on behalf of the American Muslim community, our
continued goal is to foster dialogues of tolerance and pluralism
throughout
the world. We believe that in order to improve relations with the
Muslim
world, our government needs to reach out to distinguished academics
like
Dr. Ramadan. As all Americans, we value the concept of academic freedom
which helps to add diverse and interesting ideas into the free flow of
academic discourse. By revoking Dr. Ramadan's visa, it unfortunately
sends
the wrong message to the Muslim world about America's diverse ethnic,
religious and political landscape.
Dr. Ramadan seeks to build and mend the bridges between the Muslim
world
and the United States. I earnestly hope you will allow him entry to the
United States so that he may continue that endeavor.
Most Sincerely,
Nihad Awad
Executive Director
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL.)
Contact the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and
President Bush to urge that the decision to revoke Dr. Tariq Ramadan's
visa
be reversed. You should also send a copy of the letter to your elected
representatives.
GO TO: http://capwiz.com/cair/dbq/officials/
Click on the links for President Bush (click on "President"), Secretary
of
State Colin Powell and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge (click
on
"Agencies"). Enter your ZIP Code to contact elected representatives.
COPY
TO: cair@cair-net.org
Ramadan was to teach at the University of Notre Dame Joan B. Kroc
Institute
for International Peace Studies. SEE: http://www.nd.edu/~krocinst/
Send a copy of your letter to:
R. Scott Appleby
Director
Joan B. Kroc Institute
106 Hesburgh Center
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Phone: (574) 631-5665
Fax: (574) 631-6973
E-mail: Appleby.3@nd.edu
ALSO SEE:
PULLED VISA BLOCKS ISLAMIC SCHOLAR FROM TEACHING POST IN US
Agence France Presse, 8/24/04
CHICAGO- A renowned and sometimes controversial Islamic scholar has
been
blocked from taking up a US teaching post after the US government
revoked
his work visa, officials said Tuesday.
Tariq Ramadan was appointed Henry Luce Professor at the Kroc Institute
for
International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana
earlier this year, and was scheduled to start teaching this week.
The 41-year-old Swiss national was granted a work visa in February and
had
even shipped his furniture across the Atlantic when he was informed
that
the US State Department had revoked his work permit late last month,
university officials said.
Officials with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (ICE) on whose
recommendation the State Department yanked the work permit, declined to
comment in detail on the reasons for the last minute flip-flop.
"Generally speaking, the criteria for revocation is public safety or
national security," said Russ Knocke, a spokesman for ICE, a division
of
the US Department of Homeland Security.
Ramadan, reached at home in Switzerland by the Chicago Tribune, refused
to
comment on the matter.
But officials at the Catholic university in South Bend, Indiana, said
they
were dumbfounded and dismayed by the decision, and a leading Islamic
advocacy organisation called on US authorities to rethink the move.
The decision "sends the wrong message to the Islamic world about
America's
willingness to listen to what Muslims have to say," the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement.
"The best way to improve deteriorating relations with the Muslim world
is
by listening to mainstream Islamic political and religious voices, not
by
censoring respected scholars whose views are apparently feared by those
who
seek a monopoly on intellectual debate," said CAIR Executive Director
Nihad
Awad.
---
U.S. REVOKES WORK VISA FOR MUSLIM SCHOLAR
Tom Coyne, Associated Press, 8/24/04
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/9485276.htm
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Acting at the request of the Department of Homeland
Security, the U.S. government has revoked the work visa of a Muslim
scholar
who had been scheduled to teach at the University of Notre Dame this
fall.
Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss citizen who has been criticized for alleged
links to
Islamic militants and for remarks branded anti-Semitic, was supposed to
begin teaching on Tuesday, the first day of the fall semester.
"This is unjustified," Ramadan said in a telephone interview with The
Associated Press. He charged the revocation was "coming from political
pressure."
Russ Knocke, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman, said the work
visa had been revoked because of a section in federal law applying to
aliens who have used a "position of prominence within any country to
endorse or espouse terrorist activity."
He said the revocation was based on "public safety or national security
interests" and would not elaborate.
"We absolutely don't agree with that," Notre Dame spokesman Matt Storin
said. "If we did, we would not have hired him."
Storin described Ramadan as a distinguished scholar and a voice for
moderation in the Muslim world.
Ramadan said he went through a rigorous two-month background check
before
he was granted the work visa, adding if he had any ties to Islamic
militants, the visa would not have been granted.
Ramadan said he opposes all forms of violence.
"What I'm saying as a Muslim is that when I criticize a policy, for
example
the Saudi policy or the Egyptian policy, I am not Islamophobic," he
said.
"And when I am criticizing the policy of the state of Israel, of (Prime
Minister Ariel) Sharon, I'm not an anti-Semite. It's just a political
criticism."
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations,
said the revocation indicates an unwillingness of Americans to listen
to
Muslims.
"It's really a slap in the face to Muslims who are trying to build
bridges
between the Muslim world and the West," Hooper said...
---
CHICAGO MUSLIMS DISMAYED OVER BARRING OF MUSLIM INTELLECTUAL FROM THE
US
330 East Roosevelt Road - Ste. G5; Lombard, IL 60148 - Ph:
630-629-7490;
www.ciogc.org
The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, a federation
of
Islamic institutions serving over 400,000 Chicago-area Muslim
Americans,
expresses deep concern at the last-minute revocation of Dr. Tarik
Ramadan's
travel visa by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just days
before
he was scheduled to begin teaching at the University of Notre Dame. Dr.
Ramadan was scheduled to teach Islamic philosophy and ethics classes
starting Tuesday through the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International
Peace
Studies. After previously granting a visa after a lengthy clearance
procedure, the DHS suddenly revoked the visa for no apparent reason,
citing
the USA Patriot Act.
In a statement released to the Chicago Tribune, the University of Notre
Dame said, "Professor Ramadan is a distinguished scholar and a voice
for
moderation in the Muslim world. We know of no reason his entry should
be
prevented."
Expressing serious concern on behalf of the Muslim community, Council
Chairman, Kareem Irfan, stated: "By barring a highly accomplished
scholar
and globally regarded Muslim intellectual like Dr. Ramadan, this
inexplicable action unfairly tarnishes this respected academic's
reputation
and teaching career and also demeans the commendable, far-sighted
decision
of Notre Dame to appoint him to an important teaching position. More
over,
the resultant silencing of Dr. Ramadan's visionary and moderate Muslim
perspectives will seriously detract from essential enlightenment
urgently
needed in our nation about Islam and its application in modern times."
The Council urges the DHS to reconsider this decision and quickly
permit
Dr. Ramadan to enter the United States and begin his teaching role at
Notre
Dame. This action goes against the spirit of tolerance, academic
independence and the free exchange of ideas upon which this nation is
based. At a time when we need more voices of tolerance and moderation,
the
barring of Dr. Ramadan can only be seen as counterproductive to our
national goals.
---
MUSLIM SCHOLAR URGES U.S. RETHINK ON VISA DENIAL
Reuters, 8/25/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=6068053
GENEVA - A Swiss-based Muslim scholar, prevented from taking up a post
at a
leading U.S. university when his visa was withdrawn, urged Washington
Wednesday to reconsider its decision or at least explain it.
"We just do not know why it was revoked. They have not told us," said
Tariq
Ramadan, a Swiss citizen, who had been appointed as a tenured professor
of
religion at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
A visa was issued to him in May and but then abruptly canceled without
explanation at the beginning of August, just days before he was to
leave
for the United States with his family.
The Roman Catholic university had written to the State Department
asking it
to reconsider and was looking at what legal steps it could take to
fight
the decision, he told Reuters.
Another professor filled in for him at the university on the first day
of
his scheduled class on Islamic ethics Tuesday.
Ramadan, a well-known intellectual in France and Switzerland, said
although
he had been told he could reapply, there was little point in doing so
until
he knew why approval had been withdrawn this time.
"We need that information," he said, adding that his main concern at
the
moment was for his family, who had been left in a difficult position by
the
U.S. about-turn...
-----
AMJ CALLS FOR SOLIDARITY WITH PRISONERS ON HUNGER STRIKE
A day of fasting and Religious Sermon to highlight plight
Washington, DC (August 25, 2004) A coalition of organizations will
announce
a nationwide campaign calling for solidarity with Palestinian prisoners
on
their second week of an open-ended hunger strike. American Muslims for
Jerusalem (AMJ) and other organizations will call for all places of
worship
to devote their weekly sermons to raise awareness of the dire
humanitarian
condition of Palestinian men and women who are suffering in Israeli
prisons. A call will be made to declare a day of fasting in solidarity
with
the hunger strikers in Palestine.
Who: AMJ and a coalition of other organization
When: Thursday, August 25, 2004 at 10:00 a.m.
Where: National Press Club, Zeiger Room
Contact: Khalid Turaani (202) 256-2000
-----
THREE-STAR BIGOTRY
Los Angeles Times, 8/25/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-boykin25aug25,1,3027407.story
A Defense Department investigation has found that a top Army general
violated Pentagon rules with his anti-Muslim remarks to Christian
groups,
yet one Pentagon official dismissed the errors as "relatively minor."
That
obtuseness reflects a stunning inability to understand how much the
comments have hurt the United States abroad.
It is unfathomable why Lt. Gen. William G. "Jerry" Boykin has been
allowed
to keep his job. When Boykin's remarks became known last October,
President
Bush limited himself to a tepid announcement that the comments about
Muslims and Islam did not reflect his point of view or that of his
administration. And Boykin soldiers on.
The general remains the deputy undersecretary of Defense for
intelligence,
the job he held while appearing in uniform to tell an Oregon religious
group in June 2003 that radical Islamists hated the U.S. "because we're
a
Christian nation ... and the enemy is a guy named Satan." He told a
Florida
audience months earlier that a Muslim Somali warlord was captured
because
"I knew my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God
and
his was an idol."
Boykin's comments have been widely reported in the Muslim world. They
resonate with supporters of Osama bin Laden and other radical Islamic
fundamentalists preaching a war between Islam and Christian "crusaders"
and
Jews. Any time the flames of bigotry wane, a fundamentalist need only
broadcast a tape of Boykin again and contend he is mouthing official
U.S.
policy, made clear by the fact that he holds the same job and wears the
same uniform. U.S. Muslims have protested, for good reason.
The internal Defense Department report concluded that Boykin had failed
to
clear the speeches with the Pentagon, had not given a required
statement
that he was not speaking for the military and had failed to report that
a
religious group paid for his travel. His punishment is unlikely to go
beyond a written reprimand.
The comments would be bad enough from a buck private. From a three-star
general whose job includes gathering information for the campaign
against
Islamic radicals, they are unforgivable. Let Boykin retire and speak
out as
much as he wants. But do not give others the chance to assume that the
general speaks for the Pentagon, the administration and the nation.
Two months ago, Bush told the graduating class at the U.S. Air Force
Academy that a clash of ideologies should not be viewed as a fight
between
civilizations or religions. He called Islam a religion that "teaches
moral
responsibility that ennobles men and women." Fine words, those, and
incompatible with letting one of his generals get away with preaching
bigotry.
SEE ALSO:
BETTING ON MR. SHARON
Washington Post, 8/25/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30284-2004Aug24.html
IN APRIL President Bush placed a high-risk bet on Israel's Ariel
Sharon. He
delivered, in writing, commitments of U.S. support for Israel's
position on
crucial outstanding issues for a settlement with the Palestinians, on
the
prospect that this would spur Mr. Sharon to carry out a proposed
Israeli
evacuation of settlements in the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank.
Mr.
Bush's concessions have exacerbated an already parlous U.S. diplomatic
position in the Middle East; Mr. Sharon, meanwhile, has suffered a
string
of reverses in his attempt to carry out the withdrawal. The
administration
might have responded by reassessing its reliance on a notoriously
reckless
leader. Instead, Mr. Bush has doubled up on his bet.
Over the past few days administration officials have let it be known
that
they will not object to the recent announcement by Mr. Sharon's
government
of more than 2,000 new housing units in Jewish settlements in the West
Bank
-- even though official administration policy opposes all such
construction. The new homes are in settlements near Jerusalem and Tel
Aviv
that Israel expects to annex in any eventual peace agreement with the
Palestinians -- an expectation Mr. Bush publicly supported as part of
his
gift package to Mr. Sharon in April. Their high-profile approval by Mr.
Sharon is intended, in part, to split the fierce opposition movement
that
now blocks his Gaza plan, thereby raising the chances that the
evacuation
can begin as scheduled next year. That withdrawal would be a
significant
step toward a Middle East settlement and could help U.S. standing in
the
region.
For now, though, the United States will pay the price for its latest
concession to Mr. Sharon, which has been headline news in Israel and
around
the Middle East. Once again the Bush administration will be seen as
uncritically supporting a move by Israel to expand settlements regarded
by
the rest of the world as illegal, in contradiction to stated U.S.
policy
and commitments to allies in Europe and the Middle East. The fact that
the
White House has taken this position at a time when Mr. Bush is seeking
support from pro-Israel voters in Florida and other closely contested
states will raise reasonable questions about whether there are any
grounds
for his position other than electoral pandering. Administration
officials
would say that there are -- that they are confident that in the end Mr.
Sharon will deliver. Maybe they are right, but the cost is growing.
-----
THINK TWICE BEFORE TARGETING IRAN
Youssef M. Ibrahim, USA Today, 8/25/04
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20040825/oplede25.art.htm
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - This is the wrong time for the United
States
to take on Iran, the dominant demographic, military and cultural force
of
the Persian Gulf, as its new foe.
Yet, that is exactly where the Bush administration is headed.
In the past few weeks, Bush administration officials, including
national
security adviser Condoleezza Rice, have said they will use any means to
stop Iran from pursuing plans to build nuclear weapons. They leaked
stories
to the media about plans to bomb industrial sites in Iran, including
the
Bushehr nuclear reactor.
Iran's response was swift. Gen. Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, the commander
of
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corp, said that if attacked, Iran would
"retaliate everywhere."
Even the country's defense minister, Ali Shamkhani, has warned that
Iran
retains the option of pre-emptive strikes to prevent an attack on its
nuclear facilities. Such a strike would likely target Israel - which
took
out Iraq's nuclear facility in 1981 - virtually ensuring a widespread
war
in the Middle East.
Nothing would unite Iranian moderates and hard-liners more than an
attack
on their country and, above all, the destruction of their prized
nuclear
reactor. Iranians are not easily intimidated. They lost nearly a
million
people in the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, launched by Saddam Hussein in
1980.
In the end, the Iranians prevailed. Saddam backed down.
How quickly we forget...
-----
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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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NJ OFFICER DEFENDS ATTACKER'S 'FREE SPEECH' RIGHTS
NY Muslim called 'sand n*gger,' 'terrorist' during assault
(WASHINGTON, DC, 8/26/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today called on the New Jersey Department of Law and
Public
Safety and the FBI to investigate an assault on a Muslim driver as a
possible hate crime.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also
expressed concern that the police officer who investigated the assault
allegedly defended the assailant's right to utter racial slurs.
CAIR says the Muslim driver, a U.S. citizen of Pakistani origin who
lives
in Locust Valley, N.Y., was driving with his elderly mother on Tuesday
evening through Edison Township in New Jersey when he was attacked by a
white male in another car. The assailant allegedly followed the victim
for
ten blocks before getting out of his vehicle and punching the Muslim
driver
in the face while he was sitting in his car at a traffic light. When
the
Muslim driver attempted to call 911 on his cell phone, the assailant
allegedly grabbed the phone and smashed it on the ground.
During the incident, the attacker reportedly called the victim a
"terrorist" and a "sand n*gger." He also allegedly told the victim to
"go
back to whatever f*cking Arab country you came from." The Muslim victim
told CAIR that a police officer called to the scene of the attack was
reluctant to address the possible bias motive of the perpetrator and in
fact defended the assailants "free speech" rights.
"We are concerned that the officer on the scene apparently viewed the
racial slurs used during the assault as constitutionally-protected
speech
and not as evidence that a hate crime had occurred," said CAIR Civil
Rights
Director Engy Abdelkader. She called for a probe of the police
officer's
actions.
Abdelkader said other incidents targeting Muslim individuals and
Islamic
institutions have taken place recently across America.
Just this month, CAIR called on the FBI to investigate an
intentionally-set
fire at a Muslim store in McAllen, Texas, as a possible hate crime and
sought felony charges in a bias attack on a New York Muslim taxi
driver.
Late last month, two Muslim teenagers in Buffalo, N.Y., say they were
targeted by white teenagers who shouted ethnic slurs and then tried to
hit
the girls with their car. A Muslim woman driver in Illinois and a
Muslim
shopper in California were assaulted at the end of June by attackers
shouting anti-Muslim and racist slurs.
In Florida, vandals wrote "Kill all Muslims" inside the Islamic
Community
Center in the Tampa suburb of Lutz. The FBI is also investigating
vandalism
and threatening messages targeting the Islamic Community of Southwest
Florida in Charlotte Harbor. In Missouri, vandals painted a Nazi
swastika
and the word "die" on an addition under construction at the Islamic
Foundation of Greater St. Louis. Three Miami Islamic centers were
vandalized.
Earlier this year in Texas, a man was arrested for threatening an El
Paso
Islamic center, 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. A home-made bomb exploded in the mailbox
of a
Houston, Texas, Islamic center.
In response to anti-Muslim incidents, CAIR published a "Muslim
Community
Safety Kit." The safety kit may be obtained free of charge by e-mailing
pubs@cair-net.org. (Include name, address and phone number when
requesting
the safety kit.)
CAIR, America's largest 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; CAIR-NJ, 908-209-7440; CAIR-NY, 212-870-2002,
917-751-1017
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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/26/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: CREATED FOR A PURPOSE
* REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S BANQUET & CONVENTION
- CAIR Dinner Volunteer Meetings Tonight
* RADICAL JEWISH GROUPS RAISE FUNDS IN U.S. (NY Daily News)
* MUSLIMS SUPPORT SCHOLAR ON VISA (Chicago Trib)
- US: Islamic Scholar May Reapply for Visa (AFP)
- Scholar Loses US Visa as Query is Raised (NY Times)
- Daniel Pipes Wins "Islamophobia' Awad
* HOLDING THE PENTAGON ACCOUNTABLE FOR ABU GHRAIB (NY Times)
- And For Religious Bigotry (NY Times)
* FL: NEW MOSQUE FACES FUNDING HURDLES (Sun Sentinel)
- TX: Car Dealer Accused of Discrimination (KHOU)
* KS: AREA GROCERS HELP MUSLIMS WITH DIET NEEDS (Kansan)
- IN: Muslim Academy Opens Its Doors (Times)
* PLANELOAD OF DEPORTED PAKISTANIS TO COME HOME (Daily Times)
- Iranians Say They're Harassed by Agencies (Pacific News)
- Daughter Says Profiling Motivated Bridge Arrest (AP)
- Outreach Process or Racial Profiling? (Al Jazeerah)
- NY: Border Treatment Upsets Muslims (Daily Gazette)
* AZ: FBI HOUSE CALL BRINGS THANKS (State Press)
* KERRY: AN UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO ISRAEL (Forward)
- Letting Israel Self-Destruct (Wash Post)
* CA: REMEMBRANCE AND PRAYER FOR MISSING UCLA STUDENT
------
VERSE OF THE DAY: CREATED FOR A PURPOSE
"Did you think that We had created you without any purpose and that you
would never return to Us for accountability?"
The Holy Quran, 23:115
-----
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S OCT. 2-5 BANQUET & CONVENTION
Join us in our nation's capital for 4 days of exciting activities
TO REGISTER, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
ALSO SEE:
CAIR DINNER VOLUNTEER MEETINGS
CAIR will hold 30-minute volunteer meetings for our Annual Banquet and
Convention this Thursday in various mosques. Please check the options
below, grab a friend, and attend a meeting to help us make this event a
success!
Dar ul Hijrah (library), Thursday, Aug. 26, 8 pm (after maghrib
prayer):
3159 Row Street, Falls Church, VA 22044
ADAMS (Room # 303), Thursday, Aug. 26, 8 pm (after maghrib prayer):
46903
Sugarland Rd, Sterling, VA 20164
If, for any reason, you cannot make one of these meetings but would
still
like to volunteer, please contact Ibrahim Abusway, Community Affairs
Coordinator at 202-646-6043 or email: irahman@cair-net.org
-----
RADICAL JEWISH GROUPS RAISE FUNDS
Larry Cohler-Esses, NY Daily News, 8/25/04
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/225602p-193595c.html
Violence-spewing Jewish radicals are raising big bucks in New York even
though they're tied to groups identified by the U.S. as terror
organizations.
In one money-raising appeal uncovered by The Daily News, a banned group
directs donors to a Borough Park, Brooklyn, address and 718 phone
number.
In Israel, Kahane Chai and other radical groups on the U.S. list are
under
increased scrutiny after the Shin Bet spy agency warned that extremists
have put Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in their cross hairs and may blow
up
the Al Aqsa Mosque, holy to Muslims worldwide, on Jerusalem's Temple
Mount.
Spokesmen for some of the groups deny the Shin Bet allegations but
admit
they're furious that Sharon is pushing a plan to give up Jewish
settlements
on occupied Palestinian land in Gaza and the West Bank.
Among the pro-settler Jews raising thousands in New York is David
Haivri,
who has long ties to the movement founded by Meir Kahane, the radical
Brooklyn-born rabbi slain by an Egyptian Islamist in New York in 1990.
Haivri's sister Talia was married to Kahane's son, Rabbi Binyamin
Kahane.
Both were slain by Palestinian gunmen in 2001.
The more than $100,000 Haivri raised on a recent U.S. speaking tour
will go
solely to "educational projects," Haivri insists. "It's mostly for
publishing newsletters, books and posters," he said. He also denied he
is
an advocate of violence.
"We do advocate physical resistance to an extent," he conceded. But
only
"civil disobedience to make it difficult for [the Israeli government]
to
give over our Jewish land..."
U.S. Treasury Department spokeswoman Molly Millerwise denied
allegations
from Muslim organizations that the U.S. is lax when it comes to
monitoring
Jewish terror groups. "Any indication there is terrorist financing
going on
is something we'd look into," she insisted.
-----
MUSLIMS SUPPORT SCHOLAR ON VISA
Geneive Abdo, Chicago Tribune, 8/26/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0408260279aug26,1,2047668.story
Outraged Muslims launched a letter-writing campaign this week to demand
that U.S. officials overturn a decision to deny a visa to renowned
Islamic
scholar Tariq Ramadan.
Some Jewish leaders, meanwhile, applauded the decision, saying Ramadan
is a
Muslim extremist who should be barred from the United States.
Ramadan, a resident of Switzerland, was to begin teaching this week at
the
Joan Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University
of
Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. But a visa issued to him in February by
the
State Department was revoked July 28 on orders from the Department of
Homeland Security.
For many Muslims, the decision is further evidence that the Bush
administration makes no distinction between Muslim moderates and
extremists. Middle East and Islamic scholars consider Ramadan a
moderate.
"It is a troubling situation because we hear that the Bush
administration
wants to build bridges with moderates and mainstream Muslims. But we
see
that this action flies in the face of this sentiment," said Ibrahim
Hooper,
a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an advocacy
group based in Washington.
The council has started a campaign to encourage Muslims to write to
government officials and demand that Ramadan be allowed to assume his
teaching post, Hooper said.
For some Jewish leaders, however, the government's decision confirms
their
own concerns about Ramadan.
"We are concerned about his extremist views concerning Judaism and
Christianity," said Yehudit Barksy, director of the division of Middle
East
and International Terrorism at the American Jewish Committee in New
York.
"The U.S. made the right decision."
Ramadan, contacted Wednesday at his home, said he believed the visa
revocation was politically motivated.
"So far I do not know why I have been banned or prevented from entering
this country, knowing that for 20 years I have been working to promote
freedom and democracy," he said. "The point is, I don't know who is
behind
this. But at least I want an answer..."
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL.)
Contact the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and
President Bush to urge that the decision to revoke Dr. Tariq Ramadan's
visa
be reversed. You should also send a copy of the letter to your elected
representatives.
GO TO: http://capwiz.com/cair/dbq/officials/
Click on the links for President Bush (click on "President"), Secretary
of
State Colin Powell and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge (click
on
"Agencies"). Enter your ZIP Code to contact elected representatives.
COPY
TO: cair@cair-net.org
Ramadan was to teach at the University of Notre Dame Joan B. Kroc
Institute
for International Peace Studies. SEE: http://www.nd.edu/~krocinst/
Send a copy of your letter to:
R. Scott Appleby
Director
Joan B. Kroc Institute
106 Hesburgh Center
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Phone: (574) 631-5665
Fax: (574) 631-6973
E-mail: Appleby.3@nd.edu
ALSO SEE:
US: ISLAMIC SCHOLAR MAY REAPPLY FOR VISA
Agence France Presse, 8/25/04
http://www.turkishpress.com/turkishpress/news.asp?ID=25547
WASHINGTON - Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan may seek a new US visa to
replace
one whose revocation prevented him from taking up a post at Notre Dame
University, a US officials said.
"Doctor Ramadan is able to reapply for another visa," State Department
deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said.
The Swiss-based scholar was expected at Indiana's Notre Dame
University's
Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies this week, until his
visa
was revoked late last month.
The US State Department revoked the visa, issued in February, on July
28 on
the recommendation of officials in the Department of Homeland Security.
Ereli did not explain why the visa was canceled, citing the
confidentiality
of visa records.
"Mister Ramadan's visa was revoked pursuant to an action by the
Department
of Homeland Security to invalidate the petition on which it was based,"
Ereli said.
"And he is not ineligible for applying for a visa, nor is he ineligible
to
receive a visa," Ereli said.
"But this particular visa that was issued based on the Department of
Homeland Security petition had to be revoked."
A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency within
the
US Department of Homeland Security, had declined Tuesday to comment on
the
specifics of the case.
"Generally speaking, the criteria for revocation is public safety or
national security," Russ Knocke said...
---
MUSLIM SCHOLAR LOSES U.S. VISA AS QUERY IS RAISED
Stephen Kinzer, New York Times, 8/26/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/26/national/26scholar.html
CHICAGO, Aug. 25 - A prominent Muslim scholar from Switzerland was
supposed
to begin teaching a seminar on Islamic ethics at the University of
Notre
Dame on Tuesday, but he did not show up for his first class because the
State Department revoked his visa.
University officials said an American diplomat telephoned the scholar,
Tariq Ramadan, this month at his home in Geneva and told him that his
permission to work in the United States, which was approved earlier
this
year, had been revoked. They said the diplomat offered no explanation.
On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, Dean
Boyd, said his agency had given the State Department information about
Mr.
Ramadan. He declined to say what it was.
"We provided the information to them, and they ultimately made a
decision
to revoke the visa," Mr. Boyd said. "Generally speaking, the criteria
for
revocation of visas include public safety risk or national security
threat."
Kelly Shannon, a spokeswoman for the State Department, said Mr.
Ramadan's
visa was revoked under a legal provision that bans espionage agents,
saboteurs and anyone the United States "knows, or has reasonable ground
to
believe, is engaged in or is likely to engage after entry in any
terrorist
activity." She said she could not provide any details about Mr.
Ramadan's
case...
Daniel Pipes, director of the pro-Israel advocacy group Middle East
Forum,
said groups in France approached American officials there and urged
them to
review Mr. Ramadan's status. He said the groups, which he declined to
identify, "attempted to bring to the attention of the U. S. government
who
he really is."
---
DANIEL PIPES WINS 'ISLAMOPHOBIA' AWARD
WINNER OF THIS YEAR'S "ISLAMOPHOBIA" AWARD
In the Fray, 8/26/04
http://inthefray.com/html/article.php?sid=667&mode=thread&order=0
"The proclivity toward apologetics for enemies of the United States are
problems that scholarship on the Middle East shares with other
area-studies," hissed Daniel Pipes in the winter of 1995-1996. Mr.
Pipes,
the proud winner of this year's "Islamophobia" Award, issued by the
Islamic
Human Rights Commission, and who has been called, appropriately, an
"anti-Arab propagandist," is busily threatening academic freedom in
American universities. And we should all care.
Mr. Pipes is the director and founder of the Middle East Forum, a think
tank that claims that it "works to define and promote American
interests in
the Middle East," which, in turn, established a sinister program which
it
benignly calls "Campus Watch." The Middle East Forum outlines the
deeply
troubling and menacing big-brother mission of the Campus Watch program:
The program, established in September of 2002, monitors the often
erroneous
and biased teachings and writings of U.S. professors specializing in
the
Middle East, with the goal of improving the scholarly study of the
region.
A Campus Speakers Bureau provides speakers who can provide accurate and
balanced information to American students in the classroom.
The goal of the Campus Watch program is as evident as it is
reprehensible:
to promote Mr. Pipe's virulently anti-Arab approach to Middle Eastern
studies and to blacklist those professors who refuse to share his
vision.
Dissatisfied with merely blacklisting professors through the Campus
Watch
program, Pipes seeks to cut funding, doled out by the Department of
Education under the Title VI program, for Middle East studies programs
housed in universities. In his academically misguided but
characteristically pert tone, he recently wrote: Middle East Studies:
Wasted Money. If Middle Eastern studies cannot be taught according to
Mr.
Pipes' often-discredited academic and political inclinations, they
should
not, apparently, be taught at all.
Lest time be overly kind to Mr. Pipes and wipe our memories of the fact
that he wrote, in 1990, that "Western European societies are unprepared
for
the massive immigration of brown-skinned peoples cooking strange foods
and
maintaining different standards of hygiene ... All immigrants bring
exotic
customs and attitudes, but Muslim customs are more troublesome than
most,"
we should maintain our own watch on Mr. Pipes if we wish to safeguard
the
academic freedom and integrity of American universities and research
institutions.
-----
HOLDING THE PENTAGON ACCOUNTABLE: FOR ABU GHRAIB
New York Times, 8/26/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/26/opinion/26thurs1.html
For anyone with the time to wade through 400-plus pages and the
resources
to decode them, the two reports issued this week on the Abu Ghraib
prison
are an indictment of the way the Bush administration set the stage for
Iraqi prisoners to be brutalized by American prison guards, military
intelligence officers and private contractors.
The Army's internal investigation, released yesterday, showed that the
torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib went far beyond the actions of a few
sadistic military police officers - the administration's chosen
culprits.
It said that 27 military intelligence soldiers and civilian contractors
committed criminal offenses, and that military officials hid prisoners
from
the Red Cross. Another report, from a civilian panel picked by Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, offers the dedicated reader a dotted line
from
President Bush's decision to declare Iraq a front in the war against
terror, to government lawyers finding ways to circumvent the Geneva
Conventions, to Mr. Rumsfeld's bungled planning of the occupation and
understaffing of the ground forces in Iraq, to the hideous events at
Abu
Ghraib prison.
That was a service to the public, but the civilian panel did an
enormous
disservice by not connecting those dots and walking away from any real
exercise in accountability. Instead, Pentagon officials who are never
named
get muted criticism for issuing confusing memos and not monitoring
things
closely enough. This is all cast as "leadership failure" - the
21st-century
version of the Nixonian "mistakes were made" evasion - that does not
require even the mildest reprimand for Mr. Rumsfeld, who should have
resigned over this disaster months ago. Direct condemnation is reserved
for
the men and women in the field, from the military police officers sent
to
guard prisoners without training to the three-star general in Iraq.
Still, the dots are there, making it clear that the road to Abu Ghraib
began well before the invasion of Iraq, when the administration created
the
category of "unlawful combatants" for suspected members of Al Qaeda and
the
Taliban who were captured in Afghanistan and imprisoned in Guantánamo
Bay,
Cuba. Interrogators wanted to force these prisoners to talk in ways
that
are barred by American law and the Geneva Conventions, and on Aug. 1,
2002,
Justice Department lawyers produced the infamous treatise on how to
construe torture as being legal...
ALSO SEE:
HOLDING THE PENTAGON ACCOUNTABLE: FOR RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY
New York Times, 8/26/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/26/opinion/26thurs2.html
The first reports sounded like an over-the-top satire of the Bush
Pentagon:
the deputy secretary of defense for intelligence - the ranking general
charged with the hunt for Osama bin Laden - was parading in uniform to
Christian pulpits, preaching that God had put George Bush in the White
House and that Islamic terrorists will only be defeated "if we come at
them
in the name of Jesus." But now a Pentagon inquiry has concluded that
Lt.
Gen. William Boykin did indeed preach his grossly offensive gospel at
23
churches, pronouncing Satan the mastermind of the terrorists because
"he
wants to destroy us as a Christian army."
It was stunning last fall, after the general's lapse into brimstone
bigotry
became public, when Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, far from
disturbed, praised General Boykin for an "outstanding record" and kept
him
at the highly sensitive intelligence post during the inquiry. Now it is
simply mind-boggling that Pentagon reports suggest the general may
survive
with only a reprimand for having failed to clear his remarks in
advance.
General Boykin has to be removed from his current job. He has become a
national embarrassment, not to mention a walking contradiction of
President
Bush's own policy statement that the fight against terror is bias-free
and
not a crusade against Islam. (General Boykin preached of a 1993 fight
against a Muslim warlord in Somalia: "I knew that my God was bigger
than
his. I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol.")
The sense of offense among Islamic Americans is already deep. Removal
of
the preacher-general should be a no-brainer, however much the
president's
campaign generals might fear offending the Christian right voting bloc.
-----
NEW MOSQUE FACES FUNDING HURDLES
Jeremy Milarsky, Sun Sentinel, 8/26/04
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pcmosque26aug26,0,6237816.story
SUNRISE · The easy part ended this week, when city commissioners
approved
plans for a 53,000-square-foot Islamic school and mosque -- one of the
largest in South Florida --during a public meeting.
Now, the hard part comes: paying for it.
Dr. Zahid H. Qureshi of Coral Springs is leading a project to build a
regional school and mosque on the southwest corner of Northwest 108th
Avenue and 55th Street, in Sunrise's industrial park. The four-building
complex would include a mosque, a day-care center, a full-time private
school for all grade levels and a cafeteria.
At its peak capacity, the finished school would be able to serve 486
students.
There are about 11 major mosques in Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade
counties, said Altaf Ali, executive director of the Florida chapter of
the
Council for American-Islamic Relations.
But so far, school officials don't have enough money to complete the
first
building, which will be about 12,000 square feet. They still need to
raise
about $1.2 million. The project's total cost will be more than $7
million.
It may not be easy to raise that much money. Since 9-11, Muslim
community
leaders have complained to politicians and the media about federal
anti-terrorism investigations confounding their fund-raising efforts.
"I think it has become more challenging since [9-11], given the fact
that
how many Muslim organizations have been shut down," Ali said. "It has
discouraged a lot of people from giving money to a [Muslim] charitable
organization..."
ALSO SEE:
CAR DEALER ACCUSED OF DISCRIMINATING AGAINST MUSLIM
Carolyn Mungo, KHOU, 8/25/04
http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou040825_cd_eeocdiscrimination.b19d8dd3.html
Feeling bullied and ignored, one man says he cannot forget what he
calls
teasing and taunting from co-workers -- because of his religion.
In the aftermath of 9/11, the Muslim car salesman says backlash drove
him
right out of a job at Streater-Smith Honda.
Mohammed Rafiq says the tragedy of 9/11 changed everything.
"They started calling me Taliban and I'm from India, you know. I'm more
American than you can imagine," Rafiq said.
Rafiq claims his co-workers and two managers at the Conroe dealership
harassed him incessantly, on the basis of his religion and ethnic
background. He was fired in October of 2002.
"Now that I'm working in a new environment, I realize what I really
went
through. It was difficult, it was stressful dealing with the same
people,
not on a daily basis, on an hourly basis," he says.
Rafiq claims he was fired after he finally put his foot down.
"It escalated to a level where I just couldn't take it anymore. A
little
bit of a temper and words were exchanged," says Rafiq.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission confirms that a letter
written
days before Rafiq's termination called him "a Muslim extremist and a
militant".
"Somebody had a lot of anger and hate built in to write a full
paragraph of
hate in their own handwriting," Rafiq says.
The EEOC has filed a lawsuit.
"We're seeking compensatory damages and punitive damages for what
happened
to Mohammed," said EEOC trial attorney Tim Bowne...
-----
AREA GROCERS HELP MUSLIMS WITH DIET NEEDS
Stephen Shupe, Kansan, 8/25/04
http://www.kansan.com/getstory.aspx?id=a2d3d3a3-b942-49e9-895d-71ea3f9e79af
Eating a Muslim diet in Lawrence presents a few challenges, but keeping
certain guidelines in mind and knowing the ingredients of certain foods
make correct dieting possible.
Islamic law classifies food and drink as either Halal, meaning it is
permissible for Muslims to consume, or Haram, meaning it is forbidden.
Alcohol and pork are both Haram, which means eating food prepared with
alcohol or pork ingredients, such as Pop-Tarts and marshmallows, is a
no-no.
According to www.eat-halal.com, a Web site for Muslim consumers, most
varieties of Kellogg's Pop-Tarts contain gelatin, an ingredient
forbidden
by Islamic law - though a few have been found to be free of Haram
ingredients. Marshmallows also contain gelatin, as does yogurt.
As with any religious group, people devoted to Islam maintain different
levels of spirituality. Some Muslims prefer not to eat in restaurants
that
serve alcohol, said Mariam Papa, first-year pharmacy student from
Leawood...
ALSO SEE:
AVICENNA ACADEMY OPENS ITS DOORS FOR FIRST TIME
Deborah Laverty, Times Online, 8/26/04
http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2004/08/26/news/lake_county/7dff89c97f692e2986256efc000055da.txt
MERRILLVILLE - Samar Megdadi quietly tiptoed out of the classroom
Wednesday
as her daughter, Reem, settled in to her first day of junior
kindergarten
on the first day of the newly opened Avicenna Academy.
"She's shy," said the Schererville mother of two with a smile.
Her 4 1/2-year-old daughter, her youngest child, was engrossed in a
story
being read to her and other students by teacher Kyle Kelley in a cozy
corner of the bright-colored, freshly painted classroom.
Megdadi and her husband, Dr. Zuhair Alsakaji, said they picked
Avicenna,
9803 Colorado St., because it is the only school in the area that
focuses
on their family's cultural and religious background.
"We enrolled her because they teach Arabic and concepts of our Islamic
faith," Megdadi said.
Assistant Director Betty Vania, who also serves as first- and
second-grade
teacher, said Reem is fairly typical of the 19 students presently
enrolled.
Vania, who is not a Muslim, said the school is hoping to eventually
attract
students from all backgrounds. Officials hope to make the school's
presence
known through upcoming open houses and by sponsoring pen pal
relationships
between their students and public school students...
-----
ANOTHER PLANE LOAD OF DEPORTED PAKISTANIS TO COME HOME
Khalid Hasan, Daily Times, 8/26/04
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_26-8-2004_pg1_6
WASHINGTON: Sixty-four Pakistanis detained by US authorities for
various
immigration and other violations are to be flown back to Pakistan in a
special chartered flight in the next 48 hours, the Pakistan Embassy
said on
Tuesday.
The flight will take off from Louisiana under an arrangement between
the
Pakistan Embassy and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department
of
Homeland Security. It would be the 8th chartered flight repatriating
Pakistani detainees to Pakistan. Previous flights have repatriated some
600
detainees starting in June 2002 through August 2002, November 2002,
March
2003, July 2003, October 2003 and April 2004.
A total of 1,682 Pakistanis have been deported to Pakistan, including
those
deported through the seven charter flights listed above. An embassy
official said the chartered flight arrangement ensured the early
repatriation of detained Pakistani nationals who had exhausted all
judicial
remedies and wished to return home.
As on earlier occasions, an embassy official interviewed all detainees
to
ensure that only those were repatriated who had no pending judicial
appeals
in US immigration courts and who wanted to return to Pakistan. An
embassy
official will accompany the detainees to ensure their well being on the
flight and to facilitate immigration formalities in Islamabad. A doctor
will be on board to help if required. On arrival, each deportee will be
given sufficient cash to enable him to return to his hometown.
The embassy said more than half of the deportees were deportation
absconders who had been ordered deportation in the past but did not
comply
with the orders. Others being deported are said to have been convicted
of
credit card fraud, larceny, assault, spousal abuse and burglary.
APP adds: The Pakistan Embassy and consulates receive scores of calls
each
day from relatives of detained Pakistani nationals, asking for their
repatriation. The embassy, working with US agencies, ensures that
Pakistani
nationals do not suffer unnecessary incarceration after the culmination
of
their judicial processes.
Due to the efforts of the embassy and the Government of Pakistan, the
release and repatriation of detained Pakistani nationals is the most
expeditious among South Asian countries, taking usually less than 90
days.
Detainees from other countries have to suffer a minimum of six months
in
detention after deportation orders.
Besides assisting Pakistanis in early repatriation, the embassy and
consulates maintain access to the detainees with regular visits to the
detention centres to provide legal assistance.
ALSO SEE:
IRANIANS SAY THEY'RE HARASSED BY U.S. SECURITY AGENCIES
Donald Brown, Pacific News, 8/25/04
http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=ed8af7eeb507ed3dca75140d77e02d26
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Iranians in the U.S. are seeing a surge in firings
and
FBI interrogations and security clearance denials as anti-terrorist
efforts
mount and Washington's criticism of the Iranian government sharpens.
Dokhi Fassihian, executive director of the National Iranian American
Council (NIAC), says she is getting up to five reports a day of
Iranians
complaining of harassment.
Fassihian says Iranians have been singled out since 9/11 but that the
current crackdown comes from tightening U.S. security measures as well
as
increased tension between Washington and Tehran over Iran's nuclear
program
and alleged ties with terrorist groups. "It appears that, after
Afghanistan
and Iraq, Iran is a likely target of the next U.S. invasion," says Ali
Golchin, an immigration lawyer in San Diego.
Amrit Singh, a lawyer with the Immigrant Rights Project of the American
Civil Liberties Union in New York City, says the government is
definitely
keeping an eye on immigrants from all over the world. But, he adds,
there
is added bias against Middle Easterners and Muslims, or those mistaken
for
them, based on fears that they are all agents of terrorism. Golchin
says
Iranians in the U.S. defy stereotypes, being Muslims, Christians, Jews,
Bahaiis and Zoroastrians.
Government and private employers are not applying rules fairly but are
profiling by race, charges Fassihian. Iranians complain they are
getting
harsh treatment even though there are no specific intelligence findings
marking them as security threats.
Neil Gordon, a director with the AIDS Research Alliance in Los Angeles,
reported that a key researcher, an Iranian citizen with an H-1 visa,
who
returned this year to Iran for her father's funeral, was stranded in
Switzerland for four and a half months. The State Department required
her
to get her visa stamped as a condition for returning, but the U.S.
consulate denied her reentry pending review of her records.
Gordon is upset that a person who has been doing valuable work in the
U.S.
for seven years would be subject to these procedures. "The frustration
is
that it is not that she is researching anthrax or in nuclear research,
it's
that she is Iranian and has a biochemistry PhD," he says.
Fassihian says many Iranians have been denied security clearances for
federal jobs or contracts. In West Virginia, Aliakbar Afshari and
Shahla
Azadi, an Iranian couple, were recently fired without explanation from
their jobs at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH). They were told there was no appeal...
---
DAUGHTER SAYS RACIAL PROFILING MOTIVATED BAY BRIDGE ARREST
Kasey Jones, Associated Press, 8/26/04
http://www.wvec.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D84MIP881.html
BALTIMORE - The oldest daughter of a man described as a high-ranking
Hamas
operative said Wednesday that police used racial profiling when
officers
stopped the family SUV while her mother made a home video of their
return
across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from vacation.
"We were wearing hijabs (headscarves)," Duaa Elbarasse, 20, said in a
telephone interview from her home in Annandale, Va. "We feel we have
been
racially profiled since we are Muslim."
Duaa Elbarasse said she, her 18-year-old sister and her 14-year-old
brother
were in the back seat of the sport utility vehicle Friday as they
headed
home from Broadkill Beach, Del. Her father, Ismael Selim Elbarasse, was
driving while her mother, whom she declined to name, taped "scenery of
the
bay and us in the car," Elbarasse said.
Her mother also tried to zoom in on boats in the bay, she said.
"There is no way to avoid the cables, the bridge itself, in the
pictures,"
Duaa Elbarasse said.
Three Baltimore County police officers driving on the bridge told
Maryland
Transportation Authority officials about the vehicle being driven by
someone of Middle Eastern descent, according to court documents.
"The individuals were pulled over because they were videotaping the
bridge," and because when someone in the vehicle spotted the officers'
car,
the woman put the camera down and the vehicle slowed down so the
officers
would pass them, said Bill Toohey, a Baltimore County police spokesman.
"That was the suspicious activity, not because they were Middle Eastern
looking."
Neither Ismael Elbarasse nor his wife were charged with any wrongdoing
on
the bridge, but Maryland authorities discovered a federal material
witness
warrant had been issued the same day in Chicago for Ismael Elbarasse
and
they arrested him.
The U.S. attorney's office in Chicago wants to question him about an
unrelated case involving the financing of the Palestinian extremist
group
Hamas, which has carried out suicide bombings and other attacks in
Israel.
In an indictment unsealed Friday, Elbarasse was listed as an unindicted
coconspirator...
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
in Washington, said Wednesday he did not know if the family had
contacted
his group.
"We're monitoring the case," he said. "But I think there's a good
chance
that if they weren't wearing headscarves and didn't appear to be Muslim
or
Middle Eastern that they wouldn't have been stopped."
---
OUTREACH PROCESS OR RACIAL PROFILING?
Ben Duncan, Al Jazeerah, 8/26/04
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/52D570B5-B368-4B54-9F45-499C0AD98434.htm
During the past seven weeks, many Arab and Muslim Americans across the
country say they have felt the sting of the Bush administration's most
recent homeland security crackdown.
On 9 July, the FBI began interviewing members of the two communities as
part of the government's latest attempt to thwart terrorist attacks on
US
soil.
While the FBI and the Department of Justice described the move as an
ongoing effort to "establish contacts with community organisations and
leaders in their territories", many of those Arab/Muslim
representatives
say their communities are taking a different message.
Engy Abdelkader, the civil-rights director for the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said her organisation has received
numerous complaints about "coercive or intimidating tactics used by FBI
agents..."
Such tactics have exacerbated a lingering mistrust of federal
law-enforcement groups among many Arab and Muslim Americans, who feel
they
have been unfairly targeted based on religious beliefs and ethnicity,
Abdelkader said.
"Really, the only thing that [the FBI and the Department of Justice]
are
doing is alienating community members," she said...
---
BORDER TREATMENT UPSETS MUSLIMS
Shirin Parsavand, Daily Gazette, 8/20/04
http://www.dailygazette.com/
Najmeh Maqsood said she had never felt discriminated against because of
her
Pakistani background and Muslim faith. That all changed last month.
In two separate incidents, the Clifton Park woman said, she and her
family
members and friends were detained for hours by U.S. border officials on
their return from Canada. They all are United States citizens, except
for a
British friend and her son who were traveling with them.
Maqsood said she, her husband and their teenage children were kept at
the
border station at the Lewiston Bridge for seven hours before they were
allowed to leave. Her husband was frisked, handcuffed and put in a
small
cell for two hours, she said.
A few days earlier, Maqsood's sister, her family and friends were
detained
for more than three hours at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing near
Buffalo...
-----
ALAMOODI: FBI HOUSE CALL BRINGS THANKS
Yaser Alamoodi, The State Press, 8/26/04
http://www.asuwebdevil.com/issues/2004/08/26/opinions/680727
Dear John Ashcroft,
I know how busy you are fighting evildoers, yet I feel the strong urge
to
let you know how much I appreciate your checking in on me. In case you
forgot, I'm referring to your FBI agent taking the time to stop by my
home
to have a pleasant "voluntary chat" with me this summer. It was a
generous
gesture on behalf of you and the taxpayers.
In these difficult times of terrorist chatter and presidential
elections,
your agent reminded me that our government is taking no chances,
especially
with us Arab and Muslim people. When your agent first approached me, I
freaked out. Why would the FBI drop by my house unexpectedly? Did my
neighbors mistake my Arabic hookah pipe for a WMD? Have I questioned
our
president's direct access to the Almighty God?
After a few minutes with your personable agent, I breathed a sigh of
relief. He informed me that my name was on a special list kept by the
Joint
Task Force on Terrorism. His job was to talk to those on the list to
see
how they were doing in school, work and to ask about their love life.
You
have no idea how much better I felt. The whole visit made me look
dangerous
and suspicious in front of my buddies, adding to my aura of mystery
that's
always been popular with the ladies. You know how badly I needed that,
since I was left out of the round-ups immediately after the terrorist
attacks.
The agent asked if I knew of any upcoming terrorist attacks. He was
curious
if I was acquainted with anyone showing "interest in government
buildings."
I told him that most of my friends are political science majors and a
lot
of them wanted to work for the government after they finish school. For
some reason, he was not satisfied with the answer. I guess it's because
most of my friends are liberal Democrats, and we all know how those
people
are untrustworthy, anti-American troublemakers. But don't worry, I will
try
to convince them to go work in a Birkenstock shoe factory where they
belong.
It is nice to know that you guys are committed to these community
outreach
programs. I've heard about racial profiling, but in my case I just
can't
see it. When a government agent knocks on my door, it's not because of
my
ethnic background, it's because they know that immigrants must struggle
to
make it in their new country. It's not a sign of discrimination; it's a
family gesture from a caring, thoughtful big brother. It inspired me to
refer to the FBI as the "Friendly Brothers of Islam".
I know you have a tough job to do, and I want to help you do it.
Because of
how closely connected I feel to you, my mission is clear. My objective
is
to defend America by turning everyone to into a conservative-leaning,
Fox
News-watching, truck-driving, Toby Keith-listening, gun-toting,
Clinton-loathing, tax-hating, gay-bashing, welfare-abolishing,
Republican-voting, screaming redneck to guarantee our freedoms and
peace of
mind. It will not be easy, but I have a strong will and my precious
hookah
by my side.
Yaser Alamoodi is a political science and religious science senior.
Reach
him at yaser.alamoodi@asu.edu.
-----
AN UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO REFORMING THE MIDDLE EAST
John Kerry, Forward, 8/27/04
http://www.forward.com/main/article.php?ref=kerry200408251051
Across the Middle East, the United States and Israel are facing a range
of
crucial security challenges. We are not secure while Saudi donors fund
terror, while Iran pursues a nuclear weapons programs and while Syria
sponsors terrorist operations. We are not secure while Iraq is at risk
of
becoming a haven for terrorists. And we are not secure while Israel,
the
one true democracy in the region, remains the victim of an unrelenting
campaign of terror. If we continue without a more effective strategy,
we
are not supporting our ally as best we can.
For too long, America has not led, and Iran's program has advanced. Let
me
say it plainly: a nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable. I believe we must
work with our allies to end Iran's nuclear weapons program and be ready
to
work with them to implement a range of tougher measures, if needed.
Developing an international coalition enhances our influence by
ensuring
that all nations are united in the effort, leaving no room for Iran to
play
allies against one another.
The Syria Accountability Act, which I co-sponsored in the Senate, gave
the
president authority to sanction Syria, a concrete step against Syria's
support for terror and its occupation of Lebanon. As president, I will
never delay implementing sanctions as the Bush administration did for
many
months.
The greatest long-term strategic threat to U.S.-Israeli relations is
U.S.
dependence on Mideast oil. A new national security policy demands an
end to
that dependence. For too long, America has lost its voice when talking
about the policies and practices of some governments in the Persian
Gulf.
If we are serious about energy independence, then we can finally be
serious
about confronting the role of Saudi Arabia in financing and providing
ideological backing for Islamic fundamentalist jihadists. This is a
problem
that this administration has ignored - and one that must be addressed..
I have a plan for energy independence from Mideast oil in the next 10
years. I will invest in the research and exploration needed to develop
renewable energy sources. I will take the lead in developing the new
technology and production methods needed to ensure that resources such
as
coal and natural gas are used more efficiently and cleanly, and fully
integrated into the new energy economy. I want an America that relies
on
its own ingenuity and innovation and not the Saudi royal family...
I believe, in addition, that the withdrawal from Gaza, which Prime
Minister
Sharon announced in April, holds great promise. Indeed, this step
enjoys
overwhelming support among Israelis. It must receive our support and
backing as well.
The success of the withdrawal also requires a real Palestinian effort
to
establish security - to ensure Gaza does not remain a haven for
terrorists
to launch attacks on Israel. Experience has made very clear that for
the
Palestinians to meet this key test, new Palestinian leadership is
required,
as Yasser Arafat has proven himself not to be a partner for peace.
As president, I will work with the Palestinian community to empower
new,
responsible Palestinian leadership committed to a permanent end to
terror
and the promotion of democracy. I will ensure that allies are united in
this effort, not working at cross-purposes by propping up a failed
Palestinian power structure. This kind of tough and frank diplomacy
will be
a hallmark of my administration. We will magnify our power and restore
American influence to enhance our own security and that of our allies.
We
will restore our alliances and we will lead. But we will never
compromise
America's special relationship with our ally Israel. As president, I
will
never pressure Israel to make concessions that will compromise its
security.
My commitment to a safe and secure Jewish state is unwavering. For 19
years, this is a pledge I have kept in the United States Senate -
whether
through my votes on economic aid, military security or the location of
the
U.S. Embassy. And it is one I will continue to keep as I lead a bold
new
effort to enhance regional security throughout the Middle East.
John Kerry is the Democratic nominee for president of the United
States.
ALSO SEE:
LETTING ISRAEL SELF-DESTRUCT
Daniel Seidemann, Washington Post, 8/26/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34025-2004Aug25.html
JERUSALEM -- Take a run down the four-mile stretch of road that leads
from
Jerusalem to Maleh Adumim, which, with its 31,000 residents, is the
West
Bank's largest settlement. As you hit the "T" junction at the old road
to
Jericho, look to your left, up the wooded hill. The few Caterpillar
earthmovers cutting into the terrain seem benign in comparison to the
frenetic construction taking place elsewhere in the West Bank. Looks
deceive. These earthworks may portend the end of the state of Israel as
we
know it.
The excavations represent the commencement of work on the plan known as
E-1, which will create a continuous built-up area connecting Maleh
Adumim
to Jerusalem. If the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City is the center
of
a clock face, and with Maleh Adumim due east of the city, E-1 seals
Jerusalem on its 12 o'clock-3 o'clock quadrant.
The ramifications of this could hardly be starker. E-1 will cut East
Jerusalem off from its environs in the West Bank, virtually ruling out
the
possibility of East Jerusalem ever becoming the national seat of
Palestine.
Given the topography, it will dismember the West Bank into two cantons,
with no natural connection between them. If implemented, the plan will
create a critical mass of facts on the ground that will render nearly
impossible the creation of a sustainable Palestinian state with any
semblance of geographical integrity. And denying the possibility of a
sustainable Palestinian state leaves only one default option: the
one-state, bi-national solution that signifies the end of Israel as the
home of the Jewish people.
There is nothing new in the E-1 plan; it has been on the planning
boards
for a decade. Until now, each successive U.S. administration has made
it
clear that E-1 is the quintessential, unilateral act that predisposes
the
outcome of final status. As such, implementation will not be tolerated.
The
fate of E-1 is to be determined around a negotiating table, not by
bulldozers.
Until now. The work on E-1's infrastructures has commenced, and the
plans
for building the neighborhoods proceed apace, only months from
execution.
And Jerusalem is interpreting the messages it is receiving from
Washington,
their style and substance, as a green light to proceed...
-----
REMEMBRANCE AND PRAYER FOR SAFE RETURN OF BROTHER AHMAD ARAIN
http://www.findahmad.net
WHAT: On Friday morning, July 23rd, UCLA student Ahmad Arain intended
to
travel by MTA bus from Disneyland to UCLA for an appointment with his
academic councilor. We have confirmation that he began his trip and
transferred on the Manchester / Broadway stop and took the Bus # 305 to
UCLA at 10:43AM. For some reason he got off at San Vicente / Mc Carthy
(Near Fairfax) at 11:30AM. He was scheduled to return to the Disneyland
bus
stop that evening, but did not appear.
Ahmad Arain was wearing ared shirt, blue jeans, black walking shoes and
carrying a black Spaulding backpack. He is about 6 feet tall, 180-185
lbs,
with dark hair, and brown eyes, and, wears glasses.
If you have any information or tips, please immediately contact
detectives
at the UCLA Police Department at 310-825-1491 or your local police
department.
We appreciate the assistance of volunteers and prayers for Ahmad's safe
return.
Please join us for a night of remembrance and prayer for Br. Ahmad
Arain's
safe return home. The program includes recitation of Surah Yusuf and
Surah
Mulk, Salat ul Tasbeeh and Salaat ul Tahajud and will conclude with
Duaa by
Dr. Siddiqi. The Masjid will be open all night for those who want stay
after Isha or come earlier than 2 o' clock. (Light refreshments will be
served.)
WHEN: August 29, 2004, Saturday night/Sunday morning; 2:00 a.m. - Fajr
WHERE: Masjid Al-Rahman, 1 Al-Rahman Plaza, Garden Grove, CA
For more information, please call (714)473-6855, (626)422-0484, or
(714)
658-3636
"When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them):
I
listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them
also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may
walk
in the right way." Quran 2:186
-----
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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/27/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: KEEP GOOD RELATIONS
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 7559 SPONSORSHIPS
- Register for CAIR's Oct. Banquet & Convention
- CAIR Job Opening: Civil Rights Coordinator
- CAIR Election Update #18: The Middle East
* PAKISTANIS FEEL MOST 9/11 BIAS, POLL FINDS (Free Press)
- MD: Asians Tell of Facing Prejudice (Laurel Leader)
- NY: Protesting While Immigrant (Alternet)
* NJ: MUSLIM CLAIMS BIAS ATTACK BY EDISON DRIVER (THNT)
- New Jersey Town Hosts "Wack the Iraq" Game (Reuters0
* CAIR SAYS SECRET LEGAL PROCESS MISUSED (AP)
- MD: Material Witnesses Have Few Rights (Balt Sun)
* ABU GHRAIB, THE NEXT STEP (NY Times)
- America Winning Battle, Losing the War (The Star)
* RELEASE OF HAMDI 'IMMINENT,' U.S. SAYS (Wash Post)
- OR: Famed Lawyer Will Represent Mayfield (Oregon Live)
- NY: Protest at State Fair Supports Dhafir (News 10)
- NY: Freedom Lifts Hopes of Suspects in Sting (TU)
* BUSH SUPPORT AMONG ARAB-AMERICANS TUMBLES (Pacific News)
- Arab Americans Favor Kerry over Bush (SF Chron)
* FAST FOR FREEDOM: SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINIAN PRISONERS
- U.N. Alarmed by Palestinian Hunger Strike (AP)
- GHANDI: Israel's Wall Like Apartheid (Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: KEEP GOOD RELATIONS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever desires an
expansion in his sustenance and age, should keep good relations with
his
kith and kin."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Number 281
CORRECTION TO 8/17/04 VERSE OF THE DAY
The verse of the day for 8/17/04 was incorrectly referenced. The
correct
reference is provided below:
"And in the footsteps (of earlier Prophets) We sent Jesus, the son of
Mary,
confirming the law that had come before him. We sent him the Gospel,
wherein was guidance and light…a guidance and an admonition to those
who
are conscious of God."
The Holy Quran, 5:46
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 7559 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, you may sponsor an 18-item package 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:
http://www.cair-net.org/libraryproject/
ALSO SEE:
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S OCT. 2-5 BANQUET & CONVENTION
Join us in our nation's capital for 4 days of exciting activities!
TO REGISTER, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
-----
CAIR JOB OPENING: CIVIL RIGHTS COORDINATOR
CAIR has an immediate opening for an experienced dynamic person to fill
the
position of Civil Rights Coordinator. The position involves handling of
civil rights cases, doing research on issues pertaining to civil and
religious rights in America, maintaining a civil rights data base
system,
and generating reports, charts and graphs. Candidates should have a
Bachelor degree in a related field with general knowledge of the US
Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
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. When applying via email please
ensure to write the position title "Civil Rights Coordinator" in the
subject of the email. Please send your application with cover letter
and
complete resume and references. Absolutely no phone calls please.
-----
CAIR ELECTION UPDATE #18: THE MIDDLE EAST
http://www.cair-net.org/muslimvote2004/aug272004.asp
-----
PAKISTANIS FEEL MOST 9/11 BIAS, POLL FINDS
Niraj Warikoo, Free Press, 8/27/04
http://www.freep.com/news/metro/bias27e_20040827.htm
A new national poll challenges the view that Arab Americans were the
only
victims of bias and profiling after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
A survey conducted by Florida-based Bendixen & Associates found that
Pakistani Americans reported higher levels of discrimination and
government
targeting than Americans of Arab descent.
About 31 percent of Pakistani Americans said they have experienced
discrimination in their schools, workplaces or neighborhoods over the
past
three years. Twenty-one percent of Arab Americans made the claim.
When it came to profiling, 16 percent of Pakistani Americans said they
had
been mistreated or targeted by government officials because of their
background, compared with 11 percent of Arab Americans.
Asked who did the profiling, 63 percent of Pakistani Americans said it
was
local police. Among Arab Americans, 36 percent said they had been
targeted
by airport security, and 21 percent answered that they had been
targeted by
local police.
The head of the polling company, Sergio Bendixen, said one reason why
Pakistanis reported higher levels of profiling by police officers may
be
because they, in general, tend to have darker skin than Arab Americans,
and
therefore may raise the suspicions of some people in law enforcement.
Others said that religion may be a factor. The vast majority of
Pakistani
Americans are Muslims, while at least half of the Arab-American
population
is Christian, experts say.
"I think it has more to do with faith rather than ethnicity," said
Haaris
Ahmad, an attorney of Pakistani descent who is a board member of the
Michigan chapter of the Council of American Islamic Relations. "It
clearly
shows that being Muslim is more of a liability rather than being Arab
per
se."
The poll, released Thursday, was done for Amnesty International and New
California Media...
ALSO SEE:
MD: ASIANS TELL OF FACING PREJUDICE
Harold Goodridge, Laurel Leader, 8/26/04
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=810&NewsID=569506&CategoryID
=5845&show=localnews&om=0
Henry Lau of Columbia, a Chinese immigrant who works for the
Environmental
Protection Agency, makes a point with U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, foreground
left, at a meeting in Laurel.
When Sabir Rahman moved to the United States from Pakistan 40 years
ago, he
said he sometimes experienced discrimination, but never fear.
That changed after Sept. 11, 2001, Rahman told U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer
and a
group of about 40 Asian- Americans assembled at the Laurel Municipal
Center
Monday, who met to discuss issues including racism and workplace
discrimination.
"I've never been afraid in this country, but in the last three years,
I've
been afraid to go to airports," Rahman told Hoyer.
State Del. Susan Lee of Montgomery County, who is of Chinese ancestry,
helped to organize the meeting with Hoyer through the Maryland
Coalition
for Asian Pacific Community Organizations and other Asian-American
groups.
Racism "is something you can't control or legislate," said Rahman, a
home
builder who lives in Sandy Spring. "It's something that has to be
tackled
in a systematic way.
"We want you to take a more pro-active role," Rahman told Hoyer.
"People
listen to you. We need you to speak forcefully about this."
In an interview after the meeting, Rahman said the backlash toward
Muslims
after Sept. 11 caused him to be suspicious when members of a fire
department in his community came to his house saying they wanted to
install
a "communication radio."
"I was afraid," he said. "I said, 'I'm not interested in this.' I
didn't
know if they were placing a bug in my house. I was so scared that I
didn't
ask what it was for." Rahman said he called Montgomery County Executive
Doug Duncan, who told him that he didn't know of any such program.
The representatives at Monday's meeting included immigrants from China,
Korea, India, Bangladesh and the Philippines. The event was covered by
Asian-American television stations and newspapers...
---
PROTESTING WHILE IMMIGRANT
Naeem Mohaiemen, AlterNet. 8/26/04
http://www.alternet.org/rights/19671/
The New York City neighborhood church was filled with veteran
protestors
and curious first-timers, all interested in finding out more about
upcoming
protests at the Republican National Convention. The organizers start
with a
touch of humor: "And to our friends in plainclothes from the New York
Police Department, welcome. We have nothing to hide." The few men
sporting
tucked-in-shirts and buzz-cut hairdos shifted nervously. Shouldn't they
pick better disguises? Whatever happened to Serpico? Anyway, this was a
meeting to plan peaceful protest - no one seemed worried about the
police
presence.
The meeting continued for hours, going through the various scenarios -
where to march, where the detours may be, the status of the Central
Park
permit, what radio station to listen to, and where to stock up on
drinking
water. Finally, the legal observers came on stage - ready to give
guidelines in case of any police action.
"First of all," intoned the speaker, "If you're a recent immigrant who
is
not a naturalized citizen yet, be very careful. Don't get arrested."
"Especially," she added, after a pause for emphasis, "If you look like
you're Muslim."
Many Immigrants, Many Visas
Immigrants make up forty percent of New York City's population.
Organizers
expect that a lot of the city's immigrant population will be
supporters, if
not active participants, in the anti-RNC protests planned for this
coming
weekend. But it is these same immigrants who face legal restrictions on
their right to engage in peaceful protest.
The status of immigrants can vary widely. Some are here on work or
student
visas; others have green cards and can apply for citizenship after five
years with a green card. However, for certain immigrants the security
check
(post 9/11) can add several years to this process. All these types of
immigrants have the legal right to protest and express political
opinions
in America - but due to extensive and slow background checks and
increased
surveillance, these rights are effectively restricted for Muslim
immigrants...
-----
MAN CLAIMS BIAS ATTACK BY EDISON DRIVER
Ken Serrano, New Brunswick Home News Tribune, 8/25/04
http://www.thnt.com/thnt/story/0,21282,1036482,00.html
EDISON: Authorities are investigating the claim of a New York man that
he
was the victim of a hate crime involving a road rage incident and that
an
Edison patrolman tried to persuade him not to file a complaint.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.,-based
advocacy group, has pressed the state Department of Law and Public
Safety
to investigate.
Both Edison police Chief Edward Costello and Middlesex County
Prosecutor
Bruce Kaplan said their offices will conduct investigations.
The confrontation began Wednesday at 8 p.m. on Route 1 near Amboy
Avenue.
Police said Jeffrey Shourt, 35, of Edison claimed Mohammad Farooq of
Woodside, N.Y., cut him off on the highway. Shourt was driving a 2001
Dodge
Durango and Farooq drove a 2002 Mercedes S 500.
Shourt told police that both stopped and exchanged words and that
Farooq
spit at him.
Farooq tells a different story.
"I never left my car," he said during a telephone interview yesterday,
claiming he did not spit at Shourt. Farooq, a U.S. citizen who came
from
Pakistan 20 years ago, said he and his mother were stopping at an
Edison
restaurant before continuing on to Freehold to visit an aunt when the
incident occurred.
He said Shourt was 50 feet behind him on the highway. When Shourt began
flashing his headlights, Farooq stopped.
"I said, 'What did I do?' He said, 'You cut me off.' So I apologized. I
apologized to him 20 times," Farooq said.
Farooq claims to have then been followed by Shourt for a mile and a
half.
Farooq first went east on Amboy Avenue and then west after he realized
he
made a wrong turn.
Police say officer Daniel Boslet encountered them at the Tano Mall, not
far
from Route 1.
Farooq claims Shourt got out of his Durango when Farooq stopped at a
light
and that Shourt hurled ethnic slurs at him, calling him a terrorist,
police
said.
"I kept on apologizing, what else could I do?" Farooq said.
Farooq then claimed Shourt slapped him across the face, according to
police. Farooq tried to call police on his cell phone, but Shourt
knocked
it out of his hands and broke it, Farooq said.
Shourt did not return messages left at his home yesterday evening...
SEE ALSO:
NEW JERSEY TOWN HOSTS "WACK THE IRAQ" GAME
NEW YORK, Aug 27 (Reuters) - A New Jersey game called "Wack the Iraq,"
where players fire paintballs at people dressed as Arabs, has drawn ire
from Arab groups after the city failed to convince the operator to
change
its name this summer.
The City of Wildwood, a seaside resort in southern New Jersey popular
with
summer vacationers, said the game would continue to operate until the
end
of this summer holiday season, but would change its name when it
returns
next year, according to Fred Wager, commissioner of public affairs and
public safety for Wildwood.
"We didn't like it because we were getting a lot of complaints about
it,"
Wager said in an interview…
Arab groups have voiced outrage at the name and the notion of killing
Iraqis for fun, and had asked that the city shut the game down
immediately.
Instead, a compromise was reached to change the game's name for next
summer.
The game targets teenagers, said Aref Assaf, President of the New
Jersey
chapter of American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. "(The game)
tells
them to kill Arabs and that it is legal, and you can have fun doing
it," he
told Reuters…
-----
SECRET LEGAL PROCESS MISUSED, AMERICAN-ISLAMIC GROUP SAYS
Brett Zongker, Associated Press, 8/27/04
BALTIMORE - Many Muslims and Arab-Americans have been detained for long
periods since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks through the misuse of a
law
that allows the government to detain witnesses, according to the
Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
The detention of Ismael Selim Elbarasse in Maryland may be another
example
of the Justice Department overstepping its Constitutional bounds with
the
material witness statute, said Arsalan Iftikhar, the national legal
director for the Washington, D.C.-based group.
"If they have someone they believe to be involved with a crime, then
charge
them with the crime," he said. "Don't use this to circumvent the law."
Elbarasse was arrested Friday after three off-duty police officers said
they were suspicious of passengers in a vehicle on the Bay Bridge who
were
filming the bridge and hid the camera when the police officers were
nearby.
Maryland law enforcement agencies were notified that Elbarasse was
wanted
for potential connections to the extremist group Hamas. That's when he
was
taken into custody.
Elbarasse's daughter, Duaa Elbarasse, said her family was treated
unfairly.
"It's a witchhunt and racial profiling," she said. "We were wearing
hijabs
(headscarves)."
But Baltimore County police say they reported the car Elbarasse was
driving
because of suspicious activity, not because the passengers were Muslim.
No charges have been filed against Elbarasse or his family for filming
the
bridge...
ALSO SEE:
MATERIAL WITNESSES IN CUSTODY HAVE FEW RIGHTS
Stephanie Hanes, Baltimore Sun, 8/26/04
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.legal26aug26,1,7934705.s
tory
Ismail Selim Elbarasse is scheduled to go before a federal judge in
Baltimore tomorrow and argue why he should not be imprisoned as a
"material
witness" in a Chicago racketeering case involving members of the
militant
group Hamas.
He has not been charged with a crime, and despite assertions by federal
investigators that he might have been surveying the Bay Bridge for a
possible terrorist attack, his lawyers say they know of no
investigation
into his activities in Maryland.
But federal prosecutors have said that it's necessary to detain
Elbarasse -
he is confined to a prison cell 23 hours a day - and they are expected
to
ask U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul W. Grimm to keep him in custody.
The government has not disclosed why Elbarasse, a U.S. citizen and
Virginia
resident, cannot be trusted to show up in court when subpoenaed to
appear.
Most documents pertaining to his status are sealed. The U.S. attorney's
office in Chicago will not even confirm that he has been arrested.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks, dozens of material witnesses have been held
in
terrorism cases - a trend criticized by many civil rights activists and
defense lawyers.
Material witnesses have fewer rights than criminal defendants - they
don't
have to be given the reasons for their arrest, and typically their
cases
proceed in secrecy.
While the law says witnesses can be detained if they are essential to a
continuing criminal investigation and are likely to flee, critics say
prosecutors have abused the statute by arresting people without
probable
cause, particularly those of Middle Eastern descent...
-----
ABU GHRAIB, THE NEXT STEP
New York Times, 8/27/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/27/opinion/27fri1.html
For months, John Warner, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services
Committee, has been gamely resisting pressure from Republican leaders
to
call off his hearings on the Abu Ghraib prison disaster - the only real
sign of life on Capitol Hill on this important issue. Mr. Warner was
patiently awaiting the outcome of a set of Pentagon investigations,
including one by the Army and one by a civilian panel set up by
Secretary
of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Both issued reports this week, and it's
clear
that Mr. Warner still has work to do.
The Army report did a painfully professional job of criticizing its own
enlisted men and officers, including the three-star general who
commanded
American forces in Iraq at the time of the prison brutality and his
two-star deputy. But it was not up to the Army to review the actions of
the
policy makers in Washington. It was also pretty obvious that Mr.
Rumsfeld's
panel - two former secretaries of defense, a retired general and a
former
Republican congresswoman - was not going to produce a clear-eyed
assessment
of responsibility.
The two new reports do make it starkly evident that President Bush's
political decision to declare the war over far too prematurely and Mr.
Rumsfeld's subsequent bungling of the occupation set the stage for the
prison abuses. But the panel announced that it did not see any need to
hold
the secretary accountable, or even to subject him to any real direct
criticism - even though its members thought the events warranted
criminal
charges against dozens of uniformed men and women.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Mr. Warner was careful to leave open
the
possibility that his committee would disagree with the panel's
conclusions
and that Congress would need to investigate Abu Ghraib on its own. He
even
pointedly reminded Mr. Rumsfeld that the secretary of defense is
"captain
of the ship," and "ultimately has to take responsibility." But Mr.
Warner
has set a schedule for further action that does not promise to lead to
a
real investigation, or to produce any satisfying answers for the public
about Abu Ghraib, before the election.
Mr. Warner scheduled a hearing on the civilian panel's report for Sept.
9,
when the committee's 25 members will get about eight minutes each for
questions and comments. After that hearing, and after the Defense
Department reacts to the report, and after the Pentagon finishes the
investigations still under way, Mr. Warner said it would be time to
decide
what to do next. It's understandable that the courtly and loyal Mr.
Warner
would not want to push his party's leaders too far this close to an
election. But the public has waited for months while Mr. Rumsfeld's
team
withheld documents from Congress and stonewalled senators' questions.
The Senate Armed Services Committee should call upon the Congressional
leadership of both parties to form an investigative committee, with
subpoena powers, to review this disaster, which has damaged the
reputation
of the American military and the United States around the world.
ALSO SEE:
AMERICA WINNING BATTLE, LOSING THE WAR
Haroon Siddiqui, The Star, 8/27/04
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Artic
le_Type1&c=Article&cid=1093471810782&call_pageid=968256290204&col=9683501167
95
Moqtada al-Sadr is a better strategist than George W. Bush. That's one
of
the lessons of the second American siege of Najaf in four months. His
ragtag army has held the world's greatest power at bay for three weeks
by
misusing a sacred site.
This was a confrontation al-Sadr could not have lost and America could
not
possibly have won, and should never have got dragged into.
That it did, shows, yet again, its imperial arrogance as well as
ignorance
of the history and culture of a nation it's trying to subdue mostly
with
brute force.
Would America have dared turn the Vatican or the Wailing Wall into a
war
zone, regardless of circumstance? That is the issue, not who started
the
battle at the Imam Ali Mosque, and who won how many metres when.
It is the holiest shrine to the world's 120 million Shiites, being the
burial place of Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad and the first
Shiite imam.
In treating the siege as another skirmish in an uneasy occupation,
Washington and the media have missed the significance of what has
transpired.
The siege angered even the majority Sunnis among the world's 1.2
billion
Muslims. Many issued anguished pleas for international intervention.
Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis closed ranks. Among the 10,000 people who came
to
Najaf bearing food and medicine or offering to join the battle, were
Sunnis
from Fallujah - themselves survivors of an ill-advised U.S. onslaught
in
spring.
It does not really matter that U.S. Marines avoided directly hitting
the
shrine. Or, that in case of a showdown, it would be Iraqi, not
American,
troops who would storm in. Or that Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi,
not
Bush, has been calling the shots, even if that were believable.
The real news is that America thought nothing of violating the sanctity
of
a sacred Muslim site.
Gunfire punctured holes in the shrine's famous gold dome. Its serene
marble
courtyard, lately littered with shrapnel, has been echoing to the
sounds of
gunfire, not the Qu'ran.
American bombers, helicopter gunships, tanks, armoured vehicles and
heavy
machine guns have been pounding the adjoining historic old city,
damaging
pilgrim hotels and guesthouses.
The neighbourhood, alive for centuries with the visiting faithful, has
been
ordered emptied and turned into a ghost town. No one knows how many
civilians have been killed or injured...
-----
RELEASE OF PRISONER 'IMMINENT,' U.S. SAYS
Jerry Markon, Washington Post, 8/27/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36712-2004Aug26.html
The Justice Department said yesterday that "enemy combatant" Yaser Esam
Hamdi's release is imminent and asked a federal judge for an additional
week to work out final details of a settlement with Hamdi's attorneys.
Hamdi, who has been held incommunicado in Navy brigs for two years
after
being captured with Taliban soldiers in Afghanistan in 2001, probably
will
be sent to Saudi Arabia, prosecutors said in a filing in U.S. District
Court in Norfolk. Hamdi is a U.S. citizen, but he spent most of his
life in
Saudi Arabia, where his family lives.
U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar has yet to rule on the request for
a
seven-day stay of the proceedings against Hamdi, which would put off a
federal court hearing scheduled for Monday. Doumar last week granted a
separate request for a delay but ordered the government to produce
Hamdi at
Monday's hearing.
Neither Hamdi nor a second U.S. citizen held as an enemy combatant --
Jose
Padilla, who is accused of plotting to set off a radiological bomb in
the
United States -- has been seen publicly since being detained. The Hamdi
case has been a major test in the war on terrorism, with the Bush
administration refusing to allow Hamdi to challenge his detention and
holding him for much of the past two years without access to a lawyer.
But
the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that, as a U.S. citizen, Hamdi
must
have access to the U.S. legal system.
Prosecutors and Hamdi's attorneys revealed this month that they were
nearing a deal to release Hamdi. People familiar with the negotiations
have
said that the terms of release are likely to include Hamdi renouncing
his
U.S. citizenship and accepting travel restrictions and some monitoring
by
Saudi officials. In addition, he may have to agree not to sue the U.S.
government over his detention.
In yesterday's filing, the government said those negotiations "have
continued steadily, and considerable progress has been made.'' The
filing
said that a draft agreement is being circulated and that "only the
details"
remain to be negotiated.
"In short, [the government] believes that an agreement in principle
that
will result in Hamdi's release is imminent, and can be reached within
the
seven-day period for which a stay is sought,'' said the document, which
was
signed by Justice Department officials including Paul J. McNulty, the
U.S.
attorney in Alexandria.
The filing cited the "extraordinary nature" of Hamdi's case, which is
"fraught with complex and thorny issues" that would require the court
to
balance national security needs with Hamdi's constitutional rights.
Bringing Hamdi to a court hearing "would serve no useful purpose given
the
likelihood of his imminent release and repatriation to Saudi Arabia,''
the
papers said...
ALSO SEE:
FAMED LAWYER WILL REPRESENT MUSLIM ACCUSED IN BOMBING
Noelle Crombie, Oregon Live, 8/27/04
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/10936077704736
0.xml
Brandon Mayfield, the Portland-area lawyer and Muslim convert wrongly
accused in the deadly Madrid train bombing, has hired celebrity trial
lawyer Gerry Spence in a possible civil suit against the federal
government.
Spence has a high-profile client list that includes former Philippine
first
lady Imelda Marcos, the family of plutonium worker Karen Silkwood and
white
separatist Randy Weaver.
The Wyoming-based Spence will work on the Mayfield case with a Portland
civil rights lawyer, Elden Rosenthal, and a Newport lawyer, Michele
Longo
Eder. The attorneys, none of whom were available for comment Thursday,
notified the federal court in Portland this week that they were
replacing
federal public defenders Steven Wax and Chris Schatz.
Mayfield, 38, has a modest West Slope law practice focusing on
immigration
and family law. He has not filed anything against the government but
has
spoken about the possibility. He did not return a call for comment
Thursday.
Mayfield was arrested in May as a material witness in the Madrid
bombing
case after the FBI linked a fingerprint found near the scene to him. He
spent two weeks in jail before the FBI acknowledged it had made a
mistake
and apologized to Mayfield after his release.
Legal experts said the likely basis for a lawsuit would be a civil
rights
claim. Mayfield also could sue individuals responsible for his
detention or
the government for invasion of privacy or for false imprisonment.
Mayfield, a father of three from Aloha, has said his detention damaged
his
reputation, his law practice and his family. He has said he was
targeted
because of his religious beliefs by a government overzealous in its
fight
against terrorism.
Spencer Neal, a Portland lawyer who spent two decades representing
plaintiffs in police cases, said it's especially difficult to sue the
federal government. He said suits against the government are
particularly
labor-intensive, and the government controls all of the evidence and
witnesses...
---
PROTEST AT STATE FAIR SUPPORTS DR. RAFIL DHAFIR
News 10 Now, 8/26/04
http://news10now.com/content/all_news/?ArID=26806&SecID=83
There's a protest at the State Fairgrounds - a group is appealing for
the
release of a Manlius doctor who was jailed after a federal probe of his
charity.
Supporters of Dr. Rafil Dhafir are upset with Governor Pataki, who made
recent comments that Dhafir's charity, "Help the Needy" was tied to
terrorism.
"Some people are coming…and asking, 'Who is Dr. Dhafir and what is
going
on?'… when we let them know what is going on and we give them some of
the
leaflet we have, they feel, really, compassion about the issue."
The group's protests will not end at the Fair.
The group plans to travel to New York City next week to protest during
the
GOP National Convention.
---
FREEDOM LIFTS HOPES OF SUSPECTS IN STING
Brendan Lyons, Times Union, 8/26/04
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=279797
Two Muslim men ensnared in an FBI counterterrorism sting professed
their
innocence and love for America on Wednesday as they emerged from
Rensselaer
County Jail after spending 20 days in custody.
Yassin M. Aref, 34, an Iraqi native, and Mohammed M. Hossain, 49, who
is
from Bangladesh, smiled and appeared overcome with relief.
The immigrants said they missed their families and believe they will be
cleared of federal charges alleging they helped launder money from the
sale
of a shoulder-fired missile that was to be used in a fictitious terror
plot.
They said language barriers with a Pakistani immigrant who worked as an
FBI
informant, misleading or incomplete accounts of their secretly taped
conversations and overzealous counterterrorism agents had pulled them
into
an FBI vortex that leaves their futures in doubt. Both men are charged
in a
19-count indictment with money laundering, providing material support
to a
foreign terrorist organization, importing firearms without a license
and
conspiracy charges related to the yearlong sting.
"Now I have even more respect for the United States of America,"
Hossain
said, appearing to hold back tears. "I am a true American. I love this
country."
The pair had spent 20 days in jail but were released on $250,000 bond
each
and with electronic monitoring bracelets strapped to their ankles as
they
left the brick jailhouse near the Hudson River just before sunset.
They were greeted by more than two dozen supporters from their Central
Avenue mosque. A limousine carrying their wives and children arrived
minutes later and the two men hugged their friends, including several
members of their Albany mosque who had put up their homes as collateral
for
their release.
As a condition of their release, U.S. Magistrate Judge David R. Homer
also
required that each man have four people co-sign their bonds as
security.
During a short hearing Wednesday afternoon, eight men -- seven of them
immigrants -- lined up in Homer's courtroom at the federal courthouse
in
Albany and pledged their earnings and assets should either defendant
try to
flee. They included a pizza shop owner, a therapist, a salesman, two
engineers, a furniture store worker and a real estate agent.
"I came to this country for my freedom," said Aref, who is the imam, or
spiritual leader, of the Central Avenue mosque. "In the jail, the first
time they arrest me, I thought I chose the wrong place for my country
and
my children. ... I don't have anybody in my family (who) is working for
any
terrorist group..."
-----
NEW POLL--BUSH SUPPORT AMONG ARAB AMERICANS TUMBLES
Marcelo Ballve, Pacific News Service, 8/26/04
http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=ba0d8edbc77c45
0db7e3c8b88e203125
EDITOR'S NOTE: A poll commissioned by Amnesty International and New
California Media shows Pres. George Bush is in trouble with Arab
Americans,
who are key voters in some swing states. Marcelo Ballve is a PNS
editor.
Arab Americans, who represent key votes in Midwestern swing states like
Michigan and Ohio, have starkly negative views of President Bush's
handling
of Iraq, prefer his Democratic opponent, John Kerry, and report
experiencing high levels of persecution since the Sept. 11, 2001
attacks, a
new poll shows.
A multilingual poll by Miami-based Bendixen & Associates show that 73
percent of Arab Americans do not support President Bush's handling of
Iraq.
The opinion poll of Arabs, Pakistanis and Iranians in the United States
was
commissioned by Amnesty International USA and New California Media
(NCM), a
nationwide association of ethnic media.
"I haven't seen [support] this low from any one group in the United
States," says pollster Sergio Bendixen.
When asked how long the U.S. should keep troops in Iraq, 45 percent of
Arab
Americans believe troops should be removed from Iraq immediately, and
40
percent say the United States should stay out of the Middle East
altogether.
The Amnesty/NCM poll was done in Persian, Urdu, Arabic and English
between
Aug. 2 and Aug. 18, as violence continued in Iraq and President Bush
and
Democratic candidate John F. Kerry debated Iraq policy and anti-terror
strategy. For the 400 Arab Americans surveyed, the margin of error is
plus
or minus 5 percent. For the samples of 100 Pakistani and 100 Iranian
Americans, the margin is plus or minus 9 percent.
The poll shows Arab Americans now support Kerry by a three- to-one
margin.
Almost half (49 percent) of the 273 Arab American registered voters say
they will vote for Kerry, 16 percent support Bush and 14 percent prefer
Nader, who is Arab American. By contrast, in 2000 Arab American voters
chose Bush over Democrat Al Gore by a margin of 46 percent to 38
percent,
according to pollster James Zogby...
ALSO SEE:
ARAB AMERICANS FAVOR KERRY OVER BUSH, POLL INDICATES
Jason B. Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/27/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/08/27
/MNG878F62F1.DTL
A majority of Arab Americans strongly opposes President Bush's handling
of
the Iraq war and many favor Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry in
this
year's presidential election, according to a new nationwide poll of
Americans of Middle Eastern descent.
In the 2000 election, Bush won a majority of the Arab American vote.
Experts say this shift could have a major impact in swing states with
large
Arab American populations such as Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
"There's a significant concentration of Arab American voters (where
states)
are up for grabs," said Ben Jealous, director of Amnesty
International's
domestic human rights program. "This seems to be a swing constituency
that
seems to have been very supportive of the Republican Party in 2000. Now
it
seems this constituency might be swinging toward Kerry."
The study of 600 Arab, Iranian and Pakistani Americans was conducted
for
the human rights group Amnesty International and New California Media,
a
San Francisco-based nonprofit group.
"We have a poll that shows a strong rejection of President Bush's
policies
in Iraq, and a suggestion that we withdraw our troops as soon as
possible,"
said Sergio Bendixen, president of the Miami-based firm that conducted
the
poll.
Respondents from all but six states were questioned in languages such
as
Arabic, Farsi and Urdu between July 31 and Aug. 18, as fighting
continued
in Iraq and new terror warnings were issued at home.
The report says Arab Americans have "starkly negative" views of the
Bush
administration's actions in Iraq. Forty-nine percent of Arab American
registered voters questioned said they would vote for Kerry. Sixteen
percent said they would vote for Bush, while 14 percent support
third-party
presidential candidate Ralph Nader, who is of Arab descent.
An estimated 3 million Arab Americans live in the United States.
-----
FAST FOR FREEDOM: STANDING IN SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINIAN
(WASHINGTON, DC 8/26/04) On August 15, 2004, hundreds of Palestinians
held
in Israeli prisons went on an open-ended hunger strike in protest of
the
inhumane conditions they must endure. This act has gained momentum
outside
prison walls with family members of those incarcerated and with
Palestinian
and international human right organizations. The hunger strike has
become a
rallying point throughout Palestinian society with widespread sit-down
non-violent protest throughout the West Bank and Gaza. Fasting and
other
actions in solidarity with the prisoners have begun to be organized in
other Arab countries, Europe and the U.S.
We are joining in solidarity with the imprisoned Palestinians and their
families. AMJ is issuing a national call for MOSQUES AND ALL FAITH
COMMUNITIES to devote their weekly sermons to raising awareness of the
dire
humanitarian plight of Palestinian men and women in Israeli prisons.
We
are also declaring Monday, August 30th a "Fast for Freedom" Day. All
food
cost for that day should go to charities that support the Palestinians
in
their struggle in the face of the Israeli military occupation.
We condemn the callous response of Israeli officials to the prisoners'
appeal. We demand that Israeli prison policies be in accord with the
requirements of international law and the Geneva Conventions.
"Israel policies of closures, home demolition, destruction of lives and
property, and now the grave situation in the prisons puts Israel in a
class
by itself that is far worse than that of Apartheid South Africa" Said
Khalid Turaani, AMJ's executive Director.
We call on the U.S. to insist that the Israeli heed the just demands of
the
strikers, comply with international law, and end the inhumane treatment
of
Palestinian prisoners.
The strike is intended to draw attention to a wide range of harsh
policies,
deplorable conditions in the prisons, and mistreatment of prisoners by
guards. Strikers are calling a series of changes that would humanize
the
prison environment in accordance with international laws and the Forth
Geneva Convention.
Israeli officials have responded by declaring psychological war and
imposing even further restrictions in order to break the strike and
break
the will of the prisoners. They have temporarily terminated all visits
and
deprived striking prisoners of all fluids, even water. In some cases
they
removed salt which is necessary for the body to remain stable when on
hunger strike. Security Minister Tzahi Hanegbi commented, "As far as
I'm
concerned they can strike for a day, a month, until death. We will
ward
off this strike and it will be as if it never happened.
For more information, contact: American Muslims for Jerusalem at (202)
548-4200.
SEE ALSO:
U.N. ALARMED BY PALESTINIAN HUNGER STRIKE
RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI, Associated Press, 8/27/04
JERUSALEM (AP) - The United Nations urged Israel on Friday to find a
solution to a 13-day-old hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners,
reminding
Israel of its obligations under international law and human rights
conventions.
The death of a striking prisoner could lead to unrest in prisons
nationwide.
The 2,600 striking inmates are demanding, among other things, to be
transferred to facilities in or along frontiers with the West Bank and
Gaza
Strip to enable visits from family members who are currently barred
from
entering Israel.
U.N. Mideast envoy Terje Roed-Larsen issued a statement Friday calling
on
Israel to ``comply with its international obligations and to make every
effort to find, with the prisoners, an appropriate resolution to the
hunger
strike…''
The Red Cross said Friday it had visited prisoners during the hunger
strike
and was planning to ``strengthen its team of medical doctors'' to
better
monitor the strikers' health…
Larsen reminded Israel of its obligations under a U.N. convention and
``relevant international human rights instruments which provide for the
protection of detainees and prisoners.''
Speaking at U.N. headquarters in New York, associate spokesman Stephane
Dujarric quoted Secretary-General Kofi Annan as saying he ``hopes that
the
matter will be resolved soon in a manner consistent with international
humanitarian law.''
Human rights organizations say only about half of the 4,000 Palestinian
``security prisoners'' in Israeli jails have been convicted. The rest
are
either awaiting trial on charges of hostility toward Israel or are held
under special regulations allowing detainment without trial.
Rights workers say prison staff are withholding necessary medical care
from
the striking prisoners and using improper psychological pressure to try
and
break the protest…
-----
ARUN GHANDI: ISRAEL'S WEST BANK BARRIER LIKE APARTHEID
Goran Tomasevic, Reuters, 8/28/04
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow/830136.cm
s
ABU DIS, West Bank - The grandson of Mahatma Gandhi told Palestinians
Friday that Israel's West Bank barrier recalled the way South Africa's
former white-minority government treated blacks.
Arun Gandhi, whose grandfather's pacifist campaign helped end British
rule
in the Indian subcontinent, is on a weeklong Middle East visit to
spread
the message of nonviolence to Palestinians and Israel locked in bloody
conflict.
He said the barrier, which Israel calls its bulwark against suicide
bombers
but Palestinians see as a bid to annex occupied land, might isolate
Palestinians but not silence them just as apartheid rule failed to
suppress
blacks in South Africa.
"I spent my childhood in South Africa. What I've seen today reminds me
of
bantustans. This wall will not bring security to Israel," he told 2,000
Palestinians at the foot of the huge cement barrier slicing by the West
Bank town of Abu Dis.
Bantustans were scattered "homelands" designated for blacks under
white-ruled South Africa's policy of racial separation. They were
abolished
when democratic black-majority government came into being a decade ago.
Palestinians in revolt since 2000 contend the barrier, and Israeli
settlement expansion in occupied West Bank areas, could relegate them
to
enclaves akin to "bantustans" and leave no room for the viable state
they
seek.
Israel denies any such intention and rejects comparisons with apartheid
South Africa. It says the barrier could be torn down and negotiations
on
Palestinian statehood could proceed if Palestinians ended attacks on
Israelis.
-----
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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
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-----
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/29/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: QUALITIES OF A BELIEVER
* AIPAC Spy Scandal (NYT)
- AIPAC, Washington's Jewish Juggernaut (AP)
- Not AIPAC's First Controversy (Jerusalem Post)
- Analyst Who Is Target of Probe Went to Israel (WP)
- Defense Aide Suspected of Being Spy for Israel (AP)
- FBI Probe Targets Pentagon Official (Wash. Post)
* PRESIDENT TO WOO ALIENATED MUSLIMS (Wash. Times)
- Poll: Muslim Voters Rethinking GOP Ties (CC Times)
- Bush Faces Tough Sell With Muslims (Daily Star)
* CAIR-FL SEPARATES ISLAM FACTS, FICTION (St. Pete Times)
- PA: Summer fun, Islamic lessons (Philadelphia Inquirer)
* TARIQ RAMADAN: BAN ON A MUSLIM SCHOLAR (Wash Post)
- Jewish Students Support Tariq Ramadan (South Bend Trib)
* NJ MUSLIM SAYS COP TRIED TO BLOCK COMPLAINT (Star-Ledger)
- U.S. tries to Secretly Ship Out Detainee (Star-Ledger)
- Halabi's Colleagues Not Told of Classified Material
* DANGER OF MAKING U.N. SUBSERVIENT TO U.S. (WP)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: QUALITIES OF A BELIEVER
"[Remember that] whatever you are given [now] is nothing but a
provision
for the transitory life of this world. Better and more enduring is the
reward that God has for those who believe, put their trust in their
Lord,
avoid major sins and shameful deeds, forgive even when they are
angry…are
constant in prayer, conduct their affairs with mutual consultation,
spend
out of the sustenance that We have given them, and when they are
oppressed,
help and defend themselves."
The Holy Quran, 42:26-39
-----
PENTAGON OFFICIAL SUSPECTED OF GIVING U.S. SECRETS TO ISRAEL
JAMES RISEN, New York Times, 8/28/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/28/politics/28spy.html
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 - The F.B.I. is investigating a Pentagon official
on
suspicion of passing secrets to Israel, government officials said
Friday.
The espionage investigation has focused on an official who works in the
office of Douglas Feith, the under secretary of defense for policy,
officials who have been briefed about the investigation said. The
F.B.I.
has gathered evidence that the official passed classified policy
documents
to officials at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a major
pro-Israeli lobbying group, which in turn provided the information to
Israeli intelligence, the officials said…
SEE ALSO:
CONTROVERSY'S NO STRANGER TO AIPAC, WASHINGTON'S JEWISH JUGGERNAUT
WILLIAM C. MANN, Associated Press, 8/28/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/08/28/national1654EDT0609.DTL
AIPAC, the Jewish lobbying juggernaut, operates in such high-stakes
politics that it inevitably has been unable to avoid occasional
unpleasantness. But almost universally, the largest pro-Israel lobby
has
found all the friends its has needed in Congress.
More often than not, the politician who tried to face down the American
Israel Public Action Committee came out the worse for it.
In 1975, for example, President Ford was angered because Israel refused
to
end its eight-year occupation of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and ordered a
reassessment of the United States' relationship with the Jewish state.
Largely because of AIPAC, the move ended with 76 Senators reaffirming
the
special U.S.-Israeli bond.
Even friends in high places, however, have not made a perpetually
smooth
ride for AIPAC over the years.
The latest scrape came with word Friday that FBI investigators suspect
AIPAC has acted as middleman to funnel to Israel details of secret Bush
administration deliberations about Iran, a murky assertion adamantly
denied
by the group.
Founded half a century ago, AIPAC claims 65,000 members -- in all 50
states
-- and says its central mission is to support U.S. interests in the
Middle
East and to advocate for a strong relationship with Israel…
The organization's affinity with Congress has paid off handsomely over
the
decades, but during the 1980s new leaders turned away from relying
almost
totally on lobbying Congress to working with administrations as well.
Conflict over which side would prevail was given then as a reason for
Bloomfield's 1988 resignation as the Reagan administration was ending
and
the first President Bush was about to take office.
AIPAC was reeling from allegations that it had violated its nonpartisan
mandate in that November's congressional elections and had mapped out a
campaign smear the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a candidate for the Democratic
presidential nomination.
Also, signs of discord were emerging in Israel's all-important
relationship
with the United States. The Reagan administration had decided to deal
for
the first time with Yasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation
Organization, after Arafat declared his recognition that Israel had a
right
to exist.
"The partisanship that is perceived as creeping into AIPAC's
decision-making will hurt them in the long run," then-Rep. Lawrence
Smith,
a Florida Democrat, said. "They have to understand that the real
bedrock of
support for Israel is the Congress. Administrations come and go. We're
pretty constant and reliable."
AIPAC was at the time in a bitter campaign against a proposed Reagan
administration arms sale to Saudi Arabia. That was one of the few such
battles AIPAC lost, on a 52-48 Senate vote.
---
BACKGROUND: NOT AIPAC'S FIRST CONTROVERSY
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1093750152956
---
ANALYST WHO IS TARGET OF PROBE WENT TO ISRAEL
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42625-2004Aug28.html
---
DEFENSE AIDE SUSPECTED OF BEING SPY FOR ISRAEL
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/2764391
---
FBI PROBE TARGETS PENTAGON OFFICIAL
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40004-2004Aug27.html
-----
PRESIDENT TO WOO ALIENATED MUSLIMS
Ralph Z. Hallow, WASHINGTON TIMES, 8/29/04
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040829-121842-2852r.htm
NEW YORK - President Bush will try to win back the vote of Muslim
citizens
in America this fall, despite the apparently severe erosion of that
voting
bloc after taking the United States into war against Iraq, Bush
campaign
Chairman Marc Racicot said yesterday.
"I do think that we are just coming as a country to know and understand
Islam," said Mr. Racicot, a former Montana governor and close friend to
Mr.
Bush. "And I think once we understand, we're fine with respecting and
engaging with virtually all of our fellow citizens.
"But I'm not sure we're as far along in that process of maturation, in
becoming as familiar with and knowledgeable about them as we need to
be,"
he said during a luncheon with reporters at a Times Square hotel.
Mr. Racicot acknowledged that Mr. Bush and the Republican Party have
lost
ground with Muslim voters and Arab Americans, both of Christian and
Muslim
faiths, due to the war and since his backing of Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon's policies toward Palestinians in the West Bank.
"We got close to 75 percent of the [Muslim] vote in 2000, at least in
certain parts of the country like Dearborn, Michigan. And I know the
numbers are much, much closer than they were then," he said. "There is
some
polling that reveals that the numbers aren't quite the same as they
were in
2000."
A Zogby poll taken earlier this month found that Democratic
presidential
nominee Sen. John Kerry would reverse the poor performance of Al Gore
in
2000 and collect more than two-thirds of the Arab-American vote if the
election were held tomorrow.
Battleground states like Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania have heavy
concentrations of Muslim and Arab-American voters who could tip the
November election one way or the other…
SEE ALSO:
POLL SUGGESTS MUSLIM, ARAB VOTERS RETHINKING GOP TIES
Jack Chang, CONTRA COSTA TIMES, 8/28/04
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/9522129.htm
After almost three years of investigation and perceived harassment by
federal authorities, Arab- and Muslim-Americans are coalescing into a
voting bloc that could play a new and significant role in the coming
presidential election, particularly in swing states.
Several polls conducted this summer show the population is lining up
behind
Democratic candidate John Kerry and abandoning George W. Bush. In
contrast,
Arab-Americans gave Bush a plurality of their vote in 2000, according
to
polls conducted then.
Almost half of Arab-Americans who are registered U.S. voters back
Kerry,
while 16 percent support Bush and 14 percent back independent candidate
Ralph Nader, who is of Lebanese descent, according to a new poll. It
was
released last week by the ethnic media coalition New California Media
and
the human rights group Amnesty International.
Although California claims more Arabs than any other state, many live
in
states where Bush and Kerry are fighting close races.
More Arab-Americans in the swing states of Michigan, Florida, Ohio and
Pennsylvania plan to vote for Kerry than Bush by a 19-point margin,
according to a July study conducted by the polling firm Zogby
International
for The Arab American Institute...
Several East Bay Muslims said dropping Bush didn't necessarily mean
championing Kerry. Nine Muslim-American groups organized under the
umbrella
American Muslim Taskforce for Civil Rights and Elections are still
evaluating the candidates' positions on the USA Patriot Act passed in
2001,
among other issues, before considering any endorsements…
If Arabs and Muslims embrace Kerry on Election Day, it will be an
expression of the betrayal they feel after having largely endorsed Bush
in
2000, said Khalid Saeed, director of the Northern California chapter of
the
advocate group American Muslim Voice.
About 46 percent of Arab-American voters backed Bush in 2000, with 38
percent supporting Democratic candidate Al Gore and about 14 percent
casting ballots for Nader, according to a Zogby study conducted in late
November that year.
Those groups were particularly won over when Bush said in a debate with
Gore, "Arab-Americans are racially profiled in what's called secret
evidence. People are stopped, and we've got to do something about
that…"
---
BUSH SUPPORTERS FACE TOUGH SELL WITH ARAB, MUSLIM AMERICANS
Hussein Ibish, Daily Star, 8/28/04
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_ID=10&article_ID=7840&categ_id=2
WASHINGTON: With the Republican National Convention set to kick-off
Sunday,
and with US President George W. Bush running in a statistical dead-heat
against the Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry, a small but
influential group is set to press the president's case to a deeply
skeptical Arab-American community in coming weeks.
Polls suggest that less than a quarter of Arab-Americans are
considering
voting for the Bush in the November election.
Bush's Arab-American supporters, including veteran Republican activists
like Washington attorney and former Reagan administration official
George
Salem, admit that they are facing a difficult task in asking the
community
to support a record defined by the war in Iraq, unflinching support for
Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon and the controversial law enforcement
policies
of Attorney-General John Ashcroft. Yet they insist that a deeper look
at
the president's record could change minds.
In particular, they say that Bush has appointed more Arab-Americans and
Muslims to senior positions than any other president. These include
Energy
Secretary Spencer Abraham, presidential personnel aide Dina Powell,
former
head of the Office of Management and Budget Mitch Daniels, General
Counsel
of the Department of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, Ambassador to
Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and the head of the National Institutes of
Health Elias Zerhouni.
In addition to this list of appointees, Bush's supporters essentially
make
the case that Arab-Americans have the same concerns as most other
American
constituencies. Since they believe that Bush has performed well
over-all,
they feel Arab-Americans can be convinced to either overlook specific
concerns or rethink their generally critical assessments of his
policies.
Randa Fahmy Hudome, a Washington consultant involved in forming a
committee
in support of the president, told The Daily Star: "I think there is a
perception of negativity out there in our community and that when
presented
with the facts they will see this is just not the case…"
Salam al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs
Council,
one of the groups endorsing Bush in 2000, told The Daily Star: "There
are a
lot of people who feel we made a mistake back then, but we were looking
for
specific things from the Bush campaign, which we got."
"This year the Bush camp is still trying to reach out," he said. "But
my
instinct is that they won't have a lot of success. They're going to
keep
trying to say they have a good record, but I don't think that's ever
going
to match with our perceptions."
-----
MUSLIM GROUP SEPARATES ISLAM FACTS, FICTION
JEAN JOHNSON, St. Petersburg Times, 8/28/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/28/Hernando/Muslim_group_separate.shtml
In a forum, Muslim speakers explain to audience members that they are
as
American as anyone else.
SPRING HILL - Myths abound about Islam. Just ask Council on
American-Islamic Relations facilitator Ahmed Bedier.
"Muslims are terrorists; Islam is a religion that promotes violence;
women
are oppressed or submissive to men; Islam is un-American and it's
foreign
and almost all of us are Arabs. It is the opposite. Arabs are in the
minority of Muslims," said Bedier, listing the top five myths.
Bedier said that although these false beliefs are becoming more
widespread,
there is reason for optimism.
"We're making some headway but still have a lot of work to do," said
the
30-year-old father of two. "It's more tolerated nowadays to target
Muslims,
and we want to send out the message that Muslims are just as American
as
everyone else."
The Tampa resident spoke Wednesday at a forum titled "Myths of Islam,"
sponsored by the Islamic community of Hernando County at the Palace
Grand
Ballroom.
Dubbed "an evening of friendship," the event began with a recitation
from
the Koran by Sheikh Mohamed Jebril of Egypt, the presentation of the
colors
by Springstead High School JROTC members, the Pledge of Allegiance and
a
solo performance of God Bless America by Glenda Dry.
Bedier, an Egyptian immigrant who has lived in Florida for 10 years,
presented awards of appreciation to Sheriff Richard Nugent; state Rep.
David Russell, R-Brooksville; County Commissioners Nancy Robinson and
Diane
Rowden; and U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Crystal River The honored
their
leadership and efforts in assisting the Christian and Muslim
populations to
live together in harmony…
SEE ALSO:
SUMMER FUN, ISLAMIC LESSONS
Gaiutra Bahadur, Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/29/04
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/9523554.htm
Throwing all his weight into the yank of the rope, Subhan Tariq cried
out
in Arabic: "In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most kind."
The invocation didn't help.
The team of boys from New York, anchored by the hefty 16-year-old, lost
for
the second time to the crew from New Jersey in tug-of-war.
Someone shouted, "New Jersey still sucks."
It was a scene from a summer camp much like any other, save for the
classes
in seventh-century Islamic history, the lessons in Arabic phonology,
and
the muezzin's calls to prayer that echoed five times daily over a
former
Main Line estate this week.
The five-day camp for boys was sponsored by Young Muslims, an arm of a
national nonprofit called the Islamic Circle of North America, which
monitors the media, spreads the faith, and does charity work.
Such camps are cropping up across the country, with the dual aim of
giving
young Muslims a quintessentially American rite of passage and a deeper
connection to Islam…
-----
THE BAN ON A MUSLIM SCHOLAR
Paul Donnelly, Washington Post, 8/28/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40222-2004Aug27.html
Tariq Ramadan, a professor at the College of Geneva and the University
of
Fribourg in Switzerland, is the author of a book that is perhaps the
most
hopeful work of Muslim theology in the past thousand years. This month
he
was to come to America to take the position of Luce professor of
religion,
conflict and peacebuilding at Notre Dame's Joan B. Kroc Institute for
International Peace Studies, when suddenly his visa was revoked.
Apparently
Notre Dame didn't realize what a dangerous man it was getting.
Ramadan's grandfather was Hasan Banna, who founded the Muslim
Brotherhood.
But Ramadan's own views on the role of his faith, published in his
book,
"To Be a European Muslim," directly confront the alienation of Islam
from
modernity. Ramadan argues that the "us vs. them" vision of Islam,
exponentially exaggerated by Osama bin Laden's demented Wahhabism,
derives
not from the Koran but from a worldview that is 10 centuries out of
date.
When I interviewed Ramadan not long after Sept. 11, 2001, I asked what
alternative he could offer Muslims. The true vision of Islam, he said,
is
not a snapshot of the world three centuries after the death of the
prophet,
but rather the unchanging Koran itself: "dar ash-Shahada," the "House
of
Witness," in which believers and unbelievers alike compete in doing
good
deeds to prove the truth.
Notre Dame officials insist that they have reviewed every charge
against
the Swiss scholar and agree with the likes of Scotland Yard and Swiss
intelligence, which have found them to be groundless.
Ramadan has been attacked for "anti-Semitism." Why? Because of an
article
on French communalism that included this sentence: "French Jewish
intellectuals whom we had thought of until then as universalist
thinkers
[have started] to develop analyses increasingly oriented toward a
communitarian concern."
Set this statement beside an essay on anti-Semitism by Ramadan, in
which he
writes the following: "Nothing in Islam can legitimize xenophobia or
the
rejection of a human being due to his/her religious creed or ethnicity.
One
must say unequivocally, with force, that anti-Semitism is unacceptable
and
indefensible."
The official reason for revoking Ramadan's visa is the USA Patriot
Act's
provisions for those who have prominently espoused or endorsed
terrorist
activity. Ramadan has been dogged by rumors for years -- that he knew
bin
Laden as a boy ("no"), that terrorists attend his classes ("I don't
know
who is listening to me when I give a lecture in front of thousands of
people"), that he arranged a meeting with al Qaeda deputy Ayman
Zawahiri
and convicted terrorist Omar Abdel Rahman in Geneva in 1991 (when,
Ramadan
notes, he was not even in Switzerland).
And this: that he denies al Qaeda was behind the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Never, never, never," Ramadan says in a determined voice over the
phone.
"I said to the Muslims after it happened, don't try to say 'we don't
know
who did this.' I said this from the very beginning, from Sept. 13, just
two
days later, even though we didn't know then exactly who did it -- but
we
know. They were some Muslims."
SEE ALSO:
JEWISH ND STUDENTS SPEAK OUT
MARGARET FOSMOE, South Bend Tribune, 8/28/04
http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2004/08/28/local.20040828-sbt-MICH-A1-Jewish_ND_students.sto
SOUTH BEND -- Members of a Jewish student group at the University of
Notre
Dame Law School have written an open letter disagreeing with the U.S.
government decision to revoke the visa of a prominent Muslim scholar
who
had been scheduled to teach at the university.
The letter states members of Notre Dame's Jewish Law Students Society
were
surprised and saddened to hear that the work visa of Tariq Ramadan, a
Swiss
Muslim scholar, was revoked by the U.S. State Department. The
revocation
was recommended by the Department of Homeland Security, apparently
under
terms of the Patriot Act.
Government officials have refused to reveal why. The law allows visa
revocations of individuals who endorse or espouse terrorist activity or
are
deemed a national security threat.
Ramadan is considered a moderate Islamic voice by some and an Islamic
extremist by his critics. He was hired as a tenured professor of
religion,
conflict and peace-building at Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for
International Peace Studies. He had been scheduled to teach a course
this
semester on Islamic ethics.
"As members of the small Jewish community at Notre Dame, we support the
Kroc Institute's hiring of Professor Ramadan and condemn the Department
of
Homeland Security's action," the letter by the Jewish student group
reads.
"Diversity in opinion, particularly in religious and political
viewpoints,
is essential to the well being of any academic community; Notre Dame is
no
exception. Although we understand that national security interests may
have
motivated the revocation of Professor Ramadan's visa, we know of
nothing in
Professor Ramadan's history indicating that he presents a threat to our
country or our university. On the contrary, it is the repression of
dissenting opinions and critical thought that, throughout history, has
been
the greatest danger to a free society…"
-----
MAN: COP TRIED TO STOP FILING OF COMPLAINT
Muslim who says driver struck, insulted him to meet with officials
TOM HAYDON, NJ Star-Ledger, 8/28/04
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/middlesex/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1093668667142421.xml
A Muslim man will meet Tuesday with officials from Middlesex County and
Edison Township to discuss his allegation that an Edison police officer
tried to talk him out of filing a complaint against a motorist who
attacked
him and shouted racial slurs Wednesday night in Edison.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations announced yesterday that a
meeting had been set up between the officials and Mohammed Farooq, 33,
of
Locust Valley, N.Y., who charged he was punched and slapped by a man
who
shouted racial slurs at him.
Farooq called CAIR for help in filing charges in connection with the
incident and the Islamic civil rights group came to his aid, calling
for a
state investigation into the Edison police officer's action and
publicizing
the incident.
"The officer tried very hard to convince me not to file a complaint,"
Farooq, 33, said Thursday of the incident that occurred at shortly
after 8
p.m. Wednesday on Amboy Avenue near the Tano Mall.
The Washington-based CAIR contacted the New Jersey Department of Law
and
Public Safety Thursday, requesting an investigation of Farooq's claim.
"We need to see if this is a problem with an individual officer or with
the
department," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the council.
Edison Police Chief Edward Costello said the complaint would be
investigated.
Farooq said he was driving his mother to his aunt's house in Freehold
and
decided to stop in Edison for dinner. While on Route 1, Farooq said,
another motorist pulled alongside him and motioned for him to pull
over. As
they stopped on the highway, the man, identified as Jeffrey Shourt,
yelled
at Farooq for cutting him off, Farooq said.
Farooq said he repeatedly apologized, then drove on, turning onto Amboy
Avenue. When he stopped at a traffic light, Shourt stopped behind him,
got
out of his truck, walked up to Farooq's car and continued yelling,
shouting
racial slurs, Farooq said.
When the man reached into the car and slapped and punched Farooq,
calling
him a terrorist, among other names, the New York resident said he
pulled
out his cell phone to call police, but the other man grabbed the phone
and
smashed it on the ground. Farooq then used his mother's cell phone to
call
for help…
SEE ALSO:
U.S. TRIES TO SECRETLY SHIP OUT LONG-HELD PALESTINIAN DETAINEE
BRIAN DONOHUE, Star-Ledger, 8/28/04
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-17/1093668707142420.xml
A Palestinian man held for four years at an Elizabeth detention center
won
a key court victory in his bid for release earlier this month, only to
have
immigration agents unsuccessfully attempt to put him on a departing
cargo
ship without a passport yesterday.
The government's unusual, unannounced plan to deport Salim Yassir, 27,
on a
ship docked at the Port of Baltimore was scuttled Thursday evening when
attorneys representing ship owner Wallenius Lines objected, according
to
lawyers representing Yassir and the shipping company.
The ship was headed to England, and without a passport or travel
documents,
Wallenius Lines officials feared Yassir would be stuck living on the
ship
if British officials denied him entry.
"It would have been a difficult situation, to put it mildly," said
Frank
Turner, a Manhattan attorney representing Wallenius Lines.
The move comes three weeks before a crucial court deadline in the
government's effort to keep Yassir behind bars.
A federal appeals court ruled Aug. 9 that the government's earlier
arguments for Yassir's detention were no longer valid. The two sides
are
due back in court by Sept. 13.
"The government was out of options," said Yassir's attorney, Joshua
Bardavid. "They had to go to a judge and get a final ruling in the
case. So
instead of releasing him, they try to take him in the middle of the
night
and put him on a ship..."
---
ACCUSED AIRMAN'S FELLOW TRANSLATORS NOT TOLD ABOUT CLASSIFIED MATERIAL
Halabi's lawyer hopes testimony will debunk Air Force's case
Nicole Gaudiano, Air Force Times, 8/27/04
http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-324970.php
Colleagues of an Air Force linguist accused of attempted espionage at
Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, Cuba, will testify that they were never
told
that the letters they were translating to and from detainees were
classified.
The defense attorney for Senior Airman Ahmad Al Halabi hopes testimony
from
the linguists, who are among more than 40 witnesses on a list obtained
by
Air Force Times, will refute the government's argument that Al Halabi
improperly mishandled classified material.
"Nobody knew what was going on, and what was policy today may or may
not be
policy tomorrow….," said Donald G. Rehkopf Jr., Al Halabi's attorney.
"Juxtapose that with the fact that all we are dealing with is letters
to
and from detainees. If Mommy from Saudi Arabia is writing to her son,
how
can that be a threat to national security?
-----
DANGERS OF MAKING THE U.N. SUBSERVIENT TO U.S. GOALS
Salim Lone, Washington Post, 8/29/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40257-2004Aug27.html
Millions of Americans watching the buildup to war in Iraq and the
debates
in the United Nations concluded that the U.N. was impossibly
wrongheaded,
determined to thwart the United States in its effort to make the world
safe
from Saddam Hussein. After all, President Bush, and the globally
respected
secretary of state, Colin Powell, argued strenuously that the U.S. way
was
the right way, if only an obstinate U.N. would listen.
Looking back now, long after the easy march to Baghdad unraveled into
looting, murder, kidnapping and general destruction with no clear
resolution, perhaps some Americans are wondering what would have
happened
if their leaders had listened instead of argued. No doubt, they now
have a
very different image of the United Nations. Unfortunately, so does much
of
the rest of the world…
-----
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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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/30/04
* HADITH/VERSE OF THE DAY: A TRANQUIL HEART
* REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR BANQUET & CONVENTION
* CAIR-NY SPONSORS VOTER REGISTRATION EVENT
- CAIR-NY Hosts TV Show on Politics
- CAIR-CA Meets with FBI Officials (Pakistan Link)
* NY IMAM TO GIVE INVOCATION AT GOP CONVENTION
* PUBLICITY DERAILED PENTAGON SECRETS INQUIRY (NY Times)
- Israeli Held Meetings with U.S. Analyst (AP)
- And Now a Mole? (MSNBC)
- AIPAC'S Overt and Covert Ops (Antiwar.com)
* BOYKIN: WHEN A GENERAL PARADED HIS RELIGION (NY Times)
* TARIQ RAMADAN: WHAT YOU FEAR IS NOT WHO I AM (Globe&Mail)
* CENSUS NOW LIMITING ARAB DATA-SHARING (AP)
* THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF 9/11 ON KIDS (Chicago Parent)
- Resource: Tips for Easing Fears (Chicago Parent)
- DOJ Letter on Religious Discrimination in Schools
* HOW TRAGIC FUSE WAS LIT IN DARFUR (CSM)
- MO: U.S. Muslim leader Seeks End to Sudan Crisis (PD)
* JEWISH MAN ARRESTED FOR ARSON AT PARIS JEWISH CENTRE (AFP)
* IL: MUSLIM LEADERS KICK OFF EVENT WITH NEWS CONFERENCE
- TX: Job Opening: Islamic Imam Services for DOJ
-----
HADITH/VERSE OF THE DAY: A TRANQUIL HEART
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would say during his prayers:
"O
God, I ask You for a tranquil heart and a truthful tongue."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 1, Number 161
"It is the remembrance of God that provides tranquility to the heart."
The Holy Quran, 13:28
-----
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S OCT. 2-5 BANQUET & CONVENTION
Join us in our nation's capital for 4 days of exciting activities!
TO REGISTER, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
-----
CAIR-NY SPONSORS VOTER REGISTRATION EVENT
(New York, 8/30/04)- The New York office of the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-NY) today announced that it would co-sponsor tomorrow
night's Campus Anti-War & Voter Registration Event at Columbia
University.
DATE: Tuesday, August 31, 2004
TIME: 6 - 10 PM
PLACE: Miller Theatre, 2960 Broadway (116th and Broadway Avenue), New
York,
NY 10027
CAIR-NY will show its support by setting up voter registration booths
and
by sending Ghazi Khankan and Wissam Nasr, its previous and present
executive directors, respectively, to answer questions about Muslim
political involvement and voter registration. Other speakers include,
Ralph
Nader, presidential candidate; John Conyers, Jr, Representative of the
14th
Congressional District of Michigan; and Agha Saeed, Head of the
American
Muslim Task Force. The theme will be opposition to the foreign policies
that led to the war in Iraq as well as becoming politically active
through
voting.
Other sponsors include the American Muslim Alliance and the American
Muslim
Task Force.
CONTACT: Wissam Nasr, 212-870-2002, E-Mail: wnasr@cair-ny.com
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-NY HOSTS TV SHOW ON MUSLIM POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES
CAIR-NY is hosting an hour-long TV panel discussion, entitled "Muslim
Perspectives on Politics," this Thursday, September 2nd. It will be
shown
on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Channel 34 in Manhattan, Time
Warner
Cable, between the hours of 6-7 p.m.
The same show will also be aired on a satellite network as well, Free
Speech TV, and those details are forthcoming.
Panelists will include:
Monica Turazi, Exec. Director, ADC-NY
Ahmed Khatib, Co-founder National Merchants Association
Sister Aisha al-Adawiya, Director, Women in Islam, Inc.
Professor Amani Jamal, Professor of Politics, Princeton University
Hosted/Moderated by Wissam Nasr, Executive Director of CAIR-NY
This show is a precursor to a Public Access/Satellite TV show that
CAIR-NY
is developing and which should begin in December.
---
S. CALIFORNIA MUSLIM LEADERS MEET WITH FBI OFFICIALS
Shakeel Syed and Kalim Farooki, Pakistan Link, 8/27/04
http://www.pakistanlink.com/Community/2004/Aug04/27/07.html
Garden Grove: Growing onto a three-month-old relationship between
Southern
California Muslim leadership and the FBI in the context of "Multi
Cultural
Advisory Committee", the Shura Council of Southern California invited
the
FBI to meet and speak with the Muslim leadership.
Representatives of CAIR, MPAC and Shura Council, besides few others,
represented the Muslims in the Multi Cultural Advisory Committee
initiative
taken by the FBI. The committee meets once a month and discuss issues
of
mutual concern and attempts to find solutions for collective good.
Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, Chairperson of Shura Council formally welcomed
the
guests and said that Islam promotes peace and justice for all,
emphasizing
that all citizens should be safe and assuring that Muslims will
continue to
work in partnership with other communities for the safety of all
citizens.
Shakeel Syed, Majlis Member of the Shura Council introduced the guests
to
the members of the Shura Council of Southern California who were
meeting at
the Islamic Society of Orange County on Saturday August 14, 2004.
Shakeel
Syed informed the members of the ongoing dialog over the past three
months
between the FBI and the community to foster an environment of better
understanding and mutual respect.
Mr. Matt McLaughlin, Supervisory Special Agent and FBI-LA Spokesperson
accompanied with Ms. Norma Loza, Special Agent & Liaison Multi Cultural
Advisory Committee, addressed the Muslim leadership at the Shura
Council of
Southern California meeting...
The presentation was followed by a dialog between the Shura Council
representatives and the FBI officials. The audience expressed their
concerns for feeling intimidated by the law enforcement agencies and
not
being treated fairly as required by the US Constitution. Muslims must
feel
free to practice their religion and attend the Mosque and support
charity
for the needy without any fear. Mr. McLaughlin said that FBI is
determined
to protect the civil liberties and citizen rights and also ensure that
all
agents receive the necessary sensitivity training.
There were many questions that community members wanted to ask but for
lack
of time the meeting had to adjourn. However, the Shura Council assured
the
community of their plans to hold a town hall meeting with FBI. The
Shura
Council members overwhelmingly supported this initiative by show of
hands.
Shura Council Chair and Vice Chair, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi and Imam
Saadiq
Saafir respectively assured full support and cooperation for the safety
of
everyone. The Multi Cultural Advisory Committee will continue to meet
with
the FBI to pursue enhanced understanding of FBI policies and practices
and
to strive to enhance the FBI's understanding of community perspectives.
-----
NY IMAM TO GIVE INVOCATION AT GOP CONVENTION
On Monday, August 30, Imam Izak-El Mu'eed Pasha, the Muslim chaplain of
the
New York City Police Department will give an invocation at the
Republican
Party convention. Pasha is the Imam, or spiritual leader, of Harlem's
Malcolm Shabazz Masjid. In June 1999, New York Mayor Giulianni
appointed
Pasha as the city's first Muslim police chaplain.
The convention is scheduled to start at 7:45 p.m. Pasha's invocation is
the
fifth item in the order of business.
-----
OFFICIALS SAY PUBLICITY DERAILED SECRETS INQUIRY
David Johnston and Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 8/30/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/30/politics/30spy.html
WASHINGTON, - The Pentagon official under suspicion of turning over
classified information to Israel began cooperating with federal agents
several weeks ago and was preparing to lead the authorities to contacts
inside the Israeli government when the case became publicly known last
week, government officials said Sunday.
The disclosure of the inquiry late on Friday by CBS News revealed what
had
been for nearly a year a covert national security investigation
conducted
by the F.B.I., according to the officials, who said that news reports
about
the inquiry compromised important investigative steps, like the effort
to
follow the trail back to the Israelis.
As a result, several areas of the case remain murky, the officials
said.
One main uncertainty is the legal status of Lawrence A. Franklin, the
lower-level Pentagon policy analyst who the authorities believe passed
the
Israelis a draft presidential policy directive related to Iran.
No arrest in the case is believed to be imminent, in part because
prosecutors have not yet clearly established whether Mr. Franklin broke
the
law. But the officials said there was evidence that he turned the
classified material over to officials at the American Israel Public
Affairs
Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group. Officials of the group are
thought
to have then passed the information to Israeli intelligence.
The lobbying group and Israel have denied that they engaged in any
wrongdoing. Efforts to reach Mr. Franklin or his lawyer have not been
successful. Reporters who went to Mr. Franklin's residence in West
Virginia
on Sunday were asked by a local sheriff not to approach the house.
Friends
of Mr. Franklin's, like Michael Ledeen of the American Enterprise
Institute, said the accusations against him were baseless...
ALSO SEE:
ISRAELI HELD MEETINGS WITH U.S. ANALYST
Karin Laub, Associated Press, 8/30/04
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040830_248.html
JERUSALEM - A senior Israeli diplomat in Washington has met with a
Pentagon
analyst being investigated by the FBI on suspicion he passed classified
information to Israel, Israeli officials confirmed Monday.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the meetings
were
well within the norm of diplomacy and that no laws were broken. Israel
has
flatly denied it has a spy at the Pentagon.
The Israeli diplomat was identified as Naor Gilon, head of the
political
department at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, and a specialist on
Iran's
nuclear weapons program.
U.S. officials say the FBI investigation focuses on Lawrence A.
Franklin,
an analyst of Iranian affairs who works in a Pentagon policy office
headed
by Douglas J. Feith, the undersecretary for policy. Feith has been
accused
by Democrats of seeking to manipulate intelligence to help make the
case
for going to war in Iraq. Congressional investigations have found no
evidence of that.
The Israeli daily Maariv on Monday quoted Gilon as saying that he did
nothing wrong. ``My hands are clean. I have nothing to hide. I acted
according to the regulations,'' Gilon said.
The diplomat told Maariv he was concerned that as a result of the
reports,
he won't be able to continue working in Washington. ``Now, people will
be
scared to talk to me,'' the newspaper quoted him as saying...
---
AND NOW A MOLE?
Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball, MSNBC, 9/6/04
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5853706/site/newsweek/
It was just a Washington lunch-one that the FBI happened to be
monitoring.
Nearly a year and a half ago, agents were monitoring a conversation
between
an Israeli Embassy official and a lobbyist for American Israel Public
Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, as part of a probe into possible Israeli
spying. Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, in the description of one
intelligence official, another American "walked in" to the lunch out of
the
blue. Agents at first didn't know who the man was. They were stunned to
discover he was Larry Franklin, a desk officer with the Near East and
South
Asia office at the Pentagon.
Franklin soon became a subject of the FBI investigation as well. Now he
may
face charges, accused of divulging to Israel classified information on
U.S.
government plans regarding Iran, officials say. While some U.S.
officials
warned against exaggerated accusations of spying, one administration
source
described the case as the most significant Israeli espionage
investigation
in Washington since Jonathan Pollard, an American who was imprisoned
for
life in 1987 for passing U.S. Navy secrets to the Israelis. The FBI and
Justice Department are still reviewing the evidence, but one
intelligence
source believes Franklin may be arrested shortly.
-----
AIPAC'S OVERT AND COVERT OPS
Juan Cole, Antiwar.com, 8/30/04
http://www.antiwar.com/cole/?articleid=3467
CBS is reporting that a Defense Intelligence Agency analyst detailed to
Undersecretary of Defense for Planning Douglas Feith's Office of
Special
Plans is under FBI investigation for spying for Israel. The person
passed
to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) confidential
documents, including those detailing Bush administration policy toward
Iran, and AIPAC then passed them to Israel. There are wiretaps and
photographs backing up the FBI case (the FBI agents involved are
extremely
brave to take this on).
But this espionage case is too narrow. Consider what journalist Jim
Lobe
wrote about Feith's Office of Special Plans (OSP) and the Pentagon Near
East and South Asia (NESA) office:
"[K]ey personnel who worked in both NESA and OSP were part of a broader
network of neoconservative ideologues and activists who worked with
other
Bush political appointees scattered around the national-security
bureaucracy to move the country to war, according to retired Lt. Col.
Karen
Kwiatkowski, who was assigned to NESA from May 2002 through February
2003.
The heads of NESA and OSP were Deputy Undersecretary William Luti and
Abram
Shulsky, respectively. Other appointees who worked with them in both
offices included Michael Rubin, a Middle East specialist previously
with
the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI); David
Schenker,
previously with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP);
and
Michael Makovsky; an expert on neocon icon Winston Churchill and the
younger brother of David Makovsky, a senior WINEP fellow and former
executive editor of pro-Likud Jerusalem Post. Along with Feith, all of
the
political appointees have in common a close identification with the
views
of the right-wing Likud Party in Israel."
Karen Kwiatkowski was an eyewitness in NESA, and Lobe reports:
"[S]he recounts one incident in which she helped escort a group of half
a
dozen Israelis, including several generals, from the first floor
reception
area to Feith's office. 'We just followed them, because they knew
exactly
where they were going and moving fast.' When the group arrived, she
noted
the book which all visitors are required to sign under special
regulations
that took effect after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. 'I asked his
secretary,
"Do you want these guys to sign in?" She said, "No, these guys don't
have
to sign in."' It occurred to her, she said, that the office may have
deliberately not wanted to maintain a record of the meeting."
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a lobbying group that
used
to support whatever government was in power in Israel, and used to give
money evenhandedly inside the U.S. My perception is that during the
past
decade AIPAC has increasingly tilted to the Likud in Israel, and to the
political Right in the United States. In the 1980s, AIPAC set up the
Washington Institute for Near East Policy as a pro-Israeli alternative
to
the Brookings Institution, which it perceived to be insufficiently
supportive of Israel. WINEP has largely followed AIPAC into pro-Likud
positions, even though its director, Dennis Ross, is more moderate. He
is a
figurehead, however, serving to disguise the far right character of
most of
the position papers produced by long-term WINEP staff and by extremist
visitors and "associates" (Daniel Pipes and Martin Kramer are among the
latter)...
-----
WHEN A GENERAL PARADED HIS RELIGION
Syed M. Majid, New York Times, 8/30/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/30/opinion/l30bigotry.html
To the Editor:
''Holding the Pentagon Accountable: For Religious Bigotry'' (editorial,
Aug. 26) reinforces what so many American Muslims felt when Donald H.
Rumsfeld praised Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin after his bigoted remarks
came
to light.
The general not only is an embarrassment to the Bush administration;
his
disgraceful behavior also vindicates what so many in the Muslim world
already feel about the current administration's policies toward them.
His remarks serve as ready-made ammunition for Osama bin Laden and
company
to fight the war of public opinion in the Muslim world with respect to
American actions in the Mideast and elsewhere.
-----
WHAT YOU FEAR IS NOT WHO I AM
Tariq Ramadan, Globe and Mail, 8/30/04
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040830.wramandan30/BNStory/Front/
In my 20 years of studying and teaching philosophy, I have learned to
appreciate the inherent difficulty in defining and recognizing "the
truth."
Descartes put it simply: "A clear and obvious idea is true"; Kant aptly
added "consistency" as a needed element. My life experience over the
past
15 years enabled me to appreciate yet another definition.
In today's world of communication and mass media, truth is not firstly
based on coherence and clarity, but rather on frequency. Here, a
repeated
hypothesis or suspicion becomes a truth; a three-time-repeated
assumption
imperceptibly becomes a fact. There is no need to check because "it is
obvious"; after all, "we have heard it many times" and "it is being
said
everywhere."
Lately, I have been going through an interesting experience. I am
constantly being told "the truth" about who I am: "You are a
controversial
figure"; "you engage in double-talk, delivering a gentle message in
French
and English, and a radical - even extremist - one in Arabic, or to a
Muslim
audience in private"; "you have links with extremists, you are an
anti-Semite"; "you despise women" etc.
When I ask about the source of this information, invariably the
response
is: This is well-known, it is everywhere, check the Internet and you
will
find thousands of pages referring to this.
A closer examination reveals that what we have is journalists or
intellectuals quoting each other, conclusively reporting and infinitely
repeating what others said yesterday, with caveats. Rather than using
this
as an occasion for reflection, the response to this finding is usually:
"Well, there has to be some truth in all that."
Strange truth, indeed! I have written more than 20 books and about 800
articles; 170 tapes of lectures are circulating, and I keep asking my
detractors: Have you read or listened to any of my material? Can you
prove
your allegations? To repeat them is not to prove. Where is the evidence
of
my double-talk? Have you read any of the numerous articles where I call
on
Muslims to unequivocally condemn radical views and acts of
extremism?...
Finally, are you acquainted with my extensive study of the Islamic
scriptural sources and efforts to promote a new understanding, a new
way
for Muslims to remain faithful to their principles and, at the same
time,
able to face the challenges of the contemporary world?
To seek "the truth," one must read, listen carefully, check and recheck
for
clarity and consistency, and be willing, if for a moment, to be
decentred.
Very often, even within the academic field, I encounter individuals who
are
not familiar with my writings. When this becomes obvious in the course
of
discussion, their final argument is: "Well, aren't you the grandson of
Hassan Al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood?" As if this was
sufficient proof of all the allegations.
My response is: So what? And what do you really know about him and his
life
history anyway? Furthermore, are one's thoughts genetically transmitted
or
do one's morals and ethics descend from the vices or virtues of one's
pedigree? This obsession with my genealogy is frankly disconcerting,
for it
is dismissive. Those so focused on my genealogy should examine my
intellectual pedigree, which along with my grandfather and father
includes
Descartes, Kant and Nietzsche...
(Tariq Ramadan, professor of Islamic studies and philosophy at Fribourg
University in Switzerland, is author of To Be a European Muslim and
Western
Muslims and the Future of Islam. He has been described by Time magazine
as
one of the 100 most likely innovators of the 21st century.
-----
CENSUS NOW LIMITING ARAB DATA-SHARING
Associated Press, 8/30/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4461055,00.html
DEARBORN, Mich. - The U.S. Census Bureau says it is ending a practice
of
routinely turning over detailed information about Arabs or other
minorities
to anti-terrorism officials without high-level approval.
The Census Bureau revealed Aug. 13 that it had been reporting
demographic
data about Arab Americans to a Homeland Security agency. The bureau
said it
only was providing population numbers and not names, addresses or other
private details.
Responding to requests over the past two years from the Bureau of
Customs
and Border Protection, the Census Bureau said it had provided files
that
included a count of U.S. residents of Arab descent in certain ZIP
codes. It
said names and street addresses were not included.
The release drew sharp criticism from some advocacy groups, which said
it
undermined the public's trust.
Census Director Louis Kincannon said data requests from law enforcement
and
intelligence agencies now must be approved by one of eight associate
directors, the second highest-ranking officials in the Census Bureau.
He
said the policy will not keep police from getting similar numbers in
the
future, mainly because much of it is already available on the bureau's
Web
site.
But he told The Detroit News for a story Monday that it lets officials
keep
tabs on who requests information and how it is used...
-----
THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF 9/11: HOW SAFE DO OUR CHILDREN FEEL?
Kiran Ansari, Chicago Parent, 9/1/04
http://www.chicagoparent.com/features3.htm
Elmo's color is red. Cookie monster's color is blue. But what is
Yusuf's
color? My 2-year-old looks at me, awaiting an answer. In his world, I
know
the answer to everything. What he doesn't know is that his innocent
question has already set me thinking. It's easy to distract him now,
but it
won't be for long. As a Muslim American, he will be a different "color"
than his classmates, and he will have to accept that, especially since
9/11
. . .
How many times have we started sentences with, "Since 9/11 . . . ?"
On Sept. 11, we'll mark the third anniversary of the day four
terrorist-hijacked planes crashed into America's psyche. None of us
will
ever forget where we were or the horror we felt the moment we realized
the
plane that crashed into the first World Trade Center tower was no
accident.
Our horror grew as the second New York City skyscraper was hit,
followed
quickly by the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a cornfield in
Pennsylvania. In all, nearly 3,000 people died, along with our national
sense of immunity to the violence of the world.
Children, too, feel this new vulnerability. And their fears can be
exacerbated by the violent images from the war in Iraq, the bombings in
the
Middle East, news about the presidential election, the 9/11 commission
report, the color-changing homeland security alerts or "Fahrenheit
9/11" at
the box office.
"Twenty years from now, these children are going to be the decision
makers," says Arsalan Iftikhar, director of Legal Affairs at the
Council on
American-Islamic Relations in Washington, D.C. "If we are unable to
reach
out to them, we may be inadvertently nurturing an entire generation of
racism and hatred..."
ALSO SEE:
RESOURCE: TIPS FOR EASING FEARS
http://www.chicagoparent.com/features4.htm
---
DOJ LETTER TO SCHOOL BOARDS ON RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION
The following is a letter send to the heads of state boards of
Education by
Asst. Attorney General for Civil Rights Alex Costa:
As a new school year begins, I write to raise an issue with you that
the
Civil Rights Division has taken steps to address. Specifically, we have
seen ugly and hateful incidents of violence and discrimination directed
against Muslim, Arab, Sikh, and South-Asian students, motivated by
religious or national origin intolerance.
Last year, for example, in Louisiana a high school world history
teacher
allegedly stripped a Muslim student's head scarf, or hiajb, off her
head,
reportedly remarking: "I didn't know you had hair under there..I hope
God
punishes you. No, I'm sorry, I hope Allah punishes you." In
California, a
high-school teacher allegedly grabbed a Sikh student's beard, pulled
it,
and accused him of being a member of the Taliban. And, in Oklahoma, the
local public school district twice suspended a sixth-grade Muslim
student
for wearing a hijab. Teacher there apparently expressed concern that
the
hijab would somehow "frighten" other children.
Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, President George W.
Bush
visited the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C., to underscore a simple
yet
fundamental point: "America counts millions of Muslims amongst our
citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our
country. Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, members of the
military, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, moms, and dads. And they need to
be
treated with respect. In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans
must
treat each other with respect."
No less is true for members of the Arab, South Asian, and Sikh-American
communities. Again, in the President' words: "those who feel like they
can
intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don't represent
the
best of America, they represent the worst of humankind, and they should
be
ashamed of that kind of behavior."
Since September 11, 2001, the Civil Rights Division has investigated
nearly
600 incidents of violence directed against Arab, Muslim, South Asian or
Sikh-Americans. Over 140 of these incidents have resulted in local or
state criminal prosecutions; nearly 20 have resulted in federal
criminal
prosecutions as well. We have, in addition, brought suit against a
school
district for prohibiting a student from wearing her hijab.
As we approach the third anniversary of September 11, 2001, we must all
recognize that our differences provide an invaluable opportunity
further
education, and must not lead, rather, to greater separation. I thank
you
for your leadership and assistance in addressing this issue.
-----
HOW TRAGIC FUSE WAS LIT IN DARFUR
Danna Harman, Christian Science Monitor, 8/30/04
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0830/p01s04-woaf.html
The UN determines this week whether Sudan's leaders have met Monday's
deadline.
Her charms are meant to keep away the devil. Little black leather
pouches
hanging around her neck, worn down by years of being rubbed between her
fingers. But no, she half apologizes, they did not work. In this case,
the
"devil" came on horseback.
"We recognized them by their shapes," Ashura Abakar Adam Arasharo says
of
the men who burned her home and made her run for her life. She ran for
two
days, with her five children in tow. She left without any of her
favorite
head scarves or dishes - or her husband, whom she lost in the chaos.
And
now she sits in a camp for the internally displaced, in western Sudan,
twisting her charms around in her fingers.
Neighbors. Acquaintances. Fellow Muslims. Classmates. Friends.
No more.
"We did not see their faces," says Ms. Arasharo. "But we know who they
are."
Whether the crisis in Darfur is genocide is being debated in faraway
congressional corridors and on TV talk shows. But what is clear on the
ground is that the fragile, yet workable, relationship between Arab and
ethnic African tribes here, sustained over generations, has been
smashed to
pieces during the last 18 months of violence.
"Maybe once, I could say hello to them in the market," says Arasharo.
"But
now they have all changed into janjaweed."
Janjaweed. The word translates loosely as devils on horseback and for
years
was a derogatory term thrown at lowly bandits. These days it is used
for
the Arab horsemen who, allegedly supported by the government, roam this
vast swath of land terrorizing the Africans within the population, say
refugees and outside observers...
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIM LEADER HERE SEEKS END TO CRISIS IN SUDAN
Aisha Sultan, Post-Dispatch, 8/29/04
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/St.+Louis+City+/+County/0CECA8DF14333E9086256F00001FD9EB?OpenDocument&Headline=Muslim+leader+here+seeks+end+to+crisis+in+Sudan+
When state Rep. Yaphett el-Amin arrived in Sudan two weeks ago, she
began
looking for the Arabs she had heard so much about.
She asked Imam Muhammad Nur Abdullah, who led the delegation of
American
Muslim leaders to the war-torn country, where the Arab militias were.
They
have been accused of ethnically cleansing the black Sudanese from the
western province of Darfur.
Everyone in Darfur looked black to her. El-Amin, D-St. Louis, said the
idea
of a genocide against blacks in Sudan is a very sensitive issue for
African-Americans, given their history of slavery. Based on the news
reports she had read before embarking on her trip, she had envisioned
light-skinned Arabs killing black-skinned black African people in an
effort
to take their land. That misconception was far from the reality, she
said.
The difference between the warring tribes can be mainly identified by
the
language spoken - not by the color of their skin. Some speak Arabic,
while
others speak local languages, Abdullah explained.
"They are Arabic-speakers, not Arabs," Abdullah said Saturday, at a
press
conference about the weeklong trip to Sudan. He is the religious head
of
the Islamic Foundation in St. Louis and also heads the national
organization Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).
Abdullah, who is originally from Sudan, said many American Muslims were
calling upon the national organization to find a way to help ease the
humanitarian crisis in Sudan. Over the past year and a half, fighting
in
Darfur has killed anywhere from 15,000 to 30,000 civilians and
displaced
about a million people from their homes, according to estimates by
several
international human rights groups.
The Islamic Society of North America organized the delegation of 10
religious leaders, elected officials and private citizens from across
the
country. The State Department assisted in planning the delegation,
which
met with top Sudanese government officials, opposition groups and
tribal
leaders. The group also visited two refugee camps in Darfur. They
returned
to the U.S. last week.
On Saturday, Abdullah and el-Amin shared their findings with an
audience of
about 20 people at the Daar-ul-Islam mosque in West County. She said
the
fighting boiled down to two struggles: for food and water, and
political
power. And all those involved in the fighting are black…
-----
JEWISH MAN ARRESTED OVER ARSON AT PARIS JEWISH CENTRE
Channel New Asia, 8/30/04
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/103987/1/.html
PARIS: French police confirmed that a man arrested in connection with
what
was first believed to be an anti-Semitic arson attack on a Jewish
social
center a week ago was a Jewish man who had worked there.
Police headquarters refused to identify the man taken into custody in
connection with the August 22 attack, but investigators said the man
had
worked on occasion as a guard at the center, but that management wanted
to
fire him.
Investigators suggested that "resentment" over the loss of his job
could
have motivated the suspect, in his 50s, to torch the eastern Paris
center
out of revenge, but that explanation was not confirmed.
The man -- who was placed in preventive detention for up to 48 hours --
was
"more or less homeless" and "mentally unstable", the sources said.
On August 22, the Jewish center was gutted in a massive blaze, and
swastikas and anti-Jewish slogans like "The world would be pure if
there
were no more Jews" were scrawled inside.
The incident led the French government to declare war on racism and
prompted a snap visit to Paris by Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan
Shalom,
who urged tougher punishment in France for the perpetrators of
anti-Semitic
acts.
Police said the fire could have been an "inside job", but were still
looking into several theories.
The police statements seemed to confirm a report in Le Figaro newspaper
on
Monday, which said investigators were no longer treating the fire as an
anti-Semitic attack, but were looking for a mentally unstable Jewish
man.
Last month, a 23-year-old woman who claimed she had been the victim of
a
vicious anti-Semitic assault later admitted she had made up the entire
incident, and was given a four-month suspended sentence for lying about
it.
-----
ISNA CONVENTION TO BE KICKED-OFF BY PRESS CONFERENCE OF MUSLIM LEADERS
The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), a preeminent international
Islamic organization, and its co-host for the ISNA Annual Convention,
the
Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIO), an umbrella
organization representing over 400,000 Muslims throughout Chicagoland,
will
host a press conference on Friday September 3, 2004 at 11:00 a.m. in
Room 7
of the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois.
Speakers
will include Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, Secretary General of ISNA, Dr. Ingrid
Mattson, ISNA Vice-President for the United States and Kareem Irfan,
Esq.,
Chairman of the CIO.
The press conference will be the best opportunity for members of the
press
to speak with these leaders during the course of the convention.
Individual
requests for interviews can be met immediately after the press
conference. Member of the press are welcome to attend the press
conference
and other convention events once they have their credentials. Press
credentials can be obtained at the Media Relations Booth located in the
lobby of the convention center. The booth will be open to serve
journalists
from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. during each day of the convention.
The press conference will kick-off the 41st Annual ISNA Convention. The
theme of this year's convention is "Islam: Dialogue, Devotion and
Development." The convention will be held at the Donald E. Stephens
Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois. From Friday, September 3, 2004
to
Monday, September 6, 2004 Muslims will immerse themselves in the
pursuit of
Islamic knowledge through seminars presented by international Islamic
experts and scholars. Over 25,000 attendees are expected at this
important
annual event.
Contact: Farhan Younus, Phone: 630-926-5566, E-mail: fyounus@ciogc.com
---
JOB OPENING: ISLAMIC IMAM SERVICES FOR DOJ
AGENCY: Department of Justice
OFFICE ADDRESS: Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, FCI
Seagoville,
2113 N. Hwy. 175 Procurement Office, Seagoville, TX, 75159-2237
CLASSIFICATION CODE: R - Professional, administrative, and management
support services
SOLICITATION NUMBER: 51402-009-5
CONTACT: Greg Lawson, Contract Specialist, Phone 972-287-2911 EXT 752,
Email sea1573@bop.gov - Charlotte Scrimshire, Contract Specialist,
Phone
(972) 287-6756, Fax (972) 287-6743, Email cscrimshire@bop.gov
-----
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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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RACIST NOTE LEFT ON AZ MUSLIM'S VANDALIZED CAR
GOP leaders urged to condemn anti-Muslim prejudice, stereotyping
(WASHINGTON, DC, 8/31/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today called on Arizona law enforcement authorities and
the
FBI to investigate an attack by vandals on a Muslim-owned car as a
possible
hate crime.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said
a
Muslim in Tucson, Ariz., reported that his family's car was vandalized
in
the parking lot of his apartment building sometime late Monday or early
Tuesday of last week. According to the victim, a U.S. resident of
Jordanian
origin, the car's tires were slashed, the windshield was smashed and a
racist note was taped to the vehicle. The note, which was taken by the
investigating police officer, said: "You are not welcome here. Go back
home
you stupid f*ckers."
CAIR also expressed concern about a series of similar incidents of
vandalism reported recently by Muslims nationwide. A New York Muslim
reported finding his car window smashed with a brick. In Virginia, a
Muslim
reported two separate incidents of vandalism to a car. And in New
Jersey, a
Muslim found his car's windshield smashed in his driveway.
"While some of these incidents do not have overt signs of bias, taken
together they form a disturbing pattern that should be noted by law
enforcement authorities and elected officials," said CAIR Executive
Director Nihad Awad. He added that the current Republican National
Convention offers an excellent opportunity for GOP leaders to speak out
against anti-Muslim prejudice and stereotyping.
Awad said other incidents targeting Muslim individuals and Islamic
institutions have taken place recently across America.
Just last week in New Jersey, a Muslim driver reported being attacked
by a
white male in another car who punched him in the face while he was
sitting
in his car at a traffic light. During the incident, the attacker
reportedly
called the victim a "terrorist" and a "sand n*gger." He also allegedly
told
the victim to "go back to whatever f*cking Arab country you came from."
Also this month, CAIR called on the FBI to investigate an
intentionally-set
fire at a Muslim store in McAllen, Texas, as a possible hate crime and
sought felony charges in a bias attack on a New York Muslim taxi
driver.
Late last month, two Muslim teenagers in Buffalo, N.Y., say they were
targeted by white teenagers who shouted ethnic slurs and then tried to
hit
the girls with their car. A Muslim woman driver in Illinois and a
Muslim
shopper in California were assaulted at the end of June by attackers
shouting anti-Muslim and racist slurs.
Earlier this year in Florida, vandals wrote "Kill all Muslims" inside
the
Islamic Community Center in the Tampa suburb of Lutz. The FBI is also
investigating vandalism and threatening messages targeting the Islamic
Community of Southwest Florida in Charlotte Harbor. In Missouri,
vandals
painted a Nazi swastika and the word "die" on an addition under
construction at the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis. Three
Miami
Islamic centers were vandalized.
In Texas, a man was arrested for threatening an El Paso Islamic center,
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. A home-made bomb exploded in the mailbox of a Houston,
Texas, Islamic center.
As a response to these and other anti-Muslim incidents, CAIR published
a
"Muslim Community Safety Kit." The safety kit may be obtained free of
charge by e-mailing pubs@cair-net.org. (Include name, address and phone
number when requesting the safety kit.)
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Deedra Abboud (CAIR-AZ), 602-262-2247; 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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/31/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: PASS ON WITH DIGNITY
* SIGN CAIR'S 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 7721 SPONSORSHIPS
- Register for CAIR's Oct. Banquet & Convention
- CAIR Job Opening: Civil Rights Coordinator
* CAIR-HOUSTON MEETS WITH MAYOR, POLICE CHIEF
* TARIQ RAMADAN REFUTES DANIEL PIPES (Chicago Trib)
- A Muslim Scholar's Exclusion (Chicago Trib)
* SECRET COURT POSES CHALLENGES (Wash Post)
- Bush Forms Civil Liberties Board (Wired News)
* NJ: OFFICIALS TO PROBE MUSLIM BIAS CLAIM (SL)
- NC: Couple Alleges Religious Slurs (Daily News)
* NEW SPY SCANDAL COMES AS BLOW TO AIPAC (Daily Star)
- FBI Questions Lobbyists in Spy Probe (LA Times)
- FBI Looking at Contacts with Israelis (Wash Post)
- FBI Briefs Pentagon Bosses on Spy Case (NY Times)
- Israeli Espionage against the US (Counterpunch)
- Israel's Albatross: U.S. Neocons (LA Times)
* NO CHANGE FOR CHECHNYA (Wash Post)
* IRAQ: A NO-WIN SITUATION (NY Times)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: PASS ON WITH DIGNITY
"And [know that the true servants of God are only] those who never bear
witness to what is false, and [who], whenever they pass by [people
engaged
in] frivolity, pass on with dignity."
The Holy Quran, 25:72
-----
SIGN CAIR'S '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, 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.
CAIR's "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:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 7721 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, you may sponsor an 18-item package about Islam and
Muslims,
which are then distributed to the library of their choice.
To sponsor a library call, visit:
http://www.cair-net.org/libraryproject/
ALSO SEE:
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S OCT. 2-5 BANQUET & CONVENTION
Join us in our nation's capital for 4 days of exciting activities!
TO REGISTER, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
-----
CAIR JOB OPENING: CIVIL RIGHTS COORDINATOR
CAIR has an immediate opening for an experienced dynamic person to fill
the
position of Civil Rights Coordinator. The position involves handling of
civil rights cases, doing research on issues pertaining to civil and
religious rights in America, maintaining a civil rights data base
system,
and generating reports, charts and graphs. Candidates should have a
Bachelor degree in a related field with general knowledge of the US
Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
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. When applying via email please
ensure to write the position title "Civil Rights Coordinator" in the
subject of the email. Please send your application with cover letter
and
complete resume and references. Absolutely no phone calls please.
-----
CAIR-HOUSTON MEETS WITH SUGAR LAND MAYOR, POLICE CHIEF
Houston-area Muslims seek strengthened relationship with officials
(HOUSTON, TX, 8/31/04) - The Houston office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston) hosted a dinner Monday night
for
the Honorable David Wallace, mayor of the City of Sugar Land, and Sugar
Land Police Department Chief Lisa Womack. The event focused on
strengthening the relationship between local law enforcement
authorities
and elected officials and the Houston-area Muslim community.
"I believe that diversity is a source of strength, and I see that
strength
in the various communities' activism and respect for one another," said
Wallace, whose Houston suburb has a population that is 29 percent
Asian.
Chief Womack said she encourages diversity, not only in training but
also
in the Sugar Land Police force. "We are actively recruiting potential
officers, and we hope to have a police force that reflects the richness
and
diversity of the City of Sugar Land."
Monday's dinner was the latest in a series of meetings with law
enforcement
agencies and city officials to discuss the launch of CAIR-Houston's
Quick
Response Network (QRN) initiative. That initiative, developed in
cooperation with the Community Relations Service of the Department of
Justice in Houston, is designed to facilitate a rapid response to
threats,
hate crimes and discrimination.
"We thank Mayor Wallace and Chief Womack for reaching out to the Muslim
community and hope that such efforts lead to a productive partnership
with
elected officials and local law enforcement agencies," said of
CAIR-Houston
President Tarek Hussein.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 28 offices and chapters nationwide and in
Canada.
CONTACT: Iesa Galloway, CAIR-Houston, 713-838-2247, 832-656-0449,
E-Mail:
iesa.galloway@cairhouston.org
-----
TARIQ RAMADAN REFUTES PIPES
SCHOLAR UNDER SIEGE DEFENDS HIS RECORD
Tariq Ramadan, Chicago Tribune, 8/31/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/oped/chi-0408310097aug31,1,224130.story
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, without offering an
explanation,
has revoked a visa that was granted to me to teach at the University of
Notre Dame. In Sunday's Chicago Tribune on the Commentary page, Daniel
Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum, provided his "explanation"
for
this action. In what follows I respond to his unfounded allegations.
- Pipes claims that I have praised the brutal Islamist policies of the
Sudanese politician Hassan al-Turabi.
Nothing of what I said about al-Turabi's policies is remotely
favorable.
After visiting Sudan in 1994, I wrote: "Nonetheless, one must clearly
say
that the present regime does not offer minimal guarantees for political
pluralism, that opposition parties are muzzled and that cronyism is the
rule. Muslims are called to remain vigilant, for the opposition of the
United States and Israel is not enough to support the `Islamic'
character
of a project."
- Pipes notes that I was banned from entering France in 1996 on
suspicion
of having links with an Algerian Islamist who had recently initiated a
terrorist campaign in Paris.
Yes, I was indeed banned from entering France between November 1995 and
April 1996, but a reason was never given for this ban, and it was later
revealed to be a case of mistaken identity. I challenged the ban and
won
the case in 1996. Any assertion that this ban was for having "links
with an
Algerian Islamist" is baseless.
- Ahmed Brahim, an Algerian indicted for Al Qaeda activities, had
"routine
contacts" with me, according to a Spanish judge in 1999.
I was asked about contacts with this individual last year and I
unequivocally denied ever meeting or speaking to him. This was
investigated
by Frederic Chambon, a reporter for the French daily newspaper Le
Monde,
who on Dec. 23, 2003, issued reports that Brahim's daughter was able to
confirm from her jailed father that he did not have contacts with me.
- Djamel Beghal, leader of a group accused of planning to attack the
American Embassy in Paris, stated in his 2001 trial that he had studied
with me.
When Djamel Beghal was first arrested in Dubai, he claimed that in 1994
he
was attending my course and wrote my speeches. He changed his story
when he
was extradited to Paris and only claimed to have attended the course in
1994. That, too, was inaccurate since my courses did not start until
1997.
- Along with many Islamists, says Pipes, I have denied that there is
"any
certain proof" that Osama bin Laden was behind Sept. 11, 2001.
Pipes distorts the facts by selective references. My post-Sept. 11
stance
is clear. On Sept. 13, 2001, I put out an open letter to Muslims
calling
for them to unequivocally condemn these acts and wrote: "Do not hide
yourself behind conspiracy theories: Even if we don't know who did it,
you
know as I know that some Muslims can use Islam to justify killing an
American, a Jew or a Christian only because he/she is an American, a
Jew or
a Christian; you have to condemn them and to condemn these attacks." On
Sept. 20, when investigations were still ongoing, I said: "The
probability
[of bin Laden's guilt] is large, but some questions remain unanswered.
...
But whoever they are, bin Laden or others, it is necessary to find them
and
that they be judged..."
ALSO SEE:
A MUSLIM SCHOLAR'S EXCLUSION
Chicago Tribune, 8/31/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0408310093aug31,1,5639355.story
Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss scholar known for his work on Islamic theology
and
the place of Muslims in the modern world, was supposed to start
teaching
last week at the University of Notre Dame. But after he got a visa from
the
State Department, it was revoked at the behest of the Department of
Homeland Security, which apparently sees him as a danger. Why is
anyone's
guess, since the department declines to spell out the reasons he's been
barred.
Some critics regard him as an anti-Semitic apologist for extremism.
Among
them is Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum, who wrote in
Sunday's Tribune to accuse Ramadan of connections with Al Qaeda,
denying
Osama bin Laden's role in the Sept. 11 attacks and defending the March
terrorist bombing in Madrid.
On today's Commentary page, Ramadan rebuts the charges. He says Swiss
and
French authorities cleared him of alleged Al Qaeda contacts. After the
Sept. 11 attacks, he insisted that whoever was to blame, "Bin Laden or
others, it is necessary to find them and that they be judged." And, he
declares, "I have always condemned the terrorist attacks in New York,
Bali,
Madrid and elsewhere."
The exchange makes an interesting debate, but unfortunately DHS, the
key
player, is not taking part. When contacted by the Tribune, a
spokeswoman
declined to specify what grounds it had for demanding that the visa be
canceled. Apparently he was barred under a section of the USA Patriot
Act,
which bars entry to foreigners who have used a "position of prominence
. .
. to endorse or espouse terrorist activity."
If the U.S. government has grounds to think Ramadan has worked with Al
Qaeda to further its bloody ambitions, he should certainly be denied
entry.
But no one has produced tangible evidence that he is personally
involved in
such activities, and the law doesn't require such involvement. If he is
being refused permission to teach in this country purely because of his
views, the government has an obligation to Notre Dame and the American
people to acknowledge that--and to specify which of his opinions
endangers
public safety.
Nothing that has come to light so far suggests that Ramadan endorses
terrorism. His defenders say that on the contrary, he is known for
urging a
more modern understanding of Islam and for firmly denouncing
anti-Semitism.
It's not likely that Notre Dame's Joan B. Kroc Institute for
International
Peace Studies would knowingly grant its imprimatur to an apostle of
violence.
Even if he did endorse terrorism, expressing such an opinion doesn't
pose
the sort of danger that the Department of Homeland Security should
worry
about. It's not illegal, after all, for Americans to express sympathy
for
Al Qaeda--or the Irish Republican Army or any other violent extremists.
Only when such opinions veer into outright incitement to violence does
law
enforcement intervene...
-----
SECRET COURT POSES CHALLENGES
Dan Eggen, Washington Post, 8/30/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45166-2004Aug29.html
The Justice Department has argued in a recent court case that
librarians,
booksellers and other businesses can easily challenge a controversial
provision of the USA Patriot Act by appealing to a super-secret court
that
approves surveillance of terrorists and foreign intelligence agents.
The only problem, according to a document released last week, is that
the
same court does not allow anyone but government attorneys and agents
inside
its doors.
The rules governing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court also do
not
include procedures for outside litigants to file memorandums or
otherwise
influence a case, according to a copy of the rules obtained by the
American
Civil Liberties Union.
Jameel Jaffer, an ACLU staff lawyer, said the court rules "do not seem
to
contemplate the possibility that anyone other than a government
attorney
may appear before the court," nor do they allow for outside attorneys
to
file motions to quash the subpoenas the court issues.
The surveillance court was established as part of the Foreign
Intelligence
Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978 and has operated in almost total
secrecy
since then. Justice Department statistics provided to Congress indicate
the
court approved more than 1,700 searches and seizures last year,
eclipsing
the number of traditional criminal wiretaps authorized by local and
federal
courts.
The five-page list of rules gives a rare glimpse into the inner
workings of
the FISA court, outlining the powers available to each judge and the
procedures for applying for warrants and other operational details. The
rules were provided to the ACLU by the FBI, which indicated they were
the
most recent FISA court rules in the agency's possession, Jaffer said...
ALSO SEE:
BUSH FORMS CIVIL LIBERTIES BOARD
Ryan Singel, Wired News, 8/31/04
http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,64784,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2
In an executive order issued on Friday night, President Bush responded
to a
key 9/11 commission recommendation by creating a civil liberties board
composed of high-level government officials tasked with making sure
their
agencies' programs do not violate privacy and civil rights laws.
Civil liberties advocates blasted the board, comparing it to the
proverbial
"fox guarding the hen house," and questioned how it could be effective
without outside appointees and independent investigative powers.
The President's Board on Safeguarding Americans' Civil Liberties will
be
housed in the Justice Department and led by the Deputy Attorney General
James Comey and the Department of Homeland Security's Under Secretary
for
Border and Transportation Security Asa Hutchinson.
Other members include officials from the Central Intelligence Agency,
the
National Security Agency, the Terrorist Threat Integration Center and
the
Pentagon, along with privacy officials such as Homeland Security's
chief
privacy officer, Nuala O'Connor Kelly.
The board's official duties include advising the president on civil
liberties, helping craft policy, requesting reports from federal
agencies
and reviewing a specific agency program when invited to do so by the
agency
in charge of that policy. The board could not initiate investigations
on
its own, however, and the order makes no mention of reports to the
public.
Lara Flint, a lawyer for the Center for Democracy and Technology -- a
centrist civil liberties group known for working closely with Congress
--
found little of value in the proposal.
"This is not what a civil liberties board should look like if it is
intended to be robust, effective and independent," Flint said. "It is
made
up of people who need civil liberties oversight."
The CDT and others have been working with senators turning the 9/11
commission recommendations into legislative language in order to create
a
civil liberties board with investigative powers and the ability to have
"input in the areas where it really needs it, which is where the law is
ambiguous or there is no law," Flint said...
-----
EDISON TWP. TO PROBE BIAS CLAIM AGAINST COP
Star-Ledger, 8/31/04
http://www.nj.com/starledger/
Edison Mayor George Spadoro said yesterday the township will
investigate
allegations that a township officer tried to discourage a Muslim man
from
filing a complaint that he was the target of racial slurs in a
road-rage
incident.
"I take all allegations of bias very seriously," Spadoro said. "This
matter
is being reviewed internally by the police department, in cooperation
with
the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, and I look forward to a
thorough
investigation of this incident."
But officer Michael Schwarz, president of Police Benevolent Association
Local 75 which represents township patrol officers, said patrolman
Daniel
Boslet acted properly.
"It was a textbook handling of a road-rage incident," Schwarz said.
Mohammed Farooq, 33, of Locust Valley, N.Y., said that at 8 p.m.
Wednesday
he was in his car on Amboy Avenue when another man, township resident
Jeffrey Shourt, 35, stopped his vehicle behind him and rushed up to
Farooq's car. Shourt called Farooq a terrorist and slapped him, the New
York man claims…
Boslet responded to Farooq's 911 call for help, but Farooq claims the
officer spent 45 minutes trying to discourage him from filing a
complaint.
The next day, Farooq reported the incident to the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, which called for an investigation. Farooq
is to
meet today with officials from the township and county prosecutor's
office...
ALSO SEE:
COUPLE ALLEGES RELIGIOUS SLURS
Jonathan Clayborne, Daily News, 8/31/04
http://www.wdnweb.com/articles/2004/08/31/news/news03.txt
A former Beaufort County commissioner candidate and her husband said
alleged religious slurs could have hurt them and their family during
the
campaign.
Republican Sonya Shamseldin and her husband, Mo Shamseldin, who noted
he is
an unaffiliated voter, said certain Republicans spread rumors about the
couple's religious affiliations during the campaign preceding the July
20
primary election.
The Shamseldins, both from Pinetown, said party activists opposing
Sonya
Shamseldin's candidacy told people she is a Muslim because they wanted
to
discredit her.
Sonya Shamseldin said she is a Christian and a member of the Baptist
denomination. Her husband, who is originally from Egypt and is an
American
citizen, is a Muslim. A local businessman, Mo Shamseldin has lived in
the
United States for more than 20 years.
"They're attacking my family," Sonya Shamseldin said.
Noting that he condemned the Sept. 11, 2001 hijackers after the
terrorist
attacks of that year, calling the attackers "murderers," Mo Shamseldin
said
he feared the alleged slurs could be hurtful to his children, family
and
business.
"You cannot be successful by destroying other successful people," he
said.
He asserted that he is proud of his name, Mohammed, and his religion.
Sonya Shamseldin claimed GOP Commissioner Hood Richardson, the top
vote-getter in the Republican primary, helped disseminate the rumors,
"to
spread the fear of the unknown to somebody else."
Republican Del Stutzman of Washington said Richardson called her twice
during the campaign.
Stutzman said Richardson told her Mo Shamseldin was taking people to
vote
"in an Egyptian-looking car" with "some Egyptian-looking people."
The Shamseldins said they helped register about 100 voters and took
some to
the polls.
Stutzman said that Richardson told her, "We needed to stop this because
we
didn't want any Muslims on the county commissioners."
Added Stutzman, "I just think that he's very bigoted to make a
statement
like that. I mean, this is 1965 all over again..."
-----
NEW SPY SCANDAL COMES AS MAJOR BLOW TO ISRAEL, AIPAC
Hussein Ibish, Daily Star, 8/31/04
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=7909
WASHINGTON: Washington was rocked late last week by allegations that a
Pentagon policy analyst on Iran, Laurence A. Franklin, had passed
classified information to Israel through the American Israel Public
Affairs
Committee, the leading pro-Israel lobby group in the US. He is also
said to
have had extensive meetings with Naor Gilon, head of the political
department at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, and a specialist on
Iran's
nuclear weapons program.
While both AIPAC and the Israeli government have issued categorical
denials
of any espionage activities, most observers say that law enforcement
officials would not leak the accusations if they did not have the
evidence
to prove their charges. Franklin is said to have provided the Israelis
with
a secret presidential directive on Iran related to its ongoing nuclear
program.
The New York Times reported on Aug. 30 that, "news reports about the
inquiry compromised important investigative steps, like the effort to
follow the trail back to the Israelis."
The leak seems less designed to pressure Franklin, who is said to have
been
cooperating with federal agents for several weeks, than to stymie the
investigation, which is said to be far broader than the allegations
made
public at this stage. If the allegations are true, they could have
serious
implications for both US-Israel relations and for the reputation of
AIPAC,
which is regarded as one of the most powerful and effective lobby
groups in
the US.
Journalist Steven Green, a long-time observer of Israeli espionage
efforts
in the United States, told the Daily Star that he had spoken
extensively
with individuals involved in the investigation, and that "I know from
personal experience that its scope is much wider in terms of the
targets
than we have been told so far."
He said that more senior officials than Franklin "should be extremely
nervous about this."
Green speculated that the scandal might involve exchanges of
information
between "sophisticates in the intelligence communities of Israel and
Iran
at the expense of the United States. ... There is a possible
quid-pro-quo
involved in Iran receiving US intelligence codes through the neocon
favorite Ahmed Chalabi and the Israelis getting our latest thinking on
Iran's nuclear program. ...You can see how that would benefit both
parties,
but not the US."
USA Today reported Monday that law enforcement officials said "there
may be
some crossover" between the Franklin and Chalabi investigations.
The scandal has already drawn comparisons to the Jonathan Pollard
affair,
in which a Jewish American was caught spying for Israel in 1985.
Israeli
officials have said that after the Pollard incident, the country made a
firm decision not to spy on the United States in order to preserve its
relationship with Washington. Several newspapers have quoted unnamed
Jewish
American leaders as expressing grave concern about the impact this
brewing
scandal could have on the reputation of AIPAC and Israel, but the
Israeli
daily Haaretz described one as being "positively relieved" that
Franklin
is not Jewish.
"The insinuation that AIPAC, an American Jewish lobby, is engaged in
espionage is in some ways worse than Pollard, who as a single
individual
could be described as off-balance," Yossi Alpher, a former Mossad
official
told the Washington Post.
These are not the first allegations of Israeli spying in the United
States
involving AIPAC, but none have led to indictments, which are expected
in
this case...
ALSO SEE:
FBI QUESTIONS ISRAELI LOBBYISTS IN SPYING PROBE
Richard B. Schmitt and Tyler Marshall, Los Angeles Times, 8/31/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-spy31aug31,1,1812337.story
WASHINGTON - The FBI has interviewed an influential foreign affairs
specialist for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee as part of
its
investigation into whether a Pentagon analyst improperly leaked
classified
information to Israel, sources said Monday.
In addition, officials in Jerusalem identified a senior Israeli
diplomat in
Washington who had met with the Pentagon aide at the center of the
probe
but who denied any wrongdoing.
The disclosures came during an unfolding espionage investigation as
federal
agents try to determine whether Larry Franklin, a veteran Iran analyst
at
the Pentagon, disclosed classified material on that country to AIPAC
executives, who then passed it along to the Israeli government.
The lobbying group and Israeli officials - who have expressed a
steadily
mounting concern about Iran's expanding nuclear capability - have
strenuously denied wrongdoing. Franklin has not responded to requests
for
comment. The Pentagon's third-ranking official, who oversees the office
where Franklin works, was briefed by FBI agents during the weekend.
The case has focused attention on AIPAC, one of Washington's most
potent
political forces, and has raised questions about how the U.S. shares
information with allies.
Sources said that within the last week, the FBI has interviewed two
AIPAC
employees who are said to have met with Franklin and received the
information that agents think may have been compromised.
One of those interviewed, Steve Rosen, is the group's director of
foreign
policy issues; the FBI also interviewed a senior Middle East analyst
for
AIPAC, Keith Weissman. Neither could be reached Monday. An AIPAC
spokesman
declined to comment...
---
INVESTIGATORS LOOKING AT CONTACTS WITH ISRAELIS
Bradley Graham and Dan Eggen, Washington Post, 8/31/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47521-2004Aug30.html
The FBI has interviewed several senior Pentagon officials in recent
days in
connection with an investigation of a Defense Department analyst who is
suspected of providing classified documents to Israel but has been
cooperating with investigators for several weeks, government officials
said
yesterday.
Douglas J. Feith, undersecretary for policy, and Peter Rodman,
assistant
secretary for international security affairs, are among those who met
with
FBI agents on Sunday and Monday about the case, which has focused on
contacts between a lower-level Pentagon analyst, Lawrence A. Franklin,
and
the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), officials said.
Defense Undersecretary Douglas J. Feith was among officials the FBI
spoke to.
Higher-ranking government officials have also been briefed about the
FBI
investigation in recent days, including Secretary of State Colin L.
Powell.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Powell was briefed over
the
weekend during a telephone call by James B. Comey, the deputy attorney
general, and told his senior aides at a meeting yesterday to "cooperate
in
any way with any requests that might come from the investigators."
U.S. government officials familiar with the Pentagon interviews, who
declined to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the case,
characterized them as an attempt by FBI investigators to determine
whether
Franklin received authorization from any superior to engage in the
actions
that investigators are probing. The FBI has been forced to accelerate
its
investigation since the case broke into public view through media
reports
Friday...
---
F.B.I. IS SAID TO BRIEF PENTAGON BOSSES ON SPY CASE
David Johnston and Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 8/31/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/31/politics/campaign/31inquire.html
WASHINGTON- F.B.I. agents met in recent days with two high-level
Pentagon
officials to discuss the case of a Defense Department analyst who is
suspected of turning over a classified policy document to Israel, a
senior
official in the department said on Monday.
The two officials, Paul D. Wolfowitz, the deputy defense secretary, and
Douglas J. Feith, the under secretary for policy, were briefed on the
case
of the analyst, Lawrence A. Franklin, who was a lower-level employee in
Mr.
Feith's office who specialized in Iranian issues.
The official said that meetings with Mr. Wolfowitz and Mr. Feith were
briefings rather than interviews. It remained somewhat unclear whether
either man was asked any questions during the meetings about his
knowledge
of Mr. Franklin's activities.
Mr. Feith met with agents at his home on Sunday, the official said. It
was
not clear exactly when and where the agents met with Mr. Wolfowitz. The
meetings were first reported on Monday by the Associated Press.
Pentagon officials said in a statement on Friday that no one at the
Defense
Department beyond Mr. Franklin was suspected of any wrongdoing. Neither
Mr.
Wolfowitz nor Mr. Feith is regarded as having any involvement in the
matter
other than as potential witnesses because of their familiarity with Mr.
Franklin's work.
So far, no charges in the case have been brought, but behind the scenes
government lawyers prepared to make the first arrests by issuing a
criminal
complaint against one or more figures in the case, government officials
said on Monday…
---
ISRAELI ESPIONAGE AGAINST THE US
Sam Husseini, Counterpunch, 8/30/04
http://www.counterpunch.org/husseini08302004.html
[This survey of Israeli spying on the US was compiled in 1997.]
The Washington Post reported in a front-page story on May 7th, 1997
that US
intelligence had intercepted a conversation in which two Israeli
officials
had discussed the possibility of getting a confidential letter that
then-Secretary of State Warren Christopher had written to Palestinian
leader Yasir Arafat. One of the Israelis had commented that they may
get
the letter from "Mega"-- apparently a codename for an Israeli agent
within
the US government.
This revelation has been treated by much of the press as something of
an
aberration, as Israeli officials have claimed that they do not spy on
the
US. Israel Foreign Minister David Levy told the Washington Post
(5/8/97)
that "Our diplomats all over the world, and of course specifically in
the
US, don't deal with such a thing." Prime Minister Netanyahu's office
declared: "Israel does not use intelligence agents in the United
States.
Period."
Here is a sampling of the public record of Israeli espionage and covert
actions against the US:
According to Time magazine (5/19/97), the US ambassador to Israel,
Martin
Indyk, last year "complained privately to the Israeli government about
heavy-handed surveillance by Israeli intelligence agents, who had been
following American-embassy employees in Tel Aviv and searching the
hotel
rooms of visiting US officials..."
---
ISRAEL'S ALBATROSS: U.S. NEOCONS
Robert Scheer, Los Angeles Times, 8/31/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-scheer31aug31,1,1624892.column
With friends like these, Israel doesn't need enemies. The purported
Israeli
"spy caper" is another sign that the neoconservatives in the Bush
administration, who claim to be big supporters of Israel, on the
contrary,
have increased the risks for the Mideast's only functioning democracy.
As the developing story goes, a neocon Pentagon official allegedly gave
classified documents to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee,
the
pro-Israel lobby, which then passed them on to the Israeli Embassy.
So far, these are only unproved accusations. It is disturbing that some
well-placed officials in the Bush administration have leaked to the
media
allegations of spying against the Pentagon official and a respected
ally.
As demonstrated in the phony, Clinton-era China spy case, in which Los
Alamos nuclear weapons scientist Wen Ho Lee was smeared, such lurid
charges
may not stick. But the charges now circulating do call attention to the
regime-change ideologues in the Pentagon, whose antics have left Israel
more vulnerable than at any time in recent memory.
First, the Bush administration abandoned the Israel-Palestinian peace
process and the United States' historical role as a good-faith broker
between the two sides. Then, after 9/11, the tight band of so-called
neoconservatives who had championed the invasion of Iraq for years,
both in
Israel and in the U.S., successfully completed their hijacking of U.S.
foreign policy by landing us in the Iraq quagmire.
This has only served to inflame passions across the region, increasing
the
threat to Israel. Many Israelis concerned for their country are alarmed
by
President Bush's substitution of militarism for diplomacy, which they
believe only benefits those who profit from fear and hate -- such as
arms
brokers and political and religious extremists.
In addition, moderates across the Muslim world have seen their position
eroded by popular anger over the U.S. occupation and Washington's
uncritical support for Ariel Sharon. Al Qaeda and allied terror groups
have
seized on the chaos and fury to recruit a new generation of fighters.
Extremists are now in control of crucial parts of Iraq and disrupting
the
rest, while rogue Iran is more politically influential among their
co-religionists in the Shiite majority in Iraq than is the U.S. with
its
120,000 troops on the ground...
-----
NO CHANGE FOR CHECHNYA
Washington Post, 8/31/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47919-2004Aug30.html
THE RUSSIAN REPUBLIC of Chechnya got a new president Sunday -- but
congratulations to Alu Alkhanov, the career police officer taking over
the
job, don't really seem to be in order. After all, three of Chechnya's
four
previous presidents have died violently, including the last one, who
perished in a bombing in May. And Mr. Alkhanov's own selection, like
that
of Akhmad Kadyrov before him, came through an election blatantly rigged
by
the Russian government. Mr. Alkhanov is promising Chechnya's
long-suffering
population an economic revival, but the more likely prospect is the
grinding continuation of a war that has destroyed the republic, bled
and
corrupted the occupying Russian army, and contributed to the crumbling
of
democracy and free speech in Russia itself.
Responsibility for this debacle lies squarely with Russian President
Vladimir Putin, who ordered the army to invade Chechnya and crush its
quasi-independent, democratically elected government five years ago.
Mr.
Putin used the military campaign to fuel his own ascent from prime
minister
to president in 2000, but everything else about his war has gone wrong.
Despite repeated declarations of victory, Russian troops and their
local
allies have not been able to eliminate Chechen resistance, which
increasingly has become linked to Islamic extremism. Tens of thousands
of
Chechens still languish in refugee camps; the capital, Grozny, remains
in
ruins. Russian forces, which have subjected Chechen civilians to
systematic
abduction, torture and summary execution, suffer their own steady
stream of
casualties, though news of them is now mostly suppressed. Harder to
hide
are the large-scale -- and repugnant -- terrorist attacks against
Russian
civilians. After two days of prevarication, authorities finally
acknowledged that two civilian airliners that crashed after takeoff
from
Moscow last week, killing at least 89, were brought down by explosions
probably caused by Chechen suicide bombers.
For years liberal Russians and Western governments have been trying to
tell
Mr. Putin that even if he is justified in fighting terrorism, his
strategy
of subduing Chechnya by force will never succeed. He refuses to listen,
or
learn. Instead he has silenced the Russian media that sought to report
honestly on the situation, exiled foreign observers and aid groups, and
tried to force refugees to return home. When the president he installed
through a rigged election was killed, he simply nominated another
puppet
and organized another rigged election. His rejection of the alternative
--
a broad dialogue with Chechens, including those of the government he
overthrew -- dooms Chechnya to unchanging misery, and his government to
an
endless quagmire.
-----
A NO-WIN SITUATION
Paul Krugman, New York Times, 8/31/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/31/opinion/31krugman.html
Everyone wants to go to Baghdad; real men want to go to Tehran." That
was
the attitude in Washington two years ago, when Ahmad Chalabi was
assuring
everyone that Iraqis would greet us with flowers. More recently, some
of us
had a different slogan: "Everyone worries about Najaf; people who are
really paying attention worry about Ramadi."
Ever since the uprising in April, the Iraqi town of Falluja has in
effect
been a small, nasty Islamic republic. But what about the rest of the
Sunni
triangle?
Last month a Knight-Ridder report suggested that U.S. forces were
effectively ceding many urban areas to insurgents. Last Sunday The
Times
confirmed that while the world's attention was focused on Najaf,
western
Iraq fell firmly under rebel control. Representatives of the
U.S.-installed
government have been intimidated, assassinated or executed.
Other towns, like Samarra, have also fallen to insurgents. Attacks on
oil
pipelines are proliferating. And we're still playing whack-a-mole with
Moktada al-Sadr: his Mahdi Army has left Najaf, but remains in control
of
Sadr City, with its two million people. The Christian Science Monitor
reports that "interviews in Baghdad suggest that Sadr is walking away
from
the standoff with a widening base and supporters who are more militant
than
before."
For a long time, anyone suggesting analogies with Vietnam was
ridiculed.
But Iraq optimists have, by my count, already declared victory three
times.
First there was "Mission Accomplished" - followed by an escalating
insurgency. Then there was the capture of Saddam - followed by April's
bloody uprising. Finally there was the furtive transfer of formal
sovereignty to Ayad Allawi, with implausible claims that this showed
progress - a fantasy exploded by the guns of August.
Now, serious security analysts have begun to admit that the goal of a
democratic, pro-American Iraq has receded out of reach. Anthony
Cordesman
of the Center for Strategic and International Studies - no peacenik -
writes that "there is little prospect for peace and stability in Iraq
before late 2005, if then..."
-----
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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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/1/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: SEEK MEDICAL TREATMENT
* REGISTER FOR CAIR'S OCT. BANQUET & CONVENTION
- CAIR-NY Offers Civil Rights Internships
* THE MUSLIM PATIENT WILL SEE YOU NOW, DOCTOR (NYT)
* WHO GETS MUSLIM VOTE ISN'T DONE DEAL (PNS)
* TARIQ RAMADAN: TOO SCARY FOR THE CLASSROOM? (NYT)
- Academics, Newspaper Protest Revocation of Visa (AFP)
- Ramadan's Vital Work (Guardian)
* AZ: VANDALISM BEING INVESTIGATED AS HATE CRIME (Fox 11)
- Tucson Police Investigate Anti-Muslim Hate Crime (AP)
* IA: ANTI-MUSLIM GRAFFITI STUNS CAMPUSTOWN (IA State Daily)
- KY: Islamic Community Getting New Mosque (Daily News)
* CIA SEEKS MUSLIM RECRUITS (Christian Science Monitor)
* MUSLIM ONLINE PETITION REJECTS VIOLENCE (UPI)
- A Show of Unity in France (NY Times)
* FBI SEIZES COMPUTER FROM AIPAC OFFICES (Jerusalem Post)
- Spy Probe Scans Neo Con-Israel Ties (IPS)
- U.S. Spy Probe Focuses on Two Lobbyists (AP)
* MI: U.S. TO DROP CHARGES IN TERROR TRIAL (Free Press)
- AZ: Relatives Rally Behind Yee (WV View)
* 2ND ANNUAL TX MUSLIM LEGISLATIVE DAY
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: SEEK MEDICAL TREATMENT
When companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) asked if
they
should seek medical treatment for their illnesses, the Prophet replied:
"Yes, you should seek medical treatment, because God lets no disease
exist
without providing its cure, except for one ailment, old age."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 1755
-----
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S OCT. 2-5 BANQUET & CONVENTION
Join us in our nation's capital for 4 days of exciting activities!
TO REGISTER, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-NY OFFERS CIVIL RIGHTS INTERNSHIPS
CAIR-NY is currently offering internships for its Civil Rights Program.
QUALIFICATIONS: College student, law school students preferred.
SCHEDULE: Is flexible, usually 1-2 days a week or a minimum of six
hours
DUTIES: Assist Civil Rights Coordinator is preparing case summaries for
a
variety of discrimination claims.
If you are interested in applying, please send your resume to
wnasr@cair-ny.com or fax it to: 212.870.2020. Questions can be directed
to
Wissam or Ina at 212.870.2002.
-----
THE MUSLIM PATIENT WILL SEE YOU NOW, DOCTOR
Katie Zezima, New York Times, 9/1/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/01/national/01muslim.html
PORTLAND, Me. - Until recently, Rahmah, a Muslim woman who moved here
from
Somalia in 1997, was embarrassed when she was told to disrobe for
doctor's
examinations at Maine Medical Center. The short hem and open back of
the
flimsy robe she was asked to put on affronted her religious belief that
women should dress to preserve their modesty.
''It was very troubling,'' said Rahmah, a hospital employee who did not
want her last name used because of some anti-Muslim sentiment directed
at
the hospital. ''It showed my body and I was not comfortable.''
When a nurse could not provide her with a longer johnny, as the gowns
are
called, she covered her legs with a shawl before the doctor entered.
The
hospital gown, she and others thought, needed to be redesigned for
Muslim
women.
Seven years later, Maine Medical Center is doing just that, after
discovering that a number of Muslim women were skipping appointments
rather
than expose their skin to a doctor. The hospital is offering all
patients a
two-piece alternative to the traditional short gown. It cloaks patients
from neck to feet, in accordance with Muslim standards of modesty and
the
desire of many other patients to cover up in the hospital.
''It's one piece of an overall effort to improve patient care,'' said
Dana
Farris Gaya, manager of interpreter and cross-cultural services for
Maine
Medical Center. She picked up on an interpreter's comments about the
gowns
at a meeting about Muslim health issues in November and canvassed
Muslims
for feedback.
''We saw that people were not getting the medical care they needed,''
Ms.
Gaya said. We had to look at the barriers to care, and the johnny was
one,
so we made it longer.''
Patients are now given the option to wear a longer, roomier top piece
that
provides ample back coverage. The new part of the design is a
floor-length
sarong that patients tie around their waists beneath the gown. The
hospital's seamstress has made about 75 of various vibrant colors and
prints, some with purple and white flowers, others with what appears to
be
rainbow streaks of paint. Some of these bottom pieces, which resemble
large
bedsheets, are in maroon and green prints more appropriate for men.
They
have been available for about four weeks...
-----
WHO GETS THE U.S. MUSLIM VOTE ISN'T A DONE DEAL
Sandip Roy, Pacific News Service, 9/1/04
http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=736a9fdb48c2ae44e3539c895927c6ee
Neither George W. Bush nor John F. Kerry will show up at the biggest
Islamic convention in North America this weekend, but their proxies
will be
at the Chicago gathering to woo the Islamic Society of North America.
Vying for the support of tens of thousands of fellow Muslims is
Muhammad
Ali Hasan, who has just launched MuslimsForBush.com. He must contend
with
Shahed Amanullah, who helped start MuslimsForKerry,com. The candidate
who
is supposed to be there in flesh though is the only Arab-American in
the
fray - Ralph Nader.
That worries Amanullah. According to a recent poll by New California
Media
and Amnesty International, Nader is polling as high as Bush among
Arab,Pakistani and Iranian Americans. "It's time to get beyond the
protest
vote," says Amanullah. "The alternative to voting for Bush could be
staying
at home or voting for Nader, both of which help Bush."
Kerry does lead Bush 3 to 1 in the same poll, but Hasan of
MuslimsForBush
thinks that American Muslims just don't have the facts. "After 9/11
there
was only one candidate who made it a point to go out on the air waves
and
say terrorism and Islam are very different things. President Bush spoke
out
against internment camps," says Hasan who met the President through his
father, a major player in the HMO industry and a big donor.
"President Bush said the right things," concedes Samina Faheem,
executive
director of American Muslim Voice. "But a person's actions speak louder
than words." Jamal Dajani, director of LinkTV's Mosaic program, a
roundup
of news from Arab television, agrees. "Arab Americans definitely feel
betrayed by Bush due to the Patriot Act, the war on Iraq and his biased
policies towards Israel, although the conservative ones identify with
the
Republicans on issues such as abortion, marriage and the so-called
moral
values," says Dajani.
In 2000, groups like the American Muslim Political Coordination Council
(AMPCC) strongly endorsed candidate Bush. The Council of American
Islamic
Relations said Muslim support for Gore dropped from 20 percent to 8
percent
after that endorsement. AMPCC claimed the Muslim vote in Florida helped
Bush win.
Faheem says in 2000, Bush, unlike Al Gore, met with the Muslim
leadership
and was very accessible. In his second debate with Gore he said, "Arab
Americans are racially profiled in what's called secret evidence.
People
are stopped and we've got to do something about it."
"Bush was a blank slate. Gore and Lieberman were steeped in years of
support for Israel. Since 2000 Mulims have had a crash course in
politics
the hard way," says Amanullah.
This time he believes domestic issues like civil liberties will
outweigh
international issues like the Israel-Palestine conflict when Muslims go
to
the polling booth. But Hasan contends that Bush has delivered for Arab
Americans. Bush, he says, complied when they asked that Rick Lazio,
whom
they accused of being anti-Muslim, be kept off the Cabinet. He also
named
as Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, an Arab American. "Bush has been
bending over backwards for these guys and they are not giving him any
sugar," complains Hasan. "They need to wise up."
But other Arabs point out that high-profile Arab Americans like John
Abizaid and Abraham are all Christians. "The general attitude is
(Abraham)
is essentially a token pick who has little real influence on policy,"
says
Nidal Ibrahim, publisher of Arab American Business Magazine.
Ibrahim says Kerry hasn't capitalized on the strong opposition to Bush.
"He
has done little to sway the Arab American vote, banking instead on a
strategy of what choice do they really have," says Ibrahim. In closely
contested states like Florida, Michigan and Ohio that neglect could
backfire…
-----
TOO SCARY FOR THE CLASSROOM?
Tariq Ramadan, New York Times, 9/1/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/01/opinion/01ramadan.html
Geneva - Right now, I am supposed to be in South Bend, Ind., beginning
my
term as a professor of Islamic studies at the University of Notre Dame.
After all, my petition for a work/residence visa in the United States
was
granted in May, after meticulous clearance procedures. But nine days
before
I was to move, I received an urgent message from the American Embassy:
my
visa had been revoked. If I wished to reapply, I was told, I was
welcome to
do so; but no reasons for the revocation were given. Classes have now
begun
at Notre Dame, while my wife and children and I wait here in a barren
apartment.
The State Department's reasoning remains a mystery. For some time I
have
been considered a controversial figure in France; but this was well
known
by the American government when I received the visa in the spring. I
have
been accused of engaging in "double talk" - that is, of delivering a
gentle
message in French and English, and a radical, violent one in Arabic.
My detractors have tried to demonstrate that I have links with
extremists,
that I am an anti-Semite and that I despise women. Repeatedly I have
denied
these assertions, and asked my critics to show evidence from my
writings
and public comments. Their failure to do so has had little effect: I am
repeatedly confronted with magazine articles and Web postings repeating
these accusations as facts and fabricating new ones.
And now the web of lies has spread across the Atlantic Ocean. The most
damaging accusations were in an article in Vanity Fair claiming that I
had
written the preface to a volume of essays that endorsed the stoning of
women caught in adultery. Actually, the book condemned the practice as
un-Islamic.
I admit that my intellectual project is inherently controversial. My
goal
is to foster communities within the Islamic world that are seeking a
path
between their often bitter experience with some American and European
policies on the one hand, and the unacceptable violence of Islamic
extremists on the other. I understand, share and publicly discuss many
of
the Muslim criticisms of "Western" governments, including the
deleterious
worldwide effects of unregulated American consumerism.
I find current American policies toward the Middle East misguided and
counterproductive, a position I believe I share with millions of
Americans
and Europeans. Yet I have also criticized many so-called Islamic
governments, including that of Saudi Arabia, for their human rights
violations and offenses against human dignity, personal freedom and
pluralism...
ALSO SEE:
US ACADEMICS, NEWSPAPER PROTEST REVOCATION OF VISA FOR ISLAMIC SCHOLAR
Agence France Presse, 9/1/04
CHICAGO - More than a dozen US academics added their voices to calls
urging
US authorities to reinstate a visa for Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan.
The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) on Tuesday
called on
US Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge in a letter to authorise a work
permit
for the Swiss national.
The 41-year-old scholar was scheduled to take up a teaching post at the
University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, last week, but was
barred
at the last minute when the US State Department rescinded his visa.
US authorities have refused to comment in detail on Ramadan's case, but
the
move has been widely censured by US academics, who suspect the Swiss
national has been barred because of his criticisms of US foreign
policy.
"Although Dr Ramadan has voiced criticism of some US and Israeli
policies
in Palestine, the war in Iraq, and US support for authoritarian regimes
in
the Middle East, such opinions constitute no reason to deny him a
visa,"
the Center's board of directors said in the letter.
The Washington-based organisation brings together some of the foremost
US
scholars on Islam, including professors from Georgetown University in
Washington and New York state's Cornell University, in the interests of
promoting a better understanding of Islam and democracy.
Their concerns were underscored by the American Association of
University
Professors, a Washington-based advocacy group for academic freedom, in
a
letter issued last week.
In the letter to Ridge and US Secretary of State Colin Powell, the
association rebuked authorities for a decision that it said appeared to
be
at odds "with our society's respect for academic freedom..."
---
RAMADAN'S VITAL WORK
Guardian, 9/1/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,10551,1294497,00.html
The department of homeland security's de facto veto of the University
of
Notre Dame's appointment of the Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan to a
chair in
the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies is offensive, not
least
as a denial of academic freedom (An oft-repeated 'truth', August 31).
This
revocation of Ramadan's work visa bears the imprint of those
influential
supporters of Israel's rightwing government in the Pentagon. These
pro-Sharon neocons have been at the centre of the Bush administration's
foreign policy.
A close scrutiny of Ramadan's work reveals an erudite, provocative
scholar;
one committed to the further evolution of Islam's understanding of its
revelation and religious practice. Moreover, he is concerned to
facilitate
the discussions that must ensue if Judaism, Christianity and Islam are
to
build mutual respect en route to developing some common ground.
We must examine the tactics of Ramadan's accusers. While they offer no
evidence that he is a threat to US security, he is readily charged with
being anti-semitic - a tactic widely used by pro-Sharon elements in the
American Israel Public Affairs Committee and those in the Pentagon who
would intimidate and silence critics of the current government of
Israel.
This tactic is being widely used by neoconservatives, for example
Daniel
Pipes, whose campuswatch website encourages students to report
professors
who contest Israel's policies.
In short, criticism of Israel is now glibly equated with anti-semitism.
(Ramadan's offence, inter alia, was to have rebuked French Jewish
intellectuals for their silence on Israel's murderous tactics in the
occupied territories.) What is more, it is not only Muslim leaders and
other non-Jewish opponents of Israel's continued control and settlement
of
the territories who are targeted in this manner. Jews in the peace
movements who protest Sharon's policies also find themselves smeared as
anti-semitic, "self-hating Jews".
Prof Peter Walshe Fellow of the Kroc Institute for International Peace
Studies, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
-----
MUSLIM'S TIRES SLASHED, WINDSHIELD SMASHED
Irene Hsiao, Tuscon Citizen, 9/1/04
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=local&story_id=090104a4_hatecrime
A man found his tires slashed and windshield damaged in what police are
calling the year's second anti-Muslim hate crime.
Omar Alkurdi, 33, of the 3200 block of East Fort Lowell Road, woke up
Aug.
24 and found two tires slashed and one deflated, a broken windshield
probably hit by rocks, and a note taped to the back of his car that
said,
"You are not welcome here!! Go home you stupid ---!!"
"I was so sad," Alkurdi said yesterday before he went to English class.
His wife, who is six months pregnant, translated some of his thoughts.
"He says he knows American people are usually educated (about the
Middle
East situation). They're supposed to be kind and understanding. Nobody
likes stereotypes," she said. "It was a big surprise and a big shock
for
us. We came to the United States to live a normal, happy life and not
be
treated like that."
Alkurdi arrived in the United States from Jordan three years ago, said
his
wife, who did not want to be identified. She said she came from Jordan
16
years ago, and that the two had no problems before this incident.
The wife said she started wearing a head scarf a year ago. That might
have
been a factor in the crime, said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations.
"We hate to see these kind of incidents. Unfortunately they seem to be
a
growing problem," Hooper said...
ALSO SEE:
CAR VANDALISM BEING INVESTIGATED AS HATE CRIME BY TUCSON POLICE
FOX 11, 8/31/04
http://www.fox11az.com/news/local/stories/KMSB-20040831-dsbp-hatecrime.d136d0dc.html
A Muslim man's car was vandalized and a racist note was left behind in
an
incident that police are investigating as a hate crime.
The incident is the first reported hate crime directed at a Muslim in
Tucson this year, said Sgt. Marco Borboa, a Tucson Police Department
spokesman.
The vandalism was discovered shortly after midnight Aug. 23, according
to a
police report. The man's car was parked near the entrance of an
apartment
complex near East Fort Lowell and North Country Club roads and the
front
windshield had been smashed with a large rock and three tires slashed.
A
note was taped to the rear window, saying "You are not welcome here!!
Go
home you stupid (expletives)!!" according to the police report.
The man is a U.S. citizen who was born in Jordan and recently moved to
Tucson from Phoenix.
A spokeswoman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic
Relations said the incident is part of a disturbing pattern of recent
incidents of vandalism reported by Muslims across the nation.
In the past month, cars belonging to Muslims have been reportedly
vandalized in New York, Virginia, New Jersey and a fire was
intentionally
set at a Muslim store in McAllen, Texas, said CAIR spokeswoman Rabiah
Ahmed. Assaults or anti-Muslim slurs have also been reported in the
past
month in Buffalo, N.Y., Illinois and California.
---
TUCSON POLICE INVESTIGATE HATE CRIME AGAINST MUSLIM
Associated Press, 8/31/04
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0831hatecrime-ON.html
TUCSON - The vandalism of a Muslim man's car in an apartment complex
will
be investigated as a possible hate crime, a Tucson Police Department
spokesman said Tuesday.
According to a police report, the car's tires were slashed, its
windshield
smashed and a note was taped to the vehicle, Sgt. Marco Borboa said.
The
note read, "You are not welcome here. Go back home you stupid
(epithet)."
The incident was reported as occurring sometime late on Aug. 23 or
early
Aug. 24, Borboa said.
The car, owned by a U.S. resident from Jordan, was parked in the lot of
an
apartment building in midtown Tucson, he added. Borboa declined to
release
the name of the victim.
The number of other possible hate crimes under investigation this year
was
not available immediately, police said.
-----
ANTI-MUSLIM GRAFFITI STUNS CAMPUSTOWN
Heather Behrens, Iowa State Daily, 9/1/01
http://www.iowastatedaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/09/01/4135514143e7e
"Wipe out Islam for world peace. The Koran demands your murder. Islam
is
terrorism."
Such were the words of an anonymous act of vandalism in Campustown. The
graffiti left members of the local Muslim community aghast.
"I was just completely shocked," said Basil Mahayni, senior in
political
science. "We rarely ever see anything like that."
Members of the Muslim Student Association reported the vandalism after
discovering it Aug. 20 on a picnic table at the corner of Chamberlain
Street and Welch Avenue.
Saleh Tamim, general secretary of the Muslim Student Association, was
among
the group that reported the incident. Tamim said he found the words
hurtful
and baffling.
"It's really offensive," said Tamim, senior in engineering. "I don't
know
why somebody would write such a thing."
Tamim and Mahayni agreed such acts toward the Muslim community were
rare in
Ames. Tamim said he hasn't seen anything like this since he came to
Ames in
2002.
Mahayni said his last experience with hate directed toward him as a
Muslim
was immediately after Sept. 11, 2001. He was walking with friends when
another student walked by.
"He told us to 'go drop a bomb on your own country,'" Mahayni said.
Ignorance exists, but people react to it differently, he said. Some act
on
it by asking questions to inform themselves, Mahayni said, while others
choose to take their beliefs as fact and make blind statements.
Though Ames is an accepting community, Mahayni said, occasional
expressions
of hate indicate tolerance remains a work in progress...
ALSO SEE:
ISLAMIC COMMUNITY GETTING NEW MOSQUE
Christopher Miller, Daily News, 8/1/04
http://www.bgdailynews.com/articles/stories/public/200409/01/0e5E_news.html
People curious about a large yellow and blue sign that reads Scott,
Murphy
& Daniel at Morgantown Road and Willoughby Lane are learning that a new
Islamic Cultural Center will be built there.
That has prompted numerous questions about the identity of the Islamic
community, according to Nagy Morsi, a doctor at the Ashley Medical
Center
in Bowling Green. He is a member of the Islamic Cultural Center at 746
Old
Morgantown Road and is coordinating the construction of the new and
expanded building.
Expected to be complete in February, the site will be the first
self-owned
place of worship for the Islamic community here. The group has rented
space
in various locations and has been a part of the community since 1998.
According to Morsi, membership at the Islamic Cultural Center has
steadily
grown to 3,000, justifying the expansion. He added that membership is
predominantly Bosnian and many Bosnians have located in Warren County
because of the existence of the International Center.
The 7,000-square-foot building will contain two classrooms for teaching
children about the Quran, a library and a main room for services.
It will cost between $700,000 and $800,000, and the Islamic Culture
Center
of Bowling Green is using funds from member donations to pay for the
construction.
"The Islam religion is a very peaceful religion," Morsi said. "Many
things
are common in Islamic and Christian religion. Islam honors Jesus as a
prophet, and his teaching as prophesy from God. Muslims read the New
Testament and the Old Testament. And in a sense, the religion is an
extension of both the Jewish and Christian religions, adding to them
the
revelations of the Prophet Mohammed. We are part of this community. Our
children are Americans. We love our country."
Augusta Mayfield, Morsi's wife, a doctor and a Christian, considers
well-publicized Islamic extremism much like extremism in any religion.
"There has been a lot of press," she said. "I wouldn't want our
community
to think there are extremists here."
The major difference between Islam and Christianity comes in the role
of
Jesus, according to John Long, the head of the department of Philosophy
and
Religion at Western Kentucky University.
-----
RECRUITING SPIES: TRICKS OF A MURKY TRADE
The CIA makes progress, but critics say it is hampered by Muslim
bitterness
against the US and other challenges.
Alexandra Marks, Christian Science Monitor, 9/2/04
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0902/p02s01-usmi.html
NEW YORK - To understand one reason why the CIA and FBI may be having
trouble recruiting the kind of informants that would be the most
effective
against Al Qaeda, just talk to "Mohammed."
A devout Muslim immigrant fluent in Arabic who's been in the country
for
six years, he's got no use for Al Qaeda, or the US government. Soon
after
9/11 he was thrown in jail for two months - "detained" was the word
used by
the Justice Department. He says he was shackled, questioned, and
intimidated before he was finally let go. Add to that the war in Iraq,
in
which he believes innocent Muslims are being killed, and he scoffs at
the
idea of helping the US government, no matter how despicable he finds
Osama
bin Laden.
"Why should I want to help people like that, people who are killing my
Muslim brothers everyday?" asks the computer specialist, standing in a
coffee shop in Brooklyn. He asked that his real name not be used for
fear
of retribution.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks exposed the inadequacy of American
intelligence's clandestine services - its lack of spies on the ground
and
native speakers in countries that are terrorist hotbeds - the agencies
have
made great strides. All analysts agree on that. The CIA has been
graduating
the largest classes of spies and analysts ever, and it turns away
thousands
of applicants a year, including many Arab Americans eager to fight Al
Qaeda
and terrorism.
But there's also general consensus the Central Intelligence Agency and
its
14 brethren spy agencies still have great lengths still to go build a
truly
effective spy network that can regularly infiltrate Al Qaeda and its
proliferating franchises around the world. Before stepping down, George
Tenet told Congress he believed it would take another five years to
fully
rebuild the agency's clandestine operations. Other analysts contend a
more
realistic assessment is 10 to 15 years.
That work is complicated by several factors, including an evolving
understanding of the nature of the terrorist threat, and ethical
questions
about what lengths Americans should go to protect the country. Another
big
stumbling block, according to some critics: the way the government has
handled the Arab American and Muslim communities in the wake of 9/11.
"It's difficult to recruit people to join organizations when they feel
besieged by them," says Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on
American-Islamic Relations in Washington. "The detentions ... the
foreign
policies in the Muslim world, you name it. Muslims are feeling besieged
by
it these days…"
-----
MUSLIM ONLINE PETITION REJECTS VIOLENCE
United Press International, 8/31/04
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?rid=a618a73f675e4b97&cat=b8de8e630faf3631
WASHINGTON - A prominent U.S. Islamic organization called Tuesday for
Muslims to sign an online petition to disassociate Islam from
religiously
motivated terror.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a
statement saying the petition on its Web site, 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 petition says, in part: "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 is accessible on the CAIR Web site at cair-net.org.
ALSO SEE:
A SHOW OF UNITY IN FRANCE
New York Times, 9/1/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/01/opinion/01wed3.html
Major French Islamic groups and the political opposition have rallied
behind the government's defiance of Iraqi kidnappers who seized two
French
journalists last month and demanded that France revoke its ban on the
wearing of Islamic head scarves in state schools. The display of unity
was
encouraging. The head-scarf ban may be ill conceived and
discriminatory,
but French education policy should not be set by terrorists. Islamic
leaders in France are forcefully making that point, too.
The journalists, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, disappeared
on
Aug. 20 on the road from Baghdad to Najaf. On Saturday, the Islamic
Army in
Iraq, a previously unknown militant group, said it had kidnapped them
and
demanded that France revoke the head-scarf ban. A group with a similar
name
is believed to have killed an Italian journalist, Enzo Baldoni, last
week.
Kidnappers have gone after citizens of several countries in post-Saddam
Iraq, but until now their demands have almost always been linked to the
withdrawal of troops, as was the case with Mr. Baldoni.
In response to the demand, the French government said the head-scarf
ban
would be strictly applied when classes resume on Thursday, after the
summer
vacation. And Fouad Alami, secretary general of the Union of French
Islamic
Organizations, recommended that students observe the ban, which the
group
opposes.
This response undercuts the Iraqi militants' attempt to divide French
society and the continent's reactionary fears about its immigrant
populations. We hope it awakens French society to just how baseless the
widespread anti-Muslim prejudices really are.
-----
FBI SEIZES COMPUTER FROM AIPAC OFFICES
Janine Zacharia, Jerusalem Post, 9/1/04
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1093921795845
FBI agents on Friday copied the computer hard drive of a senior staffer
at
the American Israel Public Affairs Committee who has been questioned in
relation to the case of a Pentagon official suspected of turning over a
classified document either directly to Israel, or via the pro-Israel
lobby
group.
Sources in Washington said the hard drive was that of Steve Rosen,
AIPAC's
director of foreign policy issues.
It was not clear if FBI agents also seized other materials from Rosen's
office. AIPAC says it is cooperating fully with the FBI's
investigation.
Government lawyers, according to Tuesday's New York Times, are
preparing to
make the first arrests in the case by issuing a criminal complaint
against
one or more figures who are said to be involved. The case is being
handled
by federal prosecutors in Virginia.
But experts suggested that the rush to file a complaint could be a sign
that the charge will be less severe than that of espionage, as was
originally reported.
"The fact that they're going to file a complaint instead of an
indictment
is an indication of the weakness of their case," said one criminal
defense
expert. A criminal complaint would allow the government to proceed with
arrests more quickly.
AIPAC and Israel have denied any wrongdoing in a case that has become
increasingly muddled since CBS News reported on Friday that the FBI was
about to arrest an Israeli mole in the Pentagon.
Investigators suspect that a mid-level Pentagon staffer, Larry
Franklin,
provided either AIPAC or Israel with a secret draft of an internal
planning
document on US policy toward Iran...
ALSO SEE:
SPY PROBE SCANS NEO CON-ISRAEL TIES
Jim Lobe, IPS, 8/31/04
http://www.ipsnews.org/interna.asp?idnews=25285
SEATTLE - The burgeoning scandal over claims that a Pentagon official
passed highly classified secrets to a Zionist lobby group appears to be
part of a much broader set of FBI and Pentagon investigations of close
collaboration between prominent U.S. neo-conservatives and Israel
dating
back some 30 years.
According to knowledgeable sources, who asked to not be identified, the
FBI
(Federal Bureau of Investigation) has been intensively reviewing a
series
of past counter-intelligence probes that were started against several
high-profile neo-cons but never followed up with prosecutions, to the
great
frustration of counter-intelligence officers, in some cases.
Some of these past investigations involve top current officials,
including
Deputy Secretary of Defence Paul Wolfowitz; Undersecretary of Defence
for
Policy Douglas Feith, whose office appears to be the focus of the most
recently disclosed inquiry; and Richard Perle, who resigned as Defence
Policy Board (DPB) chairman last year.
All three were the subject of a lengthy investigative story by Stephen
Green published by 'Counterpunch' in February. Green is the author of
two
books on U.S.-Israeli relations, including 'Taking Sides: America's
Secret
Relations with a Militant Israel', which relies heavily on interviews
with
former Pentagon and counter-intelligence officials.
At the same time, another Pentagon office concerned with the transfer
of
sensitive military and dual-use technologies has been examining the
acquisition, modification and sales of key hi-tech military equipment
by
Israel obtained from the United States, in some cases with the help of
prominent neo-conservatives who were then serving in the government.
Some of that equipment has been sold by Israel -- which in the last 20
years has become a top exporter of the world's most sophisticated
hi-tech
information and weapons technology -- or by Israeli middlemen, to
Russia,
China and other potential U.S. strategic rivals. Some of it has also
found
its way onto the black market, where terrorist groups -- possibly
including
al-Qaeda -- obtained bootlegged copies, according to these sources.
Of particular interest in that connection are derivatives of a powerful
case-management software called PROMIS that was produced by INSLAW, Inc
in
the early 1980s and acquired by Israel's Mossad intelligence agency,
which
then sold its own versions to other foreign intelligence agencies in
the
Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe.
But these versions were modified with a "trap door" that permitted the
seller to spy on the buyers' own intelligence files, according to a
number
of published reports...
---
U.S. SPY PROBE FOCUSES ON TWO LOBBYISTS
Curt Anderson, Associated Press, 9/1/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/politics/9554202.htm
WASHINGTON (AP) - Two employees of the main pro-Israeli lobbying group
are
the focus of an FBI investigation into whether a Pentagon employee
provided
them with classified material about Iran that was passed on to Israel.
U.S. government officials, speaking Wednesday on condition of anonymity
because of the ongoing investigation, confirmed the identities of the
two
American Israel Public Affairs Committee employees as director of
foreign
policy issues Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, an Iran expert.
The FBI interviewed both men on Friday, the same day that news first
surfaced about the investigation of the Defense Department analyst,
Larry
Franklin. Franklin works on issues involving Iran and the Middle East
in
the office of Defense Department policy undersecretary Douglas Feith.
No charges have been brought or arrests made in the case. Law
enforcement
officials have said prosecutors are weighing whether to charge anyone
involved with the most serious offense of espionage or with lesser
counts
of mishandling classified documents.
AIPAC attorney Nathan Lewin did not immediately return a telephone call
Wednesday about the FBI interviews with the group's two employees.
AIPAC
officials have said they are cooperating in the probe and have denied
any
wrongdoing, as has the Israeli government. Franklin has not responded
to
several telephone calls seeking comment.
The FBI and Justice Department have briefed a number of high-level
Pentagon, congressional and White House officials about the
investigation.
Secretary of State Colin Powell was briefed Sunday over the telephone
by
Deputy Attorney General James Comey, a State Department spokesman said.
-----
U.S. TO DROP CHARGES IN TERROR TRIAL
David Ashenfelter, Detroit Free Press, 9/1/04
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/9547268.htm
Federal prosecutors will admit they fumbled the nation's first
post-9/11
terrorism trial and ask a judge today to throw out charges that grew
out of
a raid in southwest Detroit.
Prosecutors also plan to consent to a defense request to retry three
men on
document fraud charges. Prosecutors informed defense lawyers of their
decision during a closed-door meeting Tuesday with U.S. District Judge
Gerald Rosen.
The decision is the biggest development in the case since the verdict
in
June 2003 and came on the same day President George W. Bush reasserted
his
contention that the United States can win its war on terrorism.
"I think they saw the writing on the wall," one person familiar with
the
case said Tuesday, referring to the probability that Rosen was going to
dismiss the case because prosecutors withheld documents that might have
caused the jury to acquit the men. Once the documents came out,
prosecutors
would have had a lot of explaining to do, said the source, who spoke on
condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions.
Defense lawyers said Tuesday they couldn't comment on developments in
the
case. The U.S. Attorney's Office wouldn't discuss it, either.
"Nothing has been filed and we cannot comment," said Gina Balaya, a
spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Moroccan immigrants Karim Koubriti, 26, and Abdel-Ilah Elmardoudi, 38,
were
convicted in June 2003 of conspiring to provide material support to
terrorism. Ahmed Hannan, 36, also of Morocco, was convicted of document
fraud. A fourth man was acquitted after the nine-week trial. Koubriti
and
Elmardoudi are in custody pending sentencing. Hannan is free on bond.
Koubriti and Elmardoudi, who also were convicted of document fraud,
were
facing up to 10 and 15 years in prison, respectively. Hannan was facing
up
to 5 years.
Prosecutors were expected to file the request seeking the dismissal of
charges against Koubriti and Elmardoudi by this morning. Rosen is
expected
to approve the request.
Rosen, who presided over the trial, criticized prosecutors last
December
for withholding documents that could have been used to challenge the
credibility of the government's star witness...
ALSO SEE:
LOCAL RELATIVES RALLY BEHIND ARMY CHAPLAIN ACCUSED, THEN CLEARED OF
ESPIONAGE
Mike Burkett, West Valley View, 9/1/04
http://westvalleyview.com/WESTVALLEYVIEW/myarticles.asp?P=782978&S=365&PubID=12642
Imagine a family member being suddenly arrested and charged with crimes
you
know, beyond doubt, he did not commit.
Imagine the loved one being branded a spy, thrown into solitary
confinement, denied his most basic civil rights and threatened with a
death
sentence while you fight, in vain, to be shown the alleged proof of his
guilt.
Imagine that months later, the accusations suddenly evaporate and your
family member is released - while those responsible for the nightmare
refuse to offer so much as an apology for the destruction of his life,
career and reputation.
One year ago, Goodyear residents John Yee and his son, Chris, could not
have conceived of such a Hitchcock-ian scenario. But now, they have
lived it.
John and Chris are the uncle and cousin, respectively, of Capt. James
Yee,
the Chinese-American Muslim army chaplain who was ministering to Muslim
prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, when he was arrested last Sept. 10
and
accused of espionage.
John and Chris learned of Yee's arrest the same way nearly everyone in
the
country learned of it: from a TV news program.
"My immediate response was total disbelief. Utter, utter shock and
disbelief; no way, no how, something is wrong with this," recalled the
35-year-old Chris, who is the West Valley View's circulation manager.
"To me, it was typical of the kind of reaction that Sept. 11 started,
especially in the Army," said John, 72. "I could not conceive, in my
wildest dreams, that this could be true. Because of his background, and
from what I know of his father [John Yee's brother] and mother, I knew
it
was just impossible..."
-----
2ND ANNUAL TX MUSLIM LEGISLATIVE DAY
WHAT: The Freedom and Justice Foundation will be hosting it second
annual
Muslim Legislative Day. Activities include first Khutbah Jumma Prayer
ever
held at the Texas State Capitol, interfaith prayer for 9/11 victims and
a
historical presentation on Muslim immigration to Texas. Meet Texas New
Director of Homeland Security, Steve McCraw and hear from Muslim
members of
a Texas Homeland Security Committee & Law Enforcement.
WHEN: Friday, September 10, from noon to 4:00 P.M.
WHERE: State Capitol Extension Auditorium in Austin, TX
There are no fees to attend and share in this historical event. This is
a
free event. Roundtrip bus transportation returning the same evening
from
D-FW and Houston carry a transportation fee of $30 from D-FW and $20
from
Houston (discounts are available for those who apply) Contact F & J for
more information at (972) 365-8214 or visit
http://www.freeandjust.org/events/legday.html to reserve your seat.
-----
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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS – 9/2/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: KINDNESS TO CHILDREN
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 7722 SPONSORSHIPS
- Register for CAIR's Oct. Banquet & Convention
- CAIR Job Opening: Civil Rights Coordinator
- CAIR Election Update #19: GOP Convention
* IL: PASTOR RIPS MUSLIMS, LOSES POLLING SITES (Sun Times)
- Anti-Mosque Church Loses Polling Place (Daily Southtown)
- Orland Park Pastor Criticized Muslims (Chicago Trib)
* 11 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SIGN ‘FIRE BOYKIN’ LETTER
* MI: FIRST DEARBORN SCHOOL NAMED FOR ARAB AMERICAN (Free Press)
- OH: Arabs Growing Anxious in Post-9/11 US (Athens)
* DIALOGUE WITH MODERATE MUSLIMS URGED (Forward)
- Community of Faith (AJC)
* MUSLIMS AT REPUBLICAN CONVENTION, BUT INFLUENCE UNCLEAR (RFE)
* RAMADAN MAY VIDEOCONFERENCE WITH ND STUDENTS (WNDU)
- Silencing Thinkers (Chicago Trib)
* FBI PROBE OF AIPAC SAID TO GO BEYOND ALLEGED MOLE (Haaretz)
- Pro-Israel Group's Possible Role at Issue (Wash Post)
- Questions Raised over AIPAC'S Tactics (Forward)
* MALAYSIA REBEL POLITICIAN ANWAR FREE, URGES REFORM (Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: KINDNESS TO CHILDREN
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever has three
daughters, care and provides for them, and show them mercy, will enter
Paradise.”
A man once told the Prophet that he had many children but did not kiss
any
of them. The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: “Verily, God will
only
show mercy to those of His servants who do good to others.”
Imam Bukhari’s Book of Muslim Morals and Manners
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 7721 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, you may sponsor an 18-item package about Islam and
Muslims,
which are then distributed to the library of their choice.
To sponsor a library call, visit:
http://www.cair-net.org/libraryproject/
ALSO SEE:
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S OCT. 2-5 BANQUET & CONVENTION
Join us in our nation's capital for 4 days of exciting activities!
TO REGISTER, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
---
CAIR JOB OPENING: CIVIL RIGHTS COORDINATOR
CAIR has an immediate opening for an experienced dynamic person to fill
the
position of Civil Rights Coordinator. The position involves handling of
civil rights cases, doing research on issues pertaining to civil and
religious rights in America, maintaining a civil rights data base
system,
and generating reports, charts and graphs. Candidates should have a
Bachelor degree in a related field with general knowledge of the US
Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
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. When applying via email please
ensure to write the position title "Civil Rights Coordinator" in the
subject of the email. Please send your application with cover letter
and
complete resume and references. Absolutely no phone calls please.
---
CAIR ELECTION UPDATE #19: GOP CONVENTION
http://www.cair-net.org/muslimvote2004/sept022004.asp
-----
IL PASTOR RIPS MUSLIMS, LOSES POLLING SITES
Steve Patterson, Sun Times, 9/2/04
http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-poll02.html
Cook County election officials are moving five polling sites out of a
south
suburban church whose pastor says all Muslims are either involved in
terrorism or they are financial supporters of it.
But the same pastor runs a church on Chicago's Southwest Side that
continues to be home to three Chicago polling sites.
The Rev. Vernon Lyons, who runs Ashburn Baptist Church in Orland Park,
makes no apologies for his comments, which came as he led an
unsuccessful
effort to keep a mosque out of Orland Park.
County Clerk David Orr said several voters told him they were
uncomfortable
with the idea of going into Lyons' church to vote on Nov. 2, given his
beliefs.
Orr said "no one should be made to feel uncomfortable or intimidated"
while
voting, so he moved the five polling sites out of Lyons' church and
into
public buildings.
But Chicago Board of Elections spokesman Tom Leach said he wasn't aware
of
that controversy and no voters have complained about the three polling
sites inside the Ashburn Baptist Church Lyons has run for 53 years in
Chicago's racially diverse 18th Ward.
But Lyons says he's misunderstood and isn't anti-Islamic at all.
"We're opposed to terrorism and Orland Park people are not eager to
have a
Bridgeview situation here," he said Wednesday, alluding to the suburban
village that has a sizable Muslim population.
"The decision of the county clerk to accommodate the bias or
intolerance of
some voters is his decision," Lyons added.
But Yaser Tabbara, director of Chicago's Council on American Islamic
Relations, said he hopes Leach follows Orr's lead and moves polling
sites
out of Lyons' Chicago church, as well, to accommodate the comfort of
voters.
"It's his duty to make sure polling places won't become a hostile
environment to any population," he said. ''[Lyons] says extreme Muslims
are
killers and moderate Muslims are financiers of killers -- it's
ludicrous
and unacceptable to now ask people to go to his church to cast their
vote..."
ALSO SEE:
ANTI-MOSQUE CHURCH LOSES POLLING PLACE
Dan Lavoie, Daily Southtown 9/1/04
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsindex/01-ds2.htm
Fearing that a minister's strong opposition to a planned Orland Park
mosque
would create an "unwelcome" environment for some voters, the Cook
County
clerk has forbidden a village church from serving as a polling place.
In an unprecedented move, Clerk David Orr has barred Ashburn Baptist
Church, 153rd Street and Wolf Road, from being used as a poll. More
than
3,000 voters from five precincts have voted at the church for more than
a
decade.
The church's father-son preacher team, Vernon and Sam Lyons, were among
the
most strident opponents of the 22,700-square-foot mosque planned for
16530
104th Ave. They repeatedly warned that the mosque would attract
supporters
of terrorism.
"Some voters had clearly voiced their frustrations (with the Lyons'),"
Orr
said. "They felt uncomfortable and unwelcome in that polling place
because
of what was said in the recent controversy."
Orr said he couldn't remember another instance in which a polling place
was
moved because of a proprietor's outspoken political beliefs. But after
receiving several complaints and talking with local officials, Orr
decided
to make the change.
JoAnn Hassan, an 18-year Orland Park resident who is married to a
Muslim
from Pakistan, was among those requesting the change. She said she
refused
to vote at Ashburn because the harsh anti-Muslim rhetoric that Vernon
Lyons
used during the mosque fight made it an "intimidating" place.
Perhaps Lyons' most controversial statement was made during a June 21
village board meeting when he gave his definition of the difference
between
radical and moderate Muslims.
"The Muslim terrorists kill people. Moderate Muslims do not kill
people.
Moderate Muslims supply the cash to the militant Muslims," he said
then...
---
ORLAND PARK PASTOR CRITICIZED MUSLIMS
Stanley Ziemba, Chicago Tribune, 9/2/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/chi-0409020363sep02,1,2495018.story
Cook County Clerk David Orr, responding to residents who complained
they
would feel uncomfortable voting in an Orland Park church because of its
pastor's vocal opposition to a proposed mosque, has decided the church
will
not be a polling place on Nov. 2.
Some 3,000 voters from five Orland Park precincts had cast ballots for
years in Ashburn Baptist Church, 153rd Street and Wolf Road. The
decision
to relocate, although not unprecedented, was the first in recent memory
to
be made because of the views of the polling place's leaders, Orr said
Wednesday.
"We received a number of complaints, from Muslims and others, who said
that
due to the extreme nature of the comments made at a public meeting
earlier
this year by the church's leaders about the mosque, they would feel
unwelcome or uncomfortable going to vote inside the church," Orr said.
"We also felt that having a polling place for five precincts in one
place
had become too cumbersome and that it would be better to split them up,
but
the main reason for discontinuing using the church as a polling place
was
the mosque controversy," Orr said. "My function as county clerk is not
only
to make polling places easily accessible but also to make sure there
are no
clouds of fear or intimidation connected with them."
Rev. Vernon Lyons, pastor of Ashburn Baptist Church, was one of many
speakers at a public hearing in June who opposed Orland Park's decision
to
annex land at 165th Street and 104th Avenue and grant permission for
the
proposed mosque.
Among other things, Lyons said then he feared a mosque would attract
Islamic extremists and violence to Orland Park and that even moderate
Muslims were guilty of providing financial support to Muslim
terrorists...
-----
11 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SIGN ‘FIRE BOYKIN’ LETTER
On September 2, eleven members of Congress, led by Rep. Barney Frank
(D-MA), submitted an official ‘Dear Colleague’ letter to President Bush
calling on the dismissal and firing of Lt. Gen. William Boykin as
Deputy
Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence for his anti-Muslim remarks
made
while in official military uniform.
The letter reads, in part: “One such step…is for you to dismiss Lt.
Gen.
William Boykin as the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for
Intelligence. We were appalled when we learned of the comments General
Boykin had made invoking religion in an inflammatory and inappropriate
way
while in uniform. Many of us hoped at the time that your
administration
would act promptly to remove him, but you instead decided to give him
the
benefit of a thorough investigation. Now that investigation has
demonstrated what has been clear to many of us all along – namely that
General Boykin should not serve as a high intelligence officer of the
U.S.
government. We find his judgment to be severely lacking on many
counts. The offense he has given to hundreds of millions of Muslims in
the
world clearly can only exacerbate many of the problems we face…”
The other honorable signatories included Rep. James McDermott (D-WA),
Rep.
Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Rep. Martin
Meehan
(D-MA), Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY), Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep.
Stephanie
Tubbs Jones (D-OH), Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)
and
Rep. Fortney Pete Stark (D-CA).
-----
FIRST DEARBORN SCHOOL NAMED FOR ARAB AMERICAN HAS SUCCESSFUL OPENING
DAY
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 9/2/04
http://www.freep.com/news/cfp/11/kfirst2_20040902.htm
By 2:30 a.m., the principal was awake.
Sitting up in bed, Rita Rauch grabbed a pad and pencil and jotted down
what
she needed to do before school started. By 4 a.m., she was on her
computer,
making sure everything from flag holders to door signs were in
sufficient
supply for opening day.
It was a hectic last morning to what had been a hectic summer -- with
not a
single day of vacation -- for Rauch, principal of McCollough Elementary
Unis Middle School in Dearborn. The first day of school is a challenge
for
any principal, but this was a school opening for the first time. Rauch
had
to be ready.
And she was. Opening day at the K-8 school at Maple and Tireman was a
success last week as hundreds of kids walked through the school doors,
their eyes gazing upward at a tall atrium that let the sun shine in.
"Sweet!" said eighth-grader Mohammed Bazzi, while standing under the
atrium. "It's very nice, very big. It's different than any other
school."
One of the reasons it's different is it's the first school in Dearborn
to
be named after an Arab American or Muslim. Don Unis, a retired fire
captain
and longtime community activist, was at the school to greet students
and
parents as they entered the doors. Unis sported a green shirt that said
Unis Aviators, the name of the school team.
"You deserve it!" said one mother as she met Unis. In a school district
where more than half of the students are of Arab descent, naming the
school
partly after Unis was a point of pride and accomplishment for many
people
in the community. At least 80 percent of the students at the school are
Arab American.
"It makes us very proud," said Maha Mustafa, president of the school's
PTSA, who has three kids in the school. "We're really excited."
Unis, 65, was one of the founders of the Arab Community Center for
Economic
and Social Services. And he was an early proponent of bilingual
education.
In 2002, he worked to pass a $150-million bond proposal that helped pay
for
the new school...
ALSO SEE:
OHIO MUSLIMS, ARABS GROWING ANXIOUS IN POST-9/11 U.S.
John Lasker, Athens NEWS, 9/2/04
http://www.athensnews.com/issue/article.php3?story_id=17968
Ziad Akir, who heads the Athens Islamic Center at 13 Stewart St.,
doesn't
have "solid evidence" the center is being watched. But no one at the
center
knows who owns the black SUV that frequently has been seen parked in
their lot.
"(One member) claims that there is strange equipment on the car with
flashing indicators. I don't know for sure, but it may be a
possibility,"
said Akir speculating on whether someone may be spying on the center.
Some may scoff at Akir's claim as a bout of paranoia during trying
times
for Arab Americans and those whose faith is Islam. Think again, advises
another prominent Ohio Muslim, who contends he has heard of similar
complaints from nearly every mosque in the state.
"We hear of mosques being spied on, being watched, quite frequently,"
said
Jad Humeidan, director of CAIR Ohio. CAIR (Council on American-Islamic
Relations) is considered one of Muslim America's most influential
non-profits.
He said that the identity of whoever is conducting the surveillance
remains
a mystery. And if the mystery is nothing more than a perceived -- as
opposed to real -- threat, it appears justified for Arab Americans
during
the post-9/11 era of fear.
Being watched or followed, however, is just one concern spreading
through
Arab- and Muslim-American communities. Many residents fear that a new
McCarthyism is targeting Muslims, and not just Arabs, but others, such
as
Somalis and Pakistanis. A pattern of abuse is also being reported by
Christian and Hindu Arabs, according to CAIR...
-----
DIALOGUE WITH MODERATE MUSLIMS URGED
Eric J. Greenberg, Forward, 9/3/04
http://www.forward.com/main/article.php?ref=greenberg20040901946
A new study says the American Jewish community must redefine its
definition
of militant Islam in order to create crucial new dialogue partnerships
with
American Muslims — the fastest-growing faith group in the United
States.
The as-yet-unreleased study, obtained by the Forward, argues that
Jewish
leaders are doing long-term damage by rejecting potential Muslim
partners
who don't meet their standards for what an acceptable moderate Muslim
should be. Backed by Israeli Knesset member Rabbi Michael Melchior, a
leading Jewish voice for interfaith dialogue, the study concludes that
while the organized Jewish community is legitimately spending a lot of
time
and resources identifying and exposing militant Islamic forces in
America,
it is not doing enough to reach out to the nonmilitant Islamic
majority,
especially young American-born and educated Muslim professionals and
academics. It criticizes the "restrictive criteria" being used by such
national Jewish defense organizations as the American Jewish Committee
and
the Anti-Defamation League for deciding with whom the Jewish community
can
break bread since the second intifada broke out three years ago this
month.
"[A] key part of the problem lies in the way that Jewish groups have
defined who is a credible or moderate partner," states "Locating the
Silent
Muslim Majority: Policy Recommendations for Improving Jewish-Muslim
Relations in the United States," a 20-page report sponsored by Mosaica
Research Center for Religion, Society and State. Raquel Ukeles, a
doctoral
candidate in Islamic and Jewish studies at Harvard University,
conducted
the study but declined to comment pending its release.
It was previewed at a private breakfast briefing with about 20 Jewish
leaders at UJA-Federation headquarters in Midtown Manhattan last week
and
is expected to be released later this month.
In the study, Ukeles argues that in response to American Muslim support
for
the intifada and then in the wake of the September 11 attacks, the
American
Jewish community developed "restrictive guidelines regarding who can be
defined as a credible Muslim partner."
These guidelines, she writes, function as a boycott against two kinds
of
Muslim groups: Muslim organizations and their leadership who actively
endorse violence against noncombatants to further religious and/or
political ends, and who promote international organizations committed
to
the destruction of Israel; and Muslim individuals or organizations who
are
or have been affiliated/in contact with the above organizations and
individuals.
The report acknowledges that the Jewish community must reject relations
with anyone seeking to destroy Israel and can't lend them credibility
by
meeting with them. But Ukeles contends that applying the principles to
the
second group has led to a boycott of a more moderate Muslim through an
unfair "guilt by association..."
ALSO SEE:
COMMUNITY OF FAITH
Ann Dickerson, Atlanta Journal Constitution, 9/2/04
http://www.ajc.com/
Interfaith service set for Tuesday
The Fayette Interfaith Community Network will have its third annual
interfaith service at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Episcopal Church of the
Nativity.
The theme of this year's service, "What We Share," will focus on the
similarities among the world's three major monotheistic religions.
Local
Jewish, Christian and Muslim congregations have teamed to plan the
service.
"It's amazing what we learn from each other and about each culture and
religion every time we hold the services," said the Rev. Bob Hudak,
rector
of Episcopal Church of the Nativity. "It's a great experience."
The Interfaith Network includes members' representatives of
Congregation
B'Nai Israel, Fayetteville First United Methodist Church, Christ Our
Shepherd Lutheran Church and the Muslim Community Center.
For more information, call Soumaya Khalifa at 678-523-5080; Sandy
DeMuth,
678-516-4036; or the Rev. Bob Hudak, 770-460-6390.
-----
U.S.: MUSLIMS PRESENT AT REPUBLICAN CONVENTION, BUT INFLUENCE UNCLEAR
Robert McMahon, Radio Free Europe, 9/2/04
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/09/79eb4579-b65e-485a-aa23-ba73320efa22.html
Muslim-Americans voted in favor of George W. Bush's presidency four
years
ago. But opinion surveys indicate that since then he has alienated many
of
them through the antiterror policies that followed 11 September 2001.
At
the Republican Party's convention in New York this week, Muslims made a
notable early appearance, but their overall presence has been low-key.
Arab-American party activists, who form a larger presence at the
convention, say they believe a second Bush administration would address
civil liberty issues at home and press Middle East peace.
New York, 2 September 2004 (RFE/RL) -- "Oh you who believe, be careful
of
your duty to God and speak the right words. He will put your deeds into
a
right state for you and forgive you your faults. Whoever obeys God and
his
messenger will indeed achieve a mighty success."
Quoting from the Koran, Imam Izak-El Mu-eed Pasha, the Muslim chaplain
of
the New York City police department, gave the opening prayer at the
Republican Party's national convention this week.
Moments later, Zainab al-Suwaij, an Iraqi-born American, spoke out
forcefully in support of the Bush administration's war to topple Saddam
Hussein.
These were signature moments for Muslim-Americans at a convention that
focused on backing President George W. Bush's strong national security
posture since the 11 September terrorist attacks. There have been few
other
formal occasions at the four-day convention for Muslims to lend their
voice
to the party in power.
Spokesman Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
said
there has been a lack of outreach by Republicans to Muslims, who number
nearly 7 million in the United States.
Bush attracted Muslim voters four years ago in large part because he
campaigned against the use of secret evidence in immigration cases,
allowed
by a 1996 law. Hooper told RFE/RL that this election season, Kerry has
appealed to more Muslim voters by speaking out for civil liberty
protections for Muslims who feel victimized by antiterror laws.
The Democratic Party platform this year calls for revisions to the USA
PATRIOT Act, a controversial antiterrorism law, to "better protect the
privacy and liberty that law-abiding Americans cherish."
Hooper: "The difference would be on the domestic front in terms of
civil
liberties and outreach. The Democrats have tended to do more in terms
of
outreach to the Muslim community. And the one who's done the most
outreach
is Ralph Nader..."
-----
TARIQ RAMADAN MAY VIDEOCONFERENCE WITH ND STUDENTS
Janelle Hall, WNDU, 9/1/04
http://www.wndu.com/news/092004/news_37173.php
Notre Dame, IN - After the Department of Homeland Security revoked the
visa
of a future Notre Dame professor, the university is considering finding
an
alternative way to bring the Muslim scholar into a campus classroom.
A staff member in the communications department of the Joan B. Kroc
Institute for International Peace Studies on the campus of Notre Dame
says
they department is exploring the option of using a video conferencing
classroom. Therefore, Professor Tariq Ramadan can still connect with
Notre
Dame students while awaiting word from the United States government at
his
home in Switzerland.
Scott Appleby of the Kroc Institute and the Director of Notre Dame’s
Peace
Studies said, “We're still trying to determine the rational behind
revoking
the visa in the first place.”
The Muslim scholar planned to move from Switzerland to America to teach
at
Notre Dame, but the Department of Homeland Security stepped-in.
Appleby says of the situation, “This person is one of the most
scrutinized
people on the planet today and we're still waiting for some kind of
credible proof that he has ties to terrorism.”
Bradley Schrager, a Jewish law student on campus said, “It's hard for
me to
understand the danger represented by a scholar.” Schrager welcomes
Ramadan’s diversity on campus even though he says some Jewish Jobby
groups
attacked the Muslim scholar with accusations of anti-Semitism. Schrager
however believes the accusations are false. “I didn't get that
impression
from my reading of his works or his career so far. Anti-Semitism is a
charge one should be very careful of lodging in almost any context,”
said
Schrager...
Ramadan’s grandfather founded a militant Muslim group, but Notre Dame
says
it has no proof Ramadan was involved with the group. “If we thought
Ramadan
was anti-Semitic, or condoned violence or moved outside the bounds of
respectable free speech, we would have nothing to do with him,” said
Appleby.
Appleby says scholars of different cultures and faiths would be a good
thing for the campus. “I think the other kinds of scholars of Islam
and
Judaism and other faiths that we can bring to campus, the better,” said
Appleby.
Students are still looking forward to Professor Ramadan coming to the
Notre
Dame campus. “My hope is that professor Ramadan will join us on campus
as
we all expected,” said Schrager.
Notre Dame views Ramadan as a 'controversialist', not a terrorist and
looks
forward to welcoming him to campus someday, even if it is possibly
through
a videoconference on the Internet...
ALSO SEE:
SILENCING THINKERS
Omer M. Mozaffar, Chicago Tribune, 9/2/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/chi-0409020109sep02,1,2388063.story
Naperville - Kudos to the Chicago Tribune and Tribune religion reporter
Geneive Abdo for informing us about the plight of Tariq Ramadan
("Muslims
support scholar on visa; Revocation is blamed on Bush policy," News,
Aug. 26).
Anyone familiar with Ramadan knows the high quality of his scholarship
and
the moderate content of his views.
He has almost single-handedly brought the discussion of Islam's reform
to
the mosque and to Europe's elite.
Thanks to an intense recruiting competition among America's top
universities, he is now bringing this vitally important discussion to
our
own top thinkers.
Unfortunately those who choose to silence scholars resort to backhanded
techniques to achieve their aims.
The accusations against him of anti-Semitism are almost as outlandish
as
the charges of terrorism. A criticism of Israel or Saudi Arabia is not
a
criticism of Judaism or Islam.
As an academic, I am greatly troubled that the Department of Homeland
Security has now become a party to this un-American silencing of
thinkers
and their ideas.
(Omer M. Mozaffar, Adjunct professor of Islam, St. Xavier University,
Doctoral candidate, Islamic Studies, University of Chicago.)
-----
FBI PROBE OF AIPAC SAID TO GO BEYOND ALLEGED MOLE
Haaretz, 9/2/04
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/472644.html
In a report that hinted of possible security breaches beyond the
allegations that Pentagon analyst Lawrence Franklin passed information
to
Israel via AIPAC, the Washington Post reported Thursday that classified
intelligence from the National Security may have been passed to the
Jewish
state.
Quoting unnamed U.S. officials and other sources, the paper said that
the
FBI had been investigating for more than two years whether the AIPAC
pro-Israel lobbying group has been passing classified intelligence data
to
Israel.
"The counterintelligence probe, which is different from a criminal
investigation, focuses on a possible transfer of intelligence more
extensive than whether Franklin passed on a draft presidential
directive on
U.S. policy toward Iran, the sources said. The FBI is examining whether
highly classified material from the National Security Agency, which
conducts electronic intercepts of communications, was also forwarded to
Israel," the paper said,
Israel responded that the characterization of the probe was
speculative.
"We are aware of all the speculation, but that is all it is. We have
not
heard anything official, and U.S.-Israeli relations remain as strong as
ever and, as far as we are concerned, it's business as usual," said
David
Siegel, spokesman of the Israeli Embassy here.
AIPAC has forcefully denied that any of its personnel received
classified
information.
"National security adviser Condoleezza Rice and her deputy, Stephen J.
Hadley, were apprised of the FBI counterintelligence investigation of
AIPAC
as a possible conduit for information to Israel more than two years
ago, a
senior U.S. official said late yesterday. That official and other
sources
would discuss the investigation only on the condition of anonymity
because
it involves classified information and is highly sensitive," the Post
report said.
ALSO SEE:
PRO-ISRAEL GROUP'S POSSIBLE ROLE AT ISSUE
Susan Schmidt and Robin Wright, Washington Post, 9/2/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A54494-2004Sep1?language=printer
For more than two years, the FBI has been investigating whether
classified
intelligence has been passed to Israel by the American Israel Political
Action Committee, an influential U.S. lobbying group, in a probe that
extends beyond the case of Pentagon employee Lawrence A. Franklin,
according to senior U.S. officials and other sources.
The counterintelligence probe, which is different from a criminal
investigation, focuses on a possible transfer of intelligence more
extensive than whether Franklin passed on a draft presidential
directive on
U.S. policy toward Iran, the sources said. The FBI is examining whether
highly classified material from the National Security Agency, which
conducts electronic intercepts of communications, was also forwarded to
Israel, they said.
Israel said the characterization of the probe is speculative. "We are
aware
of all the speculation, but that is all it is. We have not heard
anything
official, and U.S.-Israeli relations remain as strong as ever and, as
far
as we are concerned, it's business as usual," said David Siegel,
spokesman
of the Israeli Embassy here.
AIPAC has forcefully denied that any of its personnel received
classified
information.
National security adviser Condoleezza Rice and her deputy, Stephen J.
Hadley, were apprised of the FBI counterintelligence investigation of
AIPAC
as a possible conduit for information to Israel more than two years
ago, a
senior U.S. official said late yesterday. That official and other
sources
would discuss the investigation only on the condition of anonymity
because
it involves classified information and is highly sensitive...
---
QUESTIONS RAISED OVER AIPAC'S TACTICS
Ori Nir, Forward, 9/3/04
http://www.forward.com/main/article.php?ref=nir20040901935
WASHINGTON — The FBI investigation of the American Israel Public
Affairs
Committee has cast light on the fine line that the organization walks
between advocating a strong American-Israeli alliance and acting as the
representative of a foreign government.
Both activities are legal, but serving a foreign government requires
registration with the Department of Justice and entails severe legal
restrictions, not applied to pro-Israel groups, including Aipac.
Aipac's defenders, both in congressional and Jewish communal circles,
insist that no evidence has emerged suggesting that Aipac either
violated
American espionage laws or even crossed the line requiring it to
register
as a representative of a foreign agent. Aipac enjoys the support,
admiration and even awe of Jewish organizational officials, many of
whom
raced to Aipac's defense this week.
Still, some pro-Israel activists in Washington are privately suggesting
that the current scandal provides Aipac with a chance, in the words of
one
communal official, for "some soul-searching and reappraisal" regarding
its
general modes of operation. In recent years a growing minority of
pro-Israel activists have expressed criticism of the lobbying
powerhouse's
conduct.
Some critics in the Jewish community say that Aipac's leadership is too
closely identified with Israel's ruling Likud party, an accusation that
the
organization's executives reject strongly, arguing that the lobbying
group
always has supported the democratically elected Israeli government, no
matter which party is in power.
Critics also have accused Aipac of adopting an agenda that too closely
mirrors the hawkish agenda of neoconservatives in the Bush
administration,
thereby fueling conspiratorial notions that President Bush was duped
into
invading Iraq in order to advance Israeli interests...
-----
MALAYSIA REBEL POLITICIAN ANWAR FREE, URGES REFORM
Jalil Hamid and Barani Krishnan, Reuters, 9/2/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6133727
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia,- Malaysia's highest court freed rebel politician
Anwar
Ibrahim from almost six years in jail on Thursday, overturning his
conviction for sodomy in a shock ruling expected to win support for the
new
prime minister.
The former deputy prime minister, confined to a wheelchair because of a
back complaint, used his first few minutes of freedom to urge the
country's
recently installed prime minister to drive harder on reform.
Wearing a broad smile over his neck brace, Anwar held an impromptu news
conference inside the domed Islamic-style courthouse, as hundreds of
supporters rallied outside, raising his old battle cry of "Reformasi"
--
the reform movement he led before his 1999 jailing.
"Thank you, may God bless you," Anwar, 57, told the judges after the
decision. His lawyers shouted "Allahu akbar" -- God is greatest --
after
the court adjourned, closing a chapter in one of the nation's most
extraordinary political sagas.
"Thank God it's over," Anwar added, turning to address reporters. "I
have
to give credit to the new prime minister for not interfering with the
judiciary ... I appeal to Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi to make the
necessary reforms."
Before his jailing, Anwar was a lightning rod for disaffected Malays,
the
country's majority ethnic grouping that dominates politics, and turned
against the then prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, who was instrumental
in
both his rise and fall.
The decision could be a defining moment for the leadership of Abdullah,
who
succeeded Mahathir a year ago and won a landslide election victory in
March
on an agenda of tolerance and a pledge to clean up corruption -- an
echo of
Anwar's own agenda...
-----
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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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR CONDEMNS SCHOOL KILLINGS IN RUSSIA
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/7/04) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today condemned the recent killing of more than 300 people,
including many children, at a school seized by terrorists in Beslan,
southern Russia.
In its statement, the Washington-based Islamic civil rights and
advocacy
group said:
"No words can describe the horror and grief generated by the deaths of
so
many innocent people at the hands of those who dishonor the cause they
espouse. We offer sincere condolences to the families of the victims
and
call for a swift resolution to the conflict in that troubled region
that
will let all people live in peace and freedom."
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.
SEE: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
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."
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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/7/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: KILLING WOMEN AND CHILDREN PROHIBITED
* REGISTER FOR CAIR'S OCT. BANQUET & CONVENTION
- CAIR-CAN: Sharia Law in Ontario (Calgary Herald)
* MUSLIMS TO MARK 'ISRA AND MIRAJ'
* GOOD NEWS: MISSING MUSLIM UCLA STUDENT FOUND
* 3 YEARS LATER, MORE MUSLIMS GETTING POLITICAL (AP)
- U.S. Muslim Leaders Undecided on Candidate (AP)
- Muslims Drift, Not Run, Towards Kerry (AFP)
- Pro-Bush Booth Angers Many U.S. Muslims (AP)
- Thousands of U.S. Muslims Urged To Vote (NBC)
- Hamza Yusuf's Message Finds Home (Chicago Trib)
* IA: ISLAMIC CENTER VANDALIZED (KWWL)
- CANADA: Fires Set at St. Catharines Mosque (CP)
* MI: UNPROVEN WEAPONS CLAIM LED TO CHARITY RAID (Free Press)
- Detroit Case Shows Terror Prosecution Woes (AP)
- IL: Lawyer Files Discrimination Suit (Sun-Times)
- Arabs, Muslims to Get Free Legal Aid (RNS)
* IL: PASTOR'S REMARKS SPUR RELOCATION OF VOTING SITES (Sun-Times)
* CAIR-DFW: WOMEN CELEBRATE RIGHT TO COVER UP (DMN)
- AL: Muslims Aim to `Build Bridges' (Birmingham News)
- An Actor's Craft and His Faith Intersect (NY Times)
- Struggle for the Soul of Islam (Time)
* TARIQ RAMADAN: A VISA REVOKED (Wash Post)
- Why Exclude a Muslim Voice? (Boston Globe)
- Live Discussion with Tariq Ramadan (CHE)
* CA: MUSLIMS MARKET HALAL MEAT (Trivalley Herald)
* SPY CASE RENEWS DEBATE OVER AIPAC'S TIES TO PENTAGON (NY Times)
- Israeli Rabbis OK Killing Civilians (AP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: KILLING WOMEN AND CHILDREN PROHIBITED
Once following a military expedition, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon
him) saw the body of a woman on the battlefield. He therefore issued an
order prohibiting the killing of women and children."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Hadith 257, 258
Al-Muwatta, Volume 21, Hadith 9, 10, 11
-----
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S OCT. 2-5 BANQUET & CONVENTION
Join us in our nation's capital for 4 days of exciting activities!
TO REGISTER, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CAN: HOW SHARIA LAW COULD WORK IN ONTARIO
Riad Saloojee, Calgary Herald, 9/6/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4474271,00.html
[Riad Saloojee is executive director of CAIR-CAN, the Canadian Council
on
American-Islamic Relations.]
The debate on an Islamic arbitration initiative has reached fever
pitch.
The spectre that is haunting some in Canada is the desire of many
Canadian
Muslims to use Islamic law to resolve personal and family disputes.
Part of the concern is natural, given the undeniable and inequitable
application of sharia in many countries. Part of the problem, as well,
concerns a general ignorance of Islamic law -- its history, principles
and
nuances -- that permits intellectual chauvinism to pass for fair
comment.
In a Herald commentary Wednesday, it was claimed that Islam does not
recognize gender equality. The writer argued, in part, that in Islam
one
man is equal to two women in witnessing, a son inherits twice as much
as a
daughter does, and that the concept of alimony is largely missing in
Islam.
The writer missed much in his largely personal take on Islamic law.
Numerous Qur'anic verses speak to the equality of women as witnesses
with
the exception (to be lifted under different conditions, say numerous
scholars) for women who, at that time, were witness to commercial
transactions without the requisite knowledge. Men inherit more because
they
are responsible under Islamic law for the financial support,
maintenance
and care of their families. And explicit Qur'anic verses and principles
attest to spousal support for women.
Sharia is not, as some think, immutable. The spirit of Islamic law --
its
universals such as justice, equity and mercy -- is unchangeable.
Given current faith-based arbitration initiatives by the Jewish and
Christian communities, why would the Muslim community not be allowed to
do
the same?
In Muslim communities, the line between mediation and arbitration is
porous. The reality on the ground is that many Canadian Muslims resolve
their disputes by referring them to local community leaders.
Opponents of Islamic-based arbitration, far from protecting vulnerable
parties, are ensuring that such ongoing processes are not standardized,
scrutinized and do not operate openly and with accountability...
-----
MUSLIMS TO MARK 'ISRA AND MIRAJ'
Prophet Muhammad's miraculous journey to Jerusalem
This weekend, Muslims worldwide will mark "Isra and Miraj," the Prophet
Muhammad's night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, and from the rock now
located in the Dome of the Rock, to heaven.
The Quran, Islam's revealed text, states: "Glorified be He (God) who
took
his servant (Muhammad) for a journey by night from al-Masjid al-Haram
(in
Mecca) to al-Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem), whose precincts we have
blessed..." ("Masjid" is the Arabic word for "mosque.") Masjid Al-Aqsa
and
the Dome of the Rock are located on "Haram Al-Shareef," or the "noble
enclosure" in Jerusalem's Old City.
Jerusalem is one of Islam's holiest sites, along with Mecca and Medinah
in
the Arabian Peninsula. It was home to many prophets of Islam, including
David, Solomon and Jesus, and was Islam's first "Qibla," or direction
to
which Muslims turned in prayer.
-----
GOOD NEWS: MISSING MUSLIM UCLA STUDENT FOUND
(ANAHEIM, CA - 9/7/04) - Ahmad Arain, the UCLA college student missing
since July 23rd, was found last Sunday night in Tijuana, Mexico. Though
fatigued and having lost 'substantial' weight, he is in good health and
spirit. He is currently recuperating at his family's home.
According to his family, he had suffered a 'mental breakdown' and does
not
know how he ended up in Mexico. Apparently he had been living on the
streets for weeks when a Mexican family took him in. He later was able
to
contact his family vie email after going to an internet café.
SEE: "Missing UCLA Student Found"
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-missing7sep07,1,3012436.story
The Council on American-Islamic Relations - Southern California
(CAIR-LA)
and the Arain family would like to thank everyone who prayed and helped
in
the search for Ahmad as well as all the media for bringing attention to
his
case.
Ahmad Arain, 20 years old, boarded an MTA bus from Anaheim, California
at
the Disneyland bus stop on July 23rd at 8:30 a.m. He was on his way to
an
appointment with an academic counselor at UCLA who confirmed that Ahmad
never showed up.
The FBI had placed him on the national network of Missing Persons. An
official case was also filed with the UCLA Police Department (Case No:
01-04-001993).
Volunteers prayed and searched for Ahmad in Los Angeles and Orange
County.
A special night of prayer for Ahmad's safe return was held last week at
the
Islamic Society of Orange County in Garden Grove.
-----
3 YEARS LATER, MORE MUSLIMS GETTING POLITICAL
Wayne Parry, Associated Press, 9/4/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--sept.11-muslimmoo0904sep04,0,5913356.story
PATERSON, N.J. -- Since coming to America as a 2-year-old, Animar
Daghestani was content to let others make decisions about how to run
his
new country. But when the United States invaded Iraq, the 29-year-old
school teacher did something he never did before: He registered to
vote.
Daghestani also plunged into politics himself this year, nearly winning
a
seat as a county committeeman and vowing to try again next time.
"A lot of Muslims are starting to get political because of Iraq and
what's
going on overseas," he said. "They're starting to wake up and realize
we
need to get another president in here and stop the war."
As the third anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks
approaches,
Muslims and Arab-Americans in New Jersey and across the country are
becoming more politically involved. They are running for office,
raising
money for their favored candidates, forming political action committees
and
registering to vote.
"This is the silver lining to 9/11, the Patriot Act and the mass
detentions," said Aref Assaf, a Palestinian activist from Denville. "It
has
pushed us to be proactive and take a stand, to be part of the political
process. Now they're realizing that America's politics is about
numbers:
dollars you donate to your favorite candidates, or votes you can
generate
for them."
Most foreign-born Muslims traditionally focused on events in their
homeland, even decades after settling in America.
"But after 9/11, everyone learned that civil rights and domestic
policies
are just as important," said Ghassan Shabaneh, who teaches political
science at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. "From that
moment
on, they saw it."
More than 1,200 men, mainly Arab and south Asian Muslims, were taken
into
custody by the government as part of the investigation into the attacks
on
the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Virtually all were held on
immigration
charges, typically for overstaying a student or tourist visa, and only
a
handful were charged with serious crimes.
ALSO SEE:
U.S. MUSLIM LEADERS UNDECIDED ON CANDIDATE
Rachel Zoll, Associated Press, 9/5/04
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/9590685.htm
ROSEMONT, Ill. - As both Democrats and Republicans sought their
support,
American Muslim leaders wrapped up their community's largest convention
Sunday still debating whether to endorse a presidential candidate.
And despite bitter feelings over how President Bush has conducted the
war
on terror, Muslim leaders said an endorsement for his challenger,
Democratic Sen. John Kerry, was not guaranteed.
Independent Ralph Nader traveled here Saturday and made an aggressive
pitch
for their backing in a closed-door meeting held separately from the
conference.
``We are still deliberating amongst ourselves,'' said Salam
al-Marayati,
head of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, a public policy group based
in
Los Angeles. A decision is expected next month from the American Muslim
Taskforce, an umbrella group for major Muslim organizations.
American Muslims hold special importance this election year because
they
have strong communities in battleground states such as Michigan, Ohio
and
Florida. Also, immigrant Muslims tend to be educated professionals - an
attractive demographic for both parties.
In 2000, leaders of major Muslim organizations made their first
endorsement
in a presidential race, choosing Bush over Democrat Al Gore. The Texas
governor had indicated he was sympathetic to their concerns about using
secret evidence in immigration hearings.
However, many rank-and-file Muslims - especially U.S.-born blacks, who
vote
overwhelmingly Democratic - opposed that 2000 decision. Following the
Sept.
11, 2001, attacks, Bush enacted anti-terror policies that many Muslims
felt
violated their constitutional rights. The Muslim leaders who had
organized
the Bush endorsement said openly they had made a mistake.
Still, Bush did not give up on the Muslim vote…
Yet some Muslim leaders say the Kerry campaign has missed opportunities
to
capitalize on Muslim resentment of the president...
``I haven't seen John Kerry delivering on his early promises,'' said
Nihad
Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
an
anti-defamation group based in Washington.
On the Net: American Muslim Taskforce:
http://www.americanmuslimvoter.net/
---
MUSLIMS DRIFT, NOT RUN, TOWARDS KERRY
Agence France Presse, 9/6/04
http://www.turkishpress.com/turkishpress/news.asp?ID=26398
CHICAGO - They may not face the segregation that once defined the lives
of
black Americans, but many Muslim Americans feel that they are fighting
the
civil rights battles of the 1950s and 60s all over again.
The discrimination has changed with the times -- indefinite detentions,
closed hearings, secret evidence, and racial profiling have replaced
segregated schools, diners, and beaches -- but the sense of being a
second-class citizen is the same.
Or at least that's the contention of the leaders of the US Muslim
community, who are fighting to make Muslim civil rights an issue in
this
November's US presidential elections.
"There is a crisis of civil rights for Muslims in this country," said
Agha
Saeed, chairman of the American Muslim Alliance, (AMA) at a national
gathering of US Muslims this weekend.
"Today, Muslims and Arabs are second-class citizens in the United
States."
The parallels between the experiences of black Americans and Muslim
Americans have not been lost on ordinary Muslims like computer
engineers
Suhl Kahn and Badar Hussain.
"Blacks weren't really Americans until 9/11," noted Kahn, in a wry
observation on mainstream America's shifting perceptions of "us and
them"
in the wake of the terror attacks on New York and Washington.
Like many of his Islamic brethern, the 36-year-old computer engineer
from
Chicago supported the Republican presidential nominee in 2000 -- part
of a
Muslim bloc vote that boosted George W. Bush.
But this year, Muslims like Kahn and Hussain are leaning towards voting
for
the Democratic contender, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts.
"We are left with very little choice," explained Badar Hussain, a
46-year-old computer engineer, originally from Pakistan. "One of the
reasons we came to America was because of the freedoms it offered ...
but
everything changed after 9/11."
While many Muslims say they are in tune with the Republican party's
conservative social policies and pro-business positions, polls show a
majority are unwilling to support a Republican administration that has
--
in their view -- trampled on their civil liberties in the name of the
war
on terror.
In many cases, support for Kerry is far from enthusiastic -- a case of
"anybody but Bush."
"I don't like Kerry," admitted Fatima Nawaz, 23, of Boulder, Colorado,
"but
I am really, really disgusted by Bush...
"John Kerry has not given Muslim voters any reason to support him ...
except for the fact that he is running against Bush," said Nihad Awad,
executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
(CAIR).
---
PRO-BUSH BOOTH ANGERS MANY U.S. MUSLIMS
Rachel Zoll, Associated Press, 9/6/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4474271,00.html
ROSEMONT, Ill. - At the largest annual convention of American Muslims,
a
pro-Bush booth has stirred anger among attendees who believe the
president's actions since Sept. 11, 2001, have hurt more innocent
Muslims
than terrorists.
They stop abruptly when they see the 5-foot-tall photo of President
Bush,
with ``muslimsforbush.com'' above his head.
Then come the outbursts.
``Disgusting,'' said one onlooker. ``Take that down,'' said another.
``I think President Bush has misled not only the United States, but the
world,'' said Noor Maciael, an educator who called the booth
``disgusting''
and planned to vote for Democrat John Kerry. ``He has put us in a
situation
where the whole world is hating this country.''
The display was funded by Muhammad Ali Hasan and his mother, Seeme, who
recently created the group ``Muslims for Bush.'' Seeme Hasan said in a
phone interview that she and her husband Malik, a Colorado physician
who
earned his wealth in the health care industry, have donated more than
$1
million to Bush and Republican causes since the 2000 campaign.
``The reason we are doing this is that Muslims don't have a lobbyist,''
Seeme Hasan said. ``We want to be there. We are going to give
contributions
at the highest level.''
Bush has other supporters in the Muslim community. Some are
Iraqi-Americans
overjoyed that Saddam Hussein has been ousted. Others are entrepreneurs
who
view the GOP as more friendly to business interests. And many devout
Muslims prefer the Republicans' conservative stand on social issues
such as
gay marriage.
But many Muslims at the nonpartisan Islamic Society of North America
convention were not grateful for the Hasans' activism...
---
THOUSANDS OF U.S. MUSLIMS URGED TO VOTE
NBC, 9/7/04
http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3709093/detail.html
CHICAGO -- American Muslim leaders ended their largest annual meeting
with
a rousing plea to thousands of community members that they vote in the
presidential election.
Muslims urgently want to register their political presence in this
country
as a step toward ending what many believe are excesses in the war on
terror.
"We have to demand justice," said Mahdi Bray, head of the Muslim
American
Society Freedom Foundation, as the convention wound down Sunday night.
"We
have to stand up to this government and say, 'What you're doing is
wrong."'
The American Muslim Taskforce, an umbrella group for top U.S. Muslim
organizations, met behind closed doors separately from the weekend
conference, deliberating whether to make an endorsement in the race.
Both Democrats and Republicans are seeking their support.
American Muslims hold special importance this election year because
they
have strong communities in battleground states such as Michigan, Ohio
and
Florida. Also, immigrant Muslims tend to be educated professionals --
an
attractive demographic for both parties.
Despite bitter feelings over how President Bush has conducted the war
on
terror, Muslim leaders said an endorsement for his challenger,
Democratic
Sen. John Kerry, was not guaranteed. Independent Ralph Nader traveled
here
Saturday and made an aggressive pitch for their backing.
A decision is expected by next month.
In 2000, leaders of major Muslim organizations made their first
endorsement
in a presidential race, choosing Bush over Democrat Al Gore. The Texas
governor had indicated he was sympathetic to their concerns about the
use
of secret evidence in immigration hearings.
However, many rank-and-file Muslims -- especially U.S.-born blacks, who
vote overwhelmingly Democratic -- opposed that 2000 decision. After the
Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and the anti-terror policies that followed,
the
Muslim leaders who had organized the Bush endorsement said openly they
had
made a mistake.
Still, Bush did not give up on the Muslim vote.
About a year ago, the Bush administration had increased contacts with
Muslim leaders, inviting them for briefings with the Department of
Justice
and the White House faith-based office, among other gestures, according
to
Salam al-Marayati, head of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
But Bush appears to have little chance of winning the leaders'
endorsement,
given widespread anger over terror prevention laws the president
insists
are critical to national security.
Nader, in an interview, said he alone was addressing Muslim issues.
"We are the only ones who are speaking up on Israel, the Palestinians,
civil liberties and malicious prosecution," he said. But many Muslim
leaders have argued that voting for Nader would just end up helping
Bush.
Regarding Kerry, some Muslim leaders say his campaign has missed
opportunities to capitalize on Muslim resentment of the president.
At the convention this weekend, organized by the nonpartisan Islamic
Society of North America, several speakers said Kerry had become too
timid
on civil rights issues. They said his pledge on repealing parts of the
USA
Patriot Act, which gave the government broad new powers to monitor
citizens, did not go far enough...
---
IMAM'S MESSAGE FINDS HOME
Geneive Abdo, Chicago Tribune, 9/6/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/west/chi-0409060077sep06,1,1181834.story
Sheik Hamza Yusuf defies the common stereotypes of an Islamic cleric: A
Muslim convert with a neatly manicured light brown goatee, starched
white
shirt and fancy trousers, he stepped out of a taxi this weekend, at
first
without much fanfare, at a gathering of thousands of his followers.
But by early afternoon, he had sold hundreds of copies of his latest
book,
"Purification of the Heart," inside a chaotic bazaar at the Stephens
Convention Center in Rosemont. Even after he left, the book kept
selling as
latecomers dropped by, disappointed that they had missed the chance to
see
their favorite imam.
For many attending the annual convention of the Islamic Society of
North
America this weekend, Yusuf provides answers to their greatest
challenge:
living as a Muslim in post-Sept. 11 America.
"I listen to his tapes and read his books because he appeals to our
needs
and who we are in America," said Amenah Ibrahim, 26. "He is not like
the
imams from Jordan or other parts of the Middle East who can't relate to
American Muslims."
Yusuf is considered an antidote to traditional clerics cloaked in long
robes and known for their stern warnings that Western life is
incompatible
with the teachings of the Koran.
"What I try to do is look at the Koran holistically," Yusuf said before
arriving at the conference hall.
"I had a teacher who told me once that every group that goes astray
takes
the Koran piecemeal. They take from it what they like, and then they
don't
take those things that either restrict meanings or particularize them,"
said the cleric from the San Francisco Bay area, who became a Muslim in
1977 and attended Islamic schools in the Middle East and North
Africa...
-----
HATE CRIME OR CRIMINAL MISCHIEF?
KWWL, 9/6/04
http://www.kwwl.com/Global/story.asp?S=2264221
Members of the Islamic Center in Cedar Rapids are worried they're a
target
of a hate crime. Early on Monday morning, Cedar Rapids Police received
a
call graffiti had been spray painted on the center, which is on the
South
West side of the city. Lieutenant Ken Washburn says similar graffiti
was
found at a Blockbuster Video just blocks away from the Islamic
Center. However, some Muslims who belong to the center, say the
message
behind the graffiti proves this is a hate crime because of a reference
to a
biblical passage. The Islamic Center's Spiritual Leader, Ahmen Elkhaldy
says, "3:18, it's a famous verse from the Bible, John 3:18, talks about
Jesus the only Begotten Son and those who do not believe in God should
be
condemned and those who believe in him, they should live forever."
Elkhadly found the graffiti. Although the reference to 3:18 is only
one of
about seven pieces of graffiti found on the building, he believes the
center is being targeted. "It's a hate crime and I think everyone
should
condemn that and stand against this immoral act."
This isn't the first act of vandalism that has happened at the Islamic
Center. The Spiritual Leader says there have been four hate crimes in
the
past three years. In fact, just last summer, the glass was shattered
in
the entry way of the building. In addition, members of the Islami
Center
had their car windows broken and tires slashed. Elkhaldy says the
Muslim
people are being unfairly targeted. "If they wanted to tie all Muslims
together with the Al Qaeda organization, regardless of what's right
what's
wrong about Al Qaeda, it's like tying all Christians with KKK, and
that's
not fair..."
If you have information on the damage to the Islamic Center or the
Blockbuster Video store, call the Cedar Rapids Police Department at
319-286-5400.
ALSO SEE:
FIRES SET AT ST. CATHARINES MOSQUE
Canadian Press, 9/5/04
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/toronto/story.html?id=d4291787-fc9f-4645-99f2-e4a479ff15bf
A series of small fires set around a St. Catharines mosque were being
treated as a hate crime Saturday after Niagara Regional Police also
found
what they called bias-oriented statements etched into the concrete
outside.
Police said they were alerted to the fires early Saturday morning when
a
car fire was reported at a store adjacent to the Majid-an-Noor mosque.
Police said the car, which was parked against the north side of the
mosque,
had been completely destroyed by fire.
Further investigation revealed several other small fires set at the
rear of
the mosque.
Toronto television station CFTO reported that cardboard had been
stuffed
into the mosque's ventilation system and ignited.
"For sure it is very sad," mosque spokesman Ezeldin Abadalla told the
television station.
"But . . . we believe this is very isolated incident, it doesn't
reflect
the attitude of our society here in St. Catharines."
Police said the fires only caused minimal damage to the building.
They said they will use "all available resources" to catch whomever is
responsible.
-----
UNPROVEN WEAPONS CLAIM LED TO ISLAMIC CHARITY RAID IN '01
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 9/4/04
http://www.freep.com/news/nw/weapon4e_20040904.htm
The CIA feared that an Islamic charity chaired by an Ann Arbor man was
plotting to attack the United States with weapons of mass destruction,
according to a report by the 9/11 commission. The extraordinary claim
was
based on intelligence the agency gathered from a separate FBI
investigation.
The worries prompted federal agents and NATO troops to raid offices of
the
charity, Global Relief Foundation, on Dec. 14, 2001, and swab some of
them
for residues of weapons of mass destruction. None were found, and the
attack allegations were never proved, the 9/11 commission review says.
But the claim led to the arrest of Rabih Haddad, an Ann Arbor cleric
who
became the center of a national debate over security and civil rights
in a
post-9/11 world. The commission's report reveals for the first time why
investigators cracked down on Haddad and shrouded details of his arrest
from the public. The bipartisan, independent commission also raised
questions about whether the U.S. government unfairly treated Haddad and
others associated with Global Relief. Haddad was deported to Lebanon
last
year. He and the charity were never charged with a crime.
Attorneys for Haddad and the charity, based near Chicago, dismissed the
claim that they may have been connected to weapons of mass destruction.
"It's almost too shocking to react to," said Roger Simmons, attorney
for
Global Relief. "To me, it was like science fiction."
Haddad's attorney, Ashraf Nubani, first heard of the weapons claim when
contacted this week by the Free Press. "That doesn't make any sense,"
Nubani said. "How can you be both a humanitarian organization and even
remotely involved in weapons of mass destruction? It's literally
impossible..."
ALSO SEE:
DETROIT CASE SHOWS TERROR PROSECUTION WOES
Curt Anderson, Associated Press, 9/6/04
http://www.suntimes.com/output/terror/cst-nws-terr07.html
WASHINGTON - The collapse in Detroit of the Justice Department's first
post-Sept. 11 prosecution of an alleged terrorist sleeper cell has left
the
Bush administration with few high-profile major criminal victories in
the
war on terrorism - and a growing list of losses and questionable cases.
Justice Department officials insist their record since the 2001 attacks
reflects a successful strategy of catching suspected terrorists long
before
they can launch deadly plots, even if that involves charging them with
lesser crimes. Yet some legal experts and Bush administration critics
say
many such cases are pumped up by overzealous prosecutors.
``There's been a tendency of the Justice Department to act overly
aggressively, to hold news conferences, to seek headlines, but when the
facts come out they are often shown to be exaggerated,'' said David
Cole, a
Georgetown University law professor and frequent critic of Bush
administration counterterrorism policies.
According to the latest available figures, the Justice Department since
Sept. 11, 2001 has charged more than 310 people in terrorism-related
cases
and won 179 convictions - many for such relatively minor infractions as
document and credit card fraud and immigration violations.
With fighting terrorism a cornerstone of President Bush's re-election
campaign, the Bush administration has been unapologetic in its
aggressive
approach. Attorney General John Ashcroft has repeatedly said the best
evidence that the strategy works is that no terror attacks on U.S. soil
have occurred since Sept. 11.
``You have to have a zero-tolerance policy for anything that could
germinate into a terrorist plot or facilitate a terrorist plot,'' said
U.S.
Attorney David Kelley of New York. ``We've been rooting out people
before
things get too far along. Our success in that area has likely led to
some
disruption activity.''
In the Detroit case, the Justice Department agreed last week with
defense
lawyers that charges of material support for terrorism should be
dropped
against two men who were convicted in the first major terrorism
prosecution
after the attacks. A lengthy internal probe uncovered prosecutorial
misconduct that included withholding evidence that tended to bolster
the
men's claims of innocence...
---
MUSLIM LAWYER FILES DISCRIMINATION SUIT AGAINST FIRM
Eric Herman, Sun-Times, 9/6/04
http://www.suntimes.com/output/herman/cst-fin-law06.html
A Muslim lawyer slapped one of the country's biggest law firms with a
discrimination suit last week, saying it cut his work load and then
fired
him in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Zafar Hasan, 33, worked in the Chicago office of Foley & Lardner, a
Milwaukee-based firm with nearly 1,000 lawyers and offices from Tokyo
to
Tampa. Hasan joined Foley in 2000. According to a lawsuit he filed in
U.S.
District Court in Chicago, his "billings were well above average"
during
his first year with the firm.
Born in Wisconsin, Hasan holds a law degree from the University of
Michigan
and an MBA from the University of Chicago. After the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks, he began to write articles on Muslim culture. His pieces
diagnosed
deep problems in Islamic societies. In a Sun-Times op-ed piece, he
wrote
that "Islamic civilization" is "currently in ruins."
His television dates included appearances on "Chicago Tonight."
Two months after the attacks, according to the lawsuit, "Foley began
discriminating against Hasan."
The firm stopped giving him assignments and took other steps to reduce
his
billable hours, the suit says.
Before September 2001, Hasan had billed the highest number of hours in
his
department at Foley, his lawyer said. Afterward, his hours plummeted.
On Dec. 5, 2002, Foley fired Hasan. The day marked the eve of the end
of
Ramadan, a month-long Muslim holiday...
---
ARABS, MUSLIMS TO GET FREE LEGAL AID
Religion News Service, 9/5/04
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/living/religion/9579558.htm
The American Civil Liberties Union will provide free legal
representation
to any Arab or Muslim approached by the FBI in what the ACLU calls
"dragnet
technique" interviews.
The national office of the ACLU sent a memo to its 53 affiliate
offices,
asking them to provide a list of lawyers who will be available to
accompany
Arabs and Muslims to FBI interviews. The ACLU also has a phone hotline
that
can help people connect with their local affiliate office.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has partnered with the ACLU
to
connect Arabs and Muslims with lawyers in their geographic area.
In addition to the free legal representation, the ACLU has updated its
"Know Your Rights" pamphlet, published in eight languages, and urged
Congress to pass legislation defining and ending racial profiling.
-----
PASTOR'S REMARKS SPUR RELOCATION OF VOTING SITES
Steve Patterson, Sun Times, 9/4/04
http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-poll04.html
On Wednesday, Cook County election officials moved five polling sites
out
of an Orland Park church because of controversial comments made by that
church's pastor.
On Friday, Chicago election officials followed, moving three polling
sites
out of a Chicago church run by the same pastor...
Leach said the city received no complaints about the Rev. Vernon Lyons
or
his Chicago church, which is in contrast to the Ashburn Baptist Church
that
Lyons runs at 15401 Wolf Rd. in Orland Park.
Lyons led an unsuccessful effort to block a mosque from coming to
Orland
Park, and in that debate, he said Muslims are either involved in
terrorism
or are financial supporters of it. Some Muslims who vote at polling
sites
in Lyons' church told county Clerk David Orr they'd be uncomfortable
there,
given Lyons' comments, and Orr moved the polls to nearby public
buildings.
Leach said moving the three Chicago polling sites will impact about
1,600
registered voters, all of whom will be notified of a new site.
Yasser Tabbara, director of Chicago's Council on American Islamic
Relations, praised the moves by Orr and Leach, but lamented the need to
make such moves.
"It's like when African-Americans got the right to vote but then had to
go
in buildings saying 'whites only,'" Tabbara said. "But I am glad the
board
fulfilled their duty and are making sure that polling places are
friendly
environments for the entire population."
-----
WOMEN CELEBRATE RIGHT TO COVER UP
Marina Trahan Martinez, Dallas Morning News, 9/6/04
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/090504dnmethijab.b966b.html
Having seen women's headscarves banned in French schools and booed at a
Cowboys game, North Texas Muslim women united Saturday to profess pride
for
their religious garb.
"We understand France's desire to keep church separate from state,"
said
Saffia Meek, who coordinated the event for the Council on American
Islamic
Relations. "However, they're going about it in a way that infringes
upon
someone's right to practice their religion."
About 75 people, most of them women, celebrated International Hijab
Solidarity Day at a rally in Dealey Plaza. The women were sending the
message that wearing the traditional Muslim hijab - the headscarf that
covers the neck, head and hair and the loose-fitting garment that
covers a
woman's body - is their choice and they feel more liberated because of
it.
The event was celebrated in more than 10 countries Saturday.
Jamillah Hatim-Golden, 23, told women wearing a rainbow of colorful and
unique headscarves below a drizzling sky to "remember today, and know
that
you are not alone." She added that the hijab "protects us from being
visually raped."
Ms. Meek said that some countries oppress women who wear the hijab.
Hijab comes from the Arabic word hajaba, meaning to hide from view or
conceal. Ms. Hatim-Golden said the hijab is not a form of oppression.
"We really want to make clear that we want to do this," she said...
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIMS AIM TO `BUILD BRIDGES'
Greg Garrison, Birmingham News, 9/7/04
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1094548655169290.xml
In an effort to dispel misconceptions about their faith, Muslims have
organized an evening of presentations on Islam, to be held Thursday at
UAB.
"It is my belief that ignorance is the biggest source of fear, and we
are
here to remove ignorance and build bridges between the diverse
communities
that live in the greater Birmingham area," said Ashfaq Taufique,
president
of the Birmingham Islamic Society.
Three guest speakers who are Muslim experts on the history and culture
of
Islam will speak on "The Legacy of Prophet Muhammad," Thursday at 6
p.m.,
in UAB Cudworth Hall, at 19th Street and Eighth Avenue South.
Zulfiqar Ali Shah, chairman of the Universal Heritage Foundation, will
speak on Muhammad being a "brother in faith" to Jesus and Moses.
Ex-Methodist Muslim convert Jerald Dirks, author of "The Cross and the
Crescent," will speak on "Muhammad: a champion of women's rights."
Saiful-Islam Abdul-Ahad, a professor of history at the University of
Central Florida who is known to his students as just "Saif," said he
plans
to speak on Muhammad's military and political career.
Saif said Muhammad was an unusual prophet in that he was also a
military
leader who fought battles. "When he fought, he fought under the rules
of
jihad," Saif said. "He wasn't just a prophet; he was a political leader
and
commander of an Islamic state..."
---
AN ACTOR'S CRAFT AND HIS FAITH INTERSECT
Chris Hedges, New York Times, 9/7/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/07/nyregion/07profile.html
Aasif Mandvi's first lesson on the racism that can come with living in
a
community where you are different should have prepared him for his
second.
As a small Indian-born schoolboy in the working-class town of Bradford,
England, he was often taunted and chased home from school by ''the
white
boys.''
The experience, fading over time, rushed back to him after the attacks
of
9/11, which produced a backlash that made him, as a Muslim, again feel
the
sting of being ''an outsider.''
''It can make you have contempt for your own race, your otherness,'' he
said of his school days while seated at a diner on West End Avenue in
Manhattan. ''You try even harder to fit in. You aspire to be
integrated.''
But Mr. Mandvi, an actor, has reacted to what he sees as the current
assault on Islam -- born of indiscriminate fear and suspicion -- by
identifying with those who are attacked rather than those who are doing
the
attacking. And his work has, he said, suddenly taken on a political
dimension it lacked in the past. He is in the play ''Guantanamo,'' in
which
he portrays a Muslim detainee, Moazzam Begg, held in the prison base in
Cuba for two years.
''This is the most important theater production I have ever been
involved
with,'' he said. ''I am playing the role of a man who lives in the very
situation the play describes. He has not seen daylight in two years. He
has
no idea why he is detained. I am his mouthpiece through the play. This
is
not something that could happen. It is currently happening.''
The play, part theater, part agitprop, is a withering assault on the
Bush
administration's treatment of the Muslim detainees, drawing on letters,
interviews with those few who have been released and family members.
Before
appearing in ''Guantanamo,'' Mr. Mandvi starred in a production of
''Homebody/Kabul,'' the play by Tony Kushner that looks at America's
relationship with the Muslim world in Afghanistan. The role of an
activist
did not come naturally to a man who says he is not devout and never
thought
much about his religion.
''I never heard the word 'jihad' until it came out of the mouth of an
American television reporter,'' he said, ''and I was raised Muslim. I
was
never interested in being a political artist, but all this has forced
me to
become a more political artist. And it has made me a better artist.
There
is such a misunderstanding of Muslims now, such strange misconceptions,
such as the idea that Muslims hate America because of our freedoms. I
want
to do work that is honest, work that allows people to see another
dimension
of life.''
To that end, Mr. Mandvi, who says he is in his 30's, is turning his
one-man
show, ''Sakina's Restaurant,'' for which he won an Obie Award, into a
film.
''Sakina's Restaurant'' is a comedy that chronicles life in a
family-owned
Indian restaurant, which in the movie will be set in Jackson Heights,
Queens...
---
STRUGGLE FOR THE SOUL OF ISLAM
Bill Powell, Time, 9/5/04
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101040913/story.html
Four years ago, Mohammed Shakr sent his son away. Shakr (not his real
name)
lives in Baghdad, where he works as a translator, and he wanted the
young
man, Omar, to escape the oppression of Saddam Hussein's Iraq. So he
sent
Omar to a vocational school in the United Arab Emirates, where he
studied
automotive maintenance. But as the years went by, Shakr, 50, began to
be
worried about his son. Omar wrote letters to his father, a smoker,
lecturing him about Islam's disdain for tobacco. He chided his mother
for
wearing Western-style clothes to work. Omar finally returned to Baghdad
this spring, after the fall of Saddam's regime. When he showed up at
the
family home, his father's heart sank. Once clean shaven, Omar now wore
a
long beard, and his dishdasha, the traditional Islamic gown, fell
several
inches short of the floor.
These are trademarks of Islamic fundamentalists.
This was no longer the carefree young man he knew, Shakr thought, the
son
who loved to dance and go to parties. Now whenever the music channel
was on
television, Omar got up and left the room. One day he sternly told his
father, who works for an American company, that the U.S. was the
"enemy''
of Islam. Shakr's concern deepened. Finally he told friends at work, "I
have to rescue Omar. I have to bring back my son."
The war that began three years ago in lower Manhattan has never been a
conventional one, waged solely against enemy armies in distant lands.
It is
a fight for the hearts and minds and souls of millions of Muslims like
Omar
Shakr, whose life choices may have a greater impact on the long-term
security of the U.S., its citizens and its allies than battlefield
victories or intelligence reforms. That struggle did not become
immediate
for most Americans until Sept. 11, 2001, but it has burned in the
Islamic
world for decades. On one side are the proselytizers of radical Islam,
many
of whom celebrate the hateful vision of Osama bin Laden. The slaughter
last
week of hundreds of schoolchildren in Russia by a group of Chechen
rebels
that Russian officials say may have included foreign Islamic militants
was
the latest reminder of the terrorists' depravity. On the other side are
Islamic moderates, those who believe Muslims can coexist peacefully
with
people of other faiths, or of no faith at all, because they do so every
day, all across the world. The confrontation between the opposing
forces of
Islam amounts to what Princeton scholar Michael Scott Doran calls a
"civil
war" within one of the world's fastest-growing religions-a war so
tumultuous and far-reaching that, as in Mohammed and Omar's case, it
pits
fathers against sons.
The U.S. and its allies have succeeded in killing and apprehending
hundreds
of al-Qaeda terrorists and disrupting the command structure that bin
Laden
used to plot the Sept. 11 attacks. But the wider campaign to defuse the
appeal of Islamic extremism and win over those who sympathize with
al-Qaeda
has produced mixed results and has become a central issue of contention
in
the U.S. presidential campaign...
SEND COMMENTS TO: letters@time.com
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
-----
A VISA REVOKED
Washington Post, 9/7/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1344-2004Sep6.html
IN ITS ESSENCE, the State Department's recent decision to revoke the
visa
of Tariq Ramadan, a prominent Muslim scholar who was to begin teaching
this
fall at the University of Notre Dame, resembles visa decisions that the
State Department hands out every day. Many of these seem capricious.
Those
who are refused visas are often not told why or are given explanations
so
brief as to be meaningless. Not surprisingly, U.S. visa policy evokes
resentment around the world.
In Mr. Ramadan's case, however, there are a few important differences.
For
one, his work visa was revoked under a section of immigration law that
refers specifically to terrorist activities. Spokesmen from the State
and
Homeland Security departments point out that this section refers to
people
who are a "public safety risk or a national security threat." According
to
the State Department, the decision to revoke the visa was made abruptly
because "new information" came to light about Mr. Ramadan in the past
few
weeks. DHS, while confirming that Homeland Security officials were the
source of at least some information, refuses to say what it was,
referring
callers to the State Department, which also refuses to "comment on the
specifics of this or any other case."
The case is also different because of who Mr. Ramadan is: a Muslim
scholar
who has consistently argued for an Islamic "reformation" and a
reconciliation of Muslim and Western cultures. Mr. Ramadan, a citizen
of
Switzerland, has lectured many times in the United States, including at
the
State Department and, he says, at events organized by former president
Bill
Clinton. Far from having an extremist or fanatical reputation, he is
usually described as a leading moderate -- exactly the sort of person,
in
other words, with whom dialogue should be encouraged...
ALSO SEE:
WHY EXCLUDE A MUSLIM VOICE?
Diana L. Eck, Boston Globe, 9/4/04
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/09/04/why_exclude_a_muslim_voice/
TWO WEEKS ago on C-Span, I heard Condoleezza Rice say, "We must expand
dramatically our efforts to support and encourage the voices of
moderation
and tolerance and pluralism within the Muslim world." Yet, such a
person,
Swiss Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan, slated to teach at Notre Dame this
fall, was denied entry to the United States by the Department of
Homeland
Security.
His visa, issued in February, has been revoked without explanation,
except
for the statement that it is permissible to bar those who have used a
"position of prominence within any country to endorse or espouse
terrorist
activity."
With 30,000 Muslims gathering in Chicago this weekend for the Islamic
Society of North America, this controversy will be high on the agenda.
Ramadan was to speak at the meeting. Muslim Americans deserve to hear
something more substantive from our government than accusations levied
by
the likes of commentator Daniel Pipes.
I write as a scholar who believes Ramadan's progressive voice is
critical
for all of us Muslims and non-Muslims alike. I have read the books of
Ramadan, including "Western Muslims and the Future of Islam," and
"Islam,
the West, and the Challenges of Modernity," and I heard Ramadan speak
at
the Parliament of the World's Religions in Barcelona in July. He
relentlessly espouses the opposite of terrorism -- the hard work of
intercultural, interreligious bridge-building. As a scholar who looks
for
progressive voices that tackle the challenges of religious pluralism,
there
are few whose voice is clearer and more important than Ramadan's.
Yes, Ramadan's Egyptian grandfather, Hasan al-Banna, founded the Muslim
Brotherhood, an Islamist religio-political organization that has been
described as "fundamentalist." Is this reason to bar him from the
United
States? Ramadan has reflected often about the different contexts of his
life and that of the colonial Egypt of his grandfather. And, yes,
Ramadan
has openly criticized his French intellectual colleagues, many of them
Jewish, for not speaking out against the policies of Prime Minister
Sharon
and the US invasion of Iraq. He was then accused of anti-Semitism,
though
he has inveighed against every kind of anti-Semitism.
Just what, then, in the work of Ramadan would warrant signaling the
entire
Muslim world that America is now off-limits to a renowned scholar, so
well-known for his reformist vision that he has been called a "Muslim
Martin Luther..."
---
LIVE DISCUSSION WITH TARIQ RAMADAN
PULLING UP THE WELCOME MAT
Thursday, September 9, at 2 p.m., U.S. Eastern time
http://chronicle.com/colloquylive/2004/09/ramadan/
Has academic freedom fallen victim to post-September 11 efforts to
safeguard the country's borders? For some people, the U.S. government's
revoking of a visa for Tariq Ramadan, a controversial Muslim scholar,
has
raised such questions. Are their concerns valid? Why do other people
consider him such a threat?
-----
MUSLIMS MARKET SPECIAL MEAT
Chauncey Bailey, Trivalley Herald, 9/4/04
http://www.trivalleyherald.com/Stories/0,1413,86~10671~2382282,00.html
OAKLAND -- For the Bay Area's 350,000 Muslims, shopping for meat
products
is more than looking for popular brand names.
They must observe the principles of "halal." Meats must be prepared
according to religious doctrine. Before animals are slain the name
"Allah"
(God) must be evoked to approve of the sacrifice.
And, animals must be killed with a sharp knife to the throat because
that
is less painful than any other method. All the blood must be drained
away
to remove impurities.
To kill an animal any other way would shock its body and release
unwanted
chemicals into its system, say Muslims, and that would alter the taste
of
the meat.
With demand for halal products growing, Oakland businessman Husamuddin
Bill
Matthews, a devout Muslim, has decided to meet that demand. Next month,
his
"California Fresh" chicken and beef links will hit the market.
"We are going to offer chicken links, breakfast links and a beef hot
link,
al halal," he said.
The products will be made at the Moniz Meats Co. in Oakland, owned by
John
Corriea, who has been producing meat products for decades. Moniz Meats
was
founded in 1906, and Matthews was impressed with its sausage
production.
"We plan to produce 7,000 pounds a day in Oakland," said Matthews, who
is
getting his halal meats from outlets in Georgia, as well as Berkeley,
and
Livingston, Calif.
"The meats are fresh and they taste better than other meats, and that
makes
halal desirable for all consumers, not just Muslims," Matthews said.
Bashir Salaam, who owns the Halal Meat Market on International
Boulevard,
says "it's important to eat the right foods." A sign inside his store
says
"Read the Holy Qur'an."
Syed Khalil, manager of the store, explains why halal meat is
different.
"Chickens and cows are fed grain and there are no hormones in the body.
It's natural and you have to sell it in 5 to 10 days," said Khalil...
-----
SPY CASE RENEWS DEBATE OVER PRO-ISRAEL LOBBY'S TIES TO PENTAGON
James Risen and David Johnson, New York Times, 9/6/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/06/politics/06spy.html
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 - It began like most national security
investigations,
with a squad of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents surreptitiously
tailing two men, noting where they went and whom they met. What was
different about this case was that the surveillance subjects were
lobbyists
for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and one of their
contacts
turned out to be a policy analyst at the Pentagon.
The ensuing criminal investigation into whether Aipac officials passed
classified information from the Pentagon official to Israel has become
one
of the most byzantine counterintelligence stories in recent memory. So
far,
the Justice Department has not accused anyone of wrongdoing and no one
has
been arrested.
Aipac has dismissed the accusations as baseless, and Israel has denied
conducting espionage operations in the United States.
Behind the scenes, however, the case has reignited a furious and
long-running debate about the close relationship between Aipac, the
pro-Israel lobbying organization, and a conservative group of
Republican
civilian officials at the defense department, who are in charge of the
office that employs Lawrence A. Franklin, the Pentagon analyst.
Their hard-line policy views on Iraq, Iran and the rest of the Middle
East
have been controversial and influential within the Bush administration.
"They have no case,'' said Michael Ledeen, a conservative scholar at
the
American Enterprise Institute and a friend of Mr. Franklin. "If they
have a
case, why hasn't anybody been arrested or indicted?''
Nearly a dozen officials who have been briefed on the investigation
said in
interviews last week that the F.B.I. began the inquiry as a national
security matter based on specific accusations that Aipac employees had
been
a conduit for secrets between Israel and the Pentagon. These officials
said
that the F.B.I., in consultation with the Justice Department, had
established the necessary legal foundation required under the law
before
beginning the investigation...
SEE ALSO:
ISRAELI RABBIS URGE ARMY TO GET TOUGH
Associated Press, 9/7/04
JERUSALEM (AP) - Prominent Israeli rabbis are urging the defense
minister
to take a harder line against Palestinian militants, even it means
killing
innocent civilians, one of the rabbis said Tuesday.
Rabbi Haim Druckman, a former member of parliament, said he and 15
other
rabbis sent Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz a letter saying the military
should be permitted to attack militants - even those located near
Palestinian civilians - if it helps save Israeli lives.
``Should the army fight the enemy, if Palestinian civilians will be
killed,
or should the army refrain from fighting, and thus endanger our
civilians?'' the letter read, according to Druckman.
``The rabbis quote the sage Rabbi Akiva as responding: 'Our lives come
first,''' Druckman said, referring to an ancient Torah scholar…
One part of the letter compared Israel's confrontation with Palestinian
militants to other conflicts around the world, Druckman said.
``There is no war in the world in which it is possible to delineate
entirely between the population and the enemy army, neither in the U.S.
war
in Iraq, the Russian war in Chechnya, nor in Israel's wars with its
enemies,'' he quoted the letter as saying…
-----
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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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/8/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD'S MERCY IS VAST
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 7731 SPONSORSHIPS
- Register for CAIR's Oct. Banquet & Convention
- CAIR Volunteer Meeting in Virginia
- CAIR Job Opening: Civil Rights Coordinator
* MEDIA REQUEST: SEARCH FOR 50 INFLUENTIAL MUSLIM WOMEN
* NC: SUIT OVER BOOK ON ISLAM DISMISSED (N&O)
- AL: Muslims and the Ten Commandments (AP)
* MN MUSLIMS EXPRESS ANGER OVER RUSSIA KILLINGS (Star Trib)
* HALABI: ERRORS IN INVESTIGATION ERODE CASE (USA Today)
- CAIR-AZ: FBI Interviews Unnerve Muslims (TC)
- Suspect Facing Deportation Says He Suffered Abuse (CP)
* TARIQ RAMADAN: U.S. SHUTS OUT MUSLIM SCHOLAR (CHE)
- A Blow to Academics (Wash Post)
- Bush Admin Should Welcome Scholar (Journal Gazette)
* AIPAC LOBBYING BLITZ AFTER SECRETS CHARGES (The Hill)
- Neoconservatism and Espionage (Antiwar.com)
- Neocons Seen Battling Rivals (Wash Post)
* NY: MEETINGS EXAMINE RELATIONS WITH MUSLIMS (Journal News)
* VA: INTERFAITH COALITION HOLD 9/11 PEACE BANQUET
- FL: Muslim Community Honors 9/11 Heroes
- MD: Muslim Council to Hold 'United We Stand' Dinner
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD'S MERCY IS VAST
Once while the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was praying, a man
stood up and said: "O God! Bestow Your Mercy on me and Muhammad only,
and
do not bestow it on anybody else." When the Prophet finished his
prayer, he
said to the man, "You have limited a vast (thing)," meaning God's
Mercy.
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 39
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 7731 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, you may sponsor an 18-item package about Islam and
Muslims,
which are then distributed to the library of their choice.
To sponsor a library call, visit:
http://www.cair-net.org/libraryproject/
ALSO SEE:
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S OCT. 2-5 BANQUET & CONVENTION
Join us in our nation's capital for 4 days of exciting activities!
TO REGISTER, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
---
CAIR VOLUNTEER MEETING IN VIRGINIA
CAIR will conduct a 30-minute volunteer meeting at Dar Al-HIjrah in the
library after maghrib prayers, tomorrow, Thursday, September 9. Also,
there
will be a meeting and telemarketing session at the CAIR office on
Thursday,
September 9 from 6-9 pm insha'Allah. For those of you who can't make it
for
the entire time, please be prepared to come for a minimum of half an
hour
so we can follow up and get any ticket sales from you. Those who will
be
able to help with the telemarketing to CAIR members/supporters, please
email me and let me know if you're able to stay. We will provide dinner
for
those staying for telemarketing insha'Allah.
Ms. Isra'a Abdul-Rahman
Events Manager
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Tel: 202-488-8787 ext. 6050
E-Mail: irahman@cair-net.org
---
CAIR JOB OPENING: CIVIL RIGHTS COORDINATOR
CAIR has an immediate opening for an experienced dynamic person to fill
the
position of Civil Rights Coordinator. The position involves handling of
civil rights cases, doing research on issues pertaining to civil and
religious rights in America, maintaining a civil rights data base
system,
and generating reports, charts and graphs. Candidates should have a
Bachelor degree in a related field with general knowledge of the US
Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
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. When applying via email please
ensure to write the position title "Civil Rights Coordinator" in the
subject of the email. Please send your application with cover letter
and
complete resume and references. Absolutely no phone calls please.
-----
MEDIA REQUEST: SEARCH FOR TOP 50 INFLUENTIAL MUSLIM WOMEN
A search is on for the top 50 influential Muslim women of our times.
These
can either be women who have achieved exceptional career success or who
have made an exceptional contribution to the society around them.
The women will be profiled in both a book and a film documentary being
produced for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC Television).
Please
email your suggestions with a short description and preferably contact
info
to ronna_syed@cbc.ca or nali@look.ca.
-----
SUIT OVER BOOK ON ISLAM DISMISSED
News & Observer, 9/8/04
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/1613977p-7824126c.html
CHAPEL HILL -- A federal lawsuit that sparked debate in 2002 over the
UNC-Chapel Hill summer reading program selection was dismissed this
summer
by U.S. District Court Judge N. Carlton Tilley Jr.
In 2002, UNC-CH freshmen were asked to read "Approaching the Qu'rán:
The
Early Revelations," author Michael Sell's analysis and translation of
the
Islamic holy text.
Three UNC-CH students who remained anonymous and two other plaintiffs
claimed the university was proselytizing and crossing the line between
church and state by assigning the text.
After the challenge, university administrators said reading the book
and
writing a paper about it was an optional assignment. They also insisted
that the university was not promoting a religion but trying to engage
students in academic debate and study.
In dismissing the lawsuit, Tilley said the university "did not advance
or
promote religion" and that there was "no excessive entanglement with a
religious activity."
"It was scholarly discourses, not a proselytizing mission," Tilley
wrote in
his ruling.
ALSO SEE:
ALABAMA VOTERS STILL SUPPORT TEN COMMANDMENTS MONUMENTS
Kyle Wingfield, Associated Press, 9/7/04
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040907/APN/409070
953
A new poll shows more than two-thirds of Alabamians support public
displays
of the Ten Commandments, though almost as many say the issue championed
by
former Chief Justice Roy Moore has received too much attention…
Those polled thought differently about displays referencing the Torah,
the
Quran or other non-Christian texts: 50 percent opposed them.
John Giles, president of the Alabama Christian Coalition, said that
makes
sense because "the Torah nor the Quran has nothing to do with the U.S.
Constitution's history."
"History teaches us the Ten Commandments were the moral code, the moral
foundation of the English common law," Giles said. "And the English
common
law is the genesis to the U.S. and Alabama constitutions."
Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said his
group
has a problem with the differing views on Christian vs. non-Christian
displays.
"We aren't particularly opposed to the display of the Ten Commandments
-
Muslims believe in the Ten Commandments - as long as religious displays
of
all faiths are allowed," said Hooper, spokesman for the Washington,
D.C.-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group…
-----
MINNESOTA MUSLIMS EXPRESS ANGER
Sharon Schmickle, Star Tribune, 9/8/04
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4969388.html
Dozens of Muslim organizations in Minnesota stepped forward Tuesday to
denounce the killings of at least 350 people, including children, in
the
southern Russian town of Beslan.
"Those who commit acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of
Islam
are destroying innocent lives and betraying the values of the faith
they
claim to represent," said a statement released by Fedwa Wazwaz of
Brooklyn
Park on behalf of 10 Muslim organizations including the Islamic
Resource
Group where she is a speaker.
"We repudiate and dissociate ourselves from any Muslim group or
individual
who commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts," Hamdy El-Sawaf, executive
director of the Islamic Center of Minnesota, said in a separate
statement
on behalf of the Muslim Organizations of Minnesota, which he
coordinates.
"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."
In addition to offering prayers and condolences, several Minnesota
Muslim
groups are contacting relief agencies to offer assistance to the
Russian
families, said Mohamad Elmasry, Minneapolis, of the Muslim American
Society.
-----
ERRORS IN INVESTIGATION ERODE ESPIONAGE CASE
Laura Parker, USA Today, 9/7/04
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-09-07-gitmospy-errors_x.htm
It was a shocking allegation: U.S. servicemen at the Guantanamo Bay
Naval
Base in Cuba were spying on America, and secretly helping suspected
terrorists held there.
That was the military's claim a year ago when it filed charges that
ominously described a spy ring that was sympathetic to suspected
al-Qaeda
operatives and Taliban soldiers held in a military prison at the base.
But
then in March, the Army abruptly dropped attempted espionage charges
against Capt. James Yee, a Muslim chaplain at Guantanamo whom
authorities
had described as the spy operation's "big fish." Military officials
said
that pursuing a case against Yee would force them to reveal national
secrets; critics questioned whether the Army really had a case.
Now, the case against the second man charged in the spy ring, Air Force
translator Ahmad Al Halabi, appears to be foundering as well - just six
days before his court martial is set to begin in California.
Prosecutors who accused Al Halabi of trying to pass more than 200
secret
documents to U.S. enemies have not produced evidence that he tried to
pass
secrets to anyone. And now, they say that all but one of the documents
Al
Halabi had are not, in fact, "classified."
The prosecutors' move is the latest turn in a case that has been
troubled
almost from the start, according to military court papers obtained by
USA
TODAY. Al Halabi's attorneys portray the case as a wayward product of
religious bigotry, hysteria about terrorism and a shoddy investigation
led
by an ambitious probationary agent. The attorneys say overzealous
prosecutors turned error into fact to create a far-fetched espionage
plot.
The defense attorneys, led by Don Rehkopf of Rochester, N.Y., suggest
in a
59-page brief that Yee, Al Halabi and others were targeted because they
complained that the military was mistreating prisoners at Guantanamo.
The
attorneys argue that Yee and Al Halabi were punished for raising
questions
about conditions at Guantanamo that have since become public in the
wake of
the scandal at the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, where U.S. soldiers
abused
Iraqi prisoners...
ALSO SEE:
INTIMIDATION, FBI INTERVIEWS UNNERVE LOCAL MUSLIMS
Eric Sagara, Tucson Citizen, 9/7/04
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/breaking/090704muslims.html
Muslims here are being questioned by the FBI and are still the targets
of
derogatory remarks and acts of vandalism three years after the 2001
terrorist attacks.
FBI spokeswoman Susan Herskovitz confirmed that agents continue to
interview Muslims.
"The interviews are really intelligence-driven," she said, adding that
questions often depend on what the subject has to say.
The focus now is on the upcoming presidential debates and elections,
she
said.
The interviews are voluntary, but Deedra Aboud, director of the Center
for
American-Islamic Relations in Arizona, said they can be intimidating.
"It's not an investigation," Aboud said. "That doesn't mean that when
the
FBI knocks on your door, you don't feel like you're under
investigation."
Muhammad As'ad, director of the Islamic Center of Tucson, agreed.
"I think you're going to find a community that's very nervous," As'ad
said.
Herskovitz would not speculate when the questionings would end. The FBI
began questioning Muslims shortly after Sept. 11 three years ago.
In general the atmosphere has improved for the estimated 50,000 Muslims
living in Arizona, Aboud said, noting that it never got as bad as it
did in
other parts of the country.
The shooting death of Balbir Singh Sodh in Mesa four days after the
attacks
may have been a factor, she added. "I think that put things in
perspective
for people in Arizona as to where that line is, what too far is," she
said.
Sodh, 49, was killed outside the gas station he owned. He had a long
beard
and wore a turban, characteristics many associate with Arabs or
Muslims. He
was, in fact, a Sikh from Punjab, India.
Since then, backlash against Muslims can typically be tied to
international
events, Aboud said...
---
SUSPECTED TERRORIST FACING DEPORTATION SAYS HE SUFFERED ABUSE BEHIND
BARS
Fatima Najm, Canada East, 9/8/04
http://canadaeast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040907/CPN/29968021
TORONTO (CP) - An Egyptian refugee suspected of being a terrorist with
links to Osama bin Laden told a harrowing tale of emotional abuse
Tuesday
as he described spending the last four years behind bars in Canada.
Mohammad Zeki Mahjoub, 44, told a Federal Court bail hearing that his
human
rights have been violated repeatedly by prison guards, particularly in
the
days following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United
States.
An emotional Mahjoub said his life after Sept. 11 was "something like
hell"
and included an attempted sexual assault in January 2002 that he said
was
too traumatic for him to discuss in open court.
Four days after the Sept. 11 attacks, Mahjoub was moved to solitary
confinement, where he said he was awakened by a guard who screamed
obscenities as he pounded on the iron door of the cell.
"'You are a (expletive) Muslim terrorist; we will kill all Muslims in
the
world,"' Mahjoub recalled the guard shouting through the door.
He said he was terrified by the banging, which "sounded like an
earthquake."
Mahjoub also recounted an earlier episode in which he asked to be
allowed
to keep his underwear on during a strip search in March 2001.
"That guard exploded with anger," Mahjoub said.
"He was calling names against me, my religion, my family, against
Muslims
in general. He yelled: 'You should be killed, not just you, but all
Muslims.' "
During a break in testimony, Mahjoub's wife, Mona El Fouli, silently
fought
back tears as she watched her husband being handcuffed before guards
escorted him out of the courtroom...
Mahjoub has been detained since June 2000, when he was accused of being
involved with the Vanguards of Conquest, a militant organization that
wants
to overthrow the Egyptian government.
He is one of five people detained by the Canadian Security Intelligence
Service who are being held on security certificates based on secret
evidence...
-----
U.S. SHUTS OUT MUSLIM SCHOLAR, RAISING FEARS FOR ACADEMIC FREEDOM
Burton Bollag, Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/10/04
http://chronicle.com/free/v51/i03/03a00801.htm
The decision of the U.S. government to revoke the visa of Tariq
Ramadan, a
prominent but controversial European Muslim scholar who was scheduled
to
teach at the University of Notre Dame, has led to protests that
post-September 11 visa restrictions are being used to keep out an
intellectual with unpopular ideas.
Mr. Ramadan, 42, a Swiss citizen living in Geneva, had accepted a
full-time, tenured position as the Henry R. Luce professor of religion,
conflict, and peacebuilding at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for
International
Peace Studies. Early last month he was informed by the U.S. Embassy in
Switzerland that his visa, approved in March, had been revoked at the
request of the Homeland Security Department.
No reason has been given. But Russ Knocke, a spokesman for the
department,
said such a decision is generally made when the department feels there
are
"public-safety or national-security risks."
In a statement, Notre Dame said it was "deeply disappointed and
concerned"
by the move. Mr. Ramadan "is a distinguished scholar and a voice for
moderation in the Muslim world," the university said.
In a joint statement, the Middle East Studies Association and the
American
Academy of Religion wrote that "in the absence of any explanation, we
fear
that pressures were applied to reverse the granting of the visa by
people
who disagree with Dr. Ramadan's views."
The statement says that unproven allegations in the news media about
links
between Mr. Ramadan and terrorist groups "smack of a
character-assassination campaign designed to suppress Dr. Ramadan's
voice
at a prominent American university."
The American Association of University Professors said in a statement
that
the cancellation of Mr. Ramadan's visa was "manifestly at odds with our
society's respect for academic freedom..."
ALSO SEE:
A BLOW TO ACADEMICS
Louise Cainkar, Washington Post, 9/8/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3997-2004Sep7.html
By revoking Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan's visa to stop him from
teaching
at the University of Notre Dame [Nation in Brief, Aug. 25], the U.S.
government has dealt a blow to academic freedom.
It strikes fear into some hearts that experts on American and European
Muslims may influence academic and public debate, publishing widely and
mentoring new experts. The fearful prefer no change in the status quo.
At recent meetings of the American Sociological Association, scholars
asked
why U.S. sociologists know so little about Muslims. I answered that
academia had shown little interest in hiring professors with such
expertise; it wasn't considered important. It is shocking how badly the
United States trails the rest of the world in its knowledge of Muslims.
The
appointment of Mr. Ramadan by Notre Dame's Kroc Institute was a bold
step
toward catching up. As a senior researcher in this field, I was looking
forward to exchanging ideas with him. His message that Muslims in the
West
must "[f]ind common values and build with fellow citizens a society
based
on diversity and equality" needs to be heard.
This is sad for academics, Muslims in this country and the entire
American
public. The U.S. government should reinstate Mr. Ramadan's visa, uphold
its
principles of freedom and allow this country to become an enlightened
participant in a diverse world.
The writer is a senior research fellow at the University of Illinois at
Chicago's Great Cities Institute.
---
BUSH ADMINISTRATION SHOULD WELCOME MUSLIM SCHOLAR
Paul Donnelly, Journal Gazette, 9/6/04
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/editorial/9594507.htm
Tariq Ramadan, a professor at the College of Geneva and the University
of
Fribourg in Switzerland, is the author of a book that is perhaps the
most
hopeful work of Muslim theology in the past thousand years. This month
he
was to come to America to take the position of Luce professor of
religion,
conflict and peace-building at Notre Dame's Joan B. Kroc Institute for
International Peace Studies, when suddenly his visa was revoked.
Apparently Notre Dame didn't realize what a dangerous man it was
getting.
Ramadan's grandfather was Hasan Banna, who founded the Muslim
Brotherhood.
But Ramadan's own views on the role of his faith, published in his
book,
"To Be a European Muslim," directly confront the alienation of Islam
from
modernity.
Ramadan argues that the "us versus them" vision of Islam, exponentially
exaggerated by Osama bin Laden's demented Wahhabism, derives not from
the
Quran but from a world view that is 10 centuries out of date.
When I interviewed Ramadan not long after Sept.?11, 2001, I asked what
alternative he could offer Muslims. The true vision of Islam, he said,
is
not a snapshot of the world three centuries after the death of the
prophet,
but rather the unchanging Quran itself: "dar ash-Shahada," the "House
of
Witness," in which believers and unbelievers alike compete in doing
good
deeds to prove the truth.
Notre Dame officials insist that they have reviewed every charge
against
the Swiss scholar and agree with the likes of Scotland Yard and Swiss
intelligence, which have found them to be groundless.
Ramadan has been attacked for "anti-Semitism." Why? Because of an
article
on French communalism that included this sentence: "French Jewish
intellectuals whom we had thought of until then as universalist
thinkers
(have started) to develop analyses increasingly oriented toward a
communitarian concern."
Set this statement beside an essay on anti-Semitism by Ramadan, in
which he
writes the following: "Nothing in Islam can legitimize xenophobia or
the
rejection of a human being due to his/her religious creed or ethnicity.
One
must say unequivocally, with force, that anti-Semitism is unacceptable
and
indefensible."
The official reason for revoking Ramadan's visa is the USA Patriot
Act's
provisions for those who have prominently espoused or endorsed
terrorist
activity...
-----
AIPAC SECURES WIDE BACKING AFTER SECRETS CHARGES
Hans Nichols, The Hill, 9/8/04
http://www.thehill.com/news/090804/spy.aspx
Lobbyists for an influential pro-Israel group launched into
congressional
overdrive when trails of a Pentagon spy scandal led to their Washington
office.
Soon after media outlets reported on the scandal late last month,
American
Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) lobbyists and their political
liaisons across the country asked Democratic and Republican lawmakers
to
issue public statements in support of America's premier pro-Israel
group.
The House will start its probe "with a record of confidence" in AIPAC,
said
Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).
That intense and frantic lobbying effort, which began on the eve of the
GOP
convention and continued unabated in New York, led dozens of lawmakers
of
both parties to testify to AIPAC's integrity before they had been
briefed
by the FBI investigators on the details of the case. Some lawmakers,
however, stressed that they rose to AIPAC's defense without any
prompting
from the group.
The FBI is reportedly investigating whether Pentagon analyst Larry
Franklin
passed sensitive intelligence to Israel and the role of two AIPAC
employees
in the matter.
AIPAC had deployed bipartisan statements in a successful campaign to
quell
the potentially disastrous flow of negative articles in the first cycle
of
an espionage scandal that FBI investigators say is expanding.
That bipartisan support has also immunized AIPAC from political attacks
that question the pro-Israel group's patriotism and has shielded it
from
the crossfire of a presidential campaign.
"As much as we've reached out to members of Congress, they are reaching
out
to us," said Josh Block, a spokesman for AIPAC.
"Clearly, expressions of support from leaders of both parties in both
chambers are extremely important and reflect the deep and abiding
relationship between the U.S. and Israel, and the strong relationship
between AIPAC and members of Congress," Block said.
Dozens of key lawmakers from both parties have been briefed by AIPAC
Executive Director Howard Kohr, say numerous congressional aides. In
addition, prominent Jewish community leaders across the country - many
of
whom are serious donors - have been phoning their friends on Capitol
Hill,
denouncing the allegation that a Pentagon mole slipped classified
documents
to AIPAC as the scurrilous work of an FBI zealot. ..
ALSO SEE:
NEOCONSERVATISM AND ESPIONAGE
Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com, 9/6/04
http://antiwar.com/justin/
These are bad times for Israeli spy operations. It wasn't enough that
the
American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) was outed, last week,
as a
major supplier of U.S. secrets to Tel Aviv: on Monday, Israel's spy
satellite - meant to keep an eye on Iran's nuclear ambitions - went
kaput
on lift-off. Measured in time, money, and diplomatic blowback, the loss
of
the satellite is a hard blow to the Jewish state - but the AIPAC affair
could deliver a knockout punch to one of Washington's most powerful,
and
feared, lobbying groups. Not only that, it could also destroy the
neoconservative wing of the Republican foreign policy establishment by
demonstrating, in a court of law, the key link between neoconservatism
and
espionage.
Attempts to minimize the damage, mostly conducted in the pages of the
Jerusalem Post, and the New York Times - which has published "news"
stories
on the subject consisting almost entirely of the neocons' outraged
denials
- have so far downplayed the significance of the documents allegedly
given
to AIPAC officials by Pentagon analyst Lawrence A. Franklin, and then
passed on to Israel. The Amen Corner always refers to a draft of a
presidential directive on Iran, and then goes on to scoff at the
seriousness of the alleged transmission: everybody does it, goes the
argument, and what are some "draft" policy papers between such good
friends? No notice is ever taken of the "other documents" frequently
mentioned, albeit in passing, in various news accounts. But what are we
talking about, here: secret codes? the names of American agents abroad?
America's war plans in Iraq? It could be any or all of the above...
---
BEHIND THE AIPAC PROBE, NEOCONS SEEN BATTLING RIVALS
Jefferson Morley, Washington Post, 9/7/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A2149-2004Sep7?language=printer
A high-level Washington power struggle over U.S. policy toward Iran is
driving the espionage investigation of the powerful American Israeli
Public
Affairs Committee (AIPAC), according to international online observers.
On one side of the conflict are neoconservative officials in the
Pentagon
who favor bold U.S. action to bring down Iran's theocratic government.
On
the other side, some see intelligence officials who view the neocons as
too
close to Israel.
Americans, distracted by two political conventions, the Olympics and
summer
vacations, probably missed the news that the governments of Israel and
Iran
spent the summer trading threats to attack each other.
Iran, the most populous country in the Middle East, has been secretly
seeking to develop nuclear weapons, according to international weapons
inspectors, a charge Tehran denies. Israel, which has maintained an
official stance of nuclear ambiguity, is long suspected of possessing a
nuclear arsenal but has never accepted weapons inspections. It is, by
all
accounts, determined to prevent the emergence of another nuclear power
in
the Middle East. In 1982, Israeli jets destroyed Iraq's nuclear reactor
to
prevent Saddam Hussein from developing nuclear weapons. Israeli
officials
have threatened to do the same in Iran.
In mid-August Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani upped the ante by
telling al-Jazeera television that his government might launch
preemptive
strikes against Israel to protect its nuclear facilities, according to
the
China Daily.
On Aug. 27, CBS News broke the story that the FBI was investigating
Defense
Intelligence Agency analyst Lawrence A. Franklin for allegedly sharing
sensitive U.S. documents on Iran policy with AIPAC. The Post then
reported
that the two-year-old probe was broader than just one person and that
investigators are looking into whether other defense officials had
given
sensitive materials to AIPAC and Ahmed Chalabi, the former Iraqi
dissident
who enjoyed support in areas of the Pentagon before the war.
While the Post quoted sources as saying they were "puzzled" and
"baffled"
about the motivation of the AIPAC probe, many foreign observers show no
such doubt.
The AIPAC scandal "stems from bureaucratic competition between
neoconservatives and their opponents within the administration,"
according
to columnist Avinoam Bar Yosef of the Jerusalem Post.
A commentator in a leading Arabic daily agreed...
-----
CAMPUS MEETINGS EXAMINE RELATIONS WITH MUSLIMS
Ernie Garcia, Journal News, 9/8/04
http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/090804/b04w08dialogue.html
The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center were so
personally
destructive to Thomas Roger - he lost his daughter, Jean, a flight
attendant on American Airlines Flight 11 - that he felt he had to do
something constructive to counteract the trauma his family and the
country
suffered.
Roger joined the Families of September 11, a nonpartisan advocacy
group,
and he has volunteered to speak at one of a nationwide series of
college
campus meetings that begin tonight at New York University in Manhattan.
The
"Hope Not Hate" series will discuss the future of relations between
America
and the Islamic world. His contribution will be part of an event
planned
for later this month at Yale Law School.
Organizers describe tonight's talk, which begins at 7 p.m. in the
Eisner
and Lubin Auditorium, as a response to the 9/11 Commission's
recommendations, specifically the need to foster outreach by Americans
to
Muslims worldwide.
"I really hope this series can begin to bring us back to reality," said
Seth Green, a 24-year-old Yale Law School student who is a coordinator
for
Americans for Informed Democracy, a nonpartisan group organizing
meetings
at colleges to foster global understanding. "There are so many images
in
our media and in media like Al Jazeera and others that show such an
extreme
and unrepresentative portion of our world."
Speakers include Asghar Choudhri, president of Pakistan American
Federation; Charles Hanley, an Associated Press reporter who helped
break
the Abu Ghraib prison story; Warren Hoge, U.N. bureau chief for The New
York Times; Nikki Stern, director of Families of September 11;
Mus-tapha
Tlili, director of Dialogues: Islamic World-U.S.-The West.
The series is part of a broader effort to hold thousands of discussions
in
September and October about the future of U.S. foreign policy. Among
the
Sept. 11 Commission's many recommendations was the need for the United
States to exert moral leadership that advocates public education,
economic
opportunities and civil rights for all residents of Muslim countries.
The
series will also feature six face-to-face videoconference dialogues
between
young leaders at six universities in middle America and six
universities in
the Muslim world.
Roger, 57, a construction executive from Longmeadow, Mass., said his
Sept.
21 presentation in New Haven, Conn., would focus on how he has lived
through the twin towers attacks and the subsequent war on terror. He
said
he would try to make his audience recognize that "major problems" of
understanding may exist among nonMuslim and Muslim Americans...
WHAT: Hope not Hate forum
WHEN: 7 p.m. today
WHERE: New York University, Eisner and Lubin Auditorium.
Information: For a list of events in the tri-state area, visit Hope Not
Hate online at www.hopenothate.org.
-----
INTERFAITH COALITION HOLD PEACE BANQUET FOR 9/11 ANNIVERSARY
Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Sikh Faith members to hold PEACE Banquet
at
the ADAMS Center ON 9/11 ANNIVERSARY at 5:00-8:00pm, Prayers for peace
and
national unity to be offered at all events.
WHAT: On Saturday, September 11, 2004, members of the ADAMS Center will
conduct and take part in many interfaith activities. ADAMS will hold an
Interfaith PEACE Banquet at the ADAMS Center in Sterling, VA, from
5:00pm-8:00pm, in remembrance of the victims of the World Trade Center
and
Pentagon attacks. Representatives of Christian, Jewish, and Sikh Faiths
will be represented and speaking at this event. ADAMS will also be
honoring
Local Police and Fire Departments for their continuous community
service.
Local Government Officials will also be speaking at this event. The
ADAMS
community will also participate in an Interfaith Housing Project for
the
Homeless in Washington DC on Sat Sept 11, 2004 from 8am to 4:30pm. In
addition, ADAMS will participate in Northern Virginia Interfaith Vigil
overnight at ADAMS Center on Saturday Sept 11, 2004 at 9pm
In this time of reflection, our hearts are with the victims and the
families of the victims of the September 11th tragedy and our prayers
are
for peace and compassion. Only through getting to know one another on a
personal level can people of different faiths build bridges of
understanding respect, and tolerance.
There are an estimated 120,000 Muslims in the DC Metro area and some
seven
million nationwide.
WHEN: ADAMS Center Interfaith PEACE Banquet: Saturday, September 11,
2004
from 5:00pm-8:00pm
CONTACT: Shirin Elkoshairi - 571-217-9286 or Bob Marro - 703-309-6726
WHERE: 46903 Sugarland Road, Sterling, VA 20164
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM COMMUNITY HONORS 9/11 HEROES WITH COMMUNITY SERVICE
WHAT: The Islamic Society of Central Florida will hold a September 11
Memorial honoring our heroes who lost their lives striving to save the
lives of others. In the aftermath of the disasters caused by
Hurricanes
Charley and Frances, we would like to thank all of the men and women
who
helped in our community's relief efforts. As the tragedy of September
11,
2001, represented the worst of humanity, the support we have received
after
the hurricane disasters represents the best of humanity. Prophet
Muhammad
said, God loves the urgent response to those in distress and trouble
who
appeal for help.
We feel the best way to honor our heroes memory is to serve our
community
as selflessly as they served our great nation. The memorial will be
followed by exhibits and information from many volunteer organizations.
Lunch will also be served to all attendees. The event is open to the
public.
WHEN: Saturday, September 11, 2004
WHERE: Muslim Community Center, 1021 N. Goldenrod Road, Orlando FL,
32807
WHO: Memorial Service, Volunteer Exhibits, and Lunch are all open to
the
public.
Contact: Areej Zufari, Communications Director of the Islamic Society
of
Central Florida, (407) 273-8363 or (407) 310-1198
---
MUSLIM COUNCIL TO HOLD 'UNITED WE STAND' DINNER
BELMONT - The Baltimore County Muslim Council will hold a "United We
Stand"
dinner and town hall meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow at the
Islamic
Society of Baltimore, 6631 Johnnycake Road, near Security Square Mall.
Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. will be the keynote
speaker.
His topic will be "Diversity of Baltimore County." The council is a
nonprofit organization established in 2001 to promote understanding of
the
Muslim-American community.
The public is welcome. Information: Shahab Qarni, 410-935- 0073; or
Akbar
Ansari, 443-850- 5600.
-----
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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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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/9/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: ACTS OF KINDNESS
* REGISTER FOR CAIR'S OCT. BANQUET & CONVENTION
- CAIR Election Update #19: The Economy
- CAIR-NY: Election Workshop
* 'CRIMINALS, NOT MUSLIMS' (LA Times)
- Muslims as People (Daily News)
- Blaming the Religion (Daily News)
* GIVE THE CHECHENS A LAND OF THEIR OWN (NY Times)
- Don't Give Putin Carte Blanche (OC Register)
- The Likudization of the World (G&M)
* REPORT CRITICIZES HANDLING OF HADDAD CASE (MI Daily)
- Policy Let U.S. Hold Detainees in Secret (KR)
- U.S. to Free Guantanamo Captive (AP)
* 9/11 ATTACKS MARKED MANY WAYS (Wash Times)
- CA: Open House and 9/11 Memorial
- CA: Muslims Join Interfaith Community for 9/11 Event
- United We Stand: Three Years Later (SJ Mercury News)
* FOR MUSLIM VOTERS, GOP LOSES ALLURE (Daily Southtown)
- Who's Your Muslim Candidate? (AMA)
- TX: 1st Khutba Inside Texas State Capitol
* JEWISH GROUP QUESTIONS REVOCATION OF RAMADAN'S VISA
* THOUSANDS OF IRAQIS ESTIMATED KILLED (AP)
* BOUNDARIES BLUR FOR JEWISH LEADERS (Forward)
- Jewish Groups Wonder if They are Being Checked (JTA)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: ACTS OF KINDNESS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The first of those who
shall enter Paradise are the people who do acts of kindness."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 97B
-----
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S OCT. 2-5 BANQUET & CONVENTION
Join us in our nation's capital for 4 days of exciting activities!
TO REGISTER, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
---
CAIR ELECTION UPDATE #20: ECONOMY
http://www.cair-net.org/muslimvote2004/sept082004.asp
---
CAIR-NY: EMPOWER YOUR COMMUNITY IN AN ELECTION WORKSHOP
WHAT: Demos and the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-NY) invite you to "Empower Your Community: How to be an
Effective Leader in an Election Year."
Learn all you need to know about: New York's new election rules,
registering and assisting voters, what to do if you encounter problems
on
Election Day, provisional balloting.
WHEN: Monday, September 20, at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Demos, 220 Fifth Avenue (between 26th and 27th St.), 5th Floor
This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be
served. To RSVP or for more information: Kinga Bernath
kbernath@demos-usa.org or 212.389.1411.
This workshop is sponsored by Demos and organized in cooperation with
NAAP-NY. Endorsers: American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee NY
Chapter,
Council on American-Islamic Relations NY Office, Demos: A Network for
Ideas
and Action, Middle East Christian Coalition, The Network of
Arab-American
Professionals of NY, The Salaam Club of New York
For more information, call CAIR-NY at (212) 870.2002 or email
wnasr@cair-ny.com
-----
'CRIMINALS, NOT MUSLIMS'
Los Angeles Times, 9/8/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-russia9sep09,1,1219084.story
The criminals who took children hostage at their school on the first
day of
classes and are responsible for the deaths of at least 335 people in
Beslan, Russia, have generated universal condemnation. The sickening
pictures of row upon row of corpses, many of them grammar school
students,
provoked Muslim leaders to excoriate the terrorists and declare that
the
perpetrators did not act in the name of their religion.
Egypt's top cleric, Grand Sheik Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, said during
prayers
Friday that "those who carry out the kidnappings are criminals, not
Muslims."
At a Moscow rally of more than 100,000 on Tuesday, a leading Muslim
said
the terrorists, thought to be men and women from the predominantly
Muslim
republic of Chechnya, were "not Muslims … not humans."
Atrocities in Iraq, like the beheading or shooting of 12 Nepalese
workers
by a group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq, which showed the
killings on its website last week, also have created revulsion inside
and
outside the Muslim world. Some prominent Arabs, appalled by the Russian
deaths, suggested that autocratic Mideast governments, plagued by
corruption and claiming to be Islamic, have become breeders of
terrorists.
That's an opinion rarely heard in the censored press of the Middle East
but
familiar in the United States...
Tuesday's Moscow rally turned into a demonstration favoring President
Vladimir V. Putin, who has promised to crack down on terror. In
addition,
the rally produced ominous racist comments that darker-skinned people
should be driven from the Russian capital.
Putin should denounce those sentiments and, as President Bush did after
Sept. 11, separate Islam and the overwhelming majority of its adherents
from fanatics who wreak havoc in the name of religion.
Russians should recognize that the Beslan tragedy has moved people
around
the world to donate to the city and to join in the mourning. Yet such
goodwill can be squandered if Russians succumb to racism and the desire
for
mindless revenge.
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIMS AS PEOPLE
Arash Zad-Behtooie, Daily News, 9/8/04
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200%257E21663%257E,00.html
Re "Muslim terrorists" (Your Opinions, Sept. 2):
Reuben Gordon wrote that the only way to solve the terrorist problem is
to
destroy Mecca and a couple other religious Islamic sites and cities.
How will actions like this make us any different than the Nazis? Why
should
we punish a religion along with its millions of followers for the
actions
of just a few?
Attacking a religion will also create an uproar throughout the world,
and
our nation will just be another tyranny in the eyes of other countries
and
religions. I am a Muslim and a proud American and destroying these
sites
will forever break my heart. Isn't it time that we all worked together
to
help the Muslim people rather than try to put them down by calling them
"uncivilized" and thinking about committing genocide against them?
---
BLAMING THE RELIGION
Sabiha Khan, Daily News, 9/8/04
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200%257E21663%257E,00.html
Re "Muslim terrorists" (Your Opinions, Sept. 2):
It is unacceptable to blame the religion of Islam and its mostly
peaceful
1.4 billion followers for the acts of a few hundred murderous
extremists.
Unfortunately, every day, crimes are committed by followers of all
major
religions, but with less media attention. It is hateful and ignorant to
blame those religions for such crimes. Those who try to spread hatred
along
religious lines are similar to those who commit such crimes along
religious
lines.
Sabiha Khan is the Communications Director of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations Southern California
-----
GIVE THE CHECHENS A LAND OF THEIR OWN
Richard Pipes, New York Times, 9/9/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/09/opinion/09pipes.html
The terrorist attack in Beslan in Russia's North Caucasus was not only
bloody but viciously sadistic: the children taken hostage by
pro-Chechen
terrorists were denied food and drink and even forbidden to go to the
bathroom, then massacred when the siege was broken. It is proper for
the
civilized world to express outrage and feel solidarity with the Russian
people. But to say this is not necessarily to agree with those -
including
President Bush and President Vladimir Putin of Russia - who would
equate
the massacre with the 9/11 attacks and Islamic terrorism in general.
In his post-Beslan speech, Mr. Putin all but linked the attack to
global
Islam: "We have to admit that we have failed to recognize the
complexity
and dangerous nature of the processes taking place in our own country
and
the world in general." Reports that some of the terrorists were Arabs
reinforce that line of thinking. But the fact is, the Chechen cause and
that of Al Qaeda are quite different, and demand very different
approaches
in combating them.
Terrorism is a means to an end: it can be employed for limited ends as
well
as for unlimited destructiveness. The terrorists who blew up the train
station in Madrid just before the Spanish election this year had a
specific
goal in mind: to compel the withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq. The
Chechen case is, in some respects, analogous. A small group of Muslim
people, the Chechens have been battling their Russian conquerors for
centuries…
The Russians ought to learn from the French. France, too, was once
involved
in a bloody colonial war in which thousands fell victim of terrorist
violence. The Algerian war began in 1954 and dragged on without an end
in
sight, until Charles de Gaulle courageously solved the conflict by
granting
Algeria independence in 1962…
Until and unless Moscow follows the French example, the terrorist
menace
will not be alleviated. It is as impossible to track Chechens scattered
throughout Russia as it is to intimidate the suicidal fanatics among
them.
Worse, the continuation of Chechen terrorism threatens to undermine the
authority of Mr. Putin, whose landslide victory in last spring's
presidential election was in good measure due to the voters' belief
that he
could contain the Chechen threat. Russians respect strong authority,
and
there are new signs that Mr. Putin's inability to wield it over
Chechnya
makes them wonder whether he is fit to rule them. After the school
siege,
there was much muttering in the streets that under Stalin such
atrocities
would not have occurred.
Unfortunately, he seems determined not to yield an inch. "We showed
weakness, and the weak are trampled upon," he said on Saturday. This
may
seem like a truism to Russians, but in this case it is wrong. Russia,
the
largest country on earth, can surely afford to let go of a tiny
colonial
dependency, and ought to do so without delay.
ALSO SEE:
DON'T GIVE PUTIN CARTE BLANCHE
Sir Eldon Griffiths, OC Register, 9/9/04
http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2004/09/09/sections/commentary/orange_grove/article_232535.php
President Bush would be making a big mistake if he responded to the
terrorist monstrosity in Beslan by aligning the United States with
Russian
leader Vladimir Putin's policy of military repression of the Chechens.
The pictures of broken bodies of frail little kids produced a worldwide
wave of revulsion. Even Islamic chauvinists, who hate Russia as well as
America, joined in the chorus of disgust. The message that rings out is
that all civilized men should back the global war on terrorism.
I back that call unreservedly. Yet I have seen too many other, though
smaller, terrorist outrages to judge Beslan one-dimensionally. Ending
the
carnage that arises from the complex racial and religious maelstrom in
the
Caucasus calls for a far more nuanced strategy than Putin's doctrine of
"smash 'em."
One reason why this won't work is the Russians' meat-grinder approach.
The
spetznatz (special forces) deployed at Beslan lacked the razor's edge
training and state of the art equipment used by the U.S. Delta Force
and
Britain's SAS; they also compounded the horror with what Putin himself
described as their "lack of professionalism."
Remember, when other Chechens seized a Moscow theater in 2002, hundreds
died when - risking all on an ill-judged gas attack - the spetznatz
killed
12 times as many of the hostages as their captors. It was the same in
Beslan when the accidental detonation of a terrorist bomb led some of
the
captives to try to escape and some of the parents and troops to rush
the
building...
---
THE LIKUDIZATION OF THE WORLD
Naomi Klein, Globe and Mail, 9/9/04
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040909/COKLEIN09/TPComment/TopStories
Russian President Vladimir Putin is so fed up with being grilled over
his
handling of the Beslan catastrophe that he lashed out at foreign
journalists on Monday. "Why don't you meet Osama bin Laden, invite him
to
Brussels or to the White House and engage in talks," he demanded. "No
one
has a moral right to tell us to talk to child-killers."
Mr. Putin is not a man who likes to be second-guessed. Fortunately for
him,
there is still one place where he is shielded from all the critics:
Israel.
On Monday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warmly welcomed Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov for a meeting about strengthening ties in the
fight
against terror. "Terror has no justification, and it is time for the
free,
decent, humanistic world to unite and fight this terrible epidemic,"
Mr.
Sharon said...
The underlying message is unequivocal: Russia and Israel are engaged in
the
very same war, one not against Palestinians demanding their right to
statehood, or against Chechens demanding their independence, but
against
"the global Islamic terror threat." Israel, as the elder statesman, is
claiming the right to set the rules of war. Not surprisingly, the rules
are
the same ones Mr. Sharon uses against the intifada in the occupied
territories.
Common wisdom has it that, after Sept. 11, a new era of geopolitics was
ushered in, defined by what is usually called the "Bush doctrine":
pre-emptive wars, attacks on "terrorist infrastructure" (read entire
countries), and an insistence that all the enemy understands is force.
It
would be more accurate to call this rigid world view the "Likud
doctrine."
What happened on Sept. 11 is that the Likud doctrine, previously used
only
against Palestinians, was picked up by the most powerful nation on
Earth
and applied on a global scale. Call it the Likudization of the world,
the
real legacy of Sept. 11.
Let me be absolutely clear: By Likudization, I do not mean that key
members
of the Bush administration are working for the interests of Israel at
the
expense of U.S. interests (the increasingly popular "dual loyalty"
argument). What I mean is that, on Sept. 11, George W. Bush went
looking
for a political philosophy to guide him in his new role as "war
president."
He found that philosophy in the Likud doctrine, conveniently handed to
him
ready-made by the ardent Likudniks already ensconced in the White
House. No
thinking required.
Since then, the Bush White House has applied this logic with chilling
consistency to its global "war on terror." It was the guiding
philosophy in
Afghanistan and Iraq, and may well extend to Iran and Syria. It's not
simply that Mr. Bush sees America's role as protecting Israel from a
hostile Arab world. It's that he has cast the U.S. in the same role in
which Israel casts itself, facing the same threat. In this narrative,
the
U.S. is fighting a never-ending battle for its survival against
irrational
forces that seek nothing less than its total extermination…
If we want to see the future of where the Likud doctrine leads, we need
only follow the guru home, to Israel -- a country paralyzed by fear,
embracing pariah policies, and in furious denial about the brutality it
commits daily. It is a nation surrounded by enemies and desperate for
friends, a category it narrowly defines as those who ask no questions,
while generously offering the same moral amnesty in return.
That glimpse at our collective future is the only lesson the world
needs to
learn from Ariel Sharon.
-----
REPORT CRITICIZES HANDLING OF HADDAD CASE
Rosie Goldensohn, Michigan Daily, 9/8/04
http://www.michigandaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/09/08/413ee88e02ece
When former Ann Arbor resident Rabih Haddad was deported to his native
Lebanon in July 2003 on expired visa charges, many community members
rallied behind him over what they saw as disregard for civil liberties
by
law enforcement. They criticized treatment of Haddad while in custody,
and
said that his expulsion was a product not of his immigration status,
but of
authorities' suspicions about ties between terrorists and charities he
founded.
In a report on terrorist financing released last month, the staff of
the
9/11 commission criticized the government's handling of the
investigation
of the charity, Global Relief Foundation. While the staff's report
upholds
the government's finding that Global Relief had terrorist "ties," it
emphasized that it was in no way guilty of concrete financial support
of
terrorism.
"There is a difference between troubling 'links' to terrorists and
compelling evidence of supporting terrorists," the report stated.
Furthermore, it found "substantial" threats to civil liberties in law
enforcement's investigation of the charity.
"They subjected GRF to the most intense scrutiny you can imagine,"
Roger
Simmons, lead counsel for Global Relief, said in a written statement.
"Not
a single employee was ever charged with anything related to the
charity."
Simmons praised the report, saying: "I think it took a lot of guts on
their
part." But he added that the damage is not undone, asking: "How do you
get
your reputation back after being treated like this?..."
ALSO SEE:
POLICY LET U.S. HOLD DETAINEES IN SECRET, MILITARY OFFICERS SAY
Elise Ackerman, Knight Ridder, 9/7/04
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9602587.htm
WASHINGTON - It was standard operating procedure for the Army to hold
some
detainees in secret in Afghanistan for up to several months without
reporting them to the International Committee of the Red Cross,
according
to military officers familiar with the policy.
A similar practice was later used at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, where
the
physical and sexual abuse of detainees prompted the Department of
Defense
to launch several sweeping investigations of its detention policies in
Iraq
and Afghanistan.
However, three recently completed Pentagon investigations didn't
examine
the Army's practice of holding secret detainees, now known as "ghost
detainees," and whether it may have contributed to abuse.
One of those reports was compiled by Lt. Gen. Paul Mikolashek, who's
currently the inspector general of the Army. He commanded ground forces
in
Afghanistan at the time the policy was adopted, but didn't mention the
policy when he told the Senate Armed Service Committee in July that his
review had found no evidence of ghost detainees.
Mikolashek declined through a spokesman to answer questions about the
policy or his July testimony. Three other generals who served in
Afghanistan and would've been responsible for approving the extended
detention of unregistered detainees either declined to be interviewed
or
didn't respond to requests...
---
U.S. TO FREE GUANTANAMO CAPTIVE, SEND HIM HOME
Robert Burns, Associated Press, 9/9/04
http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4971216.html
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Two-and-a-half years after he was captured in
Afghanistan and detained by the U.S. military as an "enemy combatant,"
a
prisoner at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been told
he
will be allowed to go home, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.
A three-person military panel determined after reviewing his case that
he
does not fit the definition of an enemy combatant, Navy Secretary
Gordon
England told a Pentagon news conference.
England declined to disclose the man's name, nationality or case
details.
He said the State Department is making arrangements for the man to be
returned to his home country within days or weeks.
Of the 30 Guantanamo detainee cases reviewed thus far in a process that
began Aug. 13, this is the first one that concluded that the detainee
is
not an enemy combatant.
The U.S. government defines an enemy combatant as "an individual who
was
part of or supporting Taliban or Al-Qaida forces, or associated forces
that
are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition
partners."
A person classified as an enemy combatant can be held without being
charged
and without legal representation until the conflict has ended.
Nearly all the approximately 585 detainees at Guantanamo were captured
in
Afghanistan after U.S. forces invaded in October 2001 in response to
the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The first group was transported to
Guantanamo
in January 2002. Since then, 129 have been freed and 27 have been
transferred to the custody of their home governments...
-----
TERRORIST ATTACKS MARKED MANY WAYS
Jon Ward, Washington Times, 9/8/04
http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20040908-104338-2525r.htm
Three years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, during a
presidential
campaign dominated by the topic of terrorism, Washingtonians will hold
solemn and understated remembrances while they try to focus on the
future…
Area Muslims will also remember September 11, "grieving over the
attacks
but ... angry at the hijacking of their own religions," said Rabiah
Ahmed,
spokeswoman for the Council on American Islamic Relations.
"Your hearts are with the victims and families of the victims," she
said.
"But it's also a time for Muslims to condemn terrorism, because three
years
later we still have people who say we have not."
ALSO SEE:
OPEN HOUSE AND 9/11 MEMORIAL IN FRISCO PLANNED
All are invited to attend the Frisco Multi-Faith Open House & 911
Memorial
on Saturday, September 11th, 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM, at the Frisco Chamber
of
Commerce at 6843 Main Street, Frisco, TX.
For more information visit:
http://www.friscomultifaith.org/>www.friscomultifaith.org.
---
AMERICAN MUSLIM VOICE CANDLELIGHT VIGIL
WHAT: Candlelight vigil in memory of the innocent victims of 9/11. The
AMV
will also honor the families of the victims who choose not to use their
tragedy to spread hate, anger, confusion and chaos in our country. They
dealt with the loss of their loved ones courageously.
Together we can make the most beautiful diverse human wall of support
and
strength for each other, one that can't be shaken. After all, we all
belong
to one race, the human race.
WHEN: September 10, 2004 - between 6:30 to 8:00 pm
WHERE: Civic Center at 250 Hamilton, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Open Mic: share your ideas about creating peace & harmony in our
country.
Refreshments will be provided.
To co-sponsor or endorse this event please call: 650-387-1994
---
MUSLIMS JOIN INTERFAITH COMMUNITY TO MOURN VICTIMS OF 9/11
The Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP), the
Violence Prevention Coalition of Greater Los Angeles, the Muslim Public
Affairs Council and countless other co-sponsors will demonstrate
commitment
to our city, our country and our world by joining across faith,
community
and generational lines.
Two peace marches, each with an individual message tied into the
overall
theme of the connection between domestic violence and international
violence, will converge in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles for a major
march
and rally. Among the speakers are MPAC's Senior Advisor Dr. Maher
Hathout,
Rev. George Regis, and Rev. Ed Bacon.
Local American Muslims will meet at the Islamic Center of Southern
California at 9:30 a.m. and will join the march at 10 a.m. at the
Emmanuel
Presbyterian Church (3300 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles).
WHEN: Saturday, September 11, 2004, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
WHERE: MacArthur Park in Los Angeles (7th and Parkview)
For more information and march routes: MPAC - (213) 383-3443
ICUJP - (626) 683-9004 www.icujp.org
---
UNITED AS ONE: THREE YEARS LATER
San Jose Mercury News, 9/9/04
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/9616537.htm
The Nihonmachi Outreach Committee, the San Jose Japanese American
Citizens
League, the South Bay Islamic Association, the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations and the Muslim Community Association will sponsor an event
that
emphasizes the historic parallels between the Japanese-American and
Muslim-American communities, while honoring the memories of those whose
lives were lost on Sept. 11 and in the conflicts that followed.
Saturday,
6:30-8:45 p.m. The event will be hosted at the San Jose Buddhist Church
Betsuin, 640 N. First St., San Jose. Participants will then proceed on
a
candlelight peace walk to the South Bay Islamic Association, 325 N.
Third
St., San Jose. (408) 947-9389.
-----
FOR MUSLIM VOTERS, GOP LOSES ALLURE
Allison Hantschel, Daily Southtown, 9/6/04
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsnews/061nd2.htm
George W. Bush got the Arab-American and Muslim vote in the 2000
presidential election, and the endorsement of local Arab and Muslim
organizations, because he courted those communities.
His aides met and spoke to advocacy groups and to mosques across the
country. The president, while campaigning, said he would repeal Clinton
administration laws that made it possible to charge someone without
revealing the evidence against that person.
But this year, the invasion of Iraq and the increased scrutiny of
immigrants from Muslim nations has mobilized Arab-American and Muslim
voters to turn away from Bush. The secret evidence laws Bush once hoped
to
overturn are now a centerpiece of anti-terrorism policy.
Bush took nearly half of all Arab-American votes in 2000; a recent poll
by
Zogby International found his support last month had fallen to 25
percent.
However, voters leaving Bush are not necessarily going to Democratic
nominee John Kerry. Republicans are popular with Muslims because of
their
opposition to abortion and to same-sex marriage, both of which are
forbidden in Islam.
Moin "Moon" Khan, chairman of a coalition of politically moderate
Muslims
based in the west suburbs, said Bush should be spending more time
reaching
out to Muslims here at home, instead of abroad.
"He is spending billions of dollars broadcasting programs in the Middle
East," Khan said, referring to the U.S.-backed Arabic news channel
Al-Hurra. "If he spent at least a fraction of the time concentrating on
Muslims who live in this country and reaching out to them over local
issues, networking with them, he might have a better chance."
Khan, founder and president of the DuPage Minority Caucus, said that
observant Muslims held conservative views on social issues. However, he
felt most would vote for Republican candidates in local elections and
Democrats or independent candidates in national races.
"I will be working only on a local level," Khan said, declining to say
whom
he planned to vote for...
ALSO SEE:
WHO'S YOUR MUSLIM CANDIDATE?
Sep 8, 2004 - As you know, we at the American Muslim Alliance (AMA)
compile
data about Muslim candidates. Currently, we are in the process of
finalizing our 2004 list of American Muslim Candidates. Please send us
information about any and all such candidates that you might know of.
We
need information about federal, state and local candidates as well as
party
delegates. You can also send us information about Muslim Americans who
have
been appointed to city, county, state or federal committees and
commissions. Thanks.
NAME:
OFFICE:
CITY/STATE:
CONTACT INFO (If known):
E-Mail: ama@amaweb.org
Phone: 510.252.9858
AMA is a national civic education and leadership training organization.
---
1ST KHUTBA PRAYER INSIDE THE STATE CAPITOL IN AUSTIN
WHAT: Don't miss your opportunity to witness history as we hold the
first
Khutba Prayer at the State Capitol in Austin for the 2nd Annual Texas
Muslims Legislative Day
WHEN: Friday September 10, 2004
WHERE: Texas State Capitol Extension Auditorium in Austin from 12:00
PM-4:00PM.
Transportation: Buses departing from Dallas, Tarrant (F.W.) and Harris
(Houston) Counties will be returning that same evening.
To reserve a bus seat and get more information:
http://www.freeandjust.org/events/legday.html
Day's Theme: "Your rights as Americans, your duties as American
Muslims"
Event Fees: $0, there are no fees to attend and share in this
program. This is a free event. Roundtrip bus transportation from D-FW
and
Houston carry a transportation fee of $30 from D-FW and $20 from
Houston. Students, Seniors and Hardship goers are eligible for
discounts
if needed. Contact F&J for more information. The Capitol Cafeteria
located
directly across the hall from the Auditorium is always open for anyone
wishing to buy lunch.
-----
JEWISH GROUP QUESTIONS REVOCATION OF SCHOLAR'S VISA
(Chicago, IL, 9/8/2004) -The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA)
today
announced its deep concern over the abrupt, unexplained revocation of a
visa to Tariq Ramadan, the distinguished Muslim intellectual hired to
teach
at Notre Dame University.
JCUA is concerned that the barring of Ramadan may represent one more
horrific example of government suspicion, intimidation, and exaggerated
allegations against Muslims and Muslim communities. JCUA deplores the
failure of the Bush Administration to explain its decision.
JCUA is troubled that the absence of credible information has led to
the
proliferation of uninformed media reports and commentaries that pit
Jews
against Muslims on this issue. Some of these pieces have appeared to
cast
doubt on the sincerity of all Muslim reformers, while others have
contained
unsupported charges that Jewish organizations are controlling
government
policy.
JCUA Executive Director Jane Ramsey stated, "We refuse to allow Jewish
and
Muslim communities to be turned against each other by speculation and
fear.
The government should provide information that allows the public to
evaluate this situation."
Ramsey added, "If the government cannot prove that Ramadan is a threat
to
public safety, it should allow him to enter the country and to
participate
in the free and open exchange of ideas.
JCUA President Sidney Hollander remarked, "Jews in this country have
often
suffered from blacklisting and accusations of disloyalty, and we view
with
concern the government's behavior, which fuels innuendo and harms our
efforts to build a healthy relationship between Jews and Muslims in our
cities."
JCUA is appalled by what appears to be a widespread prejudice against
Muslims in the Chicago area and nationwide, and believes that fear of
Muslims, Arabs, and terrorism is being used to justify an erosion of
civil
liberties that poses a danger to all people, and especially to
minorities,
in the United States. Since 2001, JCUA has worked with representatives
of
Muslim communities in Chicago to reform the USA PATRIOT Act and to
build
common cause against injustice and discrimination.
CONTACT: Sara Mandell: 312-663-0960 ext. 311 or Guy Austrian:
312-663-0960
ext. 317
-----
THOUSANDS OF IRAQIS ESTIMATED KILLED
Bassem Mroue, Associated Press, 9/8/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7184-2004Sep8.html
BAGHDAD, Iraq - At Sheik Omar Clinic, a big book records 10,363 violent
deaths in Baghdad and nearby towns since the war began last year -
deaths
caused by car bombs, clashes between Iraqis and coalition forces,
mortar
attacks, revenge killings and robberies.
While America mourns the deaths of more than 1,000 of its sons and
daughters in the Iraq campaign, the U.S. toll is far less than the
Iraqi.
No official, reliable figures exist for the whole country, but private
estimates range from 10,000 to 30,000 killed since the United States
invaded in March 2003.
The violent deaths recorded in the leather ledger at the Sheik Omar
Clinic
come from only one of Iraq's 18 provinces and do not cover people who
died
in such flashpoint cities as Najaf, Karbala, Fallujah, Tikrit and
Ramadi.
Iraqi dead include not only insurgents, police and soldiers but also
civilian men, women and children caught in crossfire, blown apart by
explosives or shot by mistake - both by fellow Iraqis or by American
soldiers and their multinational allies. And they include the victims
of
crime that has surged in the instability that followed the collapse of
Saddam Hussein's regime.
Adding to the complexity of sorting out what has happened, the records
that
have been kept don't always say whether a death came in a combat
situation
or from some other cause.
The prospect of violent death is the latest burden for a people who
suffered through decades of war and a brutal dictatorship under Saddam,
whose regime has been accused by human rights groups of killing as many
as
300,000 Iraqis it deemed enemies.
"During Saddam's days killings were silent. Now the killing is done
openly
and loudly," said Ghali Karim Hassan, who lost his 31-year-old son,
Ghaidan, last April.
He said Ghaidan was killed in Najaf when a demonstration called by
radical
cleric Muqtada al-Sadr led to a gunbattle with coalition troops, mainly
Spaniards and Salvadorans. Ghaidan, who left a wife and three children,
was
one of 22 protesters killed...
-----
BOUNDARIES BLUR FOR COMMUNAL LEADERS, ISRAELI OFFICIALS
Ori Nir, Forward, 9/10/04
http://www.forward.com/main/article.php?ref=nir20040909328
WASHINGTON - A handful of Jewish communal officials were summoned about
one
year ago to the Israeli Embassy in Washington for a briefing on Iran.
The meeting featured a computerized presentation from Israeli diplomats
pointing to Iran as the party responsible for the 1994 bombing of the
Buenos Aires Jewish community center, which killed 86 people.
The evidence seemed compelling.
After the presentation, an Israeli diplomat asked the Jewish communal
officials in attendance to lobby Congress for an investigation into
Iran's
role in the bombing. Several of the Jewish activists in the room were
taken
aback by the request, and asked why Israeli officials didn't simply
approach lawmakers themselves.
Israeli officials, in response, hinted that the evidence was the
product of
secretly obtained intelligence - and, hence, they were unable to adopt
such
a direct approach toward Congress.
In the end, none of the communal officials in attendance followed up on
the
request. Several of those in the room felt that the Israeli overture
represented a violation of the boundaries that should define the
respective
roles of and guide relations between American Jewish organizations that
lobby on behalf of Israel and Israeli officials formally representing a
foreign government.
But such reticence is increasingly the exception, said several Jewish
communal activists based in Washington. Instead, these activists said,
the
tendency is for Jewish organizational leaders - often at the urging of
Israeli and American officials - to assume the role of diplomatic
middlemen. Whatever boundaries do remain, they added, have been further
weakened by an open-door hiring policy that sees staffers at Jewish
organizations leave for posts in the Israeli or American governments,
and
increasingly sees former government officials in both countries taking
up
positions at Jewish organizations...
ALSO SEE:
WATCHING AIPAC CASE, JEWISH GROUPS WONDER IF THEY ALSO ARE BEING
CHECKED
Matthew E. Berger, JTA, 9/8/04
http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=Were+other+groups+eyed+by+FBI%3F&intcategoryid=3&SearchOptimize=Jewish+News
WASHINGTON - New twists and turns in the case of alleged wrongdoing by
the
American Israel Public Affairs Committee have left many in the Jewish
community baffled.
A week after allegations first broke suggesting that AIPAC was involved
in
the exchange of classified information from the Pentagon to Israeli
officials, new reports suggest FBI investigators have been monitoring
the
pro-Israel lobby for more than two years.
The first question many in the Jewish community are asking is, "Why?"
"We're pitching in the dark," said Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice
chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish
Organizations. "We haven't seen a shred of evidence."
Much remains unknown about the origins of the investigation, hurting
Jewish
groups' ability to respond and defend one of the most prominent
organizations in the community.
While they work to exonerate AIPAC in the public eye, Jewish leaders
say
they also must make sure the issue won't affect the way they do
business.
Groups worry that they, too, could be targeted for investigation or
left to
deal with potentially changed perceptions of the organized American
Jewish
community.
Jewish leaders said talks are ongoing as to new ways to defend AIPAC
and
the Jewish community in both public and private contexts.
Quietly, there is deep concern in Jewish circles about the effect the
investigation will have, no matter how it plays out, on Jewish groups'
ability to function. With the summer ending and many people in
Washington
returning to work, the next few weeks will be an important test for how
the
organized Jewish community is perceived in the capital...
-----
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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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/10/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD DEEDS
* CAIR CHAPTERS MARK 9/11 ANNIVERSARY
- CAIR-SEATTLE: 9/11 Interfaith Service
- CAIR-CA: 9/11 Candlelight Walk for Peace
- CAIR-OHIO: Cincinnati Community Prays for Peace
* CAIR-CAN: PLAYING THE CONDEMNATION GAME (Globe&Mail)
* TX: CIVIL RIGHTS MEAN MORE WHEN YOU ARE UNDER FIRE (DMN)
- MA: After Tragedy, Tragic Misconceptions (Lowell Sun)
- CT: Sept. 11 Continues to Haunt Muslims (News Times)
* CA: MUSLIMS FIND BAY AREA LEANS TOWARD TOLERANCE (SF Chron)
- CA: Christians, Muslims Share Common Beliefs (SF Chron)
* NO ACCOUNTABILITY ON ABU GHRAIB (NY Times)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD DEEDS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Who among you has
fasted
today?...Who among you joined in a funeral procession today?...Who
among
you fed a poor person today?...Who among you visited an invalid
today?...Anyone who combines (these good deeds) will certainly enter
Paradise."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 505
The Prophet also said: "Every act of goodness is (a form of) charity."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 496
-----
CAIR-SEATTLE: 9/11 INTERFAITH REFLECTION SERVICE
WHAT: CAIR-Seattle, Imam Mohamad Joban and Together We Build invite you
and
your family to attend a 9/11 Interfaith Reflection Service called,
"Three
Years and a World Apart: Reflections on how far we've come and where we
are
going."
WHEN: Saturday, September 11, 2004, Arrive by 6:30 PM, Service starts
at 7 PM
WHERE: The Islamic School of Seattle, 720 25th Ave, Seattle, Washington
REFRESHMENTS: Light Refreshments will be served.
ATTIRE: Dress as you would for regular weekly service at your
congregation.
CONTACT: Samia 206-409-3407, Michaela 206-321-5769 or e-mail
Info@Cair-Seattle.org
ALSO SEE:
UNITED AS ONE - THREE YEARS LATER
WHAT: 9/11 Candlelight Walk for Peace
On the third anniversary of September 11, 2001, join us in a
Candlelight
Walk for Peace from Japantown to the South Bay Islamic Association in
San
Jose. Light a candle in memory of almost three thousand civilians who
perished on that day and the tens of thousands of civilians as well as
soldiers who have died since then and continue to die in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
WHEN: Saturday, September 11, 2004
Program - 6:30 pm
Start: San Jose Buddhist Church, 640 North 5th Street
Walk - 7:30 pm
Program - 8:15 pm - South Bay Islamic Association, 325 North 3rd Street
Refreshments 8:30 pm
WHERE: From San Jose Japantown to the South Bay Islamic Association
Sponsored by: CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), JACL
(Japanese
American Citizens League-San Jose), MCA (Muslim Community Association),
NOC
(Nihonmachi Outreach Committee), and SBIA (South Bay Islamic
Association)
Endorsed by: American Muslim Voice, Committee for Justice and
Accountability, Stephen Fujita, Richard Konda, Mary Jo Kubota-Arcarese,
Kate Motoyama, Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, South Bay Labor for
Peace and Justice, South Bay Mobilization, United for Peace and
Justice,
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom - San Jose.
For more information: Call 408-986-9874, 408-947-9389 or visit online
at
www.sbia.net
---
CINCINNATI INTERFAITH COMMUNITY GATHERS TO PRAY FOR PEACE
The third annual Cincinnati Interfaith Peace Memorial Vigil will begin
on
the evening of September 10, 2004 at a local mosque. The event is being
co-sponsored by St. John's Unitarian Universalist Church, the Council
on
American-Islamic Relations, Islamic Association of Cincinnati, Clifton
United Methodist Church, Northside Peacemakers, St. Monica-St. George
Parish, Wesley Foundation, and Peace Village.
The vigil will be a time to engage in silent prayer and share post 9-11
experiences. The event will continue at Clifton United Methodist Church
for
an all night prayer vigil.
On the morning of September 11 the peace vigil will continue with an
Interfaith Walk beginning at the mosque, and traveling up the main
street
in the area, pausing at religious institutions, the firehouse, and a
park,
on the way and ending at the University of Cincinnati where members of
the
community and sponsoring institutions will address those gathered.
Participants have also been asked to bring canned goods to benefit the
FreeStore Food Bank. This event is one of more than 20 events taking
place
in the greater Cincinnati community.
For more information, contact: Sr. Karen J. Dabdoub of CAIR-OH,
Cincinnati
office at 513-281-8200
-----
CAIR-CAN: PLAYING THE CONDEMNATION GAME
Tim Weis, Globe and Mail, 9/9/04
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040909.wcomment0909/BNStory/Front/
[Tim Weis is an Edmonton-based environmental consultant and advisory
board
member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Canada.]
I was born and raised in Ontario. I have European lineage. I am a
Muslim. I
am a Westerner. I feel the sorrow and the confusion of both caught
within
the so-called war on terror. With a foot in both worlds, I can see how
both
are looking and talking past one another, without a great deal of
introspection.
Let me start by saying I condemn the horror in Beslan. I felt sick to
my
stomach watching the news and cried when I saw mothers burying their
children. Yet I remember the same feeling in my stomach the day Russian
tanks rolled into Grozny and flattened a city of more than a million
people. I condemn that, too.
I condemned the attack on New York City, and I condemned the thousands
of
children killed in Iraq. I've condemned the occupation of the West Bank
and
Gaza, and I've condemned the brutal occupation of East Timor. After
each
subsequent atrocity, one community looks to the other to condemn it
unconditionally. In one form or another, someone from the "guilty by
association" community speaks out against what happened.
But those asked to do the condemning most likely had nothing to do with
the
atrocity and don't appreciate the insinuation that they support the
slaughter unless they explicitly deny it. While this game of
condemnations
will unfortunately continue, it is likely to do little to prevent the
next
atrocity. Rather, an inward examination on both sides needs to begin.
Civilian attacks, hostage beheadings, and the murder of schoolchildren
are
so far removed from Islamic principles that we in the Muslim community
have
a difficult time believing that it could be "one of us." As such, we
force
ourselves to view the news at best as intentionally uncontextualized
media
coverage and at worst as conspiracy theories.
Rare is it that we reflect on how we got to a point where the
perpetrators
of these crimes don't see themselves as the radicals and extremists
that
the rest of the community does. The Muslim world needs to recognize
that,
somewhere in the legitimate struggle for emancipation and
self-determination, a line has been crossed.
At the same time, occupations, collateral damage and prison torture are
equally far removed from democratic principles, such that we in the
West
have a tough time believing the extent to which they are happening. As
a
result, we have a tendency to assume that "the other side" must be
exaggerating or even fabricating their grievances, leaving us
susceptible
to the simplistic rationale that they "just hate us," and this blind
rage
can only be dealt with a sweeping yet blunt sword.
The "West" needs to acknowledge that, somewhere in the legitimate
desire
for human and economic security, a line has also been crossed. And
crossing
the proverbial lines has led us collectively down slippery slopes in
opposite directions, from where we are now able to dismiss unthinkable
horrors without losing too much sleep by saying: "Yes, it is terrible.
But
don't forget about [insert appropriate atrocity here]..."
-----
CIVIL RIGHTS MEAN MORE WHEN YOURS ARE UNDER FIRE
Ruben Navarrete, Dallas Morning News, 9/10/04
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/columnists/rnavarrette/stories/091004dnedinavarrette.9a223.html
A lot of Muslim Americans think that civil rights should be an issue in
the
presidential campaign. And they're right.
Some of them are telling reporters that they're "disgusted" and
frightened
by President Bush and some of the government's actions taken since
Sept.
11, 2001.
These are, in many cases, U.S. citizens who have the right to vote and
who
live in battleground states such as Ohio, Michigan and Florida. The
nation's Muslim population is estimated to be anywhere between 1
million
and 6 million.
Yet, because much of this population is foreign born, it's hard to say
how
many actual voters we're talking about. Here's the short answer: Enough
so
that a president who won the White House by about 537 votes in 2000
can't
afford to ignore them.
And through organizations such as the American Muslim Task Force on
Elections, an umbrella group that brings together nine U.S. Muslim
groups,
Muslim Americans are determined not to be ignored.
They say it was freedom that brought them and their ancestors to the
United
States in the first place, and that this commodity has been in short
supply
since the Sept. 11 attacks. They say that they've been unfairly
harassed,
profiled and singled out for excessive scrutiny by federal law
enforcement
agencies. They point to instances where innocent Muslim Americans have
been
apprehended and detained, only to be released without so much as an
apology. And for most of this, they blame the Patriot Act, the
administration's use of secret evidence in anti-terrorism
investigations
and what they call "malicious prosecutions" by the Justice Department.
I don't expect much of this to resonate with those of you who insist
that
some freedoms must be sacrificed to fight terrorism - and then
invariably
offer up someone else's freedoms to be sacrificed. But there are many
Muslim Americans who are steaming mad at how they, their families and
their
fellow Muslims have been treated as a result of the war on terrorism...
ALSO SEE
MA: AFTER TRAGEDY, TRAGIC MISCONCEPTIONS
David Perry, Lowell Sun, 9/10/04
http://www.lowellsun.com/Stories/0,1413,105~4746~2393166,00.html
Three years ago tomorrow, Ahmed Rashad took his seat in class at
Lawrence
High School.
The teacher flipped on the TV. Something awful was happening. Jets
slicing
into the twin towers in New York, another slamming into the Pentagon,
then
a fourth lying scorched in a field in Pennsylvania. For days the horrid
history lesson unfolded on the small screen.
"I thought I was watching a movie," says Rashad, now 20 and a junior at
the
University of Massachusetts Lowell studying civil engineering. "It was
just
crazy."
There was the massive, awful toll of human life, the deep, communal
pain of
tragedy, the unsettling feeling of insecurity.
Since the terrorists who committed the murders of nearly 3,000
Americans
that day were identified as "Islamic extremists," it suddenly wasn't
easy
to be Muslim in this country, either. The terrorists didn't just hijack
planes. For some, they took away the image of Islam as a peaceful
religion.
For some area Muslims, it hasn't gotten any easier in the three years
since
Sept. 11, 2001. They decry acts of terror, but are cautious and feel
blanketed by suspicion. They say they understand the need for security,
but
feel unfairly singled out.
Though acts of kindness among neighbors, religious groups and even
strangers did emerge, there were also physical and verbal attacks.
If there's a silver lining to it all, Muslims say, it's been that
Americans
suddenly yearn to know more about Islam...
---
SEPT. 11 CONTINUES TO HAUNT MUSLIMS
Nanci G. Hutson, News Times, 9/10/04
http://news.newstimes.com/story.php?id=64768
DANBURY - Members of the local Islamic community will commemorate Sept.
11
as most Americans, with somber reflection on the terrorism and tragedy
that
took place three years ago.
But unlike most Americans they are likely to have to defend their
religion
as one that promotes peace and harmony, rather than serving as a cover
for
fanatic terrorists who kill in the name of spiritual piety.
"I'm more pained that terrorists take the name of Islam to do something
like this," said Emad Ismael, a congregant with the Islamic Center of
Western Connecticut. "The Prophet Mohammed never asked anyone to do
anything like this. They are violating all the principles of Islam."
Ismael said he and his fellow American Muslims are saddened by the
tragic
events of Sept. 11 and will honor the date by paying homage to the
innocent
victims and everyday heroes who lost their lives when terrorists
hijacked
planes that crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a
field
in Pennsylvania.
Of course, Ismael realizes there are those who don't understand
faithful
followers of Islam would never commit such a crime. It is important
dialogue and education about Islam continue so people understand that
terrorism is not sanctioned by the religion, he said.
In Danbury, the city has erected a glass monument in Elmwood Park with
the
names of all who died that day etched inside. The names of local
victims
are prominently displayed. Though Muslims normally do not endorse
memorials
to anyone, Ismael said he has no objection to this one.
Mayor Mark Boughton emphasized Danbury has long included people of all
faiths, and has stood as a model for treating one another with dignity
and
respect.
With this memorial, he said, the focus is on remembering the lives of
those
who were lost, not on the terrorists.
"Certainly, we welcome the Muslim community to the memorial. We are all
Americans, and we all need comfort from this terrible tragedy,"
Boughton
said. "This memorial is not about placing blame but rather is about
trying
to heal..."
-----
MUSLIMS FIND BAY AREA LEANS TOWARD TOLERANCE
Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/10/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/archive/2004/09/10/MUSLIMS.TMP
For Muslims in the Bay Area, life presents a dichotomy.
Like other residents, they enjoy the prevailing atmosphere of tolerance
and
political openness here. Sparked by opportunities that didn't exist 20
years ago, they've created local organizations and expanded them
nationwide. Because of recent immigration, the Bay Area's Muslim
population
has swelled to more than 200,000. Dozens of new mosques and
Islamic-oriented schools have opened. An increasing number of local
companies set aside rooms for Muslims to pray.
Yet many Bay Area Muslims -- especially those who "look Muslim" --
complain
of job discrimination or of being unfairly targeted by law enforcement.
Some say they've changed their day-to-day habits, including how they
dress
and what they say in public, to avoid possible harassment.
On the three-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Bay
Area
Muslims are conscious of the advances they've made as a community, but
they
also worry that some non-Muslims still see them as outsiders. Violence
in
the Middle East often leads to an increase in hostile actions against
them.
"The Bay Area, overall, is one of the best places to be in the country,
but
that doesn't mean the Bay Area doesn't have its bigots," says Souleiman
Ghali, president of the Islamic Society of San Francisco, as he sits on
a
couch in a classroom area of the society's Jones Street building. "We
get
hate letters. I get death threats. I've had people on the street
shouting
at me, 'Go back to your country.'"
In the three years since Sept. 11, the Northern California office of
the
Council on American-Islamic Relations has logged more than 50 cases of
Muslims who say they've been threatened or harassed or discriminated
against. In that same period, the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission's
offices in San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland have received 95
work-discrimination complaints from Bay Area Muslims and Arabs. All 95
complaints fall under the category of "9/11 backlash," the council
reports...
SEE ALSO:
CHRISTIAN, ISLAMIC LEADERS SHARE LESSONS FROM COMMON BELIEFS,
DIFFERENCES
Clayton Hardiman, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/8/04
http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1094667360299810.xml
They explored their faiths' common ground, such as the call to fast and
the
obligation to pray. They compared the Islamic requirement to give alms
to
the poor with the Christian responsibility to feed the hungry.
But they also explored potential points of departure. Muslims asked
about
the Christian concept of the Trinity. Christians wanted to know about
jihad, the Islamic concept of struggle, often mistranslated simply as
"holy
war."
Ninety minutes after they'd begun, local Christians and Muslims shared
refreshments and a conviction that they had learned a little more about
each other.
About 80 people met Tuesday evening at First Evangelical Lutheran
Church in
Muskegon Township for a dialogue between Muslims and Christians.
Members of
the two religions explored the differences between the two faiths as
well
as the commonalties they shared -- first in a panel discussion, then in
a
question-and-answer session that was open to the audience.
The dialogue was sponsored by the outreach board of the host church,
which
sponsored a similar event in 2003.
It was the latest in a series of dialogues between members of the two
faiths that have opened up in the past few years, particularly since
the
terrorist attacks of September 2001.
Tuesday night's dialogue featured Christian panelists from Reformed,
Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches. It featured Islamic panelists
from
the Islamic Education Center in Muskegon Heights.
It also drew audience members -- both Christian and Muslim -- from as
far
away as Grand Rapids.
They compared and contrasted points of practice between the two faiths.
For instance, Muslims are required to "make salat," or pray, at least
five
times per day. But while prayer at prescribed times is not obligatory
for
Christians, they, too, are encouraged to pray regularly, Christian
panelists said...
-----
NO ACCOUNTABILITY ON ABU GHRAIB
New York Times, 9/10/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/10/opinion/10fri1.html
After months of Senate hearings and eight Pentagon investigations, it
is
obvious that the administration does not intend to hold any
high-ranking
official accountable for the nightmare at Abu Ghraib. It was pretty
clear
yesterday that Senator John Warner's well-intentioned hearings of the
Armed
Services Committee are not going to do it either.
James Schlesinger, who was picked by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
to
head a civilian investigation of Abu Ghraib and seems determined to
repay
the favor, gave unhelpful testimony that included an incredible
statement
that there was no policy "that encourages abuse." He told that to the
same
senators who had heard earlier from a panel of generals that the
Central
Intelligence Agency was still refusing to account for its practice of
hiding dozens of prisoners from the Red Cross. Mr. Rumsfeld personally
approved that violation of the Geneva Conventions and other
international
treaties on at least one occasion.
At the hearing, Mr. Warner asked Mr. Schlesinger and Harold Brown,
another
former secretary of defense, to be specific about their report's talk
of
"institutional and personal responsibility at higher levels." Neither
man
had any intention of doing that.
Senator John McCain, who was a prisoner of war in the Vietnam era,
asked
Mr. Schlesinger with evident exasperation: "Isn't there some
accountability? Isn't there some responsibility?" Mr. Schlesinger
managed
to come up with the colonel who read the first Red Cross report on the
abuse of prisoners in late 2003 and decided that it was not credible.
As
for high-ranking officers and civilians, he intoned, "careers will be
negatively affected."
Senator Edward Kennedy tried again. He read a list of naval officers
fired
for minor infractions committed by those under their command and asked
why
the same high standards of responsibility should not apply to, say, Mr.
Rumsfeld. Mr. Schlesinger, who had earlier offered the bizarre theory
that
"what constitutes 'humane treatment' lies in the eye of the beholder,"
replied that "it's more complicated" when it came to holding a
high-ranking
politician accountable. He said a man like Mr. Rumsfeld must be judged
on
his "full performance."
We agree, enthusiastically. And with due respect to Mr. Warner - who
has
bravely continued his hearings and seems willing to keep going for
months
more - the answers are in...
-----
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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 GOOD NEWS ALERT #433
FLA. UNIVERSITY ACCOMMODATES BASKETBALL PLAYER'S HIJAB
Agreement comes following meeting with CAIR-FL
(TAMPA, FL, 9/10/04) - The Florida office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) announced today that a female
Muslim
athlete at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa will be
allowed
to wear hijab on the basketball court. SEE: http://www.usf.edu
The 22-year-old Muslim convert left the USF basketball team and lost
her
athletic scholarship last week after allegedly being told by her head
coach
that she could not wear the religiously-mandated scarf during practices
or
games.
In a meeting today between the basketball player, university officials
and
a representative of CAIR-FL, it was agreed that the team would
accommodate
her Islamic attire and reinstate her scholarship. The university also
agreed to work with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
on
any issues related to existing headwear policies.
"We thank the University of South Florida for its swift and decisive
action
in resolving this issue," said CAIR-FL Communications Director Ahmed
Bedier, who took part in today's meeting. "An athlete should not be
asked
to choose between engaging in healthy sporting activities and her
deeply-held religious beliefs."
Ahmed noted that the Prophet Muhammad himself recommended that children
be
taught activities such as swimming, horseback riding and archery.
ACTION REQUESTED:
Contact the university to thank them for accommodating the Muslim
athlete's
Islamic beliefs religious practices.
CONTACT:
Ms. Judy Genshaft, Ph.D.
President
University of South Florida
4202 E. Fowler Ave., ADM241
Tampa, FL 33620-6150
TEL: (813) 974-2791
E-MAIL: rwright@admin.usf.edu, rkhator@acad.usf.edu,
clements@admin.usf.edu, dwoolard@admin.usf.edu
COPY TO: tampa@cair-florida.org
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -
-----
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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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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ISLAMIC PRAYER AREA VANDALIZED AT AU IN DC
Picture of mosque smashed, Quran damaged on 9/11 anniversary
(WASHINGTON, DC, 9/13/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today said a Muslim prayer area on the American
University
campus in Washington, D.C., was vandalized on the anniversary of the
9/11
terror attacks.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said
Muslim students who went to pray on Saturday at the university's Kay
Spiritual Life Center found a picture of the Great Mosque in Mecca
smashed
and a copy of the Quran, Islam's revealed text, damaged. A donation box
in
the prayer area was not disturbed. Campus police are investigating the
incident.
CAIR called on American University officials and the FBI to investigate
the
vandalism as a possible hate crime.
Muslim students had taken part in a 9/11 remembrance ceremony in the
spiritual center on September 10. Student representatives say some 50
people attend Islamic prayers on campus each Friday.
"Since the 9/11 attacks, we have witnessed a disturbing rise in
anti-Muslim
rhetoric in our society," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim
Hooper.
"We believe rhetorical attacks on the faith of Islam and on American
Muslims create an atmosphere that breeds these types of incidents."
Hooper also expressed concern about a series of similar incidents of
vandalism reported recently by Muslims nationwide. At the end of
August, a
Muslim in Tucson, Ariz., reported that his family's car and a racist
note
was taped to the vehicle.
A New York Muslim reported finding his car window smashed with a brick.
In
Virginia, a Muslim reported two separate incidents of vandalism to a
car.
And in New Jersey, a Muslim found his car's windshield smashed in his
driveway.
Also in New Jersey, a Muslim driver reported being attacked by a white
male
in another car who punched him in the face while he was sitting in his
car
at a traffic light. During the incident, the attacker reportedly called
the
victim a "terrorist" and a "sand n*gger."
CAIR recently called on the FBI to investigate an intentionally-set
fire at
a Muslim store in McAllen, Texas, as a possible hate crime and sought
felony charges in a bias attack on a New York Muslim taxi driver.
In July, two Muslim teenagers in Buffalo, N.Y., say they were targeted
by
white teenagers who shouted ethnic slurs and then tried to hit the
girls
with their car. A Muslim woman driver in Illinois and a Muslim shopper
in
California were assaulted at the end of June by attackers shouting
anti-Muslim and racist slurs.
Earlier this year in Florida, vandals wrote "Kill all Muslims" inside
the
Islamic Community Center in the Tampa suburb of Lutz. The FBI is also
investigating vandalism and threatening messages targeting the Islamic
Community of Southwest Florida in Charlotte Harbor. In Missouri,
vandals
painted a Nazi swastika and the word "die" on an addition under
construction at the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis. Three
Miami
Islamic centers were vandalized.
In Texas, a man was arrested for threatening an El Paso Islamic center,
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. A home-made bomb exploded in the mailbox of a Houston,
Texas, Islamic center.
As a response to these and other anti-Muslim incidents, CAIR published
a
"Muslim Community Safety Kit." The safety kit may be obtained free of
charge by e-mailing pubs@cair-net.org. (Include name, address and phone
number when requesting the safety kit.)
CAIR, America's largest 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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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR OPENS NEW CHAPTER IN CONNECTICUT
Muslim group will advocate justice and mutual understanding
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/13/04) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties group, announced
today
that it has opened a new chapter in Connecticut (CAIR-CT).
CAIR's office in New London, Conn., will assist the local Muslim
community
in dealing with issues relating to political participation, civil
rights
and interfaith dialogue. CAIR-CT is the first chapter established in
that
state. It joins 28 other regional offices and chapters that the
Washington-based group has nationwide and in Canada.
"Like other chapters around the country, we will carry out CAIR's
vision of
becoming be a leading advocate for justice and mutual understanding,"
said
CAIR-CT Executive Director Badr Malik.
"To realize that vision, we will seek to fulfill CAIR's mission of
enhancing understanding of Islam, encouraging dialogue, protecting
civil
liberties, empowering American Muslims, and building coalitions that
promote justice and mutual understanding," said Malik.
"CAIR's growth nationwide is an indication of the tremendous support we
have received from the American Muslim community," said CAIR Board
Chairman
Omar Ahmad. "We appreciate that support and will do all we can to live
up
to our community's high expectations."
Ahmad added that CAIR plans to open other offices around the country in
the
coming months.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-CT, Badr Malik, 860-995-6628, 860-575-4400, E-Mail:
ct@cair-ct.com; CAIR-National, Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-MAIL: ihooper@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/
--------------------------------------------------------------------
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/14/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: REPENTANCE
* CAIR-NY TV INTERNSHIPS
- CAIR-NY Seeks Award Recipients
* CAIR-OH: MUSLIM VOTE 2004 TOWN HALL MEETING
- CAIR Opens First New England Chapter (Newsday)
* WASHINGTON MUSLIMS ARE URGED TO VOTE (Seattle Times)
- Koran Commands Muslims to Vote (Chicago Trib)
* INCITEMENT WATCH: ‘GO BACK TO YOUR HOMELAND’...USA?
* FL: SPORTS ARE ABOUT UNITY, NOT UNIFORMS (Hoya)
- Can't Wear Her Down (Philadelphia Daily News)
- CAIR-FL: Dispute Over Uniform (SP Times)
- Her faith in Practice (Oracle)
- USF Awaits NCAA Ruling On Veiled Athlete (Tampa Trib)
* DANIEL PIPES SEEMS TO ENCOURAGE ANTI-MUSLIM VIOLENCE
- DC: Muslim Prayer Area Vandalized (Wash Post)
* AMSS CALLS FOR REVERSAL OF PROF’S VISA REVOCATION
* CA: POLICE CHECK 'LITTLE GAZA' CLAIMS (LA Times)
- Idaho's Muslims Questioned By FBI (AP)
- Calif. Muslim Joins Anti-Terror Panel (Daily News)
* HALABI CASE MARKED BY MISSTEPS (LA Times)
- Justice to Probe Mayfield Arrest (Wash Post)
* DON'T FEAR OR SCAPEGOAT ARABS, MUSLIMS (Wichita Eagle)
- A Demand for Public Penance (Toronto Star)
* CA: MUSLIM STUDENT DIES WHILE TRYING TO SAVE A LIFE
- GA: Jews, Muslims, Christians Work Together (AJC)
* RACIAL PROFILING ON RISE IN U.S. (Chicago Trib)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: REPENTANCE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Everyone who dies will
repent." He was asked the nature of their repentance and he replied:
"If
someone did what was good he will repent not having done more. And if
one
did evil, he will repent not having restrained himself."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1457
-----
CAIR-NY TV INTERNSHIPS
CAIR-NY needs five interns to help produce a television program on the
American Muslim community in New York City.
Interns will work two nights a week, three hours a night, beginning at
6 p.m. They will participant in all aspects of production.
After that, interns will be needed 10 hours per week, or two hours per
day,
probably at night in order to film the CAIR-NY show.
If interested, please send resume to:
Wissam Nasr
CAIR-NY Executive Director
Fax: 212-870-2020
Tel: 212-870-2002
E-mail: Wnasr@cair-ny.com
ALSO SEE:
CAIR-NY SEEKS RECIPIENTS FOR MUSLIM COURAGE AWARD
CAIR-NY would like to honor Muslims who have exhibited an exemplary
commitment to Islamic principles and the New York Muslim community with
the
new CAIR-NY Muslim Courage Award.
If you know anybody who you feel might deserve to be recognized for
their
courage and commitment to the community, please contact the CAIR-NY
office
at 212.870.2002 or e-mail us at: wnasr@cair-ny.com
-----
CAIR-OH: MUSLIM VOTE 2004 TOWN HALL MEETING
WHAT: The Islamic Council of Ohio & Council on American-Islamic
Relations,
Ohio will be celebration of Islam in Ohio. This year’s theme is Muslim
Vote
2004, an event aimed to educate and empower our growing community.
Invited Guests: All Presidential Candidates, Candidates for Congress
and
State level offices
WHERE: Atrium of Ohio Statehouse, Columbus, Ohio
WHEN: Saturday, October 9, 2004, 11:30 am - 3:00 pm
INFO: Call CAIR-Ohio at 614-451-3232, TICKETS: $15
Catered Luncheon, Political Candidates speak on issues concerning
American
Muslims, Muslim activists discuss empowerment through education and
involvement
Tickets are limited, so reserve your seat today.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR OPENS FIRST NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER IN NEW LONDON
Newsday, 9/14/04
NEW LONDON, Conn. -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the
largest
advocacy group for Muslims in the country, has established a
Connecticut
office in New London, making it the organization's first chapter in New
England.
Mosques in Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Danbury, Waterbury and
other
cities and towns are supporting the new CAIR chapter, said Badr Malik,
of
Old Lyme, who is the state chapter's executive director.
"We were getting calls from people having problems with civil rights
issues" Malik told The Day of New London, "and thought we should have
something to help people."
CAIR, based in Washington, D.C., with 28 regional offices in the United
States and Canada, is marking its 10th year as an Islamic civil rights
organization. Its new office in New London is on State Street in the
Harris
building.
Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director for CAIR, said a local
chapter has to show it has the numbers and commitment to carry out the
organization's activist, interfaith mission.
"We believe that if you do the work, the community will follow," Hooper
said. That means "defending people and challenging anti-Muslim bigotry
in a
very active way."
The group's critics complain that it does not condemn specific Islamic
terrorists to way it condemns terrorism in general.
Malik said the chapter already has some cases, including that of a
Muslim
who lost his job in Bridgeport after taking time off for mandatory
Friday
prayers. CAIR members will accompany the plaintiff to court later this
month, he said, "but we have to hear the other side" before taking a
stance.
Since Islamic terrorists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001,
civil rights has become a major issue for American Muslims, who found
themselves under increased scrutiny and sometimes detained without what
they considered due process.
CAIR maintains an e-mail list that dispatches press releases and
reprints
of newspaper articles, often including a dozen or more items on single
day.
Hooper likened CAIR to the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Civil
Liberties
Union…
CONTACT: CAIR-CT, Badr Malik, 860-995-6628, 860-575-4400, E-Mail:
ct@cair-ct.com
-----
LOCAL MUSLIMS ARE URGED TO VOTE
Jennifer Sullivan, Seattle Times, 9/13/04
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002034023_muslim13m.html
Jafar Siddiqui's frustration and anger over politics reached an
all-time
high about three weeks ago. That's when the Seattle real-estate agent
and
his friends decided it was time to do something.
Siddiqui and other members of the local Muslim community blanketed
their
relatives, friends and acquaintances with information about the
importance
of voting in this year's elections. They hosted a three-hour meeting at
Town Hall Seattle last night and invited local politicians and Muslim
leaders to speak.
"We are here because each of us is an ambassador and an activist,"
Siddiqui
told the crowd of about 500. "We're here because we're tired of being
kicked around by the Bush administration," which he accused of unfairly
targeting Muslims in the war on terror.
U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle, King County Executive Ron Sims and
Army
Capt. James Yee, a Muslim chaplain who was accused of espionage and
jailed
for 76 days before all charges were dropped, were among those who spoke
out
against the war in Iraq and President Bush. They also begged the
audience
to vote.
"We are in the midst of the most important election in our history,"
McDermott said. "It's the first time I've been afraid in a very long
time."
McDermott said he's not fearful of terrorism but fears "my own
government's
use of the Patriot Act," the law passed by Congress after the Sept. 11,
2001 attacks that gives the government broad new powers to fight
terrorism.
"Bullets and bombs will never be the way to solve the problems in the
world," McDermott said to the cheering audience. "The way to show
you're
not afraid is to show up with a ballot in your hand. Do it..."
Jamil Abdul Razzaq said when he moved to Seattle in 1956, there were
few
Muslims in the area. He said there are now 50,000 Muslims and 14
mosques in
the region.
"We are American citizens, and we have rights like anybody else,"
Razzaq
told the crowd. "We don't want to control the world. We have to be
leaders,
not followers."
SEE ALSO:
THE KORAN COMMANDS MUSLIMS TO USE VOTE
Hesham A. Hassaballa, Chicago Tribune, 9/12/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/perspective/chi-0409120059sep12,1
,1353275.story
I have always taken my right to vote very seriously, but it has taken
on a
new significance after the monstrous attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. More
than
steel and concrete, it was the ideals and values that make this country
great that the terrorist thugs who attacked America wanted to destroy.
Thus, my vote in every election is an act of defiance, a refusal to let
the
terrorists accomplish their goal. This is especially true for me as an
American Muslim, because those terrorists murdered 3,000 of my people
in
the name of the faith I hold so dear.
The attacks have caused so much in America to change, including me. The
attacks jarred me awake from a deep spiritual slumber, and the reality
to
which I awakened was most unpleasant.
As a result, I made it my spiritual mission to unendingly strive to
change
myself, my community and my country for the better. Nowhere is this
mission
more fruitful than from the pulpit.
Friday is the Muslim sabbath, and special congregational prayers are
held
on that day along with a sermon. Since there is no formal clergy in
Islam,
many of those charged with giving the sermon are laypeople, and I am
one of
those laypeople.
I believe the sermon should energize the faithful and teach them
important
lessons to use every day. Thus, in my sermons, I have dealt with both
the
spiritual and the secular, from loving God to racial profiling. And few
things have been more frequent on my tongue, in the thick of this
election
season, than registering and getting out the vote.
Call it mixing church and state.
Well, sort of. Few topics garner more passion in me than the importance
of
voting by American Muslims. I explain to the faithful how democracy is
closely associated with Islam. The Prophet Muhammad, as he lay on his
deathbed, refused to name a successor to his rule, preferring the
people to
choose their own leaders.
The Koran speaks with high regard of those who rule their affairs by
mutual
consultation. Islam, in fact, gave women the right to vote centuries
before
the U.S. Constitution was amended to do the same. Although it is sad
that
true democracies in the Muslim world are few and far between, that is
despite, not because of, Islam.
Furthermore, voting is more than a civic duty for American Muslims. It
is a
religious obligation. God commands Muslims in the Koran to "enjoin what
is
good and forbid what is evil." The Prophet said that if a Muslim sees
something wrong, he must seek to change it with his hands.
If unable to do that, then he must speak out against it. If unable to
do
even this, he must at least hate that wrong in his heart, and this is
the
weakest state of faith. One of the most important vehicles for change
is
the ballot box, and if American Muslims do not vote, then they have
failed
miserably in their duty both to God and their country…
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: ‘GO BACK TO YOUR HOMELAND’...USA?
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/printedition/cs-0409140216sep
14,1,2816962.column
North went even further after Maxfield read a report about a Muslim
woman
basketball player at the University of South Florida who is appealing
to
the NCAA to allow her to wear religiously mandated clothing (long
pants,
long sleeves and a head scarf) during games.
"Go back to your homeland and play basketball," North said of the
Muslim
convert, Andrea Armstrong. "Why don't people want to follow those
rules?
"At the airport they check an 85-year-old woman with a walker. But they
don't make Arab people take off their turban to see if there's a
miniature
rocket-launcher underneath."
North defended his comments after the show, saying he was recently
asked to
remove his baseball cap while airport security officials "didn't make
an
Arab take off her turban because it's religious garb."
[CAIR NOTE: Andrea Armstrong is an American-born convert of European
heritage.]
-----
SPORTS ARE ABOUT UNITY, NOT UNIFORMS
Derek Richmond, The Hoya, 9/14/04
http://www.thehoya.com/sports/091404/sports6.cfm
Sports have the remarkable ability to bring people together.
We saw it for two brief weeks this summer when millions of people
around
the world set aside their differences and tuned to the Olympics in the
spirit of friendly competition and national pride.
It evidenced itself again on Saturday as thousands of fans observed a
moment of silence before the kickoffs of several college football
games,
remembering the events of Sept. 11 three years earlier.
Or as some 70,000 fans stood in unison and applauded three New York
City
firefighters before the Iowa game.
And again when Nebraska fans turned the stadium there into a giant
American
flag by holding up red, white and blue posterboards while the
Cornhusker
band played the national anthem.
Those people came together, and for those brief moments, it didn’t
matter
whether they were Buckeyes or Hawkeyes, Fighting Irish or Thundering
Herd.
There are certain times when the power of sports to bring people
together
in ways nothing else could is overwhelming, and that power is due in
large
part to the non-discriminatory nature of the game.
It doesn’t matter if you’re the first-string quarterback of the
defending
national champions or the waterboy for an intramural flag football
team.
Sports are not about ones’ history, heritage, age, class, sex or
religion.
They’re about the game.
And now the NCAA has before it an opportunity to prove just that.
Andrea Armstrong was a scholarship basketball player at the University
of
South Florida. She averaged 3.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in 27
appearances last season. She spent her first two years of college at
Kansas
State posting similar numbers before she decided to put on the USF
uniform
instead.
And that’s when the problems began.
Armstrong recently converted to the religion of Islam. With the change,
she
adopted the traditional Muslim dress, including long pants,
long-sleeved
tops and a head scarf. But the NCAA has rules regarding players’
uniforms.
Specifically, it has five pages in the rule book devoted to the topic,
but
the gist is that all players must wear the same uniform. It does not
address religious issues.
So because the Bulls’ uniforms do not meet the requirements of
Armstrong’s
new wardrobe, she saw no choice but to leave the team — which she did
last
week. And without playing on the team anymore, she also lost her
athletic
scholarship.
On Friday Armstrong met with representatives of the university and
members
of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. They agreed to take the
case
to the NCAA and ask that it make an exception to the uniform policy to
allow Armstrong to rejoin the team and still abide by Islamic
tradition...
SEE ALSO:
CAN'T WEAR HER DOWN
Philadelphia Daily News, 9/14/04
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/9657778.htm
MUSLIM ANDREA ARMSTRONG, we're happy to report, has her basketball
scholarship back at the University of South Florida after voluntarily
leaving the team last week upon being told she could not wear Islamic
clothing on the court for practices or games. Armstrong, a senior
starter
and recent convert to Islam, wanted to wear long pants, a top with long
sleeves and a head scarf.
With legal trouble undoubtedly in the air, a meeting was held Friday
that
included the university officials and the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR). The school yesterday announced it would accommodate
her
Islamic attire, reinstate her scholarship and work with the NCAA on
this
matter.
"An athlete should not be asked to choose between engaging in healthy
sporting activities and her deeply held religious beliefs," said Ahmed
Bedier, a CAIR spokesman. The NCAA's basketball rule book devotes five
pages to uniforms but does not address religious issues. All players
are
required to wear the same uniform.
---
ISLAMIC USF PLAYER: DISPUTE OVER UNIFORM LED TO DISMISSAL
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/09/11/Hillsborough/Islamic_USF_player__D.shtml
---
HER FAITH IN PRACTICE
USF women's basketball coach Jose Fernandez said he hopes center Andrea
Armstrong doesn't feel uneasy as she returns to practice today.
http://www.usforacle.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/09/14/4146ed3f0ff5b
---
USF Awaits NCAA Ruling On Veiled Athlete
http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBRAJ7G3ZD.html
-----
DANIEL PIPES SEEMS TO ENCOURAGE ANTI-MUSLIM VIOLENCE
"Nepalese responded to [the murder of workers in Iraq] by venting their
anger by assaulting the Muslim minority in Nepal. Hundreds of
infuriated
young men surrounded Katmandu's one mosque on Aug. 31 and heaved rocks
at
it. Violence escalated the next day, with five thousand demonstrators
taking to the street, yelling slogans like "We want revenge," "Punish
the
Muslims," and "Down with Islam." Some attacked the mosque, broke into
it,
ransacked it, and set fire to it. Hundreds of Korans were thrown onto
the
street, and some were burned...If history is a guide, the Nepalese
thereby
made a repetition of atrocities against themselves less likely."
Two Opposite Responses to Terrorism
Daniel Pipes, New York Sun, September 14, 2004
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIM PRAYER AREA VANDALIZED
Washington Post, 9/14/04
Campus police at American University are investigating the vandalism of
a
Muslim prayer room that was discovered Saturday, the third anniversary
of
the Sept. 11 attacks.
University officials said that someone smashed the glass of a framed
picture of a mosque, leaving shards scattered on the carpet, and tore
pages
in a copy of the Koran.
The room, in the campus's Kay Spiritual Center, is left open
round-the-clock for worshipers. Sarah Ahmed, president of the Muslim
Student Association, said the damage was discovered Saturday afternoon
by
an association officer.
"It was shocking and disturbing, aside from the fact that it was highly
dangerous," she said. "People walk in there barefoot to pray, and there
was
glass all over the place."
University spokesman Todd Sedmak said campus police are trying to
determine
a motive and do not have suspects.
"We deplore this behavior, and we're working to find out who did it and
why."
-----
AMSS CALLS FOR REVERSAL OF PROF’S VISA REVOCATION
The Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS) called on the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reverse its recent decision to
revoke the visa of Tariq Ramadan, an Islamic scholar who was due to
begin
teaching at the University of Notre Dame this semester.
In a letter to DHS Secretary Tom Ridge, AMSS said that the DHS decision
to
revoke a visa previously granted to Ramadan, a well-known Islamic
scholar
who is often described as a "moderate" and a "reformer," sends the
wrong
message to the Islamic world about America's willingness to listen to
what
Muslims have to say, and plays into the hands of extremists.
Ramadan, a citizen of Switzerland, was granted a visa in February
following
a lengthy security check. It was revoked July 28, after his family's
belongings had already been sent to the United States. No reason was
given
for the revocation. A statement issued by Notre Dame said: "Professor
Ramadan is a distinguished scholar and a voice for moderation in the
Muslim
world…We know of no reason his entry should be prevented."
In its letter to Secretary Ridge, AMSS said: “Amidst the growth in
extremism, [Professor Ramadan] stands out as a beacon of reason,
calling
Muslims to a peaceful and dignified Islam and as citizens of Western
democracies… Revoking the visa sends the wrong message to the Muslim
world…and will confirm only the arguments of the extremists who argue
that
the ‘war on terrorism’ is a war on Islam.”
The Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS) is an international
organization of social scientists. It aims to serve the interests of
the
larger Muslim community by bringing together Muslim and non-Muslim
scholars
in an academic setting to examine and define Islamic perspectives on
issues
of global concern that contribute to the prosperity of Muslims around
the
globe and the betterment of humanity.
CONTACT: Dr. Rafik Beekun, AMSS President, Professor of Management and
Strategy, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557. Office: 775 784 6993
ext
303. e-mail: beekun@unr.nevada.edu
-----
POLICE CHECK 'LITTLE GAZA' CLAIMS
H.G. Reza, Los Angeles Times, 9/13/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-littlegaza13sep13,1,570449.story
With the Muslim community under scrutiny by law enforcement since the
2001
terrorist attacks, Ahmad R. Alam wondered if it was a good idea to
complain
about two officers he felt were harassing and intimidating Arab
Americans
in an Anaheim shopping district known as Little Gaza.
But Alam's fear of making waves was overcome by an unshakable belief
that
what was happening was wrong. So he and other Middle Eastern business
owners asked for a meeting with the police chief.
"We are Americans, and we live in America, not Baghdad, where you
expect
the police to act like these guys were acting. It wasn't right," said
Alam,
who was born in Lebanon.
He said the officers had told him they were looking for Islamic
terrorists
in the Muslim-owned shopping district on South Brookhurst Street - a
tight
cluster of butcher shops, beauty salons, restaurants and offices.
Belal Dalati, another business owner who met with Police Chief John
Welter,
said it was the officers who were harassing the community.
Days after the Aug. 26 meeting with Welter and City Manager David M.
Morgan, one of the officers offered an explanation, but not an apology,
Alam said. It was a misunderstanding, the officer said.
On Thursday, city spokesman John Nicoletti said police had begun an
internal investigation of the allegations against Sgt. Chuck Knight and
Officer Wayne Casey. The officers did not return telephone calls
seeking
comment. Welter was out of the country and could not be reached for
comment.
Given the climate of suspicion between law enforcement and the Islamic
community, Alam and other Islamic business leaders in Little Gaza said,
they are heartened that authorities are taking their concerns
seriously...
SEE ALSO:
IDAHO'S MUSLIMS QUESTIONED BY FBI
Scott Logan, Associated Press, 9/13/04
http://www.kbcitv.com/x5154.xml?ParentPageID=x5157&ContentID=x57779&Layout=K
BCI.xsl&AdGroupID=x5154
BOISE - The FBI is questioning Muslims and Arab-Americans across the
nation
including those in Idaho.
Furqan Mehmood, president of the Islamic Center of Boise, is one of the
many local Muslims who was questioned by FBI agents.
"It was very hard on me the day I was questioned," Mehmood told Idaho 2
News. "I have nothing to hide. And the agents were very professional
but at
the beginning of the interview I was concerned."
He says some of the questions made him uncomfortable, questions about
any
suspicious behavior by members of the Boise mosque and how the Islamic
center is financed as well as where he's travelled lately. Agents even
asked about the content of the sermons and prayers at the mosque. And
he
says the FBI has approached many Boise Muslims at their workplaces --
unannounced.
"I know they have a job and we want to help," Mehmood said. "But if you
are
working and have a Middle Eastern background and your colleagues on the
job
see you are interviewed by the FBI, then naturally they start wondering
about you. And than can affect your livelihood…"
And Furqan Mehmood says local Muslims would report anything suspicious.
"We
want a safe community. We are partners in this community."
---
AL-KHATIB JOINS ANTI-TERROR PANEL
Charles F. Bostwick, Daily News, 9/12/04
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20943~2397613,00.html
PALMDALE -- Palmdale businessman Kamal Al-Khatib has been named to a
Los
Angeles County Sheriff's Department advisory panel on terrorism.
Hollywood Mortgage Chief Executive Officer Al-Khatib, a leader of the
American-Islamic Institute of Antelope Valley and of Guidance Charter
School in Palmdale, becomes the 45-member panel's second Antelope
Valley
resident, joining Palmdale City Manager Bob Toone, and its second
Muslim.
"Kamal is not afraid of anything. He'll get in my face quicker than
anybody
I know," Sheriff Lee Baca said. "We have to keep our Muslim Americans
not
only protected but we have to keep them involved in protecting
everybody."
The sheriff's Homeland Security Advisory Council was created after the
Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon...
Al-Khatib, an Antelope Valley resident since 1989, is a member of the
Human
Relations Task Force of Antelope Valley and is involved in the Council
on
American-Islamic Relations…
At the announcement of his appointment, Al-Khatib denounced the
terrorists
who crashed airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon --
and
those who staged the Russian school hostage siege in which more than
300
children, parents, teachers and attackers died -- as not true Muslims.
"They're not doing anything for Islam," Al-Khatib said. "What did
Muslims
get out of Sept. 11? When you try to kill children in a school, what
does
that do to Muslims?"
Al-Khatib pledged to work with local law enforcement leaders.
"I will be happy to be there for the whole community, not just for the
Muslim community," Al-Khatib said.
----
AS TRIAL NEARS, CASE AGAINST AIRMAN IS MARKED BY MISSTEPS
Eric Bailey, Los Angeles Times, 9/13/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-airman13sep13,1,4940498.story
SACRAMENTO — When military investigators arrested him last year after
the
short flight from Guantanamo Bay, the prospects looked dreary for
Senior
Airman Ahmad Al Halabi. He had a cache of classified documents and a
ticket
to Syria in his pocket.
Allegations flew — of espionage, aiding the enemy and attempting to
pass
off secret documents from the high-security military installation, home
to
hundreds of prisoners from the war on terrorism.
But his court-martial — scheduled to open Tuesday at Travis Air Force
Base
in Northern California — begins with the military's case against him
already damaged.
Nearly half of the 30 original charges against Al Halabi have been
dropped
amid revelations of sloppy evidence-gathering and defense claims of
overzealous prosecution against the Muslim airman, a naturalized U.S.
citizen born in Syria.
Last week, authorities revealed that a review by Defense Department
security experts of more than 200 documents Al Halabi took out of
Guantanamo found that one qualifies as a national secret.
Even before that announcement, Air Force Times editorialized that the
military's performance was "inexcusable and amateurish."
Al Halabi, 25, was one of three Muslims arrested last year on suspicion
of
playing a role in a reputed spy ring at Guantanamo Bay's high-security
Camp
Delta, which houses more than 600 prisoners believed to be aligned with
Al
Qaeda or the Taliban.
Military officials in March dropped prosecution of Army Capt. James Y.
Yee,
a Muslim military chaplain who served more than two months behind bars.
Military officials expressed fears that a trial might reveal important
national secrets, but critics speculated that the Army simply didn't
have a
good case. A third suspect, civilian translator Ahmed Fathy Mehalba,
has
been jailed for nearly a year, and his case is unresolved.
As the Al Halabi trial opens, defense attorneys expect to press the
military judge, Col. Barbara Brand, to dismiss the 16 remaining counts,
which include attempted espionage and disobeying orders. If convicted,
the
youthful-looking airman could face up to life in prison...
ALSO SEE:
JUSTICE TO PROBE FBI ROLE IN LAWYER'S ARREST
Dan Eggen, Washington Post, 9/14/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18899-2004Sep13.html
The Justice Department has launched two internal investigations into
the
arrest of Oregon lawyer Brandon Mayfield, who was detained by the FBI
earlier this year because of a faulty fingerprint analysis that wrongly
linked him to the deadly terrorist bombings in Madrid, according to a
report released yesterday.
Inspector General Glenn A. Fine is investigating the FBI's conduct in
the
case, including whether Mayfield was targeted in part because of his
Muslim
beliefs, according to a report to Congress released by Fine's office.
Separately, the Justice Department's Office of Professional
Responsibility
is examining the role of federal prosecutors in the case, the report
said.
The FBI publicly apologized to Mayfield in May after admitting it had
erroneously matched his fingerprint to a latent print found on a bag of
bomb detonators linked to the Madrid train bombings, which killed 191
people on March 11. Spanish authorities first raised doubts about the
FBI's
judgment and ultimately identified the print as belonging to an
Algerian
man.
Mayfield, a convert to Islam, spent two weeks in jail. Fine's office is
investigating his complaint that "the FBI inappropriately conducted a
surreptitious search of his home based on the faulty fingerprint
analysis
and potentially motivated by his Muslim faith and ties to the Muslim
community," the report said.
The disclosure of the internal probes was included in a broader report
that
details investigations of alleged civil rights and civil liberties
abuses
by the Justice Department under the USA Patriot Act, the controversial
anti-terrorism law approved after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The
legislation allows Fine to investigate such complaints if they involve
Justice employees or contractors.
Fine said his office received more than 1,600 complaints during the six
months ended June 21 but only 13 required additional investigation.
More
than 1,400 of the complaints were considered frivolous, did not involve
the
Justice Department or were outside Fine's jurisdiction.
Rep. John Conyers Jr. (Mich.), ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary
Committee, said Mayfield's case illustrates the government's abuse of
secrecy rules...
-----
DON'T FEAR OR SCAPEGOAT U.S. ARABS AND MUSLIMS
Alladin Elaasar, Wichita Eagle, 9/14/04
http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/news/editorial/9654861.htm
The anniversary of 9/11 was painful for Arab-Americans and Muslim
Americans
-- as it was for all Americans.
About 3 million Arab-Americans and 7 million Muslim Americans live in
the
United States. The terrorist attacks have had a negative effect on many
of
their lives. Some have paid a hefty price, dealing with discrimination
at
schools and at the workplace, and even facing senseless and brutal hate
crimes.
According to U.S. government statistics, hate crimes and discriminatory
acts against Arab-Americans, Muslim Americans or those perceived to be
of
Middle Eastern origins rose dramatically after 9/11.
Some in positions of influence in the media or in the religious sector
fanned these acts of hatred. On Sept. 13, 2001, columnist Ann Coulter,
on
National Review Online, said: "We should invade Muslim countries, kill
their leaders and convert them to Christianity."
The Rev. Pat Robertson called Muslims "worse than Nazis." The Rev.
Jerry
Falwell labeled the Prophet Muhammad a "terrorist." The Rev. Franklin
Graham called Islam "a very evil and wicked religion."
Fear spread through the Arab-American and Muslim American communities.
The USA PATRIOT Act diminished the rights of immigrants and allowed the
government to round up people by the hundreds and keep them, in secret,
from their families.
The special registration of Arab and Muslim males in America terrified
communities and broke up families, as some fathers were deported on the
most minor technicalities.
Fear still pervades Muslim and Arab-American communities. The horrific
acts
of terrorism by the 9/11 fanatics should not impugn the patriotism of
these
communities.
In the wake of 9/11, thousands of Arab-Americans and Muslim Americans
volunteered to serve in the U.S. armed services or in law enforcement.
They
are protecting us. And they should be thanked, not feared or
scapegoated.
Aladdin Elaasar is author of "Silent Victims: The Plight of Arab &
Muslim
Americans in Post 9/11 America."
SEE ALSO:
A DEMAND FOR PUBLIC PENANCE
Shah Nawaz Husain, Toronto Star, 9/14/04
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Artic
le_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1095113408455
There is a persistent demand for apology from the moderate Muslims. It
is
assumed that moderate Muslims - there is no precise definition for them
-
are either cowering from the extremists or they are slyly coy.
There is also a presumption of collective guilt, hence the demand that
we
must apologize not for what we did but what others have done.
Regardless of
the fact Muslim press or leaders may have expressed regret in their own
press or country, many are not satisfied. Their demand seems to be an
apology directed personally to them.
We are being asked to perform public penance, as in the Middle Ages. It
seems behind the thin veneer of modernity and rhetoric of human rights
and
democracy lurks the same old beast: the inquisition.
-----
ARMY ROTC STUDENT DIES IN JUNE WHILE SAVING LIFE
Joanna Wu, Daily Trojan, 9/13/04
http://www.dailytrojan.com/news/2004/09/13/News/Army-Rotc.Student.Dies.In.Ju
ne.While.Saving.Life-716430.shtml
Mohamad Abbas Momin, a junior majoring in business administration and a
member of USC Army ROTC, died June 28 while attempting to save a woman
from
drowning on the coast of India. He was 18 years old.
Momin was on a study abroad program sponsored by the University of
North
Carolina when the accident occurred. He was completing a course in
Hindi to
learn more about his culture.
While relaxing on a beach in Goa with classmates, Momin noticed the
woman
struggling in the water. The group saved the woman, but Momin
disappeared
in the process. His body was found along the coastline 36 hours later.
"He was just the most honest and solid human being you probably could
ever
meet," said Anand Kishorenath, a junior majoring in Electrical
Engineering
and a friend of Momin's. "It's kind of frightening how amazing that guy
was
in terms of his integrity and how honest he was. He's on another level
from
anyone I think I'll ever probably meet in my life."
In addition to Army ROTC, Momin was part of the Southern California
Indo-Americans Club, the Pakistani Students Association, the Muslim
Student
Union and Student Senate…
SEE ALSO:
Jews, Muslims, Christians give Habitat a hand
AIXA M. PASCUAL, Atlanta Journal, 9/12/04
http://www.ajc.com/hp/content/auto/epaper/editions/sunday/northside_1434af58
46fb110f0084.html
Dorthea Carlton grew up Southern Baptist and Baha'i and at some point
in
her adult life attended a Methodist church. But for the past 17 years,
the
single mother of two has attended a nondenominational church in
Marietta.
"There's no particular faith in the Bible," Carlton said.
That sentiment could be the mantra of the congregation of volunteers
that
has been getting together since the end of July to build her first
home.
A group of 11 Catholic and Protestant churches, two Jewish temples in
east
Cobb County and a mosque is working Saturdays and some Sundays to build
Carlton's three-bedroom house in Marietta…
Amjad Taufique, a Pakistani-born member of the board of Masjid
Al-Hedaya
Mosque in Marietta, was one of the members of the clergy who addressed
the
group. "We're really enjoying this," said Taufique, wearing a white
Islamic
kufi, or prayer cap.
Rabbi Steven Lebow of Temple Kol Emeth told the crowd, "This way, our
hope
will overcome our hatred, our faith will overwhelm our fear."
-----
RACIAL PROFILING ON RISE IN U.S.
Glenn Jeffers and Sarah Frank, Chicago Tribune, 9/14/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/north/chi-0409140153sep14,1,7303150
.story
Nearly 32 million Americans, including 1.5 million in Illinois, have
been
victims of racial profiling by authorities, a practice that has
increased
since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, an Amnesty International
USA
report released Monday stated.
The study--a result of 100-plus interviews, extrapolated polling data,
census records and university studies--also warned that 87 million
Americans were at risk of being targeted because of their race,
ethnicity
or religious background.
Profiling of Muslims and those of Middle Eastern or South Asian
ancestry
also has substantially increased since the terrorist attacks, the
report
stated.
Organizers said that authorities using a race-focused investigative
approach run the risk of overlooking those who don't fit the stereotype
like American-born Taliban soldier John Walker Lindh or convicted Al
Qaeda
"shoe-bomber" Robert Reid.
"The reality is that no one knows what the next terrorist or drug
trafficker will look like," Curt Goering, senior deputy executive
director
of the group, said at a Washington news conference.
Before the 2001 attacks, U.S. Customs inspector Cathy Harris said black
and
Hispanic women often were singled out and searched for illegal drugs.
After the attacks, Harris noticed people who appeared to be Muslim or
of
Middle Eastern descent were scrutinized more than other groups.
"In the same way Customs missed hundreds of individuals trafficking
drugs,
we have now set up the same set of circumstances under which national
security measures could miss the next potential terrorist," she said.
The profiling reached critical mass in 2002 when the Justice Department
started questioning, photographing and fingerprinting men from
predominantly Muslim countries...
-----
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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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/15/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THREE TRUTHS
* REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY BANQUET
* CAIR-FL: MUSLIM QUITS OVER TEAM ATTIRE
- CAIR-CAN: Muslims Should be Allowed to Use Shariah
* MUSLIM WOMEN’S MAG MIXES STYLE WITH TRADITION (Chicago Trib)
* ISLAM CENTER OPENS UP, SETS STRAIGHT MISCONCEPTIONS (Pitt News)
- Muslims and Sikhs Promote Tolerance (Daily Review)
* RIGHTS GROUP CITES DISCRIMINATION IN 'WAR ON TERROR' (RFE)
* CAL THOMAS DESERVES TO BE SHUNNED (Times Picayune)
- Terror in The Name Of Islam (National Post)
* ESPOSITO ON TARIQ RAMADAN'S VISA (NY Sun)
* FIRE ASHCROFT FOR CLEAR INCOMPETENCE (Newsday)
* NEW POLL SHOWS AMERICANS SUSPICIOUS OF AIPAC STATUS
-----
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 great 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
-----
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY BANQUET
Join us in our nation's capital for CAIR’s 10th Anniversary banquet
dinner,
“Building a Better America: A Decade of Dedication.” Keynote speakers
include Ralph Nader, Presidential Candidate and Siraj Wahaj of MANA.
WHEN: Saturday, October 2, from 6-10 p.m.
WHERE: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road, NW
Washington DC, tel: 202-328-2000 fax: 202-234-0015
Tickets: $55 per person, $85 per couple
Limited babysitting available during the banquet: $10 per child
TO REGISTER, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
-----
MUSLIM QUITS OVER TEAM ATTIRE
Fox Sports, 9/16/04
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,10782613-23769,00.html
A UNIVERSITY of South Florida women's basketball player who wanted to
wear
Islamic clothing on the court quit the team today.
Last week, USF had asked the NCAA for an exemption to its uniform
policy to
allow Muslim convert Andrea Armstrong, 22, to wear long pants, a top
with
long sleeves and a scarf during games.
In a letter to coach Jose Fernandez, Armstrong said she was leaving the
team because she didn't want the uniform issue "to cause further
distraction".
Armstrong first said last week that she had left the team and lost her
athletic scholarship after Fernandez told her she could not wear
religiously mandated clothing during practices or games.
In a meeting on Friday with Armstrong, university officials and a
representative of Council on American-Islamic Relations, officials
agreed
that the team would accommodate her Islamic attire and reinstate her
scholarship. The university also agreed to work with the NCAA on the
scarf
issue.
But Fernandez said Armstrong requested a meeting with him and left the
team.
"I offered her an opportunity to think further on her decision, and she
assured me the decision is final," said Fernandez.
Armstrong, a senior forward from Lakeside, Oregon, played one season
with
the Bulls after transferring from Kansas State University.
CAIR spokesman Ahmed Bedier said Armstrong had not been prepared for
the
onslaught of attention, including hate messages, that she received.
"She wanted to put her team first, after her faith, and she didn't want
to
be the centre of the controversy," he said…
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CAN: CANADA'S MUSLIMS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO USE SHARIAH LAW
Riad Saloojee, Ottawa Citizen, 9/15/04
www.ottawacitizen.com
The debate on an Islamic arbitration initiative has reached fever pitch
("Canada's law must be secular," Sept. 3), with some people concerned
that
many Canadian Muslims want to use Islamic law to resolve personal and
family disputes.
Part of this concern is natural, given the undeniable and inequitable
application of the shariah in many countries. Part of the problem, as
well,
concerns a general ignorance of Islamic law -- its history, principles
and
nuances -- that permits intellectual chauvinism to pass for fair
comment.
The shariah is not, as some think, "immutable." The spirit of Islamic
law
-- its universals such as justice, equity and mercy -- is unchangeable.
The
letter of the law, however, varies depending on whether its application
would promote or violate the letter's spirit. There is a rich body of
principles that govern the application of law to ensure that law is
equitable, gradual, moderate and sensitive to individual and communal
context. It is precisely for this reason that many Canadian Muslims
support
Islamic-based arbitration.
Given current faith-based arbitration initiatives by the Jewish and
Christian communities, why would the Muslim community not be entitled
to do
the same? Permitting members of religious minority groups to have the
option of resolving civil disputes according to their own religious
doctrine within a framework that is respectful of the Charter of Rights
and
Freedoms is consistent with the Charter's own guarantee of freedom of
religion.
In Muslim communities, the line between mediation and arbitration is
porous. The reality on the ground is that many Canadian Muslims resolve
their disputes by referring them to local community leaders.
Opponents of Islamic-based arbitration, far from protecting vulnerable
parties, are ensuring that such ongoing processes are not standardized
or
scrutinized and do not operate openly and with accountability. Pure
pragmatism indicates that a significant group of people want to, and
will,
resolve their personal disputes quickly, quietly and in keeping with
deeply
held religious convictions. By denying this, opponents are keeping
their
eyes shut.
A number of critical concerns, however, are justified. The
consultations of
Marion Boyd, former attorney general of Ontario, about the use of
private
arbitration to resolve family issues under Ontario's Arbitration Act
are
timely.
Currently, the act does not protect those who invoke it. As it stands,
Ontario's Arbitration Act has been used primarily by sophisticated
commercial actors and their lawyers. Although family issues were
initially
contemplated as within the purview of the act, they are latecomers to
the
current process. And the act reflects this. There are no safeguards to
ensure all parties are acting voluntarily, especially the vulnerable;
there
are no mechanisms to ensure that parties are fully apprised of their
rights
under the act; and the act does not specify any standards for
arbitrators.
Remedying these deficiencies for all types of faith-based arbitration
is
possible through appropriate legislative amendments.
First, the voluntary nature of the process can be assured by insisting
that
both parties receive independent legal advice and be informed of their
right to appeal the arbitration decision once rendered, and of their
right
to challenge the arbitrator's ruling under section 13 of the act.
Second, immigrant and minority women need to be educated through a
proactive education campaign using culturally and linguistically
accessible
literature about their rights and options in the case of family-law
disputes.
Third, significant efforts must also be made by the provincial
government,
in partnership with minority communities, to craft a regulatory scheme
for
the selection, education and training of qualified arbitrators.
Finally, to ensure that participants and their representatives are able
to
make informed decisions about the arbitrator in their dispute, the
provincial government should create a registry that would make
available a
"sanitized" copy of the decisions of all arbitrators.
What about a number of differential rights under Islamic law? One
example
usually cited is that men typically inherit more because they are
responsible under Islamic law for the financial support, maintenance
and
care of their families. Using analogies under Canadian law, these
differential rules need not necessarily preclude the initiative. It is
common, for example, for parties to give up some rights to attain other
goals. For example, many beneficiaries do not contest wills for the
greater
priority of family unity, while parties might agree to a marriage
contract
regarding an unequal separation of marriage assets.
The barbarians are not at the gates and liberalism is not under siege.
But
it is time to have a very Canadian, civilized dialogue.
Riad Saloojee is executive director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, Canada.
-----
MIXING STYLE WITH TRADITION
Kiran Ansari, Chicago Tribune, 9/15/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/women/chi-0409140325sep15,1,6286739.s
tory
By blending hot topics like birth control and arranged marriages with
lighter articles on fashion and travel, Azizah has become the only
lifestyle magazine by and for American Muslim women.
Founded by Trinidad-born Tayyibah Taylor and Indonesia-native Marlina
Soerakoesoemah, the magazine aims to be inclusive.
Azizah, meaning strong and noble, was chosen as the name because it is
a
common Muslim moniker.
Now in its fourth issue, the Atlanta-based quarterly has a circulation
of
over 35,000. Its goal is to be a forum for Muslim women to celebrate
achievements and discuss issues, Soerakoesoemah said.
Greater awareness about Islam after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks
led to an uptick in subscriptions. University lecturers in religious or
women's studies departments have also used articles from the magazine.
"Azizah competes with other women's magazines for reader's dollars.
However, Muslims do not have to skip fashion pages or alter recipes
because
our content is directly targeted at them," Taylor says.
For more information, visit www.azizahmagazine.com.
-----
ISLAM CENTER OPENS UP, SETS STRAIGHT MISCONCEPTIONS
Michelle Schott, Pitt News, 9/14/04
http://www.pittnews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/09/14/4146645c99256
Abrar Rageh, a Pitt junior and a Muslim, remembers hearing people cuss
at
her and her friends while they were walking home with from Schenley
High
School on Sept. 11, 2001.
David Scott, a former Catholic who converted to Islam in 2002,
remembers
telling a co-worker about his new faith and hearing, "Are you still an
American?"
Both served as volunteers at an open house at the Islamic Center of
Pittsburgh Saturday, on the third anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks.
The open house, with the theme "Planting Seeds of Understanding
Together
for a Better Tomorrow," featured displays and information about the
history
and teachings of Islam and gave visitors the opportunity to talk with
members of Pittsburgh's Muslim community.
"Because Islam is one of the new religions, there is a lot of ignorance
everywhere about what Islam really is," Rageh said. Islam was founded
about
1,400 years ago, making it much younger than Judaism or Christianity.
But
according to the film "Islam: A Closer Look," which volunteers screened
at
the open house, it is the world's fastest growing religion.
Inside the center, which also serves as a mosque, the walls were lined
with
"conversation stations": tables displaying posters and materials on
topics
relating to Islam, with volunteers standing by to answer questions.
Some
explained the basic principles of Islam and the Koran, the Islamic holy
book. Others discussed the role of women and the family in Islam; the
common origins of Islam, Judaism and Christianity; and achievements
made by
Muslim scholars, such as the development of algebra and the concept of
zero.
One station focused on Islam's teachings on human rights and war.
Riffat
Chughtai, a volunteer and the executive director of Pittsburgh Muslim
Families Support Services, explained that it is mandatory for
able-bodied
Muslims to participate in the military during a time of war, though
such
requirements can vary from country to country.
However, Islam forbids hurting innocent people, even during wartime,
and
thus Muslims all over the world condemned the attacks of Sept. 11,
2001...
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIMS AND SIKHS PROMOTE TOLERANCE
Melissa Evans, Daily Review, 9/14/04
http://news.ibn.net/newsframe.asp?url=http://www.dailyreviewonline.com/Stori
es/0,1413,88~10975~2402671,00.html
FREMONT -- When Maha ElGenaidi was growing up in the 1970s, her Islamic
faith was never an issue among grade school classmates.
It simply wasn't discussed.
Now, with an increase in the number of Muslim immigrants whose children
wear scarves to school and pray between classes, along with the
stereotypes
stemming from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, harassment is prevalent,
she
said.
"It is not reported because of the proximity of the victims and the
perpetrators," she told a small group of teachers, parents and
administrators Tuesday during a training session on Islam and Sikhism
for
Fremont educators. "Kids are kids. They are afraid to talk."
ElGenaidi, executive director of the Islamic Networks Group, and
Kavneet
Singh, a member of the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force, gave
overviews of their faiths in hopes of coming to individual classrooms
and
larger gatherings of teachers, parents or other groups.
The discussion was sponsored by the Interfaith Freedom Foundation, a
Fremont-based group that advocates for religious liberty.
Singh, an American-born Sikh, grew up in Southern California, where he
was
the only turban-wearing student in school. He said people were
perplexed
that he spoke English so well.
Both he and ElGenaidi visit police departments, churches, schools and
other
groups to share the basics of their faiths. Some of the topics include
beliefs, history, demographics and common misconceptions.
Something that always surprises people, for example, is that 70 percent
of
Arabs in the United States are Christian, not Muslim, ElGenaidi said.
In schools, curriculum on religion was introduced in 1989, ElGenaidi
said.
Students learn about religion in a variety of contexts from sixth to
12th
grade, she said.
Kids are great audiences because they are not afraid to ask questions,
the
presenters said. Kids want to know how someone wearing a head scarf
takes a
shower and whether boyfriends are allowed to see their girlfriends'
hair,
ElGenaidi said. There also are many laws regarding religion that
teachers
are unaware of, including the display of religious symbols during the
holidays.
To arrange a seminar, contact Singh at (925) 575-1614 or ElGenaidi at
(408)
296-7312. Information on religion in public schools can be obtained by
contacting the First Amendment Center at (703) 284-2859 or online at
www.freedom-forum.org.
-----
RIGHTS GROUP CITES DISCRIMINATION IN 'WAR ON TERROR'
Andrew Tully, Radio Free Europe, 9/15/04
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/9/D461787E-5A30-4D8C-89B8-64C35A3F
C3AF.html
Some 32 million US citizens say that they have been the victims of
unfair
scrutiny because of their racial or religious backgrounds. And some 87
million Americans are at risk for such profiling. Those are the
findings of
a recent report by the international rights group Amnesty
International. In
the three years since a group of Middle Eastern hijackers attacked New
York
and Washington, airport security officers and police increasingly have
singled out individuals with Middle Eastern and South Asian
backgrounds.
The logic goes that these types of people are more likely to be
attracted
to Islamic extremism. Amnesty International says such profiling is
merely
racism in another form. It tends to encourage and enforce racial
separation
and to humiliate its victims. What's more, Amnesty says, from a
security
standpoint, profiling is a disaster. Security personnel are so busy
looking
for individuals that fit a certain stereotype, that they risk
overlooking
real terrorists.
Ibrahim Hooper, the communications director of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, agreed. He said his organization - a Muslim
advocacy group - understands the heightened need for security. But, he
said, the scrutiny of Arabs, South Asians, and Muslims has gone too
far.
"We've had a number of incidents where Muslims are stopped or arrested
[merely] for videotaping things," Hooper said. "In one case, we had a
group
of people who were asking directions to a fishing [pond] that happened
to
be in the area of a nuclear power plant, [who were stopped] just based
on
apparently their appearance." Hooper said racial and ethnic profiling
is
counterproductive because it gives people a false sense of security. He
said too much scrutiny on one group allows potential suspects in other
groups to go undetected...
...Hooper said there is a better and much simpler way to eliminate
profiling. "[Security officials] just need to get to know Muslims, get
to
know Arab-Americans and people of different backgrounds," Hooper said.
"And
we find that familiarity lessens contempt in these kinds of
situations."
-----
BENIGHTED COLUMNIST DESERVES TO BE SHUNNED
Steve Palme, Times-Picayune, 9/15/04
http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1095225933121450.xml?nola
Re: "Finally, a Muslim who is honest about terror," Other Opinions,
Sept.
10.
Cal Thomas wrote about how a manager at Al Arabiyah finally pointed out
that terrorism is an end result of the Middle East’s "corrupted
culture."
While he seemed to be talking about the corrupt rulers in the region,
Mr.
Thomas explained to us what the Muslim in question was really saying:
that
Islam, which he says is the inventor of the suicide attack, is all
about
promoting extremism, violence and intolerance. That there are no
"moderate
Muslims." And, of course, thank God we have the Patriot Act so that we
can
keep an eye on all them shifty, dangerous Muslims in our midst.
Otherwise,
we’d have to do something drastic like put them in internment camps or
make
them wear armbands so that we could identify them on the street.
Mr. Thomas conveniently forgets about Christian extremists, like Eric
Rudolph, who have set off bombs in the United States. He leaves out the
fact that of the millions of Muslims who are American citizens, not one
has
ever been convicted for any terrorist act. He fails to mention that the
Japanese kamikazes (along with many others throughout history) used
suicide
attacks -- it wasn’t an invention of Islam.
The Muslim community is made up of tax-paying, hard working people who,
like most of the rest of us, are just trying to build a life for
themselves. But it would ruin Mr. Thomas’ despicable stereotype if he
had
to talk about all those troublesome facts.
I think it is high time that we call Mr. Thomas what he has shown
himself
to be: a venomous bigot who deserves nothing less than to be shunned by
decent people.
ALSO SEE:
TERROR IN THE NAME OF ISLAM
Bahadar Khan, National Post, 9/15/04
http://www.canada.com/search/story.html?id=be4f9aa5-3966-4e9a-95ad-7088d46c2
8eb
Re: Islam's Voice, letter by Carol Dunn, Sept 13.
I was hardly surprised to know that most of the people don't know what
an
ordinary Muslim thinks because the events of 9/11 have defamed Islam.
Terrorism has no religion and it's heart-wrenching to read the words
like
"Muslim terrorists." Muslims have been living in Western Europe and
North
America for centuries. And they are as peaceful as any other ethnic or
religious group living in that country.
This political terror is not a new phenomena. Different individuals and
groups, regardless of their religious or geographic orientations, have
used
it to get their demands. But we cannot classify those groups or
individuals
based on their religious beliefs, if they have any. Terrorists are
enemies
of the whole humanity, and they are indifferent to the miseries of
common
man. No religion teaches to kill.
We shouldn't be blaming whole communities for crime committed by few,
who I
am sure didn't know a thing about true Islamic teachings.
-----
ESPOSITIO: TARIQ RAMADAN'S VISA
John Espostio, New York Sun, 9/14/04
http://www.nysun.com/
I wish to dissent strongly from the commentary by columnist Daniel
Pipes,
"Why Revoke Tariq Ramadan's U.S. Visa?" [Foreign, August 27, 2004].
Mr. Pipes states that the recent intervention by the Department of
Homeland
Security to cancel Professor Ramadan's visa and work permit granted
earlier
this year to take up a distinguished appointment as Luce Professor of
Religion at Notre Dame University is a "good thing."
In fact, it is a very bad thing. It constitutes a major step backward
in
intellectual exchange between the Islamic world and the West. Worse, it
is
contrary to America's national interest.
Mr. Pipes's position undermines President Bush's intent, as described
by
the National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, in mid-August, to win
the
hearts and minds of the mainstream majority in the Muslim world.
The revocation of Professor Ramadan's visa represents a significant
defeat
for America in the war against terrorism.
Professor Ramadan is a scholar recognized throughout the world for his
labors on behalf of interfaith understanding and the building of peace
as
evidenced in his most recent book, "Western Muslims and the Future of
Islam," as well as his earlier "To Be a European Muslim..."
Professor Ramadan is not the evil conspirator imagined by Mr. Pipes. In
fact, he is the polar opposite. As his life, writings, and public
statements indicate, he is a Muslim intellectual and leader, a
professor in
Europe and now in America.
The erroneous DHS decision to cancel Mr. Ramadan's visa under mines
America's efforts at public diplomacy and its credibility in the Muslim
world and therefore should be reversed immediately.
JOHN L. ESPOSITO is a University Professor And Professor of Religion
And
International Affairs Georgetown University Washington, D.C. This
letter
was signed By eight additional academics And public policy analysts.
-----
FIRE ASHCROFT FOR CLEAR INCOMPETENCE
Marie Cocco, Newsday, 9/14/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/ny-vpcoc143966772sep14,0,3309053.colu
mn?coll=ny-news-columnists
Let's say you hire a lawyer. The lawyer pursues a case - a very big
case,
he says - on your behalf. As it goes forward, the presiding judge
sanctions
your lawyer for violating one of his orders and your attorney
apologizes to
the court.
The trial ends with what your lawyer says is victory and vindication.
Until
the lawyer is forced to admit he has botched the case, completely and
irredeemably - and, by the way, with virulent disregard for the law.
The
judge finds such malfeasance among your legal team that he calls the
misconduct "prevalent and pervasive." He agrees that the verdicts must
be
thrown out.
Let's say this debacle reaches its denouement less than three months
after
the U.S. Supreme Court has repudiated the central legal argument your
lawyer has used for much of the work he's done on your behalf for three
years. And that the admonishment from the high court came just after
your
legal team had been forced to apologize for yet another blunder - the
wrongful jailing of an innocent whose fingerprints were falsely said to
match those of terrorists in Madrid.
Would you fire this lawyer? Sue him for malpractice? Or would you keep
him
on, confident he can represent your interests throughout the United
States
and indeed, throughout the world?
This is the track record of the attorney general of the United States.
It
is, actually, only a brief recapitulation of the more recent
depredations
John Ashcroft has carried out against justice, on our behalf.
It is insufficient to complain that Ashcroft is unsuitably ideological
to
be the nation's top law enforcement officer. He is unquestionably
incompetent...
-----
NEW POLL SHOWS AMERICANS SUSPICIOUS OF AIPAC STATUS
A new Council for the National Interest/Zogby poll commissioned after
the
publication of reports that AIPAC was being investigated for espionage
shows that Americans of all backgrounds and ages strongly believe it
acts
as a foreign agent for the Israeli government and should be registered
as a
foreign agent and lose its tax exempt status.
The poll found 61% "strongly or somewhat agree" that AIPAC should be
asked
to register as a foreign agent and lose its tax exempt status, while
only
12% strongly or somewhat disagree that it should. 27% were unsure on
the
issue.
A majority of people within almost every subgroup agrees. This includes
77%
of 18-29-year-olds, 72% of Hispanics, and approximately two-thirds of
independent voters, 50-64-year-olds, residents of the West region,
Catholics, single adults, parents of children under 17, and men.
15% of Jewish Americans "strongly agreed" and 15% "strongly disagreed"
with
the statement that AIPAC should register as an agent of a foreign
government and thereby lose its tax exempt status. However, 60% were
unsure. Three times as many "Born Again Christians" agreed with the
results than disagreed, with almost one-third unsure. These are the
traditional pro-Israel bases of the Republican Party.
On August 30, it was reported that the FBI interviewed members of the
American Israel Public Affairs Committee in connection with the passing
of
classified material to the government of Israel by a Pentagon analyst
working in the office of the Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith.
Congressman John Conyers (D-Michigan) subsequently called for opening
hearings into the leak to investigate whether the Larry Franklin, the
Pentagon analyst, was "acting at the behest of his superiors" and
whether a
"rogue element in the American government may have been working with a
foreign government."
Said Eugene Bird, president of CNI, "The poll shows serious doubts that
Americans have about the activities of AIPAC. They strongly endorse the
position that we have long held, that AIPAC should register as an agent
of
a foreign government and lose its tax exempt status. For years,
Congress
has been duped by their illegal activities."
For more information, contact: 202 863-2951 or email count@igc.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/ .
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/16/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: NOT IN VAIN
* REGISTER FOR CAIR'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY BANQUET
* NJ ISSUES NEW RULES ON MUSLIM FOOD LABELING (AP)
* MI: POLL SHOWS ARAB-AMERICANS BACK KERRY (AP)
- Poll: Fewer Arab Voters Back Kerry
- CAIR-CA: Woman May Become 1st Saudi-Born Officeholder
* CAIR-FL: MUSLIM BASKETBALL PLAYER QUITS TEAM (SP Times)
- CAIR-OHIO: Vote on School Religion Policy
* NC: STUDYING ISLAM HELPS FIGHT STEREOTYPES (Charlotte Obs)
- ME: Forum Challenges Stereotypes About Muslims
- CA: Center Plans Community Open House (Mercury News)
- CA: Lodi Islamic Center on County Agenda (Lodi News)
* CAPT. YEE TO RECEIVE HONORABLE DISCHARGE (KOMO TV)
* TN: WHIRLPOOL FACING DISCRIMINATION CASES (Tennessean)
- CAIR-AZ: Muslim Cabbies Face Bias (State Press)
* ACTIVISTS STILL FEAR AIPAC JURY PROBE (Forward)
- Neocons Go Crazy Over AIPAC Spy Scandal (Antiwar.com)
- Israelis Arrested on 9/11 Sue U.S. (Haaretz)
* LOST IN ARABIC TRANSLATION (CS Monitor)
- Hamdi: Out of the Brig (Newsweek)
* GEN. BOYKIN SAYS HE DIDN'T MEAN TO MALIGN ISLAM (AP)
* ANNAN: IRAQ WAR 'ILLEGAL' WITHOUT U.N. OK (AP)
- Pessimism on Iraq's Future (NY Times)
* NV: SECOND ANNUAL QURAN CONFERENCE
- DC: Kashmir Peace Conference/Roundtable Discussion
- VA: AMSS 33rd Annual Conference
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: NOT IN VAIN
"In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of
night
and day, there are signs for those who are endowed with understanding.
Those who remember God…and reflect on the creation of the heavens and
the
earth (and say): 'Our Lord! You have not created this in vain.'"
The Holy Quran, 3:190-191
-----
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY BANQUET
Join us in our nation's capital for CAIR's 10th Anniversary banquet
dinner,
"Building a Better America: A Decade of Dedication." Keynote speakers
include Ralph Nader, Presidential Candidate and Siraj Wahaj of MANA.
WHEN: Saturday, October 2, from 6-10 p.m.
WHERE: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road, NW
Washington DC, Tel: 202-328-2000 fax: 202-234-0015
Tickets: $55 per person, $85 per couple
Limited babysitting available during the banquet: $10 per child
TO REGISTER, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
-----
NJ ISSUES NEW RULES ON MUSLIM FOOD LABELING
WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press, 9/16/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--halallaw0916sep16,0,4493447
.story
NEWARK, N.J. -- The state has issued new guidelines on halal food
labeling
that skirt the central question many Muslims had wanted to be answered:
Exactly what type of food can and cannot be considered pure in Islam?
Declining to involve itself in a religious debate, the state Division
of
Consumer Affairs is requiring those who process and sell halal food to
complete disclosure forms outlining how meat and other items are
handled.
That leaves it up to consumers to decide whether a particular item
meets
their own standards of purity.
"The goal is to let people know what they're buying," said Yaser
El-Menshawy of Flemington, chairman of the Majlis Ash-Shura of New
Jersey,
the state's council of mosques. "Right now, when you walk into a store
to
buy something called `halal,' you have no idea what that means.
"This at least lets you know what that particular person's definition
of
halal is," he said…
Consumer Affairs officials said their goal was never to involve the
state
in a religious matter that is open to considerable debate among various
factions. Instead, the guidelines are designed to give consumers enough
information to make their own educated choices.
The rules create four different disclosure forms that must be completed
by
food handlers or merchants, depending on their role in the food chain.
There are separate forms for slaughterhouses that sell cattle, goats,
sheep
and lambs; slaughterhouses selling poultry; retail establishments, and
restaurants.
The forms require slaughterhouses to specify, for example, which
auctions
they buy animals from; whether their animals consume only feed that
does
not contain animal byproducts; whether the animal is alive and not
stunned
at the time of slaughter; whether the animal is hand-slaughtered with a
sharp knife by a Muslim who recited the required benediction, and
whether
the animal is facing Mecca when it is killed.
It also forces slaughterhouses to say whether pigs are slaughtered on
the
same premises, and if so, whether they are killed on separate equipment
and
on the same day as halal animals…
-----
POLL SHOWS MAJORITY OF ARAB-AMERICANS IN MICHIGAN BACK KERRY
Kathy Barks Hoffman, Associated Press, 9/16/04
http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/business/index.ssf?/base/news-18/109535124623
6460.xml&storylist=mibusiness
LANSING, Michigan (AP) - A new poll shows 58 percent of Arab-Americans
in
Michigan support Democrat John Kerry for president while 21 percent
support
Republican incumbent George W. Bush and 9 percent support independent
Ralph
Nader, the son of Lebanese immigrants.
Twelve percent are undecided.
The poll, released Thursday to The Associated Press, represents a shift
since 2000, when more of the state's Arab-Americans supported Bush.
Among
the 574 Arab-Americans polled Sept. 9 through Wednesday by
Lansing-based
EPIC/MRA, 54 percent said they voted for Bush in 2000. The poll had a
margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percent.
The shift could be particularly important in Michigan, a key state now
leaning toward Kerry but still being hotly contested by the president.
An
estimated 250,000 to 300,000 Arab-Americans live in Michigan, and while
not
all of them are old enough to vote, they are a potent political force
being
courted by both parties.
A separate CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Thursday showed Kerry
leading
Bush, 50 percent to 44 percent, among 673 likely voters statewide, with
Nader getting 1 percent. The Sept. 10-13 poll had a margin of error of
plus
or minus 4 percentage points.
Despite his falling ratings in the EPIC/MRA poll, Bush still has
somepotentsupporters in the state's Arab-American community.
But the perception that Arab-Americans' civil liberties have been
eroded in
the post-Sept. 11 political climate and concern over the economy and
the
Middle East have lost Bush some of his earlier support…
On the Net:
Kerry-Edwards: http://www.johnkerry.com
Bush-Cheney: http://www.georgewbush.com
Nader-Camejo: http://www.votenader.org
SEE ALSO:
POLL: FEWER ARAB VOTERS BACK KERRY
ANN MCFEATTERS, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/16/04
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04260/380030.stm
There has been a small increase in the number of Arab American voters
in
the four battleground states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and
Florida
who view President Bush favorably, but his Democratic challenger,
Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry, no longer has a majority of Arab
American
voters.
Reflecting a national trend so far this month that shows Kerry's
support
slipping, polling by Zogby International for the Arab American
Institute
found that Kerry's support has declined from 54 percent in July to 49
percent among Arab Americans. In July, 24.5 percent of Arab American
voters
said they would vote for Bush. Now, 31.5 percent said the Republican
president deserves to be re- elected.
Consumer advocate Ralph Nader, an Arab American running an independent
third-party campaign, would get about 9 percent of their votes, if the
election were to be held now, rather than Nov. 2. That is down from a
high
of 20 percent in February.
The Arab-American vote is 5 percent of the total vote in Michigan, 2
percent in Florida, just under 2 percent in Ohio and 1.5 percent of
Pennsylvania. About a quarter of Arab Americans are Muslim, a third are
Catholic, a third are Orthodox Christian and the rest have no
affiliation…
---
CALIF. WOMAN TRIES TO BECOME FIRST SAUDI-BORN OFFICEHOLDER
Daniel B. Wood, Christian Science Monitor, 9/17/04
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0917/p02s01-uspo.html
SANTA PAULA, CALIF. - In a backroom cafe of this quiet farming
community, a
group of Rotary club luncheoneers has just finished its
Swedish-meatball
buffet, baseball announcements, and post-dessert singalong. Next up, in
jarring contrast to the rural, conservative, and mostly male
surroundings,
a tanned, Muslim woman in white business suit is introduced as the
afternoon speaker.
Born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, she tells the group of her exodus at age
10 to
find schooling for girls and to flee the "cage" of
government-controlled
religion there. Decades later, she is a veteran California high school
teacher extolling the virtues of the US Constitution, religious
freedom,
and participatory democracy.
She is also breaking stereotypes of Arab Muslim women as she seeks to
become the first Saudi-born American to hold elective office in the
United
States...
Though some feel that the post-Sept. 11 era has brought advances in
some
Arab and Muslim quarters, many in the Arab community feel that the
image
has backslid in recent years and that the Masry candidacy can help
reverse
the slide.
"We have spent the past several years combating the polarization and
stereotyping of Arabs and Muslims," says Omar Zaki of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations. "Masry is highlighting a trend of more
Arabs in
politics, running for office in such a way that Americans can begin to
look
past skin color and religion to the core of an individual with core
values
and abilities…"
-----
FL: MUSLIM BASKETBALL PLAYER QUITS USF TEAM
Greg Auman, St. Petersburg Times, 9/16/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/09/16/Sports/Muslim_basketball_pla.shtml
TAMPA - Andrea Armstrong, the USF women's basketball player who was
seeking
NCAA approval to wear religious clothing during practice and games,
quit
the team Wednesday, saying she did not want her Muslim religion to
become a
distraction for her team.
But the leader of a local Muslim rights group said the 22-year-old was
frightened by hate e-mails and negative reactions she's encountered
since a
St. Petersburg Times article detailed her story Saturday.
"The controversy with USF and the NCAA was peanuts compared to the
backlash
that has erupted," said Ahmed Bedier of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, who spoke with Armstrong on Wednesday night. "The bigger
fight
is against public opinion and the bigotry and ignorance we have in our
society."
Armstrong could not be reached for comment.
The 6-foot-3 senior quit the team two weeks ago but rejoined Friday,
after
Bedier's group sent the university a letter protesting "a case of
apparent
religious discrimination."
This time, Armstrong said she's left the team for good, though she will
remain on scholarship this season...
"She's away from her family, here by herself. ... It really scared
her,"
said Bedier, who said his group supports her decision to quit the team.
"I
think she was overwhelmed with the amount of attention she was
receiving.
She didn't want to be the center of negative feelings. She felt
frightened,
and decided this for her safety, No. 1."
ALSO SEE:
VOTE PENDING ON CPS RELIGION POLICY
Sue Hagan, Thisweeknews.com, 9/16/04
http://www.thisweeknews.com/thisweek.php?edition=common&story=thisweeknews/0
91604/nor/News/091604-News-459290.html
A policy on religion in schools, in the works for several months, is on
track to be approved by Columbus Public Schools next Tuesday.
The school board conducted a first reading on the policy Sept. 7, and
probably will approve it at its next meeting Sept. 21, said board Vice
President Karen Schwarzwalder, who chairs the board's Legal, Policy and
Personnel (LPP) Committee.
Last spring, when the policy was being written and debated, she said it
was
at the urging of district staff members who wanted to make sure rules
were
uniform across all schools.
"We now have so many different religions represented in our schools,"
Schwarzwalder said....
Jad Humeidan, executive director of the Ohio branch of the Council on
American Islamic Relations (CAIR), called the policy "fair, and a good
indication that the district recognizes diversity."
He said CAIR had reviewed an earlier draft and sent some
recommendations to
the LPP.
"We suggested they spell out ways they would respond to dietary
restrictions. ... If they included something vegetarian, that would be
clear there were no pork products," he said. "That would satisfy
Muslims,
Jews, Hindus and a few other groups that have that restriction."
Humeidan earlier said the rules in the policy regarding prayer should
not
create problems for Muslim students, even though they must pray five
times
a day, because each prayer actually occurs during a window of time, not
at
a specified hour.
No member of the public spoke on the policy at the last board meeting.
If
it is on the agenda on Tuesday, community members can comment during
the
public participation section of the meeting.
-----
STUDYING ISLAM HELPS FIGHT STEREOTYPING OF MUSLIMS
Laura Huffman, Charlotte Observer, 9/15/04
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/9675543.htm?1c
A few years ago, I was preparing to teach a unit on Islam in my World
History class.
Noman, the only Muslim person I knew (and a former student of mine),
was in
the classroom next door. I asked him whether he would be willing to
come
and speak to my class about his religion, so that my students could
hear
from a Muslim student their own age.
Noman spoke eloquently and passionately about what it felt like to be
the
only Muslim student at our school. He answered questions ranging from
the
tenets of his faith to whether his marriage would be arranged.
By the end of the period, he had earned the respect and admiration of
the
entire class.
The next day was Sept. 11, 2001.
As we watched the Twin Towers collapse on television and news
commentators
began suggesting it was the act of Muslim extremists, one student in
the
class made a derogatory statement about Muslims.
Another quickly jumped in: "Hey, man, you're talking about all Muslims
like
they're like that. Noman was here yesterday. Didn't you learn anything?
We
know now that all Muslims aren't extremists -- they're more likely to
be
like Noman."
Many other students joined in, in defense of Muslims and of Noman.
It was one of the most powerful moments I've ever had in the classroom.
Had Noman not visited the day before, I doubt my protestations that
Islam
is a peaceful religion would have had much impact on my students'
attitudes…
SEE ALSO:
'HOPE NOT HATE' FORUM CHALLENGES STEREOTYPES ABOUT MUSLIMS
Leslie Talmadge, Times Record, 9/15/04
http://www.timesrecord.com/website/main.nsf/news.nsf/0/0DB3C51B5F9C590805256
F100065CFBB?Opendocument
BRUNSWICK - You don't have to be a male Arab from Tikrit to be
horrified by
the recent abuse of prisoners by U.S. prison guards at Abu Graib,
according
to Kevin Reinhart, professor of Islamic religious studies at Dartmouth
College.
Reinhart, who attended high school in Turkey and spent last summer
doing
humanitarian work in Iraq, was part of a diverse panel that spoke
Tuesday
night at Bowdoin College as part of a program sponsored by Americans
for
Informed Democracy, a nonprofit group that aspires to foster global
understanding.
Other panelists included former 1st District Rep. James Longley Jr.,
R-Maine, a Roman Catholic who served in the Marine Corps; and Anouar
Majid,
who was born in Morocco and now serves as professor and chairman of the
English department at the University of New England.
The "Hope Not Hate" meeting was one of more than 30 such "town hall
meetings" on U.S.-Islamic relations held this month at college campuses
throughout the country.
Reinhart outlined an important paradox at the heart of U.S.-Islamic
relations: On the one hand, understanding Muslims in Iraq, Egypt,
Turkey
and elsewhere helps us to formulate smart policies; on the other hand,
emphasizing the "foreign-ness" of Arab culture dehumanizes Arabs and
"makes
Muslims seem more mysterious, like an alien species." The latter
viewpoint
impedes our understanding of them, he said…
---
MUSLIM CENTER PLANNING COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE
Hong Dao Nguyen, Mercury News, 9/16/04
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/9677449.htm
On a recent Friday afternoon, dozens of Muslims filled the Evergreen
Masjid
for Jumu'ah, or the Friday afternoon prayer where individuals in the
community will take time off from work or school to pray together as a
community.
The tradition is one that could be discussed at the Evergreen Islamic
Center's Saturday open house, which is hosted by the South Bay Islamic
Association. Topics, including an overview of Islam to current events
and
stereotypes, are expected to be on the schedule. A free traditional
lunch
will be served.
''We have this little center in the middle of nowhere,'' said Imam
Tahir
Anwar, who directs the association's religious services. Some people
have
''little or no idea of who we are.''
The gathering, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., might be timely, since the
center
wants to tear down the current mobile home attached to a small home, to
build a larger center. The association owns about two acres at 2486
Ruby
Ave.
Anwar said the association has had the property since the early 1990s,
and
had initially used it as a small satellite place of prayer, since the
main
center is downtown. But more families in the area began to use the
mosque,
and now on Friday afternoons, the narrow parking lot is packed.
During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast, more than
100
people are expected to come each day, he said. This year that month
lasts
from Oct. 15 to Nov. 15…
---
LODI ISLAMIC CENTER, LOCKEFORD SUBDIVISION ON COUNTY AGENDA
Ross Farrow, Lodi News, 9/15/04
http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2004/09/15/news/08_islamic_040915.txt
Lodi-area Muslims have a major vision for an 18-acre site on Lower
Sacramento Road in south Lodi.
When financing is available and San Joaquin County approves the plans,
leaders at the Farooqia Islamic Center hope to build a worship hall and
8,000 square feet of classroom space for kindergarten through
fourth-grade
students.
A major step in building the Islamic center was to seek approval of a
use
permit by the San Joaquin County Planning Commission on Thursday.
However,
county planning staff recommends that the application be put on hold
indefinitely until traffic issues on Lower Sacramento Road are
resolved.
The property is zoned for agricultural use, which does permit the
building
of religious institutions with a use permit, according to Chandler
Martin,
a senior planner for the county. Granting a use permit is at the county
Planning Commission's discretion.
The Islamic Center, which already contains a 2,650-square-foot library,
is
on the east side of Lower Sacramento Road, just south of Harney Lane.
Two phases are planned, the first being a 1,600-square-foot temporary
tent
for worshipping and fund raising along with the classrooms. In the
second
phase, the tent would be replaced by a 12,900-square-foot worship hall
to
accommodate 400...
-----
CAPT. YEE TO RECEIVE HONORABLE DISCHARGE
KOMO TV, 9/15/04
http://www.komotv.com/stories/33072.htm
FORT LEWIS - A Muslim chaplain imprisoned for 76 days in solitary
confinement and then cleared in an espionage probe will receive an
honorable discharge.
Capt. James J. Yee was notified in writing that his request to be
discharged Jan. 7, 2005, had been approved, his lawyer, Eugene R.
Fidell of
Washington D.C., said Wednesday.
The Army Human Resources Command approved the request Monday, Fidell
said,
a year and three days after Yee was arrested at Guantanamo Bay,
carrying
what authorities alleged were classified documents.
"It's amazing to think just over a year ago he was behind bars ... and
being vilified throughout the country," Fidell said. "On a certain
level,
justice has triumphed."
Yee has declined to comment on the case, but in his letter of
resignation
to the Army last month he expressed resentment.
"In 2003, I was unfairly accused of grave offenses under the Uniform
Code
of Military Justice and unjustifiably placed in solitary confinement
for 76
days," Yee wrote. "Those unfounded allegations - which were leaked to
the
media - irreparably injured my personal and professional reputation and
destroyed my prospects for a career in the United States Army."
The Army still has not apologized, Fidell said Wednesday...
-----
WHIRLPOOL FACING DISCRIMINATION CASES
Rob Johnson, Tennessean, 9/15/04
http://www.tennessean.com/business/archives/04/09/57686530.shtml?Element_ID=
57686530
When Ibrahim Farah sensed the sun was about to set, he would
manufacture an
excuse to slip away from the assembly line and pray.
For that, he didn't have the permission of his former La Vergne
employer,
Whirlpool Corp., the manufacturer of air conditioners, dehumidifiers
and
built-in refrigerators. Farah's job was to drive screws into the
assemblies
during the factory's evening shift.
The Somali native and devout Muslim is one of nine such plaintiffs
against
Whirlpool whose claims are being heard in the Nashville courtroom of
U.S.
District Judge Aleta Trauger.
In the first of a series of jury trials, Farah said yesterday that
Whirlpool failed to accommodate his religious practices under federal
and
state laws and that he was subjected to a hostile work environment.
Whirlpool attorneys countered that it has long welcomed Muslim workers
but
that running a factory in the ''lean and mean'' manner required by
stiff
foreign competition eliminates the luxury of letting workers leave the
line
for the sunset prayer.
The trial promises a stark contrast between the demands of religious
duty
and the pressures of meeting manufacturing goals. Jurors are expected
to
hear from experts in the Muslim faith, human resources specialists and
those who quantify production performance.
The case, said plaintiff's attorney Eric Seigel during his opening
statement, ''is about unlawful discrimination,'' adding that ''it is
also
about basic values and doing the right thing.''
''Whirlpool is an employer of choice for many Muslims,'' replied
defense
attorney David J. Parsons, explaining to jurors that the company has
agreed
to changes in line with many Muslims' religious practices, such as
permitting certain apparel, adjusting cafeteria menus and posting
literature in other languages.
But leaving the line at sunset every night was more than the company
could
reasonably allow, Parsons said: ''We couldn't do everything to
accommodate
them...''
ALSO SEE:
FAITH IN MOTION
Dianna Nanez, State Press, 9/15/04
http://www.statepress.com/issues/2004/09/15/news/election2004/681037
The cab driver on my Tempe doorstep is a long way from his homeland in
Somalia. He greets me with a flash of his smile as he introduces
himself
and hurries me to his waiting cab. Abdikadir Said's voice is as deep as
his
accent is thick. I practice pronouncing his name.
Politely, I ask him if Said is pronounced "Side" or "Saweed." Oh, it's
"Saheed." OK, got it...
Since Sept. 11, Sky Harbor cab drivers have struggled to survive
economically. When the airport was shut down after Sept. 11, Said says
the
lack of business forced many drivers to quit. "We went to the bottom
when
Sept. 11 happened. There was no business. The business we had before
Sept.
11, we're back to about 50 percent." It's no surprise that many drivers
will go great lengths to endure, even if it means tiptoeing around
their
Muslim faith.
According to Deedra Abboud, a local Islamic advocate and practicing
Muslim,
it's common for Muslims to feel that they must hide their faith for
fear of
discrimination or abuse.
Citing the nationwide rise in hate crimes against Muslims, Abboud
explains
that Muslims in America have suffered great physical and emotional
abuse in
response to Sept. 11 and the war in Iraq. FBI records report that hate
crimes against Muslims in America rose from
28 in 2000 to 481 in 2001.
Abboud recalls an incident that took place right before the United
States
invaded Iraq. A manager from a Valley airport shuttle company had
invited
her to educate their drivers about Muslims. Anticipating a tense
atmosphere, the manager hoped the training would prevent drivers from
applying preconceived stereotypes and possibly confronting Muslim
customers.
Many drivers reacted to Abboud's presence with intense anger and
hateful
remarks. According to Abboud, a female driver stood up and yelled that
Abboud was not going to convert her. Abboud says the driver "stared at
me
and said she knew why I wore the scarf. It's because I have [devil's]
horns
and I'm hiding them."
-----
AS LEAKS DRY UP IN FBI INVESTIGATION, ACTIVISTS STILL FEAR JURY PROBE
Ori Nir, Forward, 9/17/04
http://www.forward.com/main/article.php?ref=nir200409151143
Washington - Even as a lull in government leaks appears to be
short-circuiting the media frenzy over the FBI's investigation of the
pro-Israel lobby, sources with access to the Justice Department say the
probe is moving forward.
Sources told the Forward that a federal grand jury is expected to begin
interviewing people in connection to the investigation, which is
believed
to center on a Pentagon official suspected of passing on classified
documents on to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Investigators
reportedly suspect that Aipac officials passed on the information to
Israel.
Jewish activists say that so far they know of no one who has been
subpoenaed to testify in front of the grand jury. But according to one
source, "there is a lot of nonsubpoena-level talking" between
investigators
and people they think might know of suspected wrongdoing.
The investigation could end up weakening the country's most influential
pro-Israel lobbying group significantly and, in turn, cause damage to
the
American-Israeli relationship. Now, however, reporters with mainstream
national news organizations say, it has become almost impossible to
obtain
any new information from law-enforcement sources on the investigation.
"They are as tight as a drum," said one reporter, who has been
following
the story on a daily basis.
According to Washington insiders, the goal of the recent torrent of
unnamed
government leaks was to undermine neoconservative Pentagon analysts who
backed the Iraq war, in particular the undersecretary of defense for
policy, Douglas Feith, the third-highest ranking civilian in the
Pentagon...
ALSO SEE:
NEOCONS GO BANANAS OVER AIPAC SPY SCANDAL
Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com, 9/15/04
http://antiwar.com/justin/
"F*cking crazies" - that's how Colin Powell described the
neoconservatives
to Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw during the run-up to the Iraq
war, according to The Accidental American: Tony Blair and the
Presidency,
by BBC broadcaster James Naughtie, due to be released this week in the
U.S.
To which one can only add: you got that one right, brutha.
The neocons are certainly crazed in the megalomaniacal sense to suggest
that the American response to 9/11 must be to somehow "democratize" at
gunpoint a region that has never gotten out of the Middle Ages and
launch a
worldwide struggle against a religion of a billion-plus adherents. But
crazy also implies out-of-control, and that is most certainly not what
is
occurring here: in the case of the neocons, we're talking crazy like a
fox….
Sure it was crazy to go into Iraq, with no credible plan, against the
advice of senior military commanders, in a way that virtually ensured
the
disaster we are now seeing unfold in all its bloody, criminal futility.
Powell and his realist confreres in the national security bureaucracy
saw
this early on. But what they didn't see - or didn't let us in on at the
time - is that there's a method to this madness.
The rationale for an increasingly costly and unpopular war has shifted
with
changing circumstances. As the official lies - Iraq's ever-elusive
"weapons
of mass destruction," its alleged links to al-Qaeda and utterly
fictitious
connections to the 9/11 terrorist attacks - have been debunked, the War
Party has fallen back on other, more ideological arguments, which don't
require any basis in fact and can't be tested: the spread of
"democracy"
throughout the Middle East, the "flytrap" theory, and any number of
other
makeshift mental constructs that are supposed to somehow comfort us
with
the knowledge that we're doing the right thing, after all.
But as the war proceeds, and the War Party begins to direct our
attention
to new targets - Iran, Syria, and Lebanon - their real agenda is
becoming
so obvious that a dissident faction of officialdom is in open
rebellion: As
General Anthony Zinni, former commander of U.S. forces in the Middle
East,
put it to CBS News:
"Somebody has screwed up. And at this level and at this stage, it
should be
evident to everybody that they've screwed up. And whose heads are
rolling
on this? That's what bothers me most..."
---
ISRAELIS ARRESTED ON 9/11 SUE U.S.
Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz, 9/15/04
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/478089.html
Four Israelis arrested in New York on September 11, 2001, a short while
after the attacks on the World Trade Center, filed a
multi-million-dollar
suit in the United States on Monday against the American Department of
Justice.
The four, Paul and Sylvian Kurcheil, Omer Marmari and Vyron Shmuel,
claim
that their arrests were illegal, and that they were held for months
while
they were interrogated and tortured.
In their suit, filed in New York District Court through their
attorneys,
Nitzana Dershen-Leitner and Robert Tulchin, they claim that "law
officials,
policemen and jailers arrested the four illegally, for a long and
protracted period, and violated their human rights while they were
detained
at a holding center in 2001."
The four were employed by a New Jersey moving firm and the truck they
were
riding in was stopped near the George Washington bridge between New
Jersey
and New York when the Twin Towers were attacked.
The police officers arrested the four after they saw that they held
foreign
(Israeli) driving licenses. They were arrested as suspects in the
terrorist
attack and were transfered to the FBI for interrogation.
The four, who are now in Israel, claim that they were held in complete
isolation, without being allowed to meet with their attorneys or their
families, and were exposed to harsh interrogation methods, physical
abuse,
sleep deprivation and racist insults...
-----
LOST IN ARABIC TRANSLATION
Souheila Al-Jadda, Christian Science Monitor, 9/16/04
http://csmonitor.com/2004/0916/p09s01-coop.html
SAN JOSE, CALIF. - "I feel like eating laban," I told my Egyptian
friend
recently in my Syrian-Arabic dialect.
"Don't you mean you feel like drinking laban?" she replied in her
Egyptian-Arabic.
After a series of exchanges, we quickly realized that in Egypt, laban
means
milk, and in Syria the same word means yogurt.
Although this was a simple misunderstanding between two native Arabic
speakers, it represents an increasing problem among Arabic translators
in
the US war on terror.
The federal government's lack of Arabic translators and the
insufficient
understanding - and consequent poor translation - of the language by
the
translators it does have may mean more Arab-Americans, immigrants, and
foreigners could find themselves caught up in the government's dragnet.
Arabic is a difficult language, even for native speakers like me who
have
studied it for years.
There are many Arabics.
Classical Arabic is derived from Islam's holy book, the Koran, and
Islamic
studies. It is written but rarely spoken. Modern Standard Arabic,
although
not spoken by the masses, is the language of modern journalism, used in
newspapers and news reports. Then there is colloquial Arabic, spoken
differently in each of the 22 Middle Eastern countries. Meanwhile,
within
these nations there are dozens of regional dialects that add or
subtract
letters, words, and accents, with a sprinkling of other languages mixed
in
as well.
In light of all this, it is easy to understand the difficulties Arabic
translators face as they try to accurately interpret the spoken and
written
language...
SEE ALSO:
OUT OF THE BRIG
Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball, Newsweek, 9/15/04
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6012286/site/newsweek/
The first U.S. government-declared "enemy combatant" in the war on
terror
will soon be released from a military prison in South Carolina under an
agreement that will allow him to fly home to Saudi Arabia as a free
man,
administration officials tell NEWSWEEK.
The agreement to free Yaser Esam Hamdi represents a stunning reversal
for
the Bush administration, which argued for more than two years that the
former Taliban fighter was potentially so dangerous that he had to be
detained indefinitely in solitary confinement with no access to counsel
and
no right to trial.
But in a landmark ruling last June, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered
that
Hamdi, an American citizen, be allowed to consult with his lawyer and
challenge the basis for his imprisonment. This pushed the case back
into
federal court and forced the Justice Department to mount a hasty
retreat.
The result, officials say, is a highly detailed agreement that is
expected
to be made public later this week. It will result in Hamdi being flown
back
to Saudi Arabia on a U.S. military aircraft without ever being charged
with any terror-related activity-a symbolic victory for critics who
have
long pointed to the case as a prime example of what they see as the
Bush
administration's overreaching in combating the terrorist threat.
Still, Justice Department officials said today the agreement contains
important provisions to protect U.S. interests, including requirements
that
Hamdi renounce his U.S. citizenship, agree not to return to the United
States and consent not to travel to an extensive list of countries,
including Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq or Syria, where he could be
presumably be
recruited for terrorist activity. Hamdi is also supposed to keep Saudi
authorities notified of his whereabouts-a requirement that even
government
officials say will do little, if anything, to restrict his movements in
the
country...
-----
GEN. SAYS HE DIDN'T MEAN TO MALIGN ISLAM
Associated Press, 9/15/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Gen
eral%20Religion
WASHINGTON - The three-star U.S. general who made church speeches
casting
the war on terrorism in religious terms said Wednesday he did not mean
to
denigrate Islam.
``I'm not anti-Islam, I'm not anti-Allah,'' Lt. Gen. William Boykin
said in
an interview broadcast on CBS' ``60 Minutes.''
Boykin, a senior intelligence official, stirred controversy with
speeches
he made at evangelical Christian churches. He said that America's enemy
was
Satan, that God had put President Bush in the White House and that one
Muslim Somali warlord was an idol-worshipper.
A Pentagon investigation concluded last month that Boykin violated
regulations by failing to make clear he was not speaking in an official
capacity when he made nearly two dozen church speeches beginning in
January
2002. It also found that Boykin, who made most speeches wearing his
uniform, did not get prior clearance for the remarks.
Boykin told CBS he had been misunderstood for saying of a Somali
warlord he
interrogated in 1993, ``I knew that my God was a real God and his was
an
idol.'' The general said the Somali warlord was ``not a good Muslim.''
``He's a man who worshipped graft, corruption, power and money,''
Boykin
said. ``My reference to his God being an idol was not to Allah. My
reference was to his worship of corruption, of power, of money.''
The general declined to answer when CBS reporter David Martin asked if
he
believes Allah is a lesser God than the Christian God.
``I'm not going to go into that, David,'' Boykin said. ``I'm a
Christian.
That speaks for itself.''
A group of 11 Democratic members of Congress wrote to President Bush
earlier this month, urging him to remove Boykin from his post. Boykin
told
CBS he was not planning to quit.
----
ANNAN: IRAQ WAR 'ILLEGAL' WITHOUT U.N. OK
Associated Press, 9/16/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25521-2004Sep16.html
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said in a BBC
interview that the Bush Administration's decision to go to war in Iraq
was
``illegal'' because it didn't have U.N. Security Council approval.
The U.N. Charter allows nations to take military action with Security
Council approval as an explicit enforcement action, such as during the
Korean War and the 1991 Gulf War.
But in 2003, in the buildup to the Iraq war, the United States dropped
an
attempt to get a Security Council resolution approving the invasion
when it
became apparent it would not pass.
``I hope we do not see another Iraq-type operation for a long time -
without U.N. approval and much broader support from the international
community,'' he said in an interview with the BBC World Service on
Wednesday.
At the time, Annan had underlined the lack of legitimacy for a war
without
U.N. approval, saying: ``If the United States and others were to go
outside
the Security Council and take unilateral action they would not be in
conformity with the Charter.''
On Wednesday, after being asked three times whether the lack of council
approval for the war meant it was illegal, he said: ``From our point of
view and the UN Charter point of view it was illegal...''
ALSO SEE:
U.S. INTELLIGENCE SHOWS PESSIMISM ON IRAQ'S FUTURE
Douglas Jehl, New York Times, 9/16/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/16/politics/16intel.html
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 - A classified National Intelligence Estimate
prepared
for President Bush in late July spells out a dark assessment of
prospects
for Iraq, government officials said Wednesday.
The estimate outlines three possibilities for Iraq through the end of
2005,
with the worst case being developments that could lead to civil war,
the
officials said. The most favorable outcome described is an Iraq whose
stability would remain tenuous in political, economic and security
terms.
"There's a significant amount of pessimism," said one government
official
who has read the document, which runs about 50 pages. The officials
declined to discuss the key judgments - concise, carefully written
statements of intelligence analysts' conclusions - included in the
document.
The intelligence estimate, the first on Iraq since October 2002, was
prepared by the National Intelligence Council and was approved by the
National Foreign Intelligence Board under John E. McLaughlin, the
acting
director of central intelligence. Such estimates can be requested by
the
White House or Congress, but this one was initiated by the intelligence
council under George J. Tenet, who stepped down as director of central
intelligence on July 9, the government officials said.
As described by the officials, the pessimistic tone of the new estimate
stands in contrast to recent statements by Bush administration
officials,
including comments on Wednesday by Scott McClellan, the White House
spokesman, who asserted that progress was being made.
"You know, every step of the way in Iraq there have been pessimists and
hand-wringers who said it can't be done," Mr. McClellan said at a news
briefing. "And every step of the way, the Iraqi leadership and the
Iraqi
people have proven them wrong because they are determined to have a
free
and peaceful future."
President Bush, who was briefed on the new intelligence estimate, has
not
significantly changed the tenor of his public remarks on the war's
course
over the summer, consistently emphasizing progress while acknowledging
the
difficulties.
Mr. Bush's opponent, Senator John Kerry, criticized the
administration's
optimistic public position on Iraq on Wednesday and questioned whether
it
would be possible to hold elections there in January...
-----
NV: THE SECOND ANNUAL QURAN CONFERENCE
WHAT: Islamic Society of Nevada (ISON) and the Department of Asian
Studies,
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) are proud to present the Second
Annual Quran Conference in Las Vegas. Seating is limited so early
registration is recommended. Call (702) 433-3431 Registration Fee: $35
per
person, $25 students, $50 for family of 2.
Confirmed Guest Speakers:
Dr. Fathi Osman (Professor of Islamic Studies)
Dr. Jamal Badawi (Professor at McGill University Canada)
Dr. Muzammil Siddiqui (Cal State University, Fullerton)
Dr. Ahmad H. Sakr (Director, Islamic Education Center)
Dr. Mahmood Ayoub (Professor at Temple University, Philadelphia)
Dr. Aslam Abdullah (Director of the Islamic Society of Nevada)
Imam Sa'dullah Khan (Director, Islamic Center of Irvine)
Dr. Ahmed Afzaal (Drew University)
Dr. Liaqat Takim (Professor at the University of Colorado, Denver)
WHEN: October 1-3, 2004
WHERE: Islamic Society of Nevada (ISON)
4730 East Desert Inn Road
Las Vegas, NV 89121
For more information, call 702-433-3431 or visit:
http://lasvegasmasjid.com
-----
3RD INTERNATIONAL KASHMIR PEACE CONFERENCE
WHERE: Rayburn House Office Building, Room B308, B309, B310
(Nearest Metro: Capitol South, Orange / Blue Lines)
WHAT: 3rf International Kashmir Peace conference with keynote speaker:
Noble Laureate, Mr. Jose Ramos-Horta, Foreign Minister of East Timor.
WHEN: Friday, September 24th 2004. Registration: 8.00 a.m.
Admission to the Conference on 24th September is free but registration
is
required.
ALSO SEE:
KASHMIR ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
WHAT: There will be also be a Kashmir roundtable discussion. Seating to
the
Round-table Discussion is limited. Admission is free but registration
is
required. Program for the Roundtable begins at 8.00 a.m. Kindly call
or
send us e-mail or fax to register prior to September 25th. No one will
be
admitted without prior registration. No exceptions.
WHEN: Saturday, 25th
WHERE: Holiday Inn, 415 New Jersey Ave. N.W. Washington, D.C.
To Register: Call the Association of Humanitarian Lawyers or
Kashmiri American Council Tel: 202-628-6789
Or fax this form to: Andrea at 202-303-0062 or 703-295-8683 or E-mail:
kashmirconference@yahoo.com
-----
AMSS 33RD ANNUAL CONFERENCE
WHAT: The Association for Muslim Social Scientists is hosting their
33rd
annual conference, "Revisioning Modernity: Challenges and Possibilities
for
Islam."
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Tariq Ramadan. Due to recent visa restrictions
imposed
by the U.S. Government, Dr. Ramadan will participate via video
conferencing
or a pre-recorded video address. The event is co-sponsored by George
Mason
University.
WHERE: Center for Global Studies & Islamic Studies Program, Arlington,
Virginia
WHEN: September 24 - 26, 2004
View the program and registration fees online at the AMSS website:
www.amss.net
-----
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/ .
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/17/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: A GOOD WORD
* AMY GOODMAN TO SPEAK AT CAIR-DC DINNER
- Dinner Volunteers Needed
* CAIR-CHICAGO CONCERNED ABOUT POSSIBLE PROFILING
- CAIR-FL: USF Hijab Controversy Goes Global (SP Times)
- CAIR-CT: Muslim Advocacy Group Opens Office (WTNH)
* DRIVE TO GET IMMIGRANTS TO THE POLLS (Newsday)
* IL: MOSQUE'S BOY SCOUTS TO HOLD BLOOD DRIVE (Pioneer Local)
- CT: Muslims 'Meet and Greet' Peers (Yale Daily News)
- GA: Islamic Series Educates (Red and Black)
* CAIR-MI: MUSLIM GOLFERS ASSAULTED (Bay City Times)
* IL: MOSQUE HEIGHT STILL AN ISSUE (Pioneer Local)
* GROUPS DECRY TARIQ RAMADAN'S VISA DENIAL (AP)
- OH: Mother Claims Custody Case Bias (Beacon Journal)
* CHARGES RAISE QUESTIONS ON AFGHAN ABUSE (NY Times)
- Irate Judge Orders Handover of Detainee Records (IPS)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: A GOOD WORD
"Art thou not aware of how God sets forth the parable of a good word?
[It
is] like a good tree whose root is firmly fixed and its branches
(reach) to
the heavens."
The Holy Quran, 14:24
-----
AMY GOODMAN TO SPEAK AT CAIR-DC DINNER
Join us in our nation's capital October 2, 2004, for CAIR's 10th
Anniversary banquet dinner, "Building a Better America: A Decade of
Dedication." Keynote speakers include Amy Goodman of Democracy Now.
SEE:
http://www.democracynow.org/staff.shtml
WHEN: Saturday, October 2, from 6-10 p.m.
WHERE: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road, NW
Washington DC, Tel: 202-328-2000 fax: 202-234-0015
Tickets: $55 per person, $85 per couple
Limited babysitting available during the banquet: $10 per child
TO REGISTER ONLINE, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
DINNER VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
To volunteer to help at CAIR's 10th Anniversary Banquet, e-mail
irahman@cair-net.org or call 202-488-8787, ext. 6050.
-----
CAIR-CHICAGO CONCERNED ABOUT POSSIBLE PROFILING
Group supports security measures, says profiling not effective
(CHICAGO, IL, 9/17/04) - The Chicago office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) today expressed concern over
the
potential for racial and religious profiling in a new security
initiative
by the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Transit Authority
(CTA).
The initiative focuses on searching CTA L cars for "suspicious"
passengers
and objects.
SEE: "Cops Sweep L Cars for Terror Threats"
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-cta14.html
"The Chicago Muslim community is supportive of all reasonable security
measures necessary to ensure public safety," said CAIR-Chicago Director
of
Communications Ahmed Rehab.
Rehab did however caution against the use of racial and religious
profiling
in carrying out the new security measures.
"Previous experience has shown that profiling is not an effective law
enforcement tactic," said CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Yaser
Tabbara.
"We ask that the Chicago Police Department maintain its long-standing
commitment to a no-profiling policy."
CONTACT: CAIR-Chicago Yaser Tabbara, 312-718-3725, 312-212-1520,
E-Mail:
director@cairchicago.org
TO REPORT AN INCIDENT OF PROFILING, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/default.asp
Click on "Submit an Incident Report" on the left side of the home page.
SEE ALSO:
USF CONTROVERSY GOES GLOBAL
Ron Matus, St. Petersburg Times, 9/17/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/09/17/Tampabay/USF_controversy_goes_.shtml
Since she quit USF's basketball team last week, the controversy
surrounding
Andrea Armstrong has drawn mention on shows on ESPN and HBO, and even
on
Arab television station Al-Jazeera.
People in Chicago don't often think about the University of South
Florida,
and especially not about its women's basketball team.
But when Chicago radio personality Mike North learned that Andrea
Armstrong
- a USF basketball player, Oregon native and Muslim convert - wanted to
wear religious clothing during games, he snorted, "Go back to your
homeland."
"Why don't people follow (the) rules?" he continued, according to the
Chicago Tribune. "At the airport they check an 85-year-old woman with a
walker. But they don't make Arab people take off their turbans to see
if
there's a miniature rocket-launcher underneath."
In the aftermath of 9/11, it doesn't take much to stir up hostile
feelings
toward Muslims in the United States.
Since she quit the team last week, the story of the 22-year-old
Armstrong
has gone global. It has circulated in scores of newspapers across the
United States and as far away as Australia. ESPN and HBO have called.
Even
commentators on the Arab television network Al-Jazeera reportedly
discussed
it.
Armstrong told the St. Petersburg Times that USF coach Jose Fernandez
forced her to quit when he objected to her request to wear long pants,
a
long-sleeve shirt and a Muslim head scarf at games, to comply with
Muslim
codes requiring a woman's skin be covered.
USF later welcomed Armstrong back, but on Wednesday, after cold
shoulders
from people on campus and even colder e-mails from strangers, the
former
team captain quit again.
More than 100 people, many of them fellow Muslims, have sent notes of
support to the Tampa office of the Council on American Islamic
Relations,
which has backed Armstrong's cause.
But in other forums, non-Muslim critics are fuming.
"Don't you know what today is? Today's September 11," said one man who
left
a message at the Times on Saturday. "When the hell are you guys going
to
get it? This is America we live in."
About 30 people posted comments on Free Republic, which bills itself as
an
online meeting place for conservatives.
"I wouldn't mind the dress code," wrote one respondent, "if they would
only
quit blowing people up."
"This jerk is not an immigrant . . . this is a home grown "convert' to
Islam," wrote another. "Further evidence that Islam is most attractive
to
the loser/lunatic fringe."
Armstrong said in a letter to USF that she quit because she feared the
clothing issue "is dividing my team, school and community." She has not
returned calls for comment.
But concerns about personal safety also played a role, said CAIR
spokesman
Ahmed Bedier.
Besides a stream of nasty e-mails, Bedier said Armstrong told him a man
waving a copy of Saturday's story followed her in a car while she sped
home
on her scooter.
"That creeped her out," Bedier said...
CONTACT: Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506, abedier@cair-florida.org; Altaf
Ali,
954-298-8214, altaf@cair-florida.org
---
CAIR-CT: MUSLIM ADVOCACY GROUP OPENS OFFICE
WTNH, 9/16/04
http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=2311396&nav=3YeXQzxE
Members of Connecticut's Muslim community say help has arrived. The
largest
Muslim advocacy group opened an office in New London Thursday. The
group
says there have been many misconceptions after 9/11.
"The Muslim community here are a little anxious, especially the
political
environment right now," says Badr Malik. "They don't feel very secure."
Badr Malik will head the New London Chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR. Already CAIR has helped some folks
in
Hartford who were being questioned by the FBI. CAIR put them at ease by
advising them of their rights.
"And that's what CAIR does basically, to bridge the gap and not have
misunderstanding."
"They need an organization like CAIR who can take their problems and
take
it to a higher level," says business owner Zubair Khan.
Even though Zubair Khan has not had a negative experience himself he
felt
more comfortable keeping the name and location of his store private. He
believes CAIR can help his fellow Muslims as well as others in the
community he has lived in for 12 years.
"The major problem I see being a business man is the ignorance," says
Kahn.
One of the big things CAIR plans to do is public outreach. Letting
folks
know what Muslim people are about and what they are not about.
"A stereotype is they look at the Muslim and they associate that with
the
terrorist and this is not true," Malik says.
CAIR estimates there may be as many as five-thousand Muslims in
Connecticut
and eight million nationwide.
CAIR, which is based in Washington D.C., has twenty-eight offices
nationwide. The New London Chapter is the first in New England.
CONTACT: CAIR-CT, Badr Malik, 860-995-6628, 860-575-4400
-----
DRIVE TO GET IMMIGRANTS TO THE POLLS
Bart Jones, Newsday, 9/17/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/ny-liimmi173974909sep1
7,0,7797806.story
Long Island is home to 400,000 immigrants and, according to the last
U.S.
Census, half of them are U.S. citizens. They could make up a
significant
voting bloc - if they were all registered.
But immigrant advocates say many are not. They've launched a drive to
sign
them up before the November elections, staking out churches, mosques,
adult
education classes and even bus stations.
In the past three weeks, they've registered 600 people in Nassau and
Suffolk and hope to boost that to 1,500 by the Oct. 8 voter
registration
deadline, Arif Ullah of the Long Island Immigrant Alliance told a news
conference at the Hempstead bus terminal yesterday.
"We see immigrants on the streets, in the offices, in our factories,
mowing
our lawns, but we don't always see immigrants at the voting booth,"
said
another advocate, Patrick Young of the Hempstead-based Central American
Refugee Center.
"One in seven Long Islanders is an immigrant and we hope that this is
the
beginning of a process that's going to make one in seven Long Island
voters
immigrants," he added.
The drive is nonpartisan. Organizers said they merely want the
immigrants
to register and vote, and do not tell them who to vote for.
Ghazi Khankan of the Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury said
many
immigrants from Muslim and Middle Eastern countries are afraid to
register
to vote because in their homelands, "politics is dirty or dangerous."
But in visiting 16 mosques on Long Island, he and other Muslim leaders
are
getting out the word that voter registration is crucial to pressuring
politicians to respond to the community's needs. Long Island is home to
about 70,000 Muslims, many of them born here, while about 7 million
Muslims
live in the United States, he said...
-----
IL: MOSQUE'S BOY SCOUTS TO HOLD BLOOD DRIVE
Ed Piotrowski, Pioneer Local, 9-16-04
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/rm/09-16-04-
385427.html
As a way of giving back to the community, the Islamic Society of
Northwest
Suburbs will hold a blood drive this weekend at its mosque.
The blood drive is being hosted by the Rolling Meadows-based society in
conjunction with its Boy Scout Troop 786.
"All the youths are proactive in the community and community service,"
society President Mo Salam said. "They are coming up with ideas to
contribute to the society and the community."
Salam said the society has been actively pursuing different avenues to
support and remain an integral part of the northwest suburbs.
"We are a grateful people," he added. "We benefit from the city and the
area and we want to give something back."
The society has been accepting appointments for donations. The society
is
working with Glenview-based LifeSource to collect blood.
Salam said he expects about 100 people to give blood at the drive.
The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the
mosque,
3890 Industrial Drive, Rolling Meadows.
Scoutmaster Alex Temple said the service project is one of several the
troop plans to do in the next year. The calendar has not been planned
yet,
but he said the Scouts are enthusiastic about doing other
service-oriented
events.
For more information about the blood drive, call the society at (847)
253-6400.
ALSO SEE:
CT: MUSLIMS 'MEET AND GREET' PEERS
Sarah Mishkin, Yale Daily News, 9/16/04
http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=26243
In the month before their "most social time of the year" -- the holy
month
of Ramadan -- members of the Muslim Students Association invited fellow
students to learn about Muslim life on campus.
The group's second annual "Meet and Greet," held Wednesday in the
Saybrook
Common Room, was intended to "let everyone know there are Muslims on
campus," MSA Vice President Arafat Razzaque '06 said.
"Most of our events are among the Muslim community only, and [the board
felt it was] necessary to have an event to reach out to the whole Yale
community," Razzaque said. "The board decided, why not just have an
event
where we can give everyone at Yale a chance to eat pizza and hang out
with
Muslims."
Over 30 people attended the gathering, including undergraduates,
graduate
and professional school students, and several University of Connecticut
students.
MSA President Gul Raza '06 said she was "so happy with the crowd that
turned out," even though the MSA "didn't do the greatest job with
publicity."
The event, which was scheduled at the beginning of last spring, also
conflicted with the first evening of the Jewish High Holy Days.
The "Meet and Greet" was nearly "back to back" with Ramadan, a month of
fasting that begins this year in the middle of October, Razzaque said.
Ramadan is a social time, he said, because MSA members gather each day
to
pray and break their fast...
---
GA: ISLAMIC SERIES EDUCATES
Meiling Arounnarath, Red and Black, 9/16/04
http://www.redandblack.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/09/16/414917381fdc4
The public needs to be more informed about relations between the United
States and Islamic countries, Muslim and Arabic student leaders said
Tuesday night at a town hall meeting hosted by the University.
Naureen Kamdar, a sophomore from Suwanee and president of the Muslim
Student Association, said she feels many non-Muslims expect her to
answer
for all Muslims.
"Sometimes, people apply one Muslim person's opinion to the whole race,
which is a big reason for the misunderstanding," she said.
Similar sentiments were discussed among the 30 or so students who
attended
the meeting.
"Hope not Hate: A Town Hall Series on U.S.-Islamic Relations" was
sponsored
by Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) with the help of two other
non-partisan organizations The People Speak and Families of September
11th.
The meeting was part of a "tripleheader" -- three forums held in Macon,
Atlanta and Athens on three consecutive dates.
The series started Sept. 8 and will conclude Oct. 12, with six
videoconferences held between six American college students and young
leaders from six different Islamic countries.
The focus is to inform the American public of Arab and Muslim views of
the
United States and to try to understand their perspectives at the same
time...
-----
MI: POLICE CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED ASSAULT OF DOCTORS AT GOLF
COURSE
Shaun Byron, Bay City Times, 9/16/04
http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1095349614260810.xm
l
One of the doctors assaulted by three white men at Bay Valley Resort
and
Hotel said he can't explain why they were targeted.
"I have never been punched in my life," said the victim, who practices
medicine in Standish and wanted to remain anonymous. "I don't know what
they were thinking. It came to us as a surprise."
Michigan State Police troopers from the Bay City post are investigating
the
Sept. 5 incident, which forced one of the doctors to seek medical
treatment. Troopers at the State Police post in Flint were to interview
witnesses Tuesday and Wednesday. No arrests have been made.
The altercation began when the four doctors, all of Pakistani descent,
had
just finished up on the 18th hole and one of the alleged attackers hit
a
ball onto the green without warning, the victim said.
While one of the doctors had already left, three of them remained in
the
parking lot and were preparing to leave when one of the alleged
attackers
pulled up in a golf cart, got out and began to curse at them. The
victim
said the alleged attacker did not use racial slurs but threatened to
punch
the doctors in the face.
One of the doctors told the alleged attacker, "If you want to punch me
in
the face then do it," the victim said.
The third doctor then went into the clubhouse to call 911 after the
alleged
attacker began to threaten them with assault.
The alleged attacker then grabbed the victim by his shirt collar and
asked
him where the key to his golf cart was, the victim said.
The victim told the man he didn't know. Another suspect walked up and
struck the victim in the face - knocking him unconscious, the victim
said.
When he woke up, the victim said he saw one of the other doctors on the
ground with blood on his face.
The other doctor was punched so hard he had to undergo reconstructive
surgery, troopers said. He has since been released from Saint Mary's
hospital in Saginaw.
As the two alleged attackers were getting into their vehicle, an
employee
of the golf course who witnessed the attack took down the license plate
number of their vehicle, the victim said.
While the victim said he didn't hear the alleged attackers use racial
slurs, he does believe the attack was racially motivated.
"We were all Pakistani-looking or Arab or whatever it looks like to
them,"
he said. "It is an unfortunate thing but it is a good thing there
aren't
many people like them..."
CONTACT: CAIR-MI, 734-306-9507, 248-569-2203
-----
IL: MOSQUE HEIGHT STILL AN ISSUE
Nick Katz, Pioneer Local, 9-16-04
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/mg/09-16-04-
383231.html
Despite changes in plans for a mosque at the Muslim Community Center,
members of the village's Appearance Commission say the project still is
too
tall.
The commission reviewed a revised version of the plan Sept. 9. That
plan
reduces the height of the minaret from 60 to 58 feet.
In addition, the height of a dome on the mosque at 8601 Menard Ave. may
also be reduced, but that change was not included in the plan the
commission reviewed last week.
The MCC plan, which includes the mosque, new classrooms and new meeting
rooms, came out of a mediation process in a $5 million federal lawsuit
filed against the village by the MCC. If the village eventually
approves
the project, the MCC is to drop the suit.
The suit resulted from the village's rejection of an earlier plan last
year.
Since that time the MCC has reduced the size of the mosque to allow for
524
worshippers instead of 598.
The Appearance Commission reviewed the plan in July, at that time
complaining about the 60-foot height of the minaret and the 45-foot
height
of a dome over the mosque.
At that time, however, the MCC did not have a landscaping plan or
renderings of the building for the commission to review. Architect
Walter
Matusik last week also provided samples of the brick and other
materials
that will be used in the addition to the school.
Mohammed Kaiseruddin, MCC president, told the Appearance Commission
that
several changes were made to the plan since July.
Besides the reduction in height of the minaret, the addition itself has
been dropped almost three feet by lowering the first floor to ground
level.
Potentially, he said, that could result in a lowering of the dome as
well...
But commission members said the dome still is too high and some
neighboring
homeowners continued to complain that the project is too large for the
4.2-acre site...
-----
GROUPS DECRY MUSLIM SCHOLAR'S VISA DENIAL
Ken Kusmer, Associated Press, 9/16/04
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/ap/ap_story.html/National/AP.V6313.AP-M
uslim-Scholar-.html
INDIANAPOLIS - Scholars and critics worldwide are demanding that the
U.S.
government explain why it revoked the work visa of a Muslim scholar
hired
at the University of Notre Dame, saying the action threatens academic
freedoms.
But few answers are forthcoming from the Department of Homeland
Security,
which cited security concerns when it barred Tariq Ramadan from
entering
the country.
That silence has sparked protests from at least four U.S. scholars'
groups,
led a United Nations-sponsored institution to issue an academic freedom
alert and inspired appeals from Jewish organizations.
Robert O'Neil, who is chairman of an academic freedom committee for the
American Association of University Professors, said Ramadan's case
could
have a chilling effect on an academic community already facing security
measures stemming from the 2001 terrorist attacks.
``It does suggest ... foreign scholars may be scrutinized more
carefully
and may be denied entry on the basis of something less than overt
terrorist
activity or association,'' said O'Neil, whose group has written
Secretary
of State Colin Powell and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to
protest
the decision.
The State Department issued Ramadan a work visa in May but revoked it
in
July. The action came just weeks before the scholar was scheduled to
begin
a tenured position as professor of religion, conflict and
peace-building at
Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
Russ Knocke, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman, said last
month
that the visa was revoked based on ``public safety or national security
interests.'' Knocke has not responded to recent requests for interviews
from The Associated Press.
Many who have rallied in Ramadan's support believe the scholar's
controversial profile, including sharp criticism of Israel, the war in
Iraq
and U.S. policy in the Middle East, was the real reason for the
revocation.
``We fear that pressures were applied to reverse the granting of the
visa
by people who disagree with Dr. Ramadan's views as a scholar,'' two
groups,
the Middle East Studies Association of North America and the American
Academy of Religion, stated in a joint letter to Powell and Ridge.
Scholars at Risk, which normally focuses on rescuing professors who
face
persecution in their homelands, also has taken up Ramadan's cause
because
of its ramifications for academic freedom...
ALSO SEE:
MOTHER WON'T GET CUSTODY
Stephen Dyer, Beacon Journal, 9/17/04
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/9684530.htm
SHALERSVILLE TWP.- A woman who has lost her husband to the war on
terror
and her children to the county said Thursday that the reason her
children
aren't home with her is because her social worker doesn't like Muslims.
Michele Swensen's claims were prompted by developments in her custody
case
that culminated in a Thursday hearing at Portage County Juvenile Court.
Swensen's husband, Yemeni and former Kent resident Ashraf Al-Jailani,
was
arrested in the aftermath of 9/11. He has been detained in Pennsylvania
for
nearly two years without charges.
Last summer, the county took custody of her three children after she
was
hospitalized for depression.
She has since been fighting to get them back.
On Sept. 2, she was told by the Portage County Department of Job and
Family
Services that she could get her children back. But the department
reneged
at the Thursday hearing.
So in a hastily held news conference after Thursday's hearing, Swensen
fired back at her social worker.
''She doesn't like Yemen. She doesn't like Ashraf. She doesn't like
Islam,'' Swensen said.
Job and Family Services attorney Allison Manayan declined to comment on
the
case. The social worker Swensen mentioned didn't return requests for
comment.
Swensen said everything was fine until her social worker saw that
Swensen
was renewing one of her daughter's passports Sept. 8 -- the same day
she
said she learned her husband may be deported.
The next day, Swensen said, the social worker called and told her that
it
wasn't in the best interests of the children to go to Yemen and she was
going to ask the county to rescind its motion to return her children
home.
Swensen, 34, said she has neither the intention nor the money to take
her
children to Yemen. Her children have had passports since birth, she
explained, and she was merely renewing one that had expired.
Portage County officially rescinded the motion to give Swensen custody
Thursday. Juvenile Court Magistrate James Aylward accepted the revised
motion and put off further hearings in the matter for several weeks...
-----
NEW CHARGES RAISE QUESTIONS ON ABUSE AT AFGHAN PRISONS
Carlotta Gall and David Rohde, New York Times, 9/17/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/17/international/asia/17afghan.html?hp
KABUL, Afghanistan - Sgt. James P. Boland, a reserve military police
soldier from Cincinnati, watched as a subordinate beat an Afghan
prisoner,
Mullah Habibullah, 30, the brother of a former Taliban commander,
according
to a military charge sheet released recently.
The report also said that Sergeant Boland shackled an Afghan named
Dilawar,
chaining his hands above his shoulders, and denied medical care to the
man,
a 22-year-old taxi driver, whose family said he had never spent a night
away from his mother and father before being taken to the American air
base
at Bagram, 40 miles north of Kabul. The two detainees died there within
a
week of each other in December 2002.
Now, 21 months later, the Army has charged Sergeant Boland with assault
and
other crimes and investigators are recommending that two dozen other
American soldiers face criminal charges, including negligent homicide,
or
other punishments for abuses that occurred more than a year before the
scandal at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Far from settling the cases, the charges raise new questions about who
authorized the harsh interrogation methods used in Afghanistan and
about
the contradictory statements made by American military officials who,
when
questioned shortly after the men's deaths, said they had died of
natural
causes.
The military's findings now support accounts by former Afghan prisoners
who
said they were subjected to abuses that, while just as harrowing as any
in
Iraq, have drawn far less attention or official scrutiny lacking the
kinds
of photographs that so shocked the world from Abu Ghraib this spring.
ALSO SEE:
IRATE JUDGE ORDERS GOV'T TO HAND OVER DETAINEE RECORDS
Jim Lobe, IPS, 9/16/04
http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=25494
WASHINGTON (IPS) - In a victory for human and civil rights groups, a
federal judge has given the government 30 days to turn over or identify
all
documents relating to the treatment of detainees held by the United
States
at military bases and other detention facilities overseas, including at
the
naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
The ruling by Judge Alvin Hellerstein, which may be appealed by the
government, was the latest development in a lawsuit filed in June by
the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and several other rights groups
to
compel the government to disclose records bearing on the possible abuse
of
detainees in U.S. military custody pursuant to Freedom of Information
Act
(FOIA) requests first submitted 11 months ago.
Declaring that "no one is above the law", Hellerstein said, "merely
raising
national security concerns cannot justify unlimited delays" in
complying
with the requests. The government had requested that the judge delay
the
release of all documents until 2005.
"Ours is a government of laws, laws duly promulgated and laws duly
observed," he said in the order issued by his office in New York City
Wednesday. "No one is above the law: not the executive, not the
Congress,
not the judiciary."
"If the documents are more of an embarrassment than a secret, the
public
should know of our government's treatment of individuals captured and
held
abroad," he noted, criticising the "glacial pace" with which the George
W.
Bush administration had responded to the groups' requests.
The original FOIA request, which was directed to the Pentagon and the
Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and State, asked them to
immediately process and release all records of the abuse or torture of
detainees held at Abu Ghraib and other overseas detention facilities,
including the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and records of
investigations and inquiries that resulted from reports of abuse.
The initial FOIA request also asked for records of the deaths of
detainees
in U.S. custody and any records of investigations into those deaths.
According to recent news reports, several dozen detainees have died in
U.S.
custody in Afghanistan and Iraq since late 2001; at least 16 of them
have
been classified as homicides.
The FOIA also requested all records regarding policies governing the
interrogation of detainees in U.S. custody and the "rendition" of
detainees
to other countries known to use torture.
Ironically, the original request was filed at around the same time that
abuses at Abu Ghraib prison were being photographed by soldiers
participating in the abuse. The disclosure of those photographs and
their
reproduction in the world's media in April set off a major scandal
which
the administration is still trying to overcome...
-----
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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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http://mail2web.com/ .
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/18/04
* CAIR-CHICAGO: DEMONIZATION INCITES HATE CRIMES
* FIREBOMBS THROWN AT TEXAS ISLAMIC CENTER (El Paso Times)
- CA: UC Berkeley Chancellor Condemns Apparent Hate Crime
- PA: Anti-Islam Sign Outside Church Stirs Controversy
* FL: THE ROBERT GOLDSTEIN STORY: 'KILL ALL RAGS' (Court TV)
* AZ: LETTER TO EDITOR SAID 'KILL FIVE MUSLIMS' (AP)
- CAIR-CAN: Papers Accused of Misusing 'Terrorist' (CBC)
* NJ: 15,000 TURN OUT FOR MUSLIM YOUTH DAY (NY Times)
- TX: Muslim Officer Builds Bridges (Houston Chronicle)
- CA: Muslim Honored for Community Betterment (Sac Bee)
-----
CAIR-CHICAGO: DEMONIZATION INCITES HATE CRIMES
OFFENSIVE CARTOON
Ahmed Rehab, Chicago Tribune, 9/18/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/chi-0409180202sep18,1,533
7191.story
[Ahmed Rehab is Communications director for the Council on American
Islamic
Relations-Chicago.]
I was gravely disappointed by a political cartoon on the Sept. 9
Editorial
page that collectively portrayed Muslims as hypocrites. The cartoon
suggests that Muslims are indifferent to the massacre of children and
innocents.
There is no evidence that the Muslim world is in anyway accepting of,
or
even indifferent to, the tragedy in Beslan, Russia. All indications
coming
from all corners of the Muslim world clearly point to a strong
condemnation
of the heinous act.
The cartoon is demeaning to Muslims as it is a rudimentary show of
primitive stereotyping and gross generalization.
Irresponsible and sensational media pieces that demonize Muslims feed
heavily into the anti-Muslim frenzy that is on the rise in America.
They
help create an atmosphere that is conducive to, and even incitive of,
hate
crimes.
-----
FIREBOMBS THROWN AT ISLAMIC CENTER FIZZLE
Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times, 9/18/04
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20040918-170502.shtml
A man allegedly threw two makeshift firebombs at the Islamic Center of
El
Paso near Downtown at 2:35 p.m. Friday, police said.
The man, whose name was not released, was in custody and under
investigation by the FBI and police late Friday. He was facing arson
and
possibly other charges.
The man was arrested after allegedly throwing two bottles of gasoline
at
the center. The bottles didn't ignite, and no one was injured. Police
found
the suspect in the neighborhood.
In April, a man was arrested by the FBI for sending an e-mail threat to
the
Islamic center.
SEE ALSO:
CHANCELLOR BERDAHL CONDEMNS APPARENT HATE CRIME
UC Berkeley News, 9/17/04
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/09/17_hate.shtml
An open letter to the Berkeley campus community:
I have learned that on Thursday evening (Sept. 16), eight UC Berkeley
students, all Muslim women, including three wearing head scarves, were
confronted by a threatening incident that UCPD is investigating as a
hate
crime. The women reported that they were in the Lawrence Hall of
Science
parking lot when three men drove a car into the lot and threw water
bottles
at them, then drove away. The car then returned and the men shouted
epithets at the students. At least two of the students may have been
struck
by the bottles or by water from the bottles after they burst open on
the
pavement. Fortunately, no one was physically injured, but all felt
threatened and frightened.
I call on our entire campus community to join me and incoming
Chancellor
Birgeneau in condemning this terrible incident and apparent hate crime.
Acts of hate in whatever form they occur and to whomever they are
directed
can not be tolerated on this campus.
Dr. Birgeneau, who was on his way back to Toronto for the weekend, has
already scheduled a meeting next week with members of the Chancellor's
Task
Force on Hate and Bias, a joint student-administration task force that
we
commissioned last fall to address incidents driven by racial, ethnic,
religious and gender hatred and intolerance.
As a caring and supportive community we must, at all times, stand
together
against deplorable acts of hate and intolerance.
Robert M. Berdahl
Chancellor
---
ISLAM SIGN OUTSIDE LATROBE-AREA CHURCH STIRS CONTROVERSY
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/3739274/detail.html
WHITNEY, Pa. -- A Westmoreland County church has put up a controversial
sign, blaming the Islam religion for the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
"To really remember 9/11, you must remember Islam is the enemy," says a
sign outside the non-denominational Living Hope Church in Whitney.
Pastor Keith Tucci will keep the sign up for about one more week, then
replace it with another one.
The church has a congregation of 200 people.
-----
THE DR. ROBERT J. GOLDSTEIN STORY
Seamus McGraw, Court TV's Crime Library, 9/18/04
http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/terrorists/dr_robert_goldstein/
index.html
The guns were just insurance, to make sure, as the pudgy podiatrist
Robert
J. Goldstein wrote in his notes, that his planned attack on Islamic
Education Center in Pinellas County, Florida, would have "maximum
effect."
"Kill all rags," the 38-year-old, Boxster-driving foot doctor wrote,
using
a derogatory term for Muslims. "ZERO residual presence."
-----
AZ: LETTER TO EDITOR SAID 'KILL FIVE MUSLIMS'
NEWSPAPER SUED FOR 'DISTRESS' CAUSED BY IRAQ LETTER
Paul Davenport, Associated Press, 9/17/04
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0917letterlawsuit-ON.html
The letter to the editor consisted of a suggestion for ending "the
horror"
of American soldiers being killed in Iraq: go to the nearest mosque and
kill five Muslims.
The letter printed Dec. 2 by the Tucson (Ariz.) Citizen prompted some
fearful Muslims to keep their children home from religious school and
resulted in letters of protests from readers and a published apology by
the
Gannett Co. newspaper, which also sent staff members to meet with
members
of a local mosque.
But the controversy didn't end there.
Two Tucson men on Jan. 13 filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of
Islamic-Americans against the newspaper, and the Arizona Supreme Court
is
being asked to decide whether to overturn a trial judge's ruling
allowing
the newspaper to be sued for alleged distress caused by what it
printed.
The Supreme Court clerk's office said this week that the case has yet
to be
scheduled for consideration by the justices…
SEE ALSO:
NEWSPAPERS ACCUSED OF MISUSING WORD 'TERRORIST'
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/09/17/canwesterrorist040917.htm
l
OTTAWA - Canada's largest newspaper chain, CanWest Global, is being
criticized over its use of the word "terrorist" in stories about the
Middle
East.
The owner of the National Post and dozens of other papers across Canada
is
being accused of inappropriately inserting the word into newswire copy
dealing with the Middle East, thereby changing the meaning of those
stories.
One of the world's leading news agencies, Reuters, said CanWest
newspapers
have been altering words and phrases in stories dealing with the war in
Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Reuters told CBC News it
would
complain to CanWest about the issue.
The global managing editor for Reuters, David Schlesinger, called such
changes unacceptable. He said CanWest had crossed a line from editing
for
style to editing the substance and slant of news from the Middle East.
"If they want to put their own judgment into it, they're free to do
that,
but then they shouldn't say that it's by a Reuters reporter," said
Schlesinger.
As an example, Schlesinger cited a recent Reuters story, in which the
original copy read: "...the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which has been
involved in a four-year-old revolt against Israeli occupation in Gaza
and
the West Bank."
In the National Post version of the story, printed Tuesday, it became:
"...the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a terrorist group that has been
involved
in a four-year-old campaign of violence against Israel."
Neither the National Post nor CanWest returned calls.
But the Ottawa Citizen, another CanWest paper, has admitted to making
erroneous changes in a story about Iraq from another leading news
agency.
Last week, the Citizen inserted the word "terrorist" seven times into
an
Associated Press story on the Iraqi city of Fallujah, where Iraqi
insurgents have been battling U.S.-led occupation forces.
In an interview, Ottawa Citizen editor Scott Anderson conceded fighters
in
Fallujah were not terrorists but said CanWest has a policy of renaming
some
groups as terrorists.
He added the paper had applied that term primarily to Arab groups, and
that
mistakes had been made occasionally...
Riad Saloojee, the head of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
Canada, says the organization wants Canadian press watchdogs to
investigate
CanWest.
"We're going to be asking the Ontario Press Council to investigate
exactly
the extent of this policy across the country in other CanWest
publications," said Saloojee.
-----
15,000 TURN OUT FOR MUSLIM YOUTH DAY IN NJ
COASTERS, CAMARADERIE AND A CASE OF NERVES
By JILL P. CAPUZZO
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/18/nyregion/18muslim.html
JACKSON, N.J., Sept. 17 - It may have been Aqsa Khan's first visit to
Six
Flags Great Adventure, but she knew enough to hustle over to the park's
largest roller coaster as soon as the midday prayer ended.
"I thought I was going to die," said Ms. Khan, a sophomore at New York
University, upon exiting the Nitro, the mile-long roller coaster that
drops
230 feet at about 85 miles per hour.
Accompanied by a half-dozen classmates, Ms. Khan was among the
estimated
15,000 Muslims who came out for Muslim Youth Day on Friday, when the
Great
Adventure theme park was set aside for Muslims from as far away as
Massachusetts and North Carolina. Many of the children were off from
school, since public schools in New York City, Philadelphia and much of
New
Jersey were closed for Rosh Hoshanah.
"It's nice to see so many here," said Ms. Khan's friend Maheen Farooqi,
a
junior from Long Island. "I haven't really been around so many Muslims
at
one time before…"
After three years of lying low, most of those who came to Six Flags on
Friday were happy to have Muslim Youth Day back on the calendar.
"A lot of Muslims are scared to have big gatherings," Ms. Farooqi said.
"They're afraid to be in the public eye. If something goes wrong again,
they don't want to be there. But we need to do this kind of thing. It's
time."
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIM OFFICER BUILDS BRIDGES
Liaison work helps in calming ethnic tensions after 9/11 attacks
RON NISSIMOV, Houston Chronicle, 9/16/04
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2799993
Like most Americans, Houston police officer Muzaffar Siddiqi was shaken
to
his core by the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
A Muslim who had fought crime and terror for years in his native
Pakistan,
Siddiqi understood the anger and grief that was now spreading
throughout
his new country.
But he also understood the fear of being scapegoated that was coursing
through Houston's large South Asian and Middle Eastern community.
As HPD's liaison to those communities, which have an estimated combined
population of 250,000, Siddiqi helped calm potential ethnic tensions in
the
wake of the terrorist attacks.
"My job was kind of tough after 9/11 because of the fear factor,"
Siddiqi
said. "People were thinking what would happen to the community, and
there
were questions about law enforcement."
But despite early apprehensions, Houston's Asian and Middle Eastern
communities maintained their trust of law enforcement and sustained
only a
few incidents of vandalism and violence, Siddiqi said.
He credited this to a good relationship HPD already had established
with
those communities. Siddiqi had been named to his post in 1999 after
armed
robbers victimized several South Asian and Middle Eastern convenience
store
owners.
Because of Siddiqi's outreach efforts, many immigrants who
traditionally
were reluctant to talk to police have felt comfortable expressing their
concerns and reporting crimes. Recently, such information helped lead
to
the arrest of an arsonist who set 15 house fires in southwest Houston's
Hindu community.
"I go out every day to the communities," Siddiqi said.
Siddiqi was named HPD's Officer of the Year in 2001 and has received
recognition from Gov. Rick Perry and from national organizations.
He is helping develop a program called Blue Bridge that will bring
together
Jews and Muslims and help them appreciate each other's cultures. The
program likely will be expanded to include other groups he said…
---
ISLAMIC LEADER TO BE HONORED FOR COMMUNITY BETTERMENT
Gwendolyn Crump, Sacramento Bee, 9/17/04
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/10771651p-11689850c.html
SACRAMENTO - Local Islamic leader Metwalli Amer will be among 11
citizens
statewide to be recognized by New California Media at a Sept. 24 awards
luncheon in Fresno.
The awards recognize individuals who have made significant
contributions to
the betterment of their communities, said Catherine Black,
communications
director of the media group.
In 1987, Amer founded the Sacramento Area League of Associated Muslims
(SALAM), which was the first Muslim community association in the
region.
"I feel really good," Amer said this week. "I consider this award not
recognition for me personally, but for the Muslim community and 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
-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
TEXAS LEADERS ASKED TO CONDEMN ISLAMOPHOBIA
Houston news conference follows series of anti-Muslim incidents
(HOUSTON, TX, 9/19/04) - On Monday, September 20, the Houston office of
the
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston) will hold a news
conference at which the Muslim civil rights group will call on
religious
and political leaders in Texas to speak out against Islamophobia. That
call
comes following a series of anti-Muslim incidents in the state,
including a
firebomb attack Friday on an Islamic center in El Paso.
WHAT: CAIR-Houston news conference on Islamophobia
WHEN: 11 a.m., Monday, September 20, 2004
WHERE: CAIR-Houston Office, 5821 Southwest Freeway, Suite 304, Houston,
TX
SEE: http://www.cairhouston.org
CONTACT: CAIR-Houston, 713-838-2247, 832-656-0449
SEE: "Failed Firebombing Disturbs Islamic Center Leader"
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20040919-170992.shtml
"Islamic Center Of El Paso Threatened"
http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/3742351/detail.html
"Unfortunately, when political and religious leaders remain silent on
the
issue of anti-Muslim hate, bigots mistake that silence for acceptance
and
act accordingly," said CAIR-Houston Executive Director Iesa Galloway.
In August, CAIR asked law enforcement authorities in McAllen, Texas, to
investigate an intentionally-set fire at a Muslim store as a possible
hate
crime. The fire followed two separate incidents in which unknown
parties
painted the phrase "Go Home" on the door of the store. The
hate-graffiti
appeared just after the store began running advertisements on local
television that featured a Muslim woman wearing an Islamic head scarf.
Earlier this year, a man was arrested for threatening the same El Paso
Islamic center targeted in Friday's terror attack, an arson suspect was
arrested at the scene of a fire at a Muslim business in San Antonio,
vandals scrawled racist graffiti on the interior of a Lubbock mosque,
and a
home-made bomb exploded in the mailbox of a Houston Islamic center.
In response to anti-Muslim incidents nationwide following the 9/11
attacks,
CAIR published a "Muslim Community Safety Kit." The safety kit may be
obtained free of charge by e-mailing pubs@cair-net.org. (Include name,
address and phone number when requesting the safety kit.)
SEE ALSO: "American Muslims Still Feeling 9/11 Backlash"
http://www.silive.com/living/advance/index.ssf?/base/living/1095439519142750.xml
"UC Police Probe Possible Hate Crime"
http://www.trivalleyherald.com/Stories/0,1413,86~10669~2412669,00.html
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 29 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 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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/20/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION
* IMAM SIRAJ WAHHAJ TO SPEAK AT CAIR-DC DINNER
- Dinner Volunteers Needed
* CAIR-CHICAGO: THE TRUE MUSLIM SPIRIT (Chicago Sun-Times)
* MN: MUSLIMS MUST EXERCISE RIGHT TO VOTE (Pioneer Press)
- CAIR Election Updates
* NV: MUSLIM TRAVELERS SUE ALASKA AIRLINE (AP)
* FL: FEAR AND IGNORANCE OVER ATHLETE'S HIJAB (Orlando Sentinel)
- Controversy May be Prep Star's Toughest Foe (Oregonian)
* CA: 8 FEMALE MUSLIMS VICTIMS OF HATE CRIME (Daily Californian)
- TX: Rep. Jackson Lee Condemns Anti-Muslim Hate (Action)
* IN DEFENSE OF CIVIL LIBERTIES (New York Times)
- The D.C. Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (LA Times)
- FBI's Anti-Terror 'October Plan' (CBS)
* NY: MUSLIM WOMEN HOST BENEFIT DINNER (Journal News)
- Restoring faith in Islam (Journal News)
* CA: LATINO MUSLIM ASSOCIATION PRESENTATION
* ARAB-AMERICAN SPOKESMAN LEAVES PIPES SPUTTERING (Newsweek)
- Pipes Sends Wrong Message (National Post)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION
"If a person forgives and makes reconciliation, he shall be rewarded by
God…Those who endure with fortitude and forgive others surely exhibit
great
courage in conducting their affairs."
The Holy Quran, 42:40-43
-----
IMAM SIRAJ WAHHAJ TO SPEAK AT CAIR-DC DINNER
Join us in our nation's capital October 2, 2004, for CAIR's 10th
Anniversary banquet dinner, "Building a Better America: A Decade of
Dedication." Keynote speakers include Imam Siraj Wahhaj.
WHEN: Saturday, October 2, from 6-10 p.m.
WHERE: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road, NW
Washington DC, Tel: 202-328-2000 Fax: 202-234-0015
Tickets: $55 per person, $85 per couple
Limited babysitting available during the banquet: $10 per child
TO REGISTER ONLINE, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
DINNER VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
To volunteer to help at CAIR's 10th Anniversary Banquet, e-mail
irahman@cair-net.org or call 202-488-8787, ext. 6050.
-----
CAIR-CHICAGO: THE TRUE MUSLIM SPIRIT
Chicago Sun-Times, 9/20/04
http://www.suntimes.com/output/letters/cst-edt-vox20a.html
In commemorating the third anniversary of 9/11, our grief as American
Muslims is twofold. On one hand, we deplore the attack on our country.
Our
hearts bleed for the thousands of innocent lives lost. On the other
hand,
we realize with great regret that on that date our religion was
hijacked
along with those four planes. Since that day, the world has not been
the
same. And for American Muslims, this statement is true in more ways
than one.
First, as Americans we are troubled by the notion that our homeland is
under attack. Like everyone else, we fear further attacks that can
cause
more damage and further disrupt our way of life.
Second, as Muslims we have to worry about being scapegoated by some of
our
own, whose angst we share. We have to worry about being crammed
together
with those whose actions we utterly abhor. We have to worry about those
whose careless judgment lumps all Muslims as one group and who fail to
appreciate the diversity among Muslims: the notion that Muslims are as
diverse in their views as 1.4 billion people can be.
Yet there is a sunny side to our double predicament. It provides an
important opportunity to test and strengthen our understanding of both
our
American identity and our Islamic creed. Now is the time to
aggressively
challenge the extremists among our ranks, and also the time to raise
our
voices against demonizing Islam as a whole.
The Islamic spirit teaches us that love of one's nation is part of the
love
of God; that peace with one's neighbors is part of peace with oneself.
Islam teaches us that if there are evils present in the society in
which we
live, then our role as Muslims is to selflessly work to increase
goodness
as the best way to offset this evil. The true Muslim spirit is not to
destroy, but to build. We have an obligation to live this message to
our
compatriots in the West, and to challenge those fringe Muslims who
desecrate it with their deplorable blind anger.
In such trying times, as we American Muslims struggle to deal with the
dual
challenges of post-9/11 life, we are mobilizing with optimism to become
more American and more Muslim.
Ahmed Rehab, director of communications, Council on American Islamic
Relations, Chicago
CONTACT: CAIR-Chicago Yaser Tabbara, 312-718-3725, 312-212-1520,
E-Mail:
director@cairchicago.org
-----
MUSLIMS MUST EXERCISE RIGHT TO VOTE
NAHEED ALI, Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 9/19/04
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/opinion/9692534.htm
This year I'm going to do something I never bothered to do before. I am
going to vote.
Four years ago if I had voted I would have voted for Bush. A lot has
changed in those four years. Sept. 11, the Iraq invasion, Afghanistan
bombing, Patriot Act, John Ashcroft, Donald Rumsfeld and prison torture
have made it the longest four years ever.
We have just marked another anniversary of the day none of us will ever
forget. Three years ago many of us were overcome with the intense grief
and
shock of the Sept. 11 attacks. Muslims across the country also had to
face
what this incredible tragedy would mean for us. The Muslim community
initially plunged into despair to watch America attacked, innocent
lives
violently lost, their religion hijacked by terrorists and to suddenly
be
coldly stared at as "them."
In the days after Sept. 11, I and millions of others had to overcome
the
shock and find the strength to speak. Islam does not condone terrorism.
In
fact it asserts if you are guilty of taking one innocent life, you are
guilty of killing all of humanity in the eyes of God. Those who have
decided to take the law and justice in their own hands are grossly
abusing
Islam and abandoning the very meaning of Islam -- peace.
The American Muslim community continues to condemn the unjust horrors
done
in the name of our religion. We also continue to rally against the
injustices done in the name of the "war against terror." The events
after
Sept. 11 have propelled many of us to act on the principle in our
religion
which tells us to promote good and forbid evil.
Which brings us to this election year and why I'll be standing at the
polls. The Muslim community is facing a crisis as their civil rights
are
being eroded silently. The Patriot Act has allowed unprecedented
arrests on
flimsy charges without due process. New immigration procedures are
unabashedly prejudiced toward Muslims. The past year 1,200 Muslim men
were
taken into custody for overstaying their visas and the majority of them
were released with trivial charges. High profile cases of suspected
terrorists have been dropped months later in embarrassment when there
was
proved to be no connection to terrorism. In Minnesota there have been
complaints of harassment and false arrests.
Muslims have two choices. Either we stay low in fear that we may lose
yet
another right, or we voice our opinion to not only restore civil rights
but
to restore America…
SEE ALSO:
CAIR ELECTION UPDATES
http://www.cair-net.org/muslimvote2004/sept082004.asp
-----
MUSLIM TRAVELERS SUE AIRLINE OVER TRIP TO LAS VEGAS
Associated Press, 9/20/04
http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2322835&nav=8faOR5q1
A group of Muslim air travelers have filed a federal lawsuit against
Alaska
Airlines, claiming the airline falsely accused them of disrupting a
flight
to Las Vegas and kicked them off the plane.
The lawsuit alleges that airline actions were "caused by animosity
directed
at the plaintiffs' predominant ethnic and religious group, Arab and
Muslim."
The group, which included several international oil and gas industry
executives, was headed to an energy convention in September 2003.
The flight left Vancouver, British Columbia, as scheduled but was
diverted
to Reno about an hour later after the flight crew accused the group of
causing a disturbance…
The lawsuit was filed in U-S District Court in Las Vegas.
-----
FEAR AND IGNORANCE GIVES ENEMY WITHIN A NICE PLACE TO HIDE
David Whitley, Orlando Sentinel, 9/20/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college/other/orl-sptwhitley20092004sep20,1,2485953.column
Andrea Armstrong doesn't look like the enemy, yet she stands accused of
being a traitor. She doesn't act like the enemy, yet she's been
insulted,
threatened and stalked.
Her crime? Wanting to play basketball at South Florida while being true
to
her religion: Islam.
"I swear, I'll send my degree back to USF if they cave on this. But
then,
she'd need to shave her beard and moustache off."
That was one of the many chat-room e-mails sent to Armstrong. She is
one of
the first American athletes in the post 9-11 era who wants to practice
Islam in public. Judging by the reaction, Muslims aren't the only ones
who
should be worried.
"She will be allowed to wear only one suicide belt under her robes."
Actually, Armstrong wanted to wear long pants, sleeves and a scarf
while
playing, since the Islamic code calls for women's skin to be covered.
Her
teammates didn't mind, but critics screamed it would open the
floodgates
for individualized jewelry and clothing to be worn by every player with
a
distinctive faith.
The fact is, the NCAA has been granting uniform exceptions for years.
The
real problem people have isn't Armstrong wanting to be true to her
convictions. It's the convictions themselves.
"Islam condones killing. Do you condone killing?"
Look, there's no question radical Islam is at the root of most
terrorism.
In the warped eyes of many, that means all 1.3 billion Muslims
worldwide
are out to destroy America.
"For the record, Islam contributes NOTHING positive to Western
Culture."
Tell that to all those Muslim doctors, bankers and business owners.
Tell
that to the well-known sleeper cell, "Muslims For Bush." Armstrong's
plan
apparently was to bring down the U.S. one free throw at a time.
"How about SHE adjust to OUR society? If she doesn't like it, she can
go
back home."
SHE is from Oregon. Armstrong's been playing basketball since the third
grade, and would have been a senior at USF this season.
She is white, was raised a Catholic and felt a spiritual emptiness.
Islam
filled it, so she converted in June.
In America, you're supposed to be able to do that, right?
"If you met this girl, she is so nice," Ahmed Bedier said. "She is
reserved
and polite and humble."
He is the spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
which
got involved after Armstrong said USF's coach told her to clean out her
locker. The school says she was never pressured to quit. After meeting
with
CAIR, it decided to seek the NCAA uniform exemption...
SEE ALSO:
CONTROVERSY OVER BELIEFS MAY PROVE EX-OREGON PREP STAR'S TOUGHEST FOE
NOELLE CROMBIE, Oregonian, 9/19/04
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1095595019227180.xml
One of Oregon's former high school basketball stars is at the center of
an
international uproar over her decision to wear traditional Muslim
attire
when she takes the court for the University of South Florida.
Andrea Armstrong, a top high school player in 2000 who converted to
Islam
earlier this year, wanted to wear a head scarf, long pants and a
long-sleeved shirt during practices, games and for the team photograph.
That sparked a backlash. For much of the past week, Armstrong was
ridiculed, according to a Muslim leader in Tampa, Fla. She was called
an
enemy and a traitor, trailed by reporters, recognized at the grocery
store
and even followed to her apartment by a man who apparently was angry
with
her decision.
Finally on Wednesday, Armstrong abandoned one of her greatest joys: She
quit the basketball team...
Her conversion began last spring when, curious about Islam, she started
talking with Muslim students about their faith, said Ahmed Bedier,
director
of the Tampa office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. She
did
some research and ultimately decided to become a Muslim.
Armstrong began wearing a head scarf, long pants and long-sleeved
shirts in
keeping with the religion's tradition. Bedier -- who has spoken
extensively
with Armstrong and accompanied her to a recent meeting with school
officials -- said USF basketball coach Jose Fernandez saw her at a team
meeting and disapproved.
Fernandez later told her that she could wear Muslim attire, but not
during
weight training sessions, practices or games, Bedier said. She agreed,
he
said.
But when Armstrong returned to school in August, she apparently had
changed
her mind. On Aug. 30, she wore traditional garb for the team
photograph,
Bedier said.
Bedier called that day a "turning point" for Armstrong.
"She said, 'I want to wear this all the time,'" Bedier said in an
interview
Saturday. "Basically, what she was trying to tell him was she did not
want
to have this double life."
Fernandez refused and told her that she could not play, Bedier said.
He said Armstrong was forced to quit, though Fernandez told a reporter
for
the USF campus paper last week that Armstrong chose to leave the team.
Fernandez could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Bedier said Armstrong, worried about losing her scholarship, sought
help
from the Council on American-Islamic Relations. On Armstrong's behalf,
Bedier arranged a meeting with school officials...
Last week, the controversy was the topic of discussions on radio
stations
in Florida and elsewhere, Bedier said. Bedier's group received hate
mail.
Armstrong was treated differently at school, he said.
"The sentiment we got was that people are upset by the fact that she is
Muslim, not really about the actual attire," he said. "They don't even
know
much about her as an individual."
Armstrong was stunned, he said. She worried that she was distracting
the
team. So on Wednesday, she quit.
Bedier said Armstrong was brave to stand up for herself, he said.
-----
8 FEMALE MUSLIMS VICTIMS OF HATE CRIME
MARY-KAMEKO SHIBATA, Daily Californian, 9/20/04
http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=16158
Eight female Muslim students were the victims of a hate crime Thursday
night when three males threw water on them and screamed derogatory
statements, police said.
The UC Berkeley students were stargazing from the Vista Parking Lot at
the
Lawrence Hall of Science when they were confronted by three white males
in
a black car about 10:30 p.m., said UC police Capt. Patrick Carroll.
The males sprayed the victims with water and threw water bottles at
them
before driving off, police said.
Almost all the women were hit with the water, said senior Dena Rifahie,
one
of the victims of the crime.
The passenger in the front seat covered his head with a cloth, mocking
the
traditional hijabs worn by some Muslim women, police said.
Rifahie said the women called a friend to take them home, but the men
returned after a couple minutes, spraying the females with more water
and
yelling racial epithets…
SEE ALSO:
CONTACT: Assad Akhter, (202) 225-3816
http://www.jacksonlee.house.gov/
CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE CONDEMNS HATE CRIMES AGAINST MUSLIMS
IN TEXAS
Congresswoman Calls upon Local, State and Federal Officials to Unite in
Defense of the Muslim Community
Houston, TX - Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee today called upon local,
state and federal officials to condemn and work against violence
against
Muslims after yet another attack against the Muslim community in Texas.
On
Friday afternoon, a man allegedly threw two makeshift firebombs at the
Islamic Center of El Paso. The man was arrested after allegedly
throwing
two bottles of gasoline at the Islamic Center. Fortunately, the bottles
did
not ignite, and no one was injured. Congresswoman Jackson Lee stated
today, "It is sickening to me to witness yet another hate crime
committed
against a peaceful community simply because of their faith. It is
imperative that law enforcement authorities in the state of Texas work
in
conjunction with the FBI and together bring an end to this string of
religious-based violence…It is truly saddening to me that in this day
and
era there are still hate crimes being committed, but this bigotry will
not
deter our nation from treating people of all faiths with equality and
dignity. Whether in the state of Texas or anywhere else crimes against
Muslims or any other religious group have no place in America,"
concluded
the Congresswoman.
NOTES OF APPRECIATION MAY BE SENT TO: Assad.Akhter@mail.house.gov
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
-----
IN DEFENSE OF CIVIL LIBERTIES
New York Times, 9/20/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/20/opinion/20mon1.html
The debate over intelligence reform, as important as it is, has been
obscuring a vital discussion about another recommendation by the
bipartisan
commission on the 9/11 attacks. The panel's report noted that no one in
the
government has the job of safeguarding civil liberties as the
government
seeks expanded powers to combat terrorism. It proposed assigning that
critical task to a special board.
President Bush has already staked out his position by creating, by
executive decree, a caricature of the 9/11 commission's proposed board.
The
Senate is considering a much better, bipartisan measure. The issue
needs
serious debate before the election.
It ought to have been a shock to hear the commission suggest that we
need a
new agency to do what the courts, Congress and the attorney general are
supposed to do, in theory at least. But the Justice Department has been
steadily abandoning its responsibility to protect civil liberties,
which
now hardly seems to be in Attorney General John Ashcroft's job
description
at all. A polarized Congress, wary of being portrayed as soft on
terrorism,
is not an adequate defense for our constitutional rights…
Mr. Bush has tried to sweep aside the Constitution by declaring
selected
American citizens to be unlawful combatants and jailing them
indefinitely;
Mr. Ashcroft's Justice Department produced the appalling memo
justifying
the torture of prisoners. It was also responsible for, among other
things,
jailing a lawyer from Portland, Ore., on charges of international
terrorism
based on a misreading of his fingerprints and, apparently, on his
religious
beliefs. The administration set up a detention camp in Guantánamo Bay
where
minimal standards of justice have been suspended or eliminated
altogether.
A bipartisan bill submitted by Senators John McCain and Joseph
Lieberman,
by contrast, would create a panel of five people from outside the
government, appointed by the president and subject to Senate approval.
That's a much better approach, but the partisan balance should be even,
as
is now required on some regulatory agencies. The McCain-Lieberman board
would be empowered to start its own investigations, require federal
officials to testify and provide documents, and issue subpoenas. It
would
review proposed legislation, regulations and policies, as well as their
implementation; receive regular reports from government agencies; and
report twice yearly to Congress and the president. The bill also
requires
public hearings and reports…
SEE ALSO:
THE D.C. GANG THAT COULDN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT
David Cole, Los Angeles Times, 9/19/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-cole19sep19,1,7888768.story
President Bush has staked his claim for reelection on his performance
in
the war on terrorism. But are we safer?
The war on terrorism certainly has not made the world a safer place.
For a
brief moment this year, the State Department claimed that terrorism
incidents worldwide had fallen -- until it admitted a week later that
it
had miscounted and that in fact terrorist incidents were on the rise.
And what of the situation at home? Thankfully, there has not been a
terrorist attack on U.S. soil since Sept. 11. But despite Atty. Gen.
John
Ashcroft's insistence that "domestic warriors" at the federal, state
and
local levels have used the Patriot Act to "hunt down Al Qaeda, destroy
their safe haven and save American lives," the record offers little
basis
for such a claim.
Consider the centerpiece of the domestic war on terrorism -- preventive
detention. In the first seven weeks after Sept. 11, the Justice
Department
admitted to detaining nearly 1,200 men as "suspected terrorists,"
nearly
all foreign nationals. It subsequently adopted two anti-terrorism
immigration initiatives that were aimed at men from Arab and Muslim
countries on the theory that they were more likely to be terrorists.
Those
programs led to the detention of nearly 4,000 more people.
Yet of these, not one stands convicted of any terrorist offense. The
administration's record is 0 for 5,000.
In all, the Justice Department boasts that its terrorism investigations
have led to more than 300 criminal indictments, more than 100
convictions
and more than 500 deportation orders. But the convictions are almost
all
for minor charges, not terrorism. Researchers at Syracuse University
found
that the median sentence imposed in cases labeled "terrorist" by the
Justice Department in the two years after 9/11 was 14 days.
As for the 500 deportations, the Justice Department fails to note that
most
were carried out under a policy that specifically barred deportation
unless
an individual was first cleared of any connection to terrorism. These
are
misses, not hits…
---
FBI'S ANTI-TERROR 'OCTOBER PLAN'
Jim Stewart, CBS, 9/17/04
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/17/eveningnews/main644096.shtml
(CBS) Convinced that al Qaeda is still determined to disrupt the U.S.
fall
elections by an attack on the homeland, FBI officials here are
preparing a
massive counter-offensive of interrogations, surveillance and possible
detentions they hope will disrupt the terrorist plans, reports CBS News
Correspondent Jim Stewart.
FBI field offices and Homeland Security agencies will be advised of
"extraordinary measures" that will go into place "beginning the first
week
of October through the elections."
An internal e-mail advisory to supervisory agents this week from the
FBI's
"'04 Threat Task Force" said the purpose of the counter-offensive is
"to
foster the impression that law enforcement is focused on individuals
who
may be a threat."
Specifically, the plan calls for "aggressive - even obvious -
surveillance"
techniques to be used on a short list of people suspected of being
terrorist sympathizers, but who have not committed a crime. Other
"persons
of interest," including their family members, may also be brought in
for
questioning, one source said…
The bureau also knows it can expect to be criticized for the strategy
if it
goes too far. One element of the plan calls for addressing what some
officials fears could be a wave of protests from Arab-Americans and
civil
libertarians once the so-called "October Plan" kicks off.
-----
MUSLIM WOMEN HOST BENEFIT DINNER
JOSEPH AX, Journal News, 9/20/04
http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/092004/b01p20muslim.html
SCARSDALE - For some Americans, the prevailing image that comes to mind
when they think of Muslim women is that of a woman in a burka, her face
and
body almost completely covered, living under the harsh dictums of the
Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
For those people, it may be natural to link gender inequality with the
principles of Islam. But, said Azza Karam, a senior policy adviser at
the
United Nations, Islam is a religion that promotes equal rights for the
sexes and has served as a tool of empowerment for women at various
times in
human history.
"God in his wisdom does not distinguish between men and women when he
judges us," she said during an address last night at a dinner hosted by
the
Westchester-based American Muslim Women's Association at Scarsdale
Congregational Church.
Karam, the keynote speaker, spoke at length about the meaning of
identity,
particularly that of American Muslims living in the United States after
Sept. 11, 2001.
The group, which was founded after the attacks, has a twofold mission:
to
educate community members about the principles of Islam, including its
aversion to violence, and about the experiences of Muslim women…
SEE ALSO:
RESTORING FAITH IN ISLAM
HEMA EASLEY, Journal News, 9/19/04
http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/091904/b0119muslimwomen.html
DOBBS FERRY - Until three years ago, Zena Mikdadi was a housewife who
had
given up a career as a civil engineer to raise three children. Life
revolved around taking the children to school and baseball practice,
hosting dinner parties and taking part in PTA meetings.
Then Sept. 11, 2001, happened.
As images of the terror attacks filled television screens, networks and
newspapers identified the perpetrators as Islamic terrorists who had
vowed
vengeance against America. Islam was in the eye of the storm and it was
being seen as a religion of violence.
"Watching the news day in and day out, the way they were representing
Islam, it was hurting us," said Mikdadi, 45, of Dobbs Ferry, whose
Palestinian origins and Islamic faith had always been private matters.
"I
thought 'What can I do to dispel the myth?' "
That was three years ago. Today, Mikdadi is part of the American Muslim
Women's Association, a committed group that was brought into the public
sphere by their shared anguish at the way Islam was being perceived.
"Since 9/11, a large part of our community got energized," said Sunera
Rahman, 33, an environmental scientist. "It was a wake-up call. I
joined
AMWA because I wanted to make a difference..."
-----
CA: LATINO MUSLIM ASSOCIATION PRESENTATION
TOPICS:
Islamic influence on the Latino culture
Islamic architecture within Latino countries
Pre-Columbian artifacts that point to an Islamic influence in
Mesoamerica
Latino Muslim Video Growing in numbers
WHEN: September 26th 2004, 11 a.m.
WHERE: Islamic Center of Granada Hills, 11439 Encino Ave., Granada
Hills,
CA TEL: (818) 360-9963
CONTACT: Pablo Abdul Rahim Calderon, (818) 314-5942,
chilenoman1@msn.com
-----
ARAB-AMERICAN SPOKESMAN LEAVES PIPES SPUTTERING
MEDIA: HE CAN'T PAY FOR A CAB
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6030973/site/newsweek/
Newsweek Sept. 27 issue - There should be a New York Press award
hanging on
the wall of Hussein Ibish's office, but the 41-year-old
Lebanese-American
and Washington correspondent for the Arab world's most prominent
English-language paper, the Daily Star, hasn't had time to put it up.
He
picks up the plaque off his cluttered desk and reads it aloud: "BEST TV
SPOKESMAN FOR THE ARAB CAUSE. It's really flattering," he says, "but
it's a
bit like being named the tallest skyscraper in San Clemente."
As the former communications director for the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee, Ibish has pioneered a new type of Middle
Eastern advocacy and become a hero among civil libertarians and
Arab-Americans alike. When the Rev. Jerry Falwell referred to Muhammad
the
Prophet as a "demon-possessed pedophile" on CNN's "Crossfire" after the
9/11 attacks, Ibish decided all logical argument was out the window. "I
called him an idiot, plain and simple," says Ibish. He received a
standing
ovation from the studio audience.
On Alan Keyes's show, New York Post columnist Daniel Pipes asserted
that it
was far too dangerous for Israel to withdraw from the occupied
territories.
Ibish carefully deconstructed the argument until Pipes's only defense
was
to yell, "Shut up! Shut up!..."
SEE ALSO:
WRONG MESSAGE
Dave Campanas, National Post, 9/18/04
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/
I was dismayed to read Daniel Pipes's column in your paper in which he
seems to show a preference for Nepalese attacks on innocent local
Muslims
over France's attempts to engage its Muslim community in dealing with
hostage situations in Iraq (Between Rage And Appeasement, Sept. 16).
I'm sure his rationale will be encouraging to those criminals who
attack
Jewish schools and synagogues in response to Israel's treatment of the
Palestinians. I'm no fan of our hate-speech laws, but it seems clear to
me
that this column encourages a response that they were meant to combat.
Dave Campanas,
Richmond, B.C.
-----
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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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR CALLS FOR RELEASE OF ALL HOSTAGES IN IRAQ
Islamic civil rights group condemns murder of American engineer
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/21/04) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today condemned the murder of American civil engineer Eugene
Armstrong in Iraq and called for the immediate release of all hostages
currently held in that country, including another American and a
Briton.
(More than 130 foreigners have been kidnapped recently in Iraq.)
In its statement, the Washington-based Islamic civil rights and
advocacy
group said:
"We condemn this latest act of murder in Iraq and repudiate those who
would
commit such atrocities. We also call for the immediate release of all
hostages currently held in Iraq, whatever their nation of origin or
faith."
"As American Muslims and people of conscience, we unequivocally reject
the
claim that any cause could possibly be advanced by the killing of
civilians
and offer our sincere condolences to Mr. Armstrong's family."
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.
SEE: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
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."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 29 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/ .
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/21/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: THE UPHILL ROAD
* RALPH NADER TO SPEAK AT CAIR-DC DINNER
- Dinner Volunteers Needed
- CAIR-San Antonio: Respect Immigrant Civil Rights
* QUOTE OF THE DAY: END 'HUMILIATION' OF PALESTINIANS
* INCITEMENT WATCH: INTERNMENT OF AMERICAN MUSLIMS?
* TX: CONDEMNING 'ISLAMOPHOBIA' (Houston Chron)
- Islamophobia? Area Muslims Stress Texas is Home (KHOU)
- El Paso Islamic Center Attacked with Firebombs (AP)
- Suspect Admits 'Dislike of Muslims' (El Paso Times)
* WI: DISCOVERY OF ARABIC-STYLE NOTE CANCELS FLIGHT (AP)
* CA: TRANSLATOR'S SPY TRIAL SUSPENDED (USA Today)
- Lawyers Seek To Stave Off Military Trial (LA Times)
* NJ: SUSPECTS IN SLAYING OF MUSLIM OUT ON BAIL (Newhouse)
* MUSLIM SCHOLAR BARRED FROM US PREACHES TOLERANCE (CS Monitor)
- State Department Bans Tariq Ramadan (IPS)
* MD: MUSLIM MAN FILES DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT (NBC)
- Canadian Muslim Suing to Clear his Name (CBC)
* CA: FAMILY STRUGGLES TO MAKE DIFFICULT DECISION (Union Trib)
- Speaker Defends Muslim Headscarves (Daily Lobo)
* US PROBING ALLEGED ABUSE OF AFGHANS (LA Times)
- Brooklyn's 'Abu Ghraib' (Newsday)
* REJECTING TURKEY, AND THE FUTURE (Wash Post)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: THE UPHILL ROAD
"We have created man into [a life of] toil and struggle. Does he think
that
no one has power over him?...Does he think that no one sees him? Have
We
not given him two eyes, and a tongue and a pair of lips, and shown him
the
two ways [of good and evil]? But he would not try to ascend the steep
uphill road...And what could make thee conceive what it is, that steep
uphill road? [It is] the freeing of one's neck [from the burden of
sin], or
the feeding, upon a day of [one's own] hunger, of an orphan relative,
or of
a needy [stranger] lying in the dust - and being of those who believe,
and
who enjoin upon one another patience in adversity, and enjoin upon one
another compassion. Such are they that have attained to righteousness."
The Holy Quran, 90:1-18
-----
RALPH NADER TO SPEAK AT CAIR-DC DINNER
Join us in our nation's capital October 2, 2004, for CAIR's 10th
Anniversary fundraising banquet, "Building a Better America: A Decade
of
Dedication." Keynote speakers include presidential candidate Ralph
Nader.
(All presidential candidates have been invited to speak at the
banquet.)
WHEN: Saturday, October 2, from 6-10 p.m.
WHERE: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road, NW Washington
DC,
Tel: 202-328-2000 Fax: 202-234-0015
Tickets: $55 per person, $85 per couple
Limited babysitting available during the banquet: $10 per child
TO REGISTER ONLINE, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
DINNER VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
To volunteer to help at CAIR's 10th Anniversary Banquet, e-mail
irahman@cair-net.org or call 202-488-8787, ext. 6050.
---
CONTACT: Gina Amatangelo, 210-386-0934, Luis Figueroa, 210-224-5476,
CAIR-San Antonio, Sarwat Husain, 210-378-9528
IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ADVOCATES URGE BUSH TO RESPECT CIVIL RIGHTS
San Antonio Advocates Join National Week of Action
(San Antonio, TX) - Local immigration rights advocates today called on
the
Bush Administration to respect civil rights and due process for
immigrants,
emphasizing the importance of immigrants to our community. The event,
hosted at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, was held in
conjunction
with the National Week of Action for Immigrants Rights, in which
advocates
in major cities across the U.S. are uniting to raise awareness about
the
increasingly hostile environment in which immigrants now live.
Luis Figueroa of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational
Fund
criticized an August decision by the Department of Homeland Security
to
allow border patrol agents the authority to expedite deportation for
individuals, caught within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, who can
not
provide proof of their legal status. Figueroa stated, "The Department
of
Homeland Security has effectively authorized Border Patrol agents to
act as
judge, jury and executioner of the law. Basic civil rights will be
violated
at the Texas-Mexico border as a result of this policy."
Advocates shared the stories of Muslim Americans who have been singled
out
without any connection to terrorism as a result of post 9-11 policies.
"Members of the Muslim community have faced harassment, violence and
discriminatory treatment as a result of the USA Patriot Act and other
policies established to enhance national security," said Sarwat Husain
of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)…
------
QUOTE OF THE DAY: PRESIDENT SAYS END 'HUMILIATION' OF PALESTINIANS
"Israel should impose a settlement freeze, dismantle unauthorized
outposts,
end the daily humiliation of the Palestinian people, and avoid any
actions
that prejudice final negotiations."
Remarks by President Bush in an address to the United Nations General
Assembly, 9/21/04
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: INTERNMENT OF AMERICAN MUSLIMS?
THE INTERNMENT TABOO
John Leo, U.S. News & World Report, 9/27/04
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/040927/opinion/27john.htm
Malkin's point is that if the threat to the survival of America is
severe
enough, some civil liberties must yield. She is right that the
internment
issue is currently being wielded as a club to prevent reasonable extra
scrutiny of suspect Arabs and Muslims. But the twin towers were not
brought
down by militant Swedish nuns. It is always reasonable to look in the
direction from which the gravest danger is coming. It's also reasonable
and
important to open an honest discussion of internment, past and present.
SEND POLITE COMMENTS TO: letters@usnews.com
COPY TO cair@cair-net.org
-----
CONDEMNING 'ISLAMOPHOBIA'
Melanie Markley, Houston Chronicle, 9/20/04
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2805597
Last week's attempted firebombing of an Islamic center in El Paso
represents the latest in a renewed rash of hate crimes against Muslims
in
Texas, the director of Houston's Council on American-Islamic Relations
said
Monday.
Iesa Galloway, executive director of CAIR in Houston, called on
political
and religious leaders Monday to condemn the attack in El Paso, calling
it
an act of "Islamophobia," a term he said was coined by his
organization.
"This," said Galloway, "is the latest in a trend of attacks that have
been
happening across Texas."
Galloway said other recent acts include a dry-ice bomb that exploded in
a
mailbox at a Houston-area Islamic center, a series of arsons in San
Antonio
that targeted Muslim-owned businesses and graffiti and other hateful
incidents in McAllen.
Galloway said he believes that hate crimes against Muslims have spiked
during the past six months.
In last Friday's incident in El Paso, a homemade gasoline bomb was
thrown
into the Islamic center's back yard, where five children were playing
after
weekly prayer services. The bomb failed to ignite, although some of the
children were splashed with gasoline. A second gasoline bomb was placed
on
the center's gas meter but failed to explode.
El Paso police arrested Antonio Flores, 57, who was charged with arson
and
is facing federal hate-crime and civil rights charges.
U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, joined Galloway in urging
political leaders to condemn the violence against Muslims, who have
been
particularly targeted since Sept. 11, 2001, when Islamic extremists
flew
airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon...
CONTACT: CAIR-Houston, 713-838-2247, 832-656-0449
ALSO SEE:
ISLAMOPHOBIA? AREA MUSLIMS STRESS TEXAS IS HOME
Carolyn Campbell, KHOU, 9/20/04
http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou040920_smc_Islamophobia.13763d996
.html
On Friday, a man was arrested in El Paso after throwing two homemade
bombs
into a mosque there. No one was hurt, but the head of a local Islamic
organization fears there is a growing trend of hate crimes against
Muslims
in Texas.
At a Southeast Houston mosque, the men and women who pray there say
peace
is the foundation of Islam. Some Muslims here say they are still
victims of
hatred because their religion is often identified with terrorism.
Fatimah Bhutan says, "My children are always afraid. They're afraid for
me,
because they know that I'm very visible because of my scarf."
She shares one recent incident after the anniversary of September 11.
"We
had just walked out of the store and these guys in a pick-up truck said
rag-head, rag-head go home. We don't want you here. My kids are like
where's home? This is home. This is where they were born."
Iesa Galloway calls it Islamophobia. "My concern is that this is an
apparent trend of hate crimes rising against the Muslim community."
Galloway who is head of the local Council of American-Islamic Relations
points to recent incidents including one in Houston in July. A homemade
bomb exploded in the mailbox of a mosque. He is asking local leaders to
speak out against such acts. "If there's a silence from the leadership
of
the society, then it will only encourage and embolden people to
continue
attacks against the community..."
---
EL PASO ISLAMIC CENTER ATTACKED WITH FIREBOMBS
Associated Press, 9/20/04
http://www.news8austin.com/content/headlines/?ArID=119966&SecID=2
EL PASO -- Police arrested a man who allegedly attacked the Islamic
Center
of El Paso with two makeshift firebombs that failed to detonate.
Nobody was hurt.
Officials said Antonio Flores, 57, of El Paso is facing arson and
possible
hate crime charges.
Police arrested Flores shortly after Friday's attack with Molotov
cocktails.
Prayers had just concluded and people were collecting in the yard.
Flores allegedly threw one beer bottle filled with gasoline and a
makeshift
wick over the wall. The gasoline splashed on a boy's pants, but the
flame
went out and no one was hurt.
Members of the center found another bottle with a flaming wick on the
building's gas meter.
A member called 911 and El Paso police picked the suspect up a few
blocks
away.
The center had no damage.
Flores is being held at the El Paso Detention Center.
---
SUSPECT ADMITS 'DISLIKE OF MUSLIMS'
Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times, 9/21/04
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20040921-171667.shtml
An El Paso man who allegedly tried to firebomb the Islamic Center of El
Paso on Friday told police he was angry after watching a program about
the
terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, court documents allege.
Antonio Flores, whose address was not released by police, allegedly
told
police he wanted to scare Muslims and break up a party he believed was
going on at the center, according to a complaint affidavit.
Flores, 57, who is jailed on attempted arson and prohibited weapon
charges,
could also face federal arson, civil rights and hate crime charges,
said
Special Agent Andrea Simmons of the El Paso FBI office.
Flores allegedly confessed and "admitted to his dislike of Muslims.
(And)
made a comment to the effect that when he got out they were going to
get
it," stated a complaint affidavit by police detectives. Flores was
still in
the El Paso County Jail as of Monday afternoon in lieu of a $6,500
bond.
There were no injuries in the attack at about 2:30 p.m. Friday after
services at the center, 1600 N. Kansas, said police, who classified the
case as a "hate crime."
Flores looked up the center's address in the telephone directory after
watching the 9/11 program before 2 p.m. Friday, stated the complaint
affidavit acquired by the El Paso Times via the Texas public
information
act.
Flores drank two quart bottles of Busch beer as he drove to the center,
which he thought was having a party, the affidavit alleged. After
circling
three times, he stopped a block away, opened his trunk and filled the
bottles with gasoline from a plastic container. He made a wick from a
piece
of sweatshirt.
Then, the affidavit said, Flores drove into an alley and tossed the
Molotov
cocktail over a wall into a backyard playground. The firebomb failed to
ignite but some children were splashed with gasoline. The second bomb
was
lit and placed on a gas meter but it fizzled when a witness knocked it
to
the ground.
A police patrol responding to the incident spotted Flores' car and
stopped
him, police said.
-----
DISCOVERY OF ARABIC-STYLE NOTE CANCELS MILW.-TO-SAN FRAN FLIGHT
Associated Press, 9/21/04
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/politics/9717732.htm
MILWAUKEE - The discovery of Arabic-style handwriting in an in-flight
magazine caused Midwest Airlines to cancel a flight from Milwaukee to
San
Francisco.
A passenger discovered the writing while flipping through the Midwest
Airlines magazine and told a crew member.
The airplane with 118 passengers and five crew members had already
pulled
away from the gate at Mitchell International Airport Sunday evening.
The plane returned to the gate, the passengers were taken off, security
authorities were notified, all luggage was checked and the aircraft was
inspected. Nothing was found.
The passengers were put up in nearby hotels and booked on a flight at 9
a.m. Monday.
The writing on a page of the magazine was in Farsi, the Iranian
language,
said Midwest spokeswoman Carol Skornicka. She said she didn't know
exactly
what the writing said, but it was something like a prayer, "something
of a
contemplative nature."
"Whenever there's anything that anybody asks a question about, no one
wants
to take any chances," she said.
Janan Najeeb, director of the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition, said
the
airline overreacted.
"This is really unfortunate, and I think it's just basically a result
of
what's been happening nationally," said Najeeb. "When you have
individuals
who can't read a foreign language and assume some scribbles on
something is
a terrorist message, there's something clearly wrong with the direction
the
country is going."
-----
TRANSLATOR'S SPY TRIAL SUSPENDED
Laura Parker, USA Today, 9/20/04
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-09-20-spy-trial_x.htm
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - The court-martial of an Air Force
translator who is accused of taking part in a spy ring at Guantanamo
Bay,
Cuba, was halted Monday when the judge told prosecutors to find out
whether
their superiors plan to drop any of the charges.
The instruction from Col. Barbara Brand came just after the start of
the
court-martial of Senior Airman Ahmad Al Halabi, and as a
behind-the-scenes
skirmish continued over the status of a classified document that is key
to
the case.
Al Halabi, a Syrian national and naturalized U.S. citizen, is accused
of
trying to pass about 200 classified documents to unknown enemies of the
USA
while working at Guantanamo, where nearly 600 suspected al-Qaeda and
Taliban operatives are held. But two weeks ago, the military
acknowledged
that only one of the documents is secret.
An Air Force spokesman said then that the change in the documents'
status
could affect some of the 16 counts against Al Halabi. But none of the
charges involving the now-unclassified documents has been dropped or
amended. The prosecutors now will confer with the legal counsel to Lt.
Gen.
William Welser III, commander of the 18th Air Force, who ultimately is
responsible for the case.
The charges against Al Halabi include attempted espionage, lying to
investigators and disobeying orders. If convicted, he could face life
in
prison. He initially was charged with 30 counts, including aiding the
enemy, which carried the death penalty. But after his arrest last year,
14
counts were dropped as errors by military investigators came to light -
errors that raised questions about whether there ever was a spy ring at
Guantanamo.
Al Halabi spent 10 months in jail and has been confined to the base
since
his release in May.
Don Rehkopf, Al Halabi's civilian defense lawyer, said he wasn't sure
what
to expect from Welser. "I don't know what the hell is going on in the
Pentagon and I'm not sure anyone there does either," Rehkopf said after
court.
The court-martial began as Al Halabi's lawyers asked that the case be
dismissed. They said government delays in reviewing the status of
documents
had violated Al Halabi's right to a speedy trial. Brand denied the
request.
Maj. Kim London, one of Al Halabi's two military lawyers, said
authorities
delayed the case to seek more evidence. But "they'll never be in a
better
position ... because the evidence to support their charges doesn't
exist."
Capt. Roger Bowers, an Air Force prosecutor, said the delays were as
much
the fault of the defense as the prosecution...
ALSO SEE:
LAWYERS SEEK TO STAVE OFF MILITARY TRIAL
Eric Bailey, Los Angeles Times, 9/21/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-halabi21sep21,1,6063787.story?coll=l
a-headlines-california
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Attorneys for an Air Force interpreter
facing a court-martial on attempted espionage charges launched a final
push
Monday to stave off a military trial.
Defense lawyers for Senior Airman Ahmad Al Halabi, 25, argued that the
Air
Force has failed to make a case against him. Al Halabi is accused of
trying
to pass off classified documents after a stint at the high-security
Guantanamo Bay military base housing prisoners from the war on
terrorism.
Al Halabi's defense team intends to introduce up to two dozen motions
in a
bid to get charges dropped or the case dismissed.
"We've said from Day One our client is not a spy, he's not a terrorist,
he's not linked to any terrorist groups," said Don Rehkopf, a defense
attorney representing Al Halabi, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in
Syria.
But the attorneys' efforts met with mixed results. The military judge,
Col.
Barbara Brand, rejected arguments that Al Halabi -- who was arrested in
June 2003 and jailed for 10 months before his release in the spring --
was
denied his right to a speedy trial.
Brand agreed with prosecutors' arguments that any delays were caused by
the
complexity of the case.
But behind closed doors, the judge prodded military prosecutors to
determine exactly what charges they intend to bring to trial, a
decision
that will be made by Gen. William Welser III, 18th Air Force commander
and
officer in charge of Travis Air Force Base...
-----
SUSPECTS IN SLAYING OF PIZZA DELIVERYMAN ARE OUT ON BAIL
Kevin C. Dilworth, Newhouse, 9/18/04
http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1095498646224120.xml
Nearly a year after a Kearny man was killed during a carjacking and
robbery
in Orange, three of the four suspects are free on bail awaiting trial.
Nabeel Siddiqui, a 24-year-old Pakistani immigrant, had graduated that
May
with a bachelor's degree in computer science from New Jersey Institute
of
Technology, but had been working as a deliveryman for a West Orange
pizzeria while looking for a full-time job.
On Sept. 27, 2003, he drove to Haxtun Avenue in Orange after someone
telephoned in a food order to be delivered to an address near the
Veterans
Administration hospital.
When Siddiqui arrived at about 9:45 p.m., four juveniles jumped him and
beat him in the head with an aluminum baseball bat, all for the purpose
of
stealing his 1995 silver Nissan Altima, police said. The car was
recovered
in South Orange, a half-mile from the crime scene.
Siddiqui, a slight 5-foot, 2-inch man who weighed 120 pounds, was left
comatose. He died 10 days later at University Hospital in Newark.
Siddiqui was buried in a family plot in Karachi, Pakistan, after a
Muslim
service at the Teaneck Mosque.
"We're trying to seek justice for this entirely innocent victim," said
Judy
Gagliano, a spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.
"This immigrant was trying to make a better life in America for himself
when he fell victim to this senseless killing," she said.
Last month, 18-year-olds Kendall Findley and Phillip Counts and a 17
year-old juvenile, all of Orange, were indicted on felony murder,
carjacking, weapons possession and conspiracy charges. The cases
against
Findley and Counts have been waived up to adult court, Gagliano said.
Counts was arraigned Monday before Superior Court Judge Donald Volkert
Jr.
in Newark. He was allowed to remain free on $200,000 bail pending
trial,
Gagliano said.
Findley, arraigned Sept. 8 also before Volkert, remains free on $75,000
bail pending trial, Gagliano said. The youth is free on $50,000 bail...
-----
MUSLIM SCHOLAR BARRED FROM US PREACHES TOLERANCE
Jane Lampman, Christian Science Monitor, 9/21/04
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0921/p16s02-bogn.html
Tariq Ramadan - a Swiss-born intellectual, imam, and activist - is one
of
Europe's most prominent Muslim reformers. Time magazine named him one
of
the 100 innovators of the 21st century. The University of Notre Dame
has
invited him to teach Islamic philosophy and ethics at its Kroc
Institute
for Peace Studies.
But just days before classes began, the US government revoked his visa
on
the basis of national security, without explanation. The scholar and
his
family were stranded as his furniture headed to Indiana. Many American
scholars were stunned and have decried the government's action as an
interference in academic freedom.
Is Ramadan a genuine threat to America? Does he promote views
antithetical
to US values? His new book, "Western Muslims and the Future of Islam,"
seems the natural place to look for answers. Its stated goals are to
foster
a reinterpretation of Islam that fits the times and to encourage
Muslims'
positive integration into Western society. The work represents an
ambitious, complex effort to engage his fellow Muslims in reform.
It's not difficult to see why Muslim youths on the continent,
struggling
for a sense of identity and footing in a secular culture, throng to his
speeches. The book reveals a voice of moral clarity and devout faith
rooted
in a sophisticated appreciation for what is good in Western society and
for
the contributions Muslims might make to Europe and the US, as well as
to
spurring change in the Muslim world.
This is home, he says, not some distant time and place, and one must
find
Muslim identity as an engaged citizen, not as a minority, an alien, or
a
victim. He provides guidance on how to search sacred Islamic texts for
universal principles as distinct from tradition-bound cultural
practices,
and he places strong emphasis on humility and spirituality.
"Spirituality is the way in which the believer keeps his faith alive
...
the intimate energy involved in the struggle against the natural human
tendency to forget God," he says.
Ramadan - professor of philosophy at the College of Geneva and of
Islamic
studies at the University of Fribourg - is a vigorous advocate of
interreligious dialogue, and a frank proponent of Islamic feminism. He
questions efforts to build separate Islamic school systems, saying
children
are better off attending public schools and receiving Islamic teaching
that
is complementary, not parallel, to public education...
ALSO SEE:
STATE DEPARTMENT BANS DISTINGUISHED MUSLIM SCHOLAR
Jade Sanchez-Ventura, IPS, 9/21/04
http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=25551
NEW YORK, Sep 21 (IPS) - Tariq Ramadan, a world-renowned Islamic
scholar,
sits in an empty apartment in Switzerland, unable to take up his new
post
at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana due to the last minute
revocation of his work visa by the U..S. State Department.
His visa was revoked under a section of the USA Patriot Act that bars
entry
to foreigners who have used a "position of prominence...to endorse or
espouse terrorist activity", a spokesman for the Department of Homeland
Security, Russ Knocke, told the Associated Press.
But neither he nor anyone else in the government has been specific on
how
exactly Ramadan has done so.
The abrupt move surprised and dismayed university officials who
recruited
Ramadan to teach Islamic philosophy and ethics this fall. He had
already
applied for and been granted a work visa this past May.
"We stand behind Tariq fully, and are proud of the appointment," Scott
Appleby, director of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace
Studies at Notre Dame, said in a radio interview. "We look forward to a
reversal of the decision or some kind of communication, more solidly
about
the rationale behind the decision."
The U.S. State Department's revocation, acting at the behest of the
Department of Homeland Security, surprised his colleagues because
Ramadan's
work focuses on building bridges between Islam and the Western world.
His
books include "To Be a European Muslim" and "Western Muslims and the
Future
of Islam." Time magazine named him one of 100 Most Influential People
in
2003.
"The question now is really this one: we are dealing here with academic
freedom," Ramadan told the radio programme "Democracy Now!".
"I have a voice, which is a strong voice, but once again, I'm against
all
kinds of violence. I'm trying to build bridges between Muslims and the
Islamic world and the west to try to promote this living together...I
think
that really for all of the citizens in America, it's really a very
important question. Is this the way we are trying to deal with the
Islamic
world, and if we have a kind of pressure we can just ban someone?"
Raised in Geneva, Ramadan works to confront the alienation he perceives
between Islam and modernity, frequently warning of the dangers of
religious
isolationism. He is extremely popular in Europe, especially among
Muslim
youth. Last year, 50,000 tapes of his lectures were sold in France
alone.
On campus and off, many are rallying in support of the scholar.
"This decision is jeopardising academic freedom," said Habia Mbarak,
president of the national Muslim Student's Association (MSA). "His
voice is
in America's interest to promote."
-----
MUSLIM MAN FILES DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST WSSC
NBC, 9/21/04
http://www.nbc4.com/news/3746867/detail.html
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Ebrahim Radbod says he has been traumatized at his
job
with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission because of his
religious
and ethnic background, News4's Jeff Napshin reported.
Radbod, 58, is the father of three children. He is a native of Iran and
a
Muslim.
Radbod said the harassment began years ago when a supervisor gave him a
Bible and other books about the life of Jesus.
"He asked me to study and understand, to convert," he said.
"He wanted you to become a Christian?" News4's Napshin asked.
"Yes," Radbod said.
The man alleges that workers at the WSSC told him doors wouldn't open
for
him until he accepted Christ. Radbod said the situation became worse
after
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He claims he was intimidated, threats
were
made against his life and his car tires were slashed.
Radbod claims that when a co-worker learned last month of his
Middle-Eastern heritage, the worker said, "You're dead. You're done.
You
better watch your back."
An attorney for Radbod said the WSSC made no effort to help, which is
why
they filed a lawsuit.
"There has not been any disciplinary action taken against the
wrongdoers
and instead they insist they have appropriate policies in place," the
attorney said.
A statement sent by the WSSC said the company strives for a work
environment free of discrimination and harassment. The statement denies
there has been any unlawful treatment.
Radbod said he wanted to leave the company but couldn't afford it
because
he's just two years from retirement. The next step could be in court,
but
before that happens, Radbod's attorney says they could reach a
settlement
as long as the company admits it was wrong and agrees to fix the
problem.
Radbod is asking for more than $300,000 in compensatory damages.
ALSO SEE:
MAN INTERROGATED BY CSIS, RCMP SUING TO CLEAR HIS NAME
CBC, 9/20/04
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/09/20/mohamed040920.html
TORONTO - A Toronto man who said he faced days of interrogation by
Canadian
intelligence officials after he was spotted videotaping the city's
landmarks is suing the federal government to clear his name that he's
not a
terrorist.
Kassim Mohamed launched a lawsuit seeking a million dollars in damages
and
a letter stating he's not a terrorist after being detained and
interrogated
by Canadian and Egyptian officials.
Mohamed said that on his way to Egypt in May to attend the birth of his
child, he was stopped by authorities in Athens and sent back to
Toronto.
When he arrived in Toronto, he said a Canadian Security Intelligence
Service agent was waiting.
Over the next 10 days, Mohamed said he was repeatedly interrogated by
both
CSIS and RCMP officers and given two polygraph tests.
He said they focused on videotapes found in his luggage, in particular
some
scenes he shot of the CN Tower and a Toronto subway station.
Mohamed said the agents asked him if he was a terrorist doing
reconnaissance.
The video, he said, was for his children who were attending an Islamic
school in Egypt.
The Canadian agents cleared him to leave for Egypt, he said. But when
he
finally made it to Cairo, he said he was arrested.
The Egyptians held him handcuffed and blindfolded for nearly two weeks
in a
detention centre, interrogating him several times, and refusing to
allow
him to contact his wife or the Canadian Embassy, Mohamed said.
When he was finally released, Mohamed said his house in Egypt had been
raided by police.
Neither the RCMP nor CSIS would comment about the case...
-----
FRACTURED FAMILY STRUGGLES TO MAKE DIFFICULT DECISION
Kelly Thornton, Union-Tribune, 9/20/04
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20040920-9999-1n20choice.html
VISTA - The former Pamela Rossard remembers two particular things about
her
first date with future husband Hasan Saddiq Faseh Al-ddin: His English
was
so poor, she understood only half of what he said, and, it didn't
matter.
She was smitten nonetheless.
Here was a blond, green-eyed Lutheran from Wisconsin, sitting across
the
table from a brown-eyed, Arabic-speaking Muslim from the sacred city of
Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
"What attracted us was how different we were," said Pamela, who became
Mrs.
Al-ddin within months of that date at a Chinese restaurant in Horton
Plaza.
"Different cultures, religions, languages, physical appearance, foods,
music. I think we were fascinated with each other."
Ten years later, Pamela Al-ddin sits in her Vista home, looking
wistfully
at a photo of her husband. The couple who were initially united by
cultural
differences are now separated by them.
Hasan Al-ddin is 8,400 miles away in Mecca, forced out of the United
States
by the government July 8 because he was a friend of a friend of two
9/11
hijackers. And his wife is left with an agonizing decision.
Pamela Al-ddin admitted to trepidation about the possibility of moving
to
Saudi Arabia, a male-dominated society where women are not allowed to
drive
and where they must be covered from head to toe in public. "It's kind
of
scary because the culture is so different there," she said.
Should she stay in San Diego with her two young children for a lifetime
without her husband and their father? Or move to Saudi Arabia, leaving
behind the country that millions of people risk their lives to reach,
the
same country her husband embraced for its freedom and opportunity?
For Pamela Al-ddin, 42, and for her 6-year-old daughter, Saudi Arabia
would
be a drastic switch to a male-dominated society where women are not
allowed
to drive or go out in public without a male relative, and where women
who
do venture outside must be covered from head to toe or risk arrest.
It's
also a place where an American was recently kidnapped and beheaded by
Islamic extremists.
"I'm in an impossible situation. It's a huge decision, a huge
responsibility," Pamela Al-ddin said. "I really do feel like our family
has
been a victim of friendly fire. Hasan didn't do anything that was bad
enough to have to leave."
The couple met in 1994 through a mutual friend.
Despite the glaring differences, they found common ground: a dry sense
of
humor, a love for the beach. "He's a real generous, loving person with
a
kind heart," she said.
ALSO SEE:
SPEAKER DEFENDS MUSLIM HEADSCARVES
Christina Campos, Daily Lobo, 9/20/04
http://www.dailylobo.com/news/2004/09/20/News/Speaker.Defends.Muslim.Headsca
rves-723924.shtml
Wearing a hijab represents submission to God, not to men, a Muslim
woman
said Thursday.
Associate Professor Jytte Klausen from Brandeis University focused on
the
Muslim headscarf ban in France in the last lecture of the Islam and
Europe
series.
About 100 students, faculty and community members attended the lecture
in
Woodward Hall.
She spoke about discrimination Muslim women face for wearing the hijab
as
part of their religion and culture.
Klausen said European women have been adopting the headscarf as a
symbol of
identity and in defiance of the attacks on the Muslim way of life.
This is part of a growing feminist movement, she said, because women
are
developing more political strength.
"Women are joining political parties that are more sensitive to the
underdog," she said.
The underdogs are Muslim women, the objects of political persecution in
countries such as France for wearing the hijab, a symbol of their
culture,
she said.
Klausen spoke out against the French law banning all obvious religious
symbols, such as the hijab, the Jewish skullcap, large Christian
crucifixes
or the Sikh turban.
She said Muslim women are not only targeted as teachers and
administrators,
but also as young girls.
The French minister of internal security and local freedoms said the
decision to ban the wearing of headscarves was made to ensure the
respect
for the French tradition of secularism, not against Muslims, according
to a
statement on the French Embassy Web site.
One man in the audience asked if the headscarf was a mark of submission
to
Allah or to man. Another audience member, Sandra Akkad, a Muslim woman
wearing the traditional hijab, responded.
"The wearing of the hijab is explicitly written in the Quran," she
said.
"No two scholars will argue that it is based on submission to Allah and
not
to man. It is the Islamic culture and not the demands of popular
misconception."
She said many Muslim feminists don't understand why the hijab is seen
as a
symbol of oppression when Islam is a culture with an emphasis on
equality
between the two sexes.
"It is not just a display of our faith, but a religious obligation,"
said
Connie Yaqub, another Muslim in the audience. "To ban it would be equal
to
insisting a Jew to eat pork or a Catholic not to go to mass."
Klausen said women wear the scarves for many reasons, and it is not for
others to judge them.
-----
U.S. PROBING ALLEGED ABUSE OF AFGHANS
Craig Pyes and Mark Mazzetti, Los Angeles Times, 9/21/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-detain21sep21,1,5680056.
story?coll=la-headlines-world
GARDEZ, Afghanistan - American military investigators have opened a
criminal probe into allegations of murder and torture involving an
18-year-old Afghan army recruit who died while in U.S. custody last
year.
The new inquiry, which will also focus on the alleged torture of seven
other Afghan soldiers, was confirmed Monday by the U.S. Army Criminal
Investigation Command.
The previously undisclosed death occurred in March 2003 after the eight
soldiers were arrested at a remote firebase operated here by the U.S.
Army
Special Forces, according to witnesses and an Afghan military
investigation.
Motivation for those arrests remains cloaked in Afghan political
intrigue.
The action was requested by a provincial governor feuding with local
military commanders, an Afghan intelligence report says.
In the end, none of the eight men was charged with a crime or linked to
anti-government conduct.
The dead soldier, identified as Jamal Naseer, a member of the Afghan
Army
III Corps, was severely beaten over a span of at least two weeks,
according
to a report prepared for the Afghan attorney general. A witness
described
his battered corpse as being "green and black" with bruises.
Alleged American mistreatment of the detainees included repeated
beatings,
immersion in cold water, electric shocks, being hung upside down and
toenails being torn off, according to Afghan investigators and an
internal
memorandum prepared by a United Nations delegation that interviewed the
surviving soldiers...
ALSO SEE:
JUSTICE IS NOT SERVED AT BROOKLYN'S 'ABU GHRAIB'
Paul Moses, Newsday, 9/21/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vpmos213979580sep21,0,1534888.story?c
oll=ny-viewpoints-headlines
When Muslim immigrants were swept off the streets of New York after the
9/11 terrorist attack and brought to the federal prison on the Brooklyn
waterfront, the first sight they saw was a T-shirt imprinted with an
American flag and the words, "These colors don't run."
The T-shirt, taped to a wall, was smudged with blood because the
detainees
were evidently slammed into it as they were welcomed into federal
custody.
From then on, guards routinely knocked prisoners' heads into the walls
at
the Metropolitan Detention Center, according to a report by the Justice
Department's inspector general. When the inspector general sent
investigators, staff members at the prison claimed that prisoners'
heads
never even touched the walls and denied that the flag T-shirt was taped
to
the wall.
But there was one problem: "Numerous videotapes showing that staff
members
routinely pressed detainees into walls, regularly instructed detainees
to
place their heads against walls, and directed the detainees to face the
T-shirt prominently displayed for months," the inspector general
reported
last December. The dozens of detainees - who were never charged with
crimes
and whose only offense was overstaying visas - were credible, the
report
found. Many of the guards weren't.
If the internal report and the violence exhibited on these videotapes
were
not enough to stir high-level Justice Department officials to prosecute
the
guards, then the specter of their own employees desecrating the flag on
company time ought to have goaded them into it. But when the inspector
general brought his findings to the Justice Department's civil rights
division and U.S. Attorney Roslyn Mauskopf in Brooklyn, they declined
to
press charges.
A court case earlier this month showed that the decision not to
prosecute
the lesser violence at the Brooklyn prison sent the wrong message to
military personnel involved in the embarrassing torture scandal at the
Abu
Ghraib prison in Iraq...
-----
REJECTING TURKEY, AND THE FUTURE
Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 9/21/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37084-2004Sep20.html
Here's a quiz: Over the past two years, which developing country has
undertaken the most dramatic economic, political and social reforms in
the
world? Some hints: This country has deregulated its economy, simplified
its
tax code and put its fiscal house in order, resulting in 8.2 percent
growth
this year and a 10 percent rise in productivity. It has passed nine
packages of major reforms that have reduced the military's influence in
government, enshrined political dissent and religious pluralism, passed
strict laws against torture, abolished the death penalty, and given
substantial rights to a long-oppressed minority.
The answer is Turkey. Even if it were not a Muslim country situated in
the
Middle East (sort of), its performance would be stunning. And yet,
thanks
to events last week, its long quest to become a full member of the
European
Union may be thwarted.
The Turkish government's insistence on introducing a law making
adultery a
criminal offense may have derailed matters. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan has angrily pointed out that the issue of adultery is not part
of
the criteria laid out by the European Union. He's right technically,
but
foolish politically. The reality is that there are many in Europe who
want
to keep Turkey out of the union because it is large, poor and, most
important, because it is Muslim. The adultery law gives them a highly
public issue to symbolize their fears.
But even if the adultery law passes, so what? European hysteria about
this
is absurd. Many are claiming that this represents the dangers of Islam
in
Europe. Have Europeans forgotten their own history? Adultery is banned
in
the Ten Commandments and was a criminal offense in almost every
European
country until recently. Ireland abolished such a law in 1981, France in
1975, Italy in 1969. In the United States, 23 states still have such
laws
on the books.
Don't get me wrong: I am opposed to the Turkish law. But to judge a
developing country such as Turkey by the standards of postmodern Europe
circa 2004 seems to miss the point. If Turkey were a fully modernized
society, it wouldn't need E.U. membership. Besides, were Turkey to
become
an E.U. member, the adultery law would quickly be null and void, since
the
European courts would rule against it.
What is being lost in the uproar over adultery is that even last week,
while debating this one relatively trivial issue, the Turkish
parliament
passed 218 laws that reform the penal code in accordance with the
European
Union's criteria. Turkey's record of reform is the equal of most
previous
candidates for E.U. membership. A distinguished group of Europeans,
including former Finnish prime minister Martti Ahtisaari, released a
report
two weeks ago pointing out that Turkey compares well with two other
E.U.
applicants, Bulgaria and Romania.
And what is truly being lost is perhaps the most significant point: All
these progressive, modernizing moves are being made by a ruling party
that
represents the people, unlike so many of the liberals in the Arab
world,
who are an unelected elite. The AK Party has shown that a devotion to
Islam
is compatible with liberalism, pluralism and democracy. For this reason
it
is the most powerful symbol of modern Islam in the world today, a
symbol
that could have resonance for the Middle East, Europe's own Muslim
population and the entire Islamic world...
-----
EYEING IRAN REACTORS, ISRAEL SEEKS US BUNKER BOMBS
Dan Williams, Reuters, 9/21/04
http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=924444
&tw=wn_wire_story
JERUSALEM - The United States plans to sell Israel $319 million worth
of
air-launched bombs, including 500 "bunker busters" potentially able to
hit
Iran's underground nuclear facilities, Israeli security sources said on
Tuesday.
In June, the Pentagon said it was considering the sale to Israel of 500
BLU-109 warheads, which can penetrate five metres (15 feet) of
fortifications, in an arms package meant to "contribute significantly
to
U.S. strategic and tactical objectives."
U.S. and Israeli officials had no immediate comment.
Israeli security sources said the procurement would go through. "This
is
not the sort of ordnance needed for the Palestinian front. Bunker
busters
could serve Israel against Iran, or possibly Syria," an Israeli source
said.
Haaretz daily, citing Israeli government sources, said the sale would
take
place after the U.S. elections in November.
Earlier this month, Haaretz said Israel sought "bunker buster" bombs
for a
possible future strike against Iran's atomic programme, which the
Jewish
state considers a strategic threat.
"Our response to any invasive measure will be massive," Massoud
Jazaeri,
spokesman for Iran's Revolutionary Guard, told Reuters in Tehran.
Iran, which does not recognise Israel's right to exist, says its
nuclear
programme has only peaceful purposes. This week it rejected
international
calls to comply with the U.N. nuclear watchdog's demand to halt all its
uranium enrichment activities...
-----
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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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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
U.S. MUSLIMS REACT TO EXCLUSION OF YUSUF ISLAM
Former Cat Stevens removed from plane, denied admission to U.S.
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/21/04) - On Wednesday, September 22, the Council
on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will hold a noon news conference in
Washington, D.C., in reaction to today's exclusion from the United
States
of Yusuf Islam, an internationally-known Muslim activist and educator.
SEE:
http://www.yusufislam.org.uk/
WHAT: CAIR Reacts to Exclusion of Yusuf Islam from U.S.
WHEN: Noon, Wednesday, September 22, 2004
WHERE: CAIR's Capitol Hill Headquarters, 453 New Jersey Avenue S.E.,
Washington, D.C.
CONTACT: CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787,
202-744-7726
Islam, the former pop singer Cat Stevens, was removed from a plane
bound
for Washington from London Tuesday when his name showed up on a U.S.
watch
list. The plane was diverted to Maine's Bangor International Airport. A
department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesman said Islam was denied
admission to the United States "on national security grounds." Islam,
who
recently spoke out against the massacre of more than 300 people in a
Russian school, will be returned to England on Wednesday.
SEE: "The Former Cat Stevens Gets Plane Diverted"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4506026,00.html
"When internationally-respected Islamic personalities like Yusuf Islam
and
Professor Tariq Ramadan are denied entry to the United States, it sends
the
disturbing message that even moderate and mainstream Muslims will now
be
treated like terrorists," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
DHS officials recently revoked the visa of Tariq Ramadan, an Islamic
scholar who was due to begin teaching at the University of Notre Dame.
SEE: "Muslim Scholar Barred from US Preaches Tolerance"
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0921/p16s02-bogn.html
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 29 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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR ASKS PRESIDENT TO EXPLAIN EXCLUSION OF YUSUF ISLAM
Former pop singer is second Muslim personality barred from entering
U.S.
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/22/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today called on the Bush administration to explain why
Yusuf
Islam, an internationally-known Muslim peace activist and educator, was
barred from entering the United States on Tuesday.
Islam, the former pop singer Cat Stevens, was removed from a plane
bound
for Washington from London yesterday when his name showed up on a U.S.
watch list. The plane was diverted to Maine's Bangor International
Airport.
A department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesman said Islam was denied
admission to the United States "on national security grounds."
At a news conference today in Washington, D.C., the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a statement that read in part:
"Yusuf Islam is perhaps one of the most widely-known and respected
personalities in the Muslim world. He has a long history of promoting
peace
and reconciliation and condemning terrorism. In a recent statement
denouncing the massacre of more than 300 people at a school in Russian,
Islam said: 'Crimes against innocent bystanders taken hostage in any
circumstance have no foundation whatsoever in the life of Islam and the
model example of Prophet Muhammad.' SEE:
http://www.yusufislam.org.uk/beslan.shtml
"Treating mainstream and moderate Muslims like Yusuf Islam as if they
are
criminals or terrorists, without bringing charges or allowing for due
process, sends the message to the Islamic world that even those who
seek
peace and condemn terror are not fit to enter the United States. We
call on
the Bush administration to explain why Yusuf Islam was barred from
coming
to this country and whether other internationally-respected Muslim
travelers or scholars will face such treatment in the future. This not
the
way to win the hearts and minds of Muslims worldwide."
SEE: "Advocates Say Deportation Will Harm Ties"
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/89-09222004-370086.html
The Washington-based group also renewed its request for an explanation
as
to why the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revoked the visa
of
an Islamic scholar who was due to begin teaching at the University of
Notre
Dame. In July, DHS officials revoked a visa previously granted to
Professor
Tariq Ramadan, a well-known Islamic scholar who is often described as a
"moderate" and a "reformer." A statement issued at that time by Notre
Dame
said: "Professor Ramadan is a distinguished scholar and a voice for
moderation in the Muslim world…We know of no reason his entry should be
prevented."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 29 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@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/ .
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/22/04
* VERSE/HADITH OF THE DAY: AVOID SUSPICION
* REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR-DC DINNER
- Dinner Volunteers Needed
* 700 TURN OUT FOR CAIR-SFBA DINNER
* CAIR AMERICAN MUSLIM ELECTION INSIGHTS
* MUSLIM GROUPS TO ENDORSE SOON (MI Daily)
- Survey Shows Muslims Back Kerry (MAPS/Zogby)
* U.S. AGREES TO RELEASE TERROR DETAINEE (AP)
- CA: Spy Charges Dropped Against Airman (Reuters)
* TX: MUSLIMS, JEWISH COMMUNITIES BUILD HABITAT HOME
- OR: Believers Build Understanding with Art
* MUSLIMS STRUGGLE FOR UNDERSTANDING IN US (VOA)
- GA: Meetings Generate Dialogue on Islam (AJC)
* STEVENS' NOT ASSOCIATED WITH TERRORISTS - BROTHER (AP)
- CAIR Rep Discusses Yusuf Islam Case on CNN
* TERRORISTS BETRAY ISLAM (KC Star)
* MI: A MUSLIM VOICE QUIZZES CHENEY (LA Times)
-----
VERSE/HADITH OF THE DAY: AVOID SUSPICION
"Avoid immoderate suspicion, for in some cases suspicion is a sin."
The Holy Quran, 49:12
ALSO SEE:
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Beware of suspicion,
for
suspicion is the worst of false tales."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 90
-----
REGISTER ONLINE FOR CAIR-DC DINNER
Join us in our nation's capital October 2, 2004, for CAIR's 10th
Anniversary Banquet, "Building a Better America: A Decade of
Dedication."
Keynote speakers include Imam Siraj Wahhaj and Ralph Nader.
WHEN: Saturday, October 2, from 6-10 p.m.
WHERE: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road, NW Washington
DC,
Tel: 202-328-2000 Fax: 202-234-0015
Tickets: $55 per person, $85 per couple
Limited babysitting available during the banquet: $10 per child
TO REGISTER ONLINE, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/convention2004/
DINNER VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
To volunteer to help at CAIR's 10th Anniversary Banquet, e-mail
irahman@cair-net.org or call 202-488-8787, ext. 6050.
For all those volunteers who are helping with CAIR's 10th annual
banquet,
there is a mandatory 30-minute meeting at noon this Saturday, September
25th, at the CAIR headquarters (453 New Jersey Ave, SE, Washington,
DC).
Those who have not volunteered and would like to help the evening of
the
dinner must attend this meeting as well. If you have any questions,
comments or need directions, please contact Ibrahim Abusway at
202-646-6043
or iabusway@cair-net.org
-----
700 TURN OUT FOR CAIR-SFBA FUNDRAISING DINNER
(SANTA CLARA, CA) - Over 700 people, including 70 officials and
community
leaders, attended the annual fundraising banquet of CAIR's San
Francisco
Bay Area office (CAIR-SFBA) on Saturday in Santa Clara.
Speakers and attendees at the event included Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), a
representative of Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), Assembly members Sally Lieber
(D-CA) and John Dutra (D-CA), Professor David Cole, Captain James Yee,
a
number of local elected officials, a representative of the local office
of
the FBI, and many interfaith Leaders.
"We would like to thank all those who made our dinner such a success,"
said
CAIR-SFBA President Hyder Ali. "With these added financial resources,
we
will be better able to defend civil rights and promote a positive image
of
the American Muslim community and Islam."
CONTACT: 408-986-9874, nocal@cair.com
-----
CAIR AMERICAN MUSLIM ELECTION INSIGHTS
Week of September 20, 2004
REGISTER TO VOTE NOW! DEADLINES APPROACHING
Most states have a voter registration cut off date in early October. If
you
want to participate in the Presidential election-now is the time to get
registered. Register right now by going to:
https://ssl.capwiz.com/cair/e4/
(Click on "Register to Vote.")
---
HELP OTHERS REGISTER AND VOTE
1. Be sure everyone you know is registered to vote.
2. Starting today, make a list of registered voters that you know.
You'll want to contact them on election day and make sure they go vote.
---
MUSLIM SWING VOTERS?
From the Cincinnati Enquirer
"Could the ultimate swing vote in the ultimate swing state turn out to
be...Muslims? Every group this year claims to be the key swing group.
But
Muslims have two statistics on their side: They vote, and polls show
there's been an extraordinary switch in allegiance since 2000."
---
ISSUE: THE PATRIOT ACT
Why is it important to you?
The USA Patriot Act was rammed through Congress on an emotional wave
following the September 11, 2001 attacks. It was sold as a tool
against
terrorism but, as feared, it is being used in other ways. A report
published in Newsweek in December 2003 notes that two-thirds (2/3) of
the
money laundering cases the government was pursuing using the Patriot
Act
had no terror connection. Some provisions are necessary to combat
terrorism, such as those sections enabling the sharing of intelligence
among government agencies.
Many provisions are not necessary and are constitutionally suspect.
Section
213, sneak and peek, allows law enforcement officials to go into your
home
or office without informing you. Section 215 allows law enforcement to
order any person or entity to turn over documents. These documents can
include library records, business records, medical records, video
rental
records, and even travel agency documents. This information can be
demanded
without probable cause, generally a necessary ingredient for legal
investigations.
Some of the provisions of concern are set to expire at the end of 2005.
Where do they stand?
George W. Bush
President Bush wants to expand [the USA Patriot Act]. Bush supports the
law
enthusiastically, mentioning it at every campaign stop, but says it
doesn't
go far enough. Administration-backed measures to expand a few
provisions,
including searches and seizures of personal and business records, are
pending in Congress. But Bush's plan to offer an ambitious Patriot II
sequel has been shelved, at least for now, because some fellow
Republicans
see Big Brother in some of the search-and-surveillance rules in the
current
law. Bush also has called or permanent extension of Patriot Act
provisions
scheduled to expire at he end of 2005, including the "sneak and peek"
searches. (Source: The an Francisco Chronicle, September 20, 2004)
John Kerry
"Sen. John Kerry wants to narrow the USA Patriot Act. Kerry, who voted
for
the Patriot Act, says he wants to retain most of it and modify - but
not
repeal - the provisions he considers most prone to abuse. Those involve
library and bookstore searches, wiretaps and the delayed-notification
searches known as "sneak and peek."
"Kerry contends the biggest problem with the Patriot Act is its misuse
by
Attorney General John Ashcroft. But the only actions of Ashcroft he
cites
are unrelated to the Patriot Act, such as the attorney general's
approval
of FBI surveillance of political gatherings." (Source: The San
Francisco
Chronicle, September 20, 2004)
Ralph Nader
Mr. Nader supports the repeal of the Patriot Act, and an end to secret
detentions, arrests without charges, no access to attorneys and the use
of
secret "evidence," military tribunals for civilians, non-combatant
status
and the shredding of "probable cause" determinations. (Source:
Votenader.org)
-----
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Presidential Debates (tentative)
First Debate: September 30, 2004 in Coral Gables, Florida. Second
Debate: October 8, 2004 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Third Debate: October 13, 2004 in Tempe, Arizona.
Vice-Presidential Debate (tentative)
One Debate: October 5, 2004 in Cleveland, Ohio.
(Note: CAIR neither advocates the removal of nor endorses any specific
political candidate or political party.)
CONTACT: Corey P. Saylor, CAIR Government Affairs Director Tel: (202)
488-8787, (571) 278-4658, csaylor@cair-net.org
-----
MUSLIM GROUPS TO ENDORSE SOON
Karl Stampfl, Michigan Daily, 9/22/04
http://www.michigandaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/09/22/415155e76ea4f
Four years ago President Bush won one of the closest elections in U.S.
history with the help of an endorsement from influential American
Muslim
leaders. This year's election is once again shaping up to be tight,
making
the upcoming endorsement of major Muslim groups all the more important.
The American Muslim Taskforce, an umbrella organization of 10 major
Muslim
groups, expects to make a decision on which candidate to endorse by the
middle of next month.
The endorsed candidate will likely receive many of the 3.5 million
Muslim
votes expected to be cast this election, including many of the 100,000
Muslim votes in Michigan, a key swing state.
"We believe very large segments of the Muslim community would act on
our
endorsement," said Agha Saeed, chairman of the task force.
Immediately after Bush received the endorsement of major Muslim
organizations in 2000, Democratic candidate Al Gore's approval rating
dropped a full 12 percent among Muslims, according to the Council on
American Islamic Relations...
ALSO SEE:
RESEARCH SHOWS AMERICAN MUSLIMS OVERWHELMINGLY BACK KERRY
http://www1.georgetown.edu/explore/news/?ID=1218
Washington, DC - American Muslim voters overwhelmingly support
Democratic
presidential candidate John Kerry over Republican George W. Bush,
according
to a new American Muslim Poll conducted by Zogby International for
Georgetown University's Muslims in the American Public Square (Project
MAPS). By a margin of 76% to 7%, Muslims back the Kerry/Edwards ticket
over
the incumbent Bush/Cheney ticket. This reflects a dramatic change from
the
2000 election for Bush.
"This contrasts sharply with the 2000 election, when Bush garnered 42%
of
the Muslim vote versus 31% for Democrat Al Gore," said Dr. Zahid
Bukhari,
director of Project MAPS. Zogby International and Project MAPS
conducted
the first American Muslim Poll in November 2001 with a margin of error
of
+/-2.4%.
When the question is expanded to include minor party candidates,
Kerry's
lead is cut to 68% versus Bush's 7%, with independent candidate Ralph
Nader
picking up 11%, similar to the 12% he garnered from Muslim voters in
2000.
So pronounced is the movement away from Bush that he fails to capture
even
those Muslim voters calling themselves politically conservative, where
Kerry leads him by a two-to-one margin.
The new poll also shows a migration away from the Republican Party by
Muslim voters. In 2001, 23% of Muslims identified themselves as
Republicans while 40% called themselves Democrats and 28% independents.
Now, only 12% call themselves Republicans while 50% of Muslims are
Democrats and 31% are independents...
-----
U.S. AGREES TO RELEASE TERROR DETAINEE
Curt Anderson, Associated Press, 9/23/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-us-terror-suspe
ct,1,2281594.story
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department has reached agreement with a U.S.
citizen held as an enemy combatant for more than two years that clears
the
way for him to return to Saudi Arabia, officials said Wednesday.
The agreement also means that despite his long incarceration, Yaser
Esam
Hamdi will not face any criminal charges in the United States. It was
not
immediately clear exactly when Hamdi might be flown to Saudi Arabia,
where
the Louisiana-born man grew up.
The agreement, which Hamdi's lawyer said he signed last week, calls for
Hamdi to renounce his U.S. citizenship and to agree to restrictions
barring
travel to certain countries.
Hamdi was captured on a battlefield in Afghanistan where he was
fighting
alongside the Taliban in late 2001. He was held for three months at the
U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay before being transferred to a Navy
brig in
the United States when officials realized he was a U.S. citizen.
He had contested his status as an enemy combatant, and the Supreme
Court
ruled in June that Hamdi and others like him could not be held
indefinitely
without seeing a lawyer and getting a chance to contest his
incarceration
in court.
SEE ALSO:
U.S. DROPS SPY CHARGES AGAINST ACCUSED AIRMAN
Adam Tanner, Reuters, 9/22/04
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Sept 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. military
dropped spy charges on Wednesday against a Syrian-American airman who
worked as a translator at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
in
the latest in a series of embarrassing legal setbacks for the
government.
The government had alleged that a spy ring was at work at the base
where
prisoners captured during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and other
terrorism suspects are being held.
In a plea deal the government dropped the spying charges after Senior
Airman Ahmad al Halabi, 25, pleaded guilty to four lesser charges,
officials said.
The military earlier dropped charges against a Muslim chaplain, James
Yee,
who had also been accused of espionage at Guantanamo, and Army Reserve
Col.
Jackie Duane Farr, who served as an intelligence officer and had been
accused of trying to take classified material from the base.
Halabi had been accused of carrying letters, jail maps and other
documents
from the prison. He spent ten months in prison pending trial and 14 of
the
30 original charges had already been dropped, as had the threat of the
death penalty.
The charges he pleaded guilty to included taking two photographs in
Guantanamo, wrongfully transporting a classified document to his living
quarters, lying about taking photographs and conduct prejudicial to
military discipline...
Halabi told the judge that he did not know about military restrictions
on
taking pictures and transporting documents, but the judge said that was
not
a defense…
-----
TEXAS MUSLIMS AND JEWISH COMMUNITIES BUILD HABITAT HOME
TYLER, TEXAS- September 17, 2004 - Habitat for Humanity of Smith County
will break ground on one of the most anticipated projects in the
history of
Habitat for Humanity on Monday, September 27, 2004 at 11:00 AM at 2308
North Gaston Avenue. The Abraham House will be the first home entirely
sponsored and constructed by the Muslim and Jewish Communities of East
Texas.
WHEN: Monday, September 27, 2004 at 11:00 AM
WHERE: 2308 North Gaston
All media are invited to attend. Please contact Heather Hughey at (903)
595-6630 ext. 16 or (903) 780-7923 for directions.
ALSO SEE:
BELIEVERS BUILD UP UNDERSTANDING WITH WALLS OF ART
Kate Taylor, Oregon Live, 9/2104
http://www.oregonlive.com/metrosouthwest/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_sou
thwest_news/1095767932158560.xml
BEAVERTON -- What would it look like if Muslims and Jews were always
friends? Children of both faiths at a gathering Sunday could visualize
it
more clearly than most.
For 8-year-old Fariha Rahman, it looked like two farmers giving each
other
gifts of wheat. For 9-year-old Ethan Hunter-Bernstein, it was two
red-crayoned people saying, "I'm sorry" and "Thank you," and smiling.
About 30 children ages 7 to 13 used watercolors, crayons and colored
pens
to draw hearts, walls falling down, rainbows and other images of hope
and
harmony at Beaverton's Bilal Mosque.
The mural-making event was arranged by the Muslim-Jewish Planning
Group,
which includes members from the mosque, the South Metro Jewish
Congregation
in West Linn and Congregation Shir Tikvah of Portland.
"My daughter doesn't know about all the political differences yet,"
said
Michele Beyer, looking over her 8-year-old daughter's shoulder as the
girl
splashed color onto a piece of paper that would join scores of others
on
two 5-by-4-foot posterboard murals. "For children like her, the first
response (to hearing that Jews and Muslims have clashed for centuries)
is
"What do you mean, they don't get along?' "
The group began planning the event after forming in December 2003. Its
long-term goal is to build understanding among people of both faiths,
said
the group's chairman, Sheldon Jeral of the South Metro Jewish
Congregation...
-----
MUSLIMS STRUGGLE FOR UNDERSTANDING IN US
Quinn Klinefelter, Voice of America, 9/21/04
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=8873D640-720B-46FE-B9212BA377809
C9F
Some religious experts say there is an ongoing struggle within Islam,
between those who believe the faith must be more open and inclusive,
and
those who fear such moves turn Muslims away from the "true teachings."
They
say the struggle extends even to Muslims living in the United States.
But
in the Detroit, Michigan, suburb of Dearborn, home to one of the
largest
populations of Arabs and Muslims outside of the Middle East, clerics
say
efforts to show the true face of Islam frequently involve opposition to
America's foreign policies as well. At a recent campaign stop near
Detroit,
President Bush used the stump speech he's honed since the September 11
attacks. The U.S., he says, is bringing democracy to the Middle East
AND
making America more secure in the process.
"A free and peaceful Iraq... a free and peaceful Afghanistan... will be
powerful examples in a part of the world that is desperate for freedom.
Free nations do not export terror," he said.
But recent polls suggest that even in Detroit, where people brush
shoulders
daily with thousands of Arabs in next-door Dearborn, many Americans
believe
that Muslim nations do export terror, and that there is a direct
connection
between terrorist violence and the teachings of Islam. In the days
after
the World Trade Centers fell, many conservative media broadcasts
painted
Islam as an "evil" religion requiring followers to kill. It left
leaders of
Muslim community groups in Dearborn, like the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee's Imad Hamad, with something to prove.
"The national tragedy of September 11 truly tarnished the image of
Islam by
the name of the few terrorists who committed that horrible acts," says
Mr.
Hamad. "The Muslim-American community felt compelled to respond and to
be
more open-minded and more determined to set the record straight. And
not to
judge any faith, regardless of what it is, by the few who might be
extremists or be too conservative."
In fact, some Muslim clerics in Dearborn are working like never before
to
expose Islam to the masses...
ALSO SEE:
MEETINGS GENERATE DIALOGUE ON ISLAM
Sheila M. Poole, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9/22/04
http://www.ajc.com/wednesday/content/epaper/editions/wednesday/atlanta_world
_1405ebde930c62de008d.html
Macon --- Quentin Troupe doesn't mind the questions. In fact, he
welcomes
them.
Are Muslims commanded by God to commit acts of terrorism? What is Islam
about?
"I put myself in a position to let people know I'm a Muslim, so I can
clear
away all the misconceptions and give people a proper understanding of
who
we are and what we're about," said Troupe, a Macon resident who
converted
to Islam 11 years ago.
Troupe, 31, who recently attended a town hall meeting on U.S.-Islamic
relations at Wesleyan College in Macon, blames much of the
misunderstanding
about Islam on the media and ignorance about his religion.
The 2001 terrorist attacks, the recent killing of Russian
schoolchildren
and other violent acts done in the name of Islam have caused many
Muslims
to look inward and fostered debate within the community. At the same
time,
the incidents have caused Muslims and non-Muslims alike to look at
where
relations go from here.
Soon after the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations
strongly condemned the beheading of U.S. hostage Eugene Armstrong in
Iraq,
news broke Tuesday that a second hostage, reportedly another American,
had
also been killed.
"This is not representative of Islam," said spokesman Ibrahim Hooper,
who
said CAIR has called for the release of all hostages in Iraq.
But some in the Muslim community worry about retaliation at home.
Hooper,
for example, started receiving hate e-mails soon after Anderson was
killed,
and he expected them to continue after the second slaying.
He said a man recently attempted to torch an Islamic center in Texas
and
that some Muslim children were splashed with gasoline. He wondered:
Where
was the outrage?
"Outrage works both ways," Hooper said. "All of us need to check
ourselves
and make sure we're operating on one standard..."
-----
CAT STEVENS' BROTHER SAYS HE'S NOT ASSOCIATED WITH POTENTIAL TERRORISTS
Leslie Miller, Associated Press, 9/22/04
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/WarOnTerrorism/2004/09/22/639455-ap.html
WASHINGTON - The brother of the singer formerly known as Cat Stevens
strongly denied that the one-time pop star has any terrorist
associations
after he was removed from a London-to-Washington flight because he'd
been
placed on a U.S. "no-fly" list. A government official said Wednesday
that
Stevens, who changed his name to Yusuf Islam, had recently been placed
on
the list after U.S. authorities received information indicating
associations with potential terrorists, a government official said
Wednesday.
The flight was diverted to Bangor, Maine, on Tuesday afternoon after
U.S.
officials who checked the passenger list learned the singer was aboard.
Federal agents met United Airlines Flight 919 and interviewed Islam.
The government official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity, said
Islam was placed on a watch list after multiple intelligence sources in
recent weeks indicated the peace activist may have associations with
potential terrorists.
Islam's brother and business manager, David Gordon, said in a telephone
interview that he could guarantee that Islam does not associate with
possible terrorists.
"It's not true," Gordon said. "His only work, his only mindset, is
humanitarian causes. He just wants to be an ambassador for peace."
Gordon said he spoke by telephone to Islam on Wednesday night and that
he
was in good humour. "He's fine. It's an unfortunate incident, but on
the
other hand, people are worried and they want to feel secure when
they're
flying."
Airlines have access to watch lists and are supposed to screen
passengers
to make sure those deemed direct threats to aviation do not board
planes.
The official said it was unclear why United Airlines personnel allowed
Islam to get on the flight in London.
A call to the airline was not immediately returned.
Homeland Security Department spokesman Dennis Murphy said Islam was
"denied
admission to the United States on national security grounds" and was
expected to be sent back to London on Wednesday.
A second government official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity,
said U.S. authorities think donations from Islam may have ended up
helping
to fund blind sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was convicted for the 1993
World
Trade Center bombing, and Hamas, a Palestinian militant group
considered a
terrorist organization by the United States and Israel.
In July 2000, Islam was deported hours after arriving in Jerusalem. A
local
paper reported then that the government claimed he had delivered tens
of
thousands of dollars to Hamas during a visit in 1988. Islam denied ever
knowingly supporting terrorists...
ALSO SEE:
CAIR REP DISCUSSES YUSUF ISLAM CASE ON CNN
YUSUF ISLAM, FORMERLY CAT STEVENS, BEING DEPORTED TO LONDON
CNN: Live From..., 9/22/04
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/live.from/
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: At last word, the singer known best as Cat
Stevens awaiting deportation. In fact, he may be at Boston's airport
right
now to get on a plane heading to Dulles and then back to London.
He's known for years as Yusuf Islam. The converted Muslim was removed
by
federal agents -- there's a live shot of the plane right now -- from a
commercial flight from London because his name recently added to a
federal
watch list for purported links to terrorists. A short time ago,
Homeland
Security Secretary Tom Ridge had this to say about Cat Stevens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECY.: Whether you are a celebrity or a
complete unknown, if somewhere in the intelligence community that name
appears on a watch list that says you're not to fly on airplanes, for
whatever reason, the individual at the port of entry are responsible --
for
this instance, aviation security is responsible to make sure that the
information is acted upon, and that's precisely what we did.
Unfortunately, United Airlines had the information and they didn't act
on
it before he got on the airplane, but when that information got to
Homeland
Security's National Targeting Center, we took that action.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: In a case like this, bound to be debates. Joining us now is:
aviation security expert Jamal (sic) Haidar, an advisor to the King of
Jordan; and Ibrahim Hooper on the Council on American Islamic
Relations.
Mr. Hooper, you held a news conference today denouncing the removal of
Yusuf Islam. Why shouldn't the United States be able to remove this
person
from a plane? He's apparently on this watch list.
IBRAHIM HOOPER, CAIR: Well, obviously, the United States can do
whatever it
wants in terms of excluding people from its borders. But I think we
really
need an explanation as to how this happened, why this happened.
Yusuf Islam is an internationally respected Muslim peace activist, an
educator. He's known for his charitable work around the world. He is
perhaps the most best known Muslim in the Islamic world. And this is
going
to have a tremendously negative impact on America's image in the
Islamic
world.
GRIFFIN: But perhaps some of his charities also include terrorist
organizations? Let's ask you Jamal (sic)...
JALAL HAIDAR, AVIATION SECURITY ADVISOR: Jalal.
Jalal, I'm sorry -- why he was on the list in the first place, and
should
the government be allowed to take him off the plane?
HAIDAR: He must have been on the list for some reason. These lists are
put,
you know, in cooperation with many government agencies. And they are
passed
on to the airlines to be actions.
There should be a reason. There must be a reason, which...
HOOPER: Well, unfortunately, we often see that it's the case that there
is
not a reason. We have the case of a man named Asif Iqbal in
Pennsylvania
has been detained time and time again trying to get on planes, because
his
name is similar to one of an actual accused terrorist.
GRIFFIN: Well, Mr. Hooper, why do you think that Yusuf Islam was denied
on
the plane today? Is the U.S. government trying to prevent him from
speaking
in the United States? Is that your position?
HOOPER: I don't know. That's why we're asking for an explanation. And
that's why we also ask for an explanation of barring the
internationally
known scholar Tariq Ramadan from his post at Notre Dame University.
We sent a letter to Mr. Ridge, have not received a reply. Notre Dame
has
not received a reply. And we just -- people are being excluded, our
image
is being damaged, and nobody is explaining why it's happening.
GRIFFIN: Mr. Haidar, obviously thousands of people with Muslim-
sounding
names fly each day. Is there a problem with the watch list?
HAIDAR: Well, I mean, let me be fair here: Take my name, Jalal Haidar.
It
cannot be more than Arabic and Muslim name than that. I'm an
Arab-American,
a Muslim-American, I'm proud of my heritage, of my religion. I have
never
been stopped. I have never been taken off a list.
However, mistakes happen. There are lots of redundant names, and
identity
can be mistaken. The system is not perfect yet. But I can tell you
this:
Tens of thousands of Arabs and Muslims just like myself -- again, I
told
you I'm an Arab-American Muslim -- travel into the U.S. every day from
Casablanca, from Cairo, from Amman, Jordan, from Kuwait, from many
other
places on the world. We don't see these things happening.
I don't think the government will on purpose divert an aircraft to
target
one specific passenger. However, mistakes happen, and the system has to
improve, and it will improve. It is still an infant system, and the
system
will work out itself.
GRIFFIN: But Secretary Ridge said this was no mistake. He's on the
list,
and therefore he should not be allowed to fly.
HAIDAR: There must be a reason -- as I said initially, there must be a
reason. What is the reason? I don't know.
But again, to repeat, I don't think the government would do this on
purpose.
GRIFFIN: And Mr. Hooper, you're not ready to give the government the
benefit of the doubt in this case? You think this is some kind of
discrimination?
HOOPER: We give the benefit of the doubt. But as President Reagan said,
"Trust, but verify." We need to know where this is coming from, where
these
allegations are coming from.
I don't think we want to be in a situation where people are merely
denounced by anonymous government officials and labeled as terrorists
and
that's it, and everybody just says, OK, we don't need any more
information.
We need more information.
-----
TERRORISTS BETRAY ISLAM
Mahnaz Shabbir, Kansas City Star, 9/22/04
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascitystar/news/opinion/9724078.htm
As horrific news, including beheadings and suicide bombings, comes from
abroad, know that those actions don't represent Islam.
The terrorist's goal is to obtain power via fear. When a letter to the
editor on Saturday said "we hear little from the Muslim community" in
reference to terrorist attacks, it hit a nerve with the Heartland
Muslim
Council.
For the last six months, we have sent statements, press releases and
letters to the editor communicating our condemnation of terrorist
attacks
throughout the world.
We have joined with other Muslim organizations nationally stating
repeatedly 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 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 Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon
him.
We send our condolences to the victims' families...
-----
AT A MICHIGAN GRILL, AN ARAB AMERICAN VOICE QUIZZES CHENEY
James Gerstenzang, Los Angeles Times, 9/22/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/whitehouse/la-na-cheney22se
p22,1,1438.story
LANSING, Mich. - Imam Sayed al Hassan Qazwini had some questions for
Vice
President Dick Cheney on Tuesday, and he didn't let the fact that he
wasn't
a handpicked guest at Finleys American Grill stop him.
Wearing a turban and robed in brown and black, Qazwini, a religious
leader
born in Iraq, wanted to know if Cheney would pledge to support
antidiscrimination policies to protect Muslims in the United States.
And he
wanted to know if the vice president remained confident Iraqi elections
would still proceed in January.
Qazwini's questions, particularly the one about discrimination, went to
the
heart of concerns among Arab Americans who make up a small but
potentially
significant bloc in Michigan, one of the battleground states in this
year's
presidential race.
Arab Americans constitute 1.2% of the state's population, and their
number
is growing rapidly, having increased by 51% during the 1990s.
By the time Cheney finished responding, the vice president had found a
common theme: that taking the wrong course on either holding elections
on
time in Iraq or upholding civil rights in the U.S. would mean that
terrorists had achieved their goal.
While not seated at the tables where questioners chosen by the campaign
had
been placed, Qazwini had been given a prominent place in the dining
room,
in a seat reserved for a member of Cheney's traveling staff. He took
advantage of it, injecting himself into the conversation and moving
Cheney
into an area of particular political sensitivity in parts of Michigan.
Qazwini told Cheney that 15 members of his family had been executed for
expressing opposition to the regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein. He said he had moved to the U.S. in 1992 and had been the
leader
of the nonprofit Islamic Center of America, in Detroit, for eight
years...
-----
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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 ACTION ALERT #434
HEAR JAMES YEE, NADER, WAHHAJ, GOODMAN
AT CAIR’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY BANQUET IN DC
Seats are going fast, reserve your ticket today!
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/23/04) - Seats are going fast for CAIR’s 10th
Annual
Fundraising Banquet, October 2, in Washington, D.C. TO REGISTER, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/, call 202-488-8787 or 202-646-6043, or e-mail
events@cair-net.org (CAIR dinners have all sold out in the past, so
reserve
your tickets today! No tickets will be sold at the door.)
---
The Council on American-Islamic Relations cordially invites you to
attend
its 10th Anniversary Fundraising Banquet
BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA: "A DECADE OF DEDICATION"
with
Presidential Candidates
President George W. Bush, Invited
John Kerry, Invited
Ralph Nader, Confirmed
and
James “Yusuf” Yee
Imam Siraj Wahhaj
Amy Goodman, Democracy Now
WHEN: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2004
Registration begins at 6 p.m., program at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Wardman Park Marriott Hotel
2660 Woodley Road, NW, Washington, DC
Tickets: $55/$85 per couple R.S.V.P. by September 29, 2004
No children please. (Limited babysitting with prior notice only - $10
per
child.)
ACTION REQUESTED:
1. REGISTER ONLINE by going to: http://www.cair-net.org/ For more
information, call 202-488-8787 or e-mail events@cair-net.org. After you
have filled out and submitted your registration information, you will
be
sent an e-mail confirming your registration.
2. LET OTHERS KNOW about the dinner. Contact Ibrahim Abusway at
202-646-6043 (iabusway@cair-net.org) to give a list of people who
should be
contacted about the dinner.
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE –
-----
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/ .
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/23/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: SEND FORTH GOOD DEEDS
* CAIR PSA AIRS IN 4 0F TOP-10 TV MARKETS
- CAIR-FL Rep Discusses Muslim Athlete and Hijab
- CAIR-KY: Beheading Condemned (Herald Leader)
- CAIR-San Antonio Joins Panel on U.S.-Muslim Relations
* NC: MUSLIMS SAY 'KILLINGS BETRAY OUR FAITH' (Charlotte Obs)
- OH Muslims 'Outraged' At Iraq Killings (Cinn Enquirer)
- TX: For 9/11, Crossing the Divide (Austin Chronicle)
* CAIR-LA: SPY CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST MUSLIM AIRMAN
* CAIR-MI: SPY CASE HIGHLIGHTS U.S. MISSTEPS (Free Press)
- Plea Deal Reached For Soldier in Spy Case (AP)
- Third Guantanamo Spy Case Falls Apart (AP)
- Prosecutions Undercut War on Terror (USA Today)
* MI: MUSLIM GIRL EXCELS AT TAEKWONDO (Free Press)
* IL: MOSQUE PROPOSAL IS PITCHED TO PLANNERS (Chicago Trib)
* 'AMUSED' CAT STEVENS BACK HOME (CNN)
- Britain Complains to US Over Deportation (AFP)
* AFTER ABU GHRAIB (Guardian)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: SEND FORTH GOOD DEEDS
"As for man, when his Lord tries him through giving him honor and
blessings, he says: 'My Lord is bountiful to me.' When He tries him
through
restricting his subsistence, he says: 'My Rabb has humiliated me.' But
you
did not show kindness to the orphan, nor did you encourage each other
in
feeding the poor. Greedily you lay your hands on the inheritance of the
weak, and you love wealth with all your hearts. You should know, when
the
earth will be pounded to powder, your Lord will come…On that Day man
will
remember his deeds…He will say: 'Alas! Would that I had sent forth some
good deeds for this life of mine.'"
The Holy Quran, 89:15-24
-----
GOOD NEWS: CAIR PSA AIRS IN 4 0F TOP-10 TV MARKETS
CAIR's public service announcements (PSA), "I am an American Muslim,"
have
aired in four of the top-10 television markets: Los Angeles, Dallas-Ft.
Worth, Washington, D.C., and Detroit. The PSAs have aired more than 225
times and were viewed by more than 2 million people.
TO VIEW THE PSA, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/default.asp?page=PSAJun2004
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-FL REP DISCUSSES MUSLIM ATHLETE AND HIJAB
http://www.cair-florida.org/video/0409_fox13_show_bedier_on_armstrong.wmv
CONTACT: Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506, abedier@cair-florida.org
---
CAIR-KY: BEHEADING CONDEMNED
Abdul Quayyum, Lexington Herald Leader, 9/23/04
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/editorial/letters/9736226.htm
[Abdul Quayyum is Chair of the Kentucky chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations. CONTACT: CAIR-Kentucky, Abdul Quayyum,
859-221-9081]
The Council on American-Islamic Relations Kentucky Chapter (CAIR) joins
with CAIR Washington to condemn the murder of American civilians in
Iraq by
a group claiming links to al-Qaida and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, America's
most
wanted man in Iraq.
A video posted Monday on a Web site showed the beheading of a man
identified as American construction contractor Eugene Armstrong.
The group that carried out the killing claimed their brutality was
aimed at
protecting the honor of Iraqi women and are demanding the release of
female
prisoners from two Iraqi jails.
The Islamic civil rights and advocacy group issued the following
statement:
"We condemn this heinous murder and repudiate those who deviate from
authentic Islamic teachings by committing brutal acts of violence in
the
name of religion. We call on people of all faiths and cultures to stand
with us, united against extremist ideologies which contradict the
teachings
and message of Islam."
"As American Muslims and people of conscience, we unequivocally reject
the
claim that any cause could possibly be advanced by the killing of
civilians. We join the families of Jack Hensley and Kenneth Bigley in
prayer for their safety and hope that the perpetrators are swiftly
brought
to justice."
---
CAIR-SAN ANTONIO JOINS PANEL ON U.S.-MUSLIM RELATIONS
WHAT: Town Hall Meeting On U.S. - Islamic World Relations featuring UT
Professors Clement Henry (Government), Mercedes de Uriarte (Journalism)
and
special guest Sarwat Husain, Chairwoman of the Council on American
Islamic
Relations-San Antonio.
WHEN: 6:30 pm, Sept. 28 (Tuesday)
WHERE: Chicano Culture Room, Texas Union, The University of Texas,
Austin,
Texas
Event is free & open to all.
Pizza will be served.
Visit www.hopenothate.org for more information.
CONTACT: CAIR-San Antonio, Sarwat Husain, 210-378-9528,
sarwat@nazirh.com
-----
MUSLIMS: KILLINGS BETRAY OUR FAITH
Earnest Winston, Charlotte Observer, 9/23/04
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/9736058.htm
Saying they want to paint a true picture of Islam, two dozen members of
Charlotte's Muslim community on Wednesday denounced the beheadings of
two
Americans this week by an Islamist group in Iraq.
During a brief news conference in front the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Government Center, the Muslims expressed outrage for the "coldblooded"
killings and offered sympathies for the families of the victims.
The two Americans killed were Jack Hensley, a UNC Charlotte graduate,
and
Eugene Armstrong of Michigan. The militants are demanding that the U.S.
government release Muslim women from American military jails in Iraq.
"There is no cause that justifies this cruelty," said Shaun Ahmad,
president of the Charlotte chapter of the Council of American Muslim
Professionals. "And as Muslims, we categorically reject any attempt by
the
murderers of Jack Hensley to link their actions to our faith."
Representatives from Ash-Shaheed Islamic Center and the Muslim Women of
the
Carolinas also spoke, saying the killers have distorted their religion
by
claiming they are acting in the name of Islam.
"We have misrepresentation of our faith and most of the American public
don't know us," said Khalil Akbar, leader of the Ash-Shaheed Islamic
Center. "We don't take kindly to those who want to misuse and
misrepresent
our faith."
Seema Khan Azad, a native of Pakistan, said her heart goes out to the
victims' families.
"I hope to God Almighty to bring some peace in our communities, in our
lives and Iraq especially," Azad said after the press conference. "It
does
not matter who suffers. It should be painful for everyone. It does not
make
any difference if the person is American or non-American."
ALSO SEE:
OH: LOCAL MUSLIMS 'OUTRAGED' AT IRAQ KILLINGS
Cincinnati Enquirer, 9/23/04
http://www.enquirer.com/midday/09/09232004_News_mday_islamic23.html
WEST CHESTER TWP.-The beheadings of two American hostages in Iraq this
week
has shocked the local Muslim community, a leader said.
"Words cannot describe the outrage we feel at such abominable and
barbaric
conduct," said Dr. Inayat Malik, president of the Executive Committee
Board
of the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati.
"We join all Americans and Muslims throughout the world in our
expression
of deepest sympathy to the families of victims of these hideous crimes.
We
are earnestly praying for a day when peace and respect for all human
life
throughout the world will be restored. "
---
FOR 9/11, CROSSING THE DIVIDE
Lee Nichols, Austin Chronicle, 9/17/04
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2004-09-17/pols_naked6.html
Americans everywhere observed the third anniversary of the 9/11
terrorist
attacks this weekend, and not surprisingly, religion was at the center
of
some events. Here in Austin, there were attempts to reach across
religious
and cultural divides; some results were impressive, some were mixed.
At the state Capitol, people of the Islamic faith from around the state
converged on the second annual Texas Muslims Legislative Day, an event
sponsored by the Freedom and Justice Foundation (a Dallas-area
organization
dedicated to getting Muslims involved in the political process) and
hosted
by state Rep. Jerry Madden, R-Richardson. Billed as a "homeland
security
event," proceedings included an interfaith prayer with various Texas
clergy
for the victims of 9/11, a speech by a Muslim FBI agent, and an
especially
interesting talk by Steven McCraw, Texas' director of homeland
security...
-----
GOOD NEWS: SPY CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST MUSLIM AIRMAN
Muslim groups call for investigation of anti-Muslim bias
(ANAHEIM, CA - 9/22/2004) - The Council on American Islamic Relations -
Southern California (CAIR-LA) and the Airman Halabi Justice Committee
(AHJC) expressed relief at today's announcement that all espionage
charges
were dropped against Airman al-Halabi in a plea deal reached between
government prosecutors and Halabi's attorneys ending what many viewed
as a
year-long ordeal of the Muslim, Syrian-born Arabic translator.
Judge Barbara Brand accepted a plea deal between Senior Airman Ahmad
al-Halabi and Air Force prosecutors in which the Airman pleaded guilty
to
minor offenses in a case that originally started out with 30 charges.
The
judge also criticized prosecutors for misconduct in the case.
Military officials had alleged that a spy ring involving Muslim
servicemen
was conspiring to undermine national security at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
but
no evidence has ever been shown to prove such an allegation.
Additionally,
the spy case against al-Halabi's former supervisor - Muslim chaplain
James
Yee - also fell apart earlier this year when the Army failed to make a
case
against him and all charges were subsequently dropped.
Charges for mishandling classified documents were also dropped at the
end
of August against Army Reserve Colonel Jackie Duane Farr, a non-Muslim,
who
received non-judicial punishment instead.
"Praises to God. This is good news. We always knew that Ahmad had
nothing
to do with these spy charges," said Ahmad's brother-in-law, Nazeir
Labanieh, when notified of the plea agreement.
"From the very beginning, we knew that the military was carrying out a
witch-hunt against Muslim servicemen, suspecting their loyalties, and
unfairly treating them like criminals. We are thankful to God and are
very
relieved for this wonderful outcome," said Shereen Sabet, spokeswoman
for
the Airman Halabi Justice Committee (AHJC).
"This pattern of unfairly targeting patriotic American Muslims and
these
cases being eventually dropped or dismissed is disturbing. This is
another
victory for our judicial system and a point of disgrace for our current
administration. The time has come to investigate whether this trend
represents an overzealous, incompetent, or just a normalized
anti-Muslim
attitude within our government," said Sabiha Khan, CAIR-LA
communications
director.
The AHJC has been committed to publicizing the case and the perceived
injustices against al-Halabi to the general public, and has raised over
$50,000 from community supporters in Southern California and Michigan
through the CAIR Civil Rights Fund to pay for Ahmad's legal defense.
CONTACTS: AHJC: Shereen Sabet, 714-293-2974, E-MAIL:
ssabet@halabijustice.org; CAIR Civil Rights Fund, Sabiha Khan,
714-776-1847
or 714-390-0334, E-MAIL: socal@cair.com
-----
SPY CASE HIGHLIGHTS U.S. MISSTEPS, SOME ARGUE
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 9/23/04
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/gitmo-bar123e_20040923.htm
It's been a tough year for Ahmad Al-Halabi's family.
"They were begging for help, willing to sell anything they owned," said
Imad Hamad, Michigan director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee, who closely followed the case. Al-Halabi's father, Ibrahim
Al-Halabi, was spotted at several Arab-American and Muslim functions,
trying to raise money for his son's legal defense.
Al-Halabi's father sold his car to support himself.
And when the government held out the possibility that Al-Halabi might
be
executed for his crimes, "his father was crying around the clock,"
Hamad
said.
But on Wednesday, family, friends and supporters cheered the
government's
decision to drop the espionage charge.
At the same time, civil rights advocates and Muslims who worked to help
defend Al-Halabi said the government's move is the latest example of
government missteps that unfairly target Muslims and Arab Americans.
"This is another scoring point for our judicial system and a point of
disgrace for the administration," said Celina Khatib, Michigan director
of
the Council on American Islamic Relations.
After Al-Halabi was charged, the Airman Halabi Justice Committee was
formed. Based in Orange County, Calif., the group raised more than
$50,000
for his defense. Much of the money came from Michigan and California.
"From the beginning, we felt he was innocent," said Shereen Sabet, a
member
of the committee.
Sabet also said the case illustrated how Muslims are treated
differently
than non-Muslims. She cited other military cases, in which non-Muslims
who
were accused of similar crimes were treated better.
Hamad was concerned that the government had unjustly hurt Al-Halabi and
his
family with the charges.
But he added: "It's always gratifying to see the government acknowledge
its
own mistakes and try to rectify the situation."
ALSO SEE:
PLEA DEAL REACHED FOR EX-MICHIGAN SOLDIER IN GUANTANAMO SPY CASE
Kim Curtis, Associated Press, 9/22/04
http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/business/index.ssf?/base/news-18/109591254524
7010.xml
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The military on Wednesday dropped an espionage
charge
against a Muslim interpreter and former Michigan resident accused of
spying
at the camp for terror detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The development marks the third Guantanamo spy case to fall apart this
year, despite vows by Attorney General John Ashcroft and military
officials
to prosecute the alleged threats to the nation's security.
The charge against Senior Airman Ahmad Al Halabi, who attended high
school
in the Detroit area, was dropped in exchange for his guilty plea to
four
"minor infractions," said defense lawyer Donald Rehkopf Jr.
Specifically, he admitted to taking two photos of his workplace and
lying
about taking those pictures. He also brought a classified document home
without locking it up, which led to a guilty plea to a charge of
"conduct
prejudicial to good order and discipline."
The judge, Air Force Col. Barbara Brand, approved the plea deal during
a
hearing Wednesday at Travis Air Force Base, about an hour northeast of
San
Francisco. Al Halabi's sentence was not yet announced.
Prosecutor Lt. Col. Brian Wheeler disagreed with calling the
convictions
minor.
"He took secret documents to his residence, he mailed them to himself,"
Wheeler said outside court. "It is, as a matter of law, serious.
'Secret'
means serious damage to national security if it gets out."
Al Halabi, a naturalized American who was born in Syria, attended high
school in Dearborn, Mich. The Detroit suburb is center for southeastern
Michigan's 300,000-member Arab-American community.
"Praise God. This is very good news. We knew all along that Ahmad had
nothing to do with these spy charges," Al Halabi's brother-in-law,
Nazeir
Labanieh, said in a statement to the Detroit Free Press on behalf of
the
family.
Celina Khatib, Michigan director of the Council on American Islamic
Relations, also applauded the action but told the newspaper that Al
Halabi's treatment was an example of the government's unfair targeting
of
Muslims and Arab Americans.
"This is another scoring point for our judicial system and a point of
disgrace for the administration," she said...
---
THIRD GUANTANAMO SPY CASE FALLS APART
Kim Curtis, Associated Press, 9/23/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/09/23/state03
22EDT0017.DTL
SAN FRANCISCO - The military dropped an espionage charge against a
Muslim
interpreter accused of spying at a camp for terrorism detainees in
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the third such case to fall apart this year.
Senior Airman Ahmad Al Halabi pleaded guilty to four "minor
infractions,"
said his lawyer, Donald Rehkopf Jr.
Specifically, he admitted to taking two photos of his workplace and
lying
about it. He also brought a classified document home without locking it
up,
which led to a guilty plea to a charge of "conduct prejudicial to good
order and discipline."
The judge, Air Force Col. Barbara Brand, approved the plea deal during
a
hearing Wednesday at Travis Air Force Base, about an hour northeast of
San
Francisco. His sentence on the remaining charges was not yet
announced...
The Air Force also recently acknowledged that all but one of the
documents
found in Al Halabi's possession when he was arrested were not
classified
after all, and merely considered "for official use only." One document
was
classified "secret."
The most serious charge remaining was attempted espionage, carrying the
potential for life in a military prison. With that charge dropped, it's
possible he could be sentenced on the remaining charges to time served.
Al
Halabi spent nearly a year in custody and remains confined to the base.
Al Halabi was one of four men accused of spying at the Navy base in
Cuba.
Suspicions were raised when Al Halabi and his superior officer and
chaplain, Capt. James Yee, also a Muslim, spoke Arabic while
socializing
together at the base...
---
OVERZEALOUS PROSECUTIONS UNDERCUT WAR ON TERRORISM
USA Today, 9/21/04
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/2004-09-21-ourview-overzealousprosecuti
on_x.htm
Amid the glare of a news conference last Thursday, Attorney General
John
Ashcroft trumpeted the opening of the government's latest terrorism
prosecution, the indictment of two men for financially aiding Islamic
groups that support terrorists.
A few days earlier, with no fanfare, another major terrorism case, this
one
brought by military authorities, came to an end. Army Capt. James Yee -
accused just a year ago as the "big fish" in a spy ring intent on
helping
al-Qaeda - learned that he would get an honorable military discharge.
The
designation offered symbolic exoneration. Months earlier, the criminal
charges were dropped.
The juxtaposition of the two cases illustrates a trend in the Bush
administration's domestic war on terrorism: Too many major prosecutions
open with a bang but end with a whimper.
In recent months, several high-profile Justice Department or military
cases
have collapsed - but not before they damaged lives, trampled
constitutional
rights and squandered resources that could have been focused on real
threats.
The common thread is that authorities, fixated on preventing terrorism
at
any cost, ignored or avoided evidence that might have disproved their
theories. Such zealous pursuits undermine the very values that
terrorists
are seeking to destroy - individual rights and the rule of law.
-----
DEARBORN HEIGHTS GIRL EXCELS AT TAEKWONDO
Annette Vandecar, Detroit Free Press, 9/23/04
http://www.freep.com/sports/cfp/11/kwwc23_20040923.htm
Alicia Baydoun is soft-spoken and shy, not the type of person you would
expect to excel in an aggressive sport like taekwondo.
But the 11-year-old from Dearborn Heights took to the sport naturally
when
she was 5 and progressed quickly. She has a second-degree black belt
and
she won two gold medals at the United States Taekwondo Union Junior
Olympics this past summer.
Why does Alicia like the sport?
"My theory is it's one of the only times girls get to beat up people,"
said
Teresa Baydoun, Alicia's mother. "She is very quiet and reserved. We
were
surprised that she did so well. She was so tiny when she first started
it.
We never expected her to be a tough one."
Alicia, who trains at Koubeissi Tae Kwon Do in Dearborn with Master Ali
Koubeissi, won a gold medal in Poomse (basic forms) and in Kyorugi
(sparring) for the 10- and-11-year-old girls black belt division. It is
a
five-year process to obtain a black belt because there are 10 belts to
obtain before an athlete can test for a black belt.
"She is shy in person, but she fights aggressively," said Koubeissi,
who
has a sixth dan black belt. "Everything I teach her she picks up right
away
and does well. She has the athletic body for the sport and she's smart.
Seventy percent of the kids that started with her quit before they get
to a
black belt. She is a very disciplined individual."
Alicia's whole family is involved in the sport. Her older brother,
Abraham,
14, has a second-degree black belt. Her parents, Teresa and Khalil, and
younger brother, Bassil, 9, all have first-degree black belts...
Alicia, a Muslim, has chosen to wear a hijab, or head scarf, and long
sleeves, signs of modesty. She can only take them off around immediate
family members, other females and young boys. Her mother chooses not to
wear them.
"Some Muslims say you must wear them, but I believe it is a personal
choice," Teresa said. "Because she competes with them on, parents
mostly
want to know about them. To the kids who know Alicia and compete
against
her, they don't think anything of them. At the Junior Olympics, there
were
four other Muslim girls competing with them on."
When an athlete receives a medal, the person handing them the medal
shakes
the athlete's hand. But part of the Muslim religion is that Muslims do
not
shake hands...
-----
MOSQUE PROPOSAL IS PITCHED TO MORTON GROVE PLANNERS
Graydon P. Megan, Chicago Tribune, 9/23/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/nearnorthwest/chi-0409230249sep23,1
,6558223.story
Muslim Community Center officials want to build a mosque for worshipers
that would include a 55-foot high minaret and a domed building, along
with
expanded classrooms for its existing school.
The proposal was the topic of a two-night presentation before the
Morton
Grove Plan Commission that concluded Tuesday.
In addition to the minaret and a 42-foot high dome, the project at 8601
Menard Ave. would have green space, more than 200 parking spaces and
six
classrooms, two of which would replace portable units now in use.
Some area residents have objected to locating a mosque in a residential
area. But Dr. Mohammed Kaiseruddin, the community center's president,
said
the mosque would be "a dignified worship space" for Muslims. "The dome
and
minaret will be a powerful visual message that Morton Grove welcomes
diversity," he said.
About a dozen "interested persons" questioned the center's
representatives,
including the traffic consultant, architect and landscape architect.
Most questioners, including several who live nearby, reviewed several
details of traffic, lighting, landscaping and building plans. But their
questions also reflected suspicions of a long-term expansion.
Each of the questioners will get to make a presentation to the Plan
Commission that may include new information and additional witnesses,
some
of whom may be subpoenaed to appear.
Then commissioners will review all the evidence and testimony and vote
on
whether to recommend approval of the permit by the Village Board.
Additional meetings are scheduled for Oct. 12, 14, 18 and 19, if
needed.
Controversy over the project began almost two years ago when the Plan
Commission rejected the community center's first proposal. In September
2003, the Muslim group sued the village, saying the rejection violated
the
group's civil rights...
-----
'AMUSED' CAT STEVENS BACK HOME
CNN, 9/23/04
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/09/23/stevens.back.britain/
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The British recording artist Yusuf Islam
returned
to London Thursday saying he was "shocked and slightly amused" after
U.S.
officials determined he was on a terrorist watch list and was not
allowed
to enter the United States.
Islam, the peace activist and singer once known as Cat Stevens, said he
was
traveling to Nashville, Tennessee, with his daughter for a recording
session when he was approached aboard the flight into Washington, D.C.
"Suddenly we were forced to land and suddenly I was being interrogated
by
all these FBI officers," Islam said at an impromptu press conference at
London's Heathrow Airport.
"The whole thing is totally ridiculous. Everybody knows who I am, you
know,
I'm no secret figure. Everybody knows my campaigning for charity, for
peace. And there's got to be a whole lot of explanations. Hopefully
there
will be that."
When asked if he was being victimized, he said "absolutely," then
added,
"but you know people make mistakes."
"I just hope they've made a big mistake."
Islam was taken off a United Air Lines flight from London to Washington
on
Tuesday and officially denied entry to the United States when U.S.
authorities ordered the aircraft to land in Bangor, Maine.
He was taken to Boston and Washington before being sent back to London
on
another United flight from Dulles International Airport.
U.S. Muslim leaders say they want the government to explain why he was
on a
"watch list" meant to keep terrorists out of the country.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge accused Islam of having some
unspecified relationship with terrorist activity...
The 56-year-old Islam changed his name after becoming a Muslim in the
1970s. Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, said his organization wanted a better explanation for why
the
singer was denied entry into the country.
"We are getting a little tired of this kind of Kafkaesque treatment of
people, where vague allegations are made and actions are taken against
individuals and organizations," Hooper said.
He said American Muslim leaders "need to know where the allegations are
coming from."
"I don't think we want to be in a situation where people are denounced
by
anonymous government officials and labeled as terrorists and that's it
--
everybody says 'Okay, we don't need any more information.' We need more
information," he said...
ALSO SEE:
BRITAIN COMPLAINS TO US OVER CAT STEVENS DEPORTATION
Agence France-Presse, 9/22/04
http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=3&story_id=12688
WASHINGTON, Washington, United States of America -- But Stevens, who is
now
known as Yusuf Islam, was to be put on a flight to London late
Wednesday, a
day after the London-Washington flight he was on was diverted and he
was
taken off.
And the United States' domestic security chief insisted that tough new
anti-terrorism regulations introduced after the September 11, 2001
attacks
applied equally to a "celebrity or a complete unknown."
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw spoke to US Secretary of State
Colin
Powell about Islam, who became a Muslim and turned his back on pop
music in
1977, at the UN General Assembly meetings in New York, a senior State
Department official said.
"He did say to the secretary of state that this action should not have
been
taken," Straw's spokesman was quoted by Britain's Press Association as
saying...
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) strongly criticized
the US
government.
"When internationally respected Islamic personalities like Yusuf Islam
and
Professor Tariq Ramadan are denied entry to the United States, it sends
the
disturbing message that even moderate and mainstream Muslims will now
be
treated like terrorists," CAIR executive director Nihad Awad said...
-----
AFTER ABU GHRAIB
Luke Harding, Guardian, 9/20/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1308225,00.html
Huda Alazawi was one of the few women held in solitary in the notorious
Iraqi prison. Following her release, she talks for the first time to
Luke
Harding about her ordeal.
It began with a phone call. In November last year 39-year-old Huda
Alazawi,
a wealthy Baghdad businesswoman, received a demand from an Iraqi
informant.
He was working for the Americans in Adhamiya, a Sunni district of
Baghdad
well known for its hostility towards the US occupation. His demand was
simple: Madame Huda, as her friends and family know her, had to give
him
$10,000. If she failed to pay up, he would write a report claiming that
she
and her family were working for the Iraqi resistance. He would pass it
to
the US military and they would arrest her.
"It was clearly blackmail," Alazawi says, speaking in the Baghdad
office of
her trading company. "We knew that if we gave in, there would be other
demands." The informant was as good as his word. In November 2003, he
wrote
a report that prompted US soldiers to interrogate Alazawi's brother,
Ali,
and her older sister, Nahla, now 45. Wearing a balaclava, he also led
several raids with US soldiers on the families' antique-filled Baghdad
properties.
On December 23, the Americans arrested another of Alazawi's brothers,
Ayad,
44. It was at this point that she decided to confront the Americans
directly. She marched into the US base in Adhamiya, one of Saddam
Hussein's
former palaces. "A US captain told me to come back with my two other
brothers. He said we could talk after that." On Christmas Eve she
returned
with her brothers, Ali and Mu'taz. "I waited for four hours. An
American
captain finally interrogated me. After 10 minutes he announced that I
was
under arrest." Like thousands of other Iraqis detained by the Americans
since last year's invasion, Alazawi was about to experience the reality
of
the Bush administration's "war on terror"...
-----
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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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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GEORGIA MUSLIMS HOLD SERVICE FOR AMERICAN KILLED IN IRAQ
(MARIETTA, GA) - On Thursday, September 23, Metro-Atlanta Muslims and
Muslim organizations, including Marietta's Masjid Al-Hedaya (Islamic
center
of Marietta), the Islamic Speakers Bureau (ISB), the Council on
American-Islamic Relations of North Georgia (CAIR-NGA), and other
Georgia
mosques will hold an interfaith service at 7 p.m. in Marietta Square
for
Jack Hensley, a construction worker from that city recently murdered in
Iraq.
Masjid Al-Hedaya, ISB and CAIR-NGA recently launched a campaign called
"Not
in the Name of Islam," designed to disassociate Islam from the violent
acts
of a few Muslims. Advertisements were published in the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution and Marietta Daily Journal on September 11th of
this
year.
The advertisements stated:
"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."
Masjid Al-Hedaya is the main house of worship for Muslims in Marietta,
Ga.
SEE: http://www.alhedaya.com
The Islamic Speakers Bureau is an outreach organization that aims to
build
a stronger community through sharing information and building
relationships. SEE: http://www.isbatlanta.org
The Council on American-Islamic Relations of North Georgia is a local
chapter of America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, which has
29
regional offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. SEE:
www.cair-northgeorgia.org
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-NGA Board Member Amjad Taufique, (678) 596-0724, E-mail:
alhedaya@alhedaya.com, Soumaya Khalifa (678) 523-5080 E-Mail:
dirisbatl@yahoo.com; CAIR-NGA Executive Director Chris Burke (770)
220-0082
E-mail: bagindo@comcast.net; Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726,
E-Mail: ihooper@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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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
OHIO MUSLIMS HOLD TOWN HALL MEETING ON ELECTIONS
Local, state, national candidates will address issues of concern to
Muslims
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/24/04) - On Saturday, October 9, the Islamic
Council
of Ohio, the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Ohio (CAIR-Ohio) and
the
American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT) will host
a
"Muslim Vote 2004" town hall meeting with local, state and national
political candidates in Columbus. (A similar event will take place
October
10 in Michigan.)
WHAT: Muslim Vote 2004 Town Hall Meeting
WHERE: Ohio Statehouse Atrium, Columbus, Ohio
WHEN: Saturday, October 9, 2004, 11:30 am - 3:00 pm
CONTACT: CAIR-Ohio President Ahmad Al-Akhras, 614-989-5916, E-Mail:
ahmad@cair-ohio.com; CAIR-Ohio Executive Director Jad Humeidan,
614-571-2770, E-Mail: jad@cair-ohio.com
At the town hall meeting, part of the annual "Islamic Day in Ohio,"
political candidates will address issues of concern to American
Muslims,
and Muslim leaders will encourage increased political participation by
members of the Islamic community. Seating is limited. A $15 ticket fee
includes a catered luncheon. To reserve a place at the town hall
meeting,
contact: CAIR-Ohio, 614-451-3232, E-Mail: ohio@cair-net.org
"It is likely that Ohio will be a key swing state in the upcoming
presidential elections," said CAIR-Ohio Executive Director Jad
Humeidan.
"Our polling shows that Muslims will support candidates who speak to
their
concerns, regardless of party affiliation." Humeidan said Ohio is home
to
an estimated 150,000 Muslims. (As a non-profit group, CAIR does not
endorse
candidates, but does encourage political participation.)
SEE: "ELECTION ROUSES MUSLIM VOTE"
http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=16223
The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections is an
umbrella
organization representing American Muslim Alliance (AMA), Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle of North America
(ICNA),
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Muslim Alliance of North
America
(MANA), Muslim American Society (MAS), Muslim Public Affairs Council
(MPAC), Muslim Student Association (MSA), Project Islamic Hope (PIH),
and
United Muslims of America (UMA). SEE:
http://www.americanmuslimvoter.net/
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 29 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/24/04
* VERSE/HADITH OF THE DAY: ATONEMENT
* MICHIGAN MUSLIMS TO HOLD CANDIDATE FORUM
* MEDIA REQUEST: DOCUMENTARY ON U.S. MUSLIMS POST-9/11
* CAIR-NGA: PRAYERS GO UP FOR HENSLEY
- GA: Vigil Held for Slain Hostage (WXIA-TV)
- CAIR: Beheading and Condemnation (Seattle Times)
* TX: FEDERAL CHARGES AGAINST MOSQUE ARSONIST (KVIA)
- MI: Image of Islam Unfairly Cast (Grand Rapids Press)
* CAT STEVENS TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST US (AFP)
- Yusuf Islam Exclusion Alienates Moderate Muslims (CSM)
- Yusuf Islam's Statement
* THOUSANDS ARRESTED, FEW CONVICTED IN US TERROR WAR (Reuters)
* ANGLICAN GROUP CALLS FOR ISRAEL SANCTIONS (Guardian)
-----
VERSE/HADITH OF THE DAY: ATONEMENT
"To give charity in public is good, but giving to the needy in private
is
better and will atone for some of your sins. God is well acquainted
with
what you do."
The Holy Quran, 2:271
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said" "When a man's sins are
numerous and he has no good deeds with which to atone for them, God
afflicts him with sorrow (as a way to remove his sins)."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 487
-----
MICHIGAN MUSLIMS TO HOLD CANDIDATE FORUM
(LATHRUP VILLAGE, MI, 9/24/04) - On Sunday, October 10, the Michigan
office
of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Michigan) and the
American Muslim Task Force on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT) will
hold a
town hall meeting and candidate forum in the Detroit suburb of Novi.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is designed to provide
an
opportunity for members of the Muslim community to meet with and ask
questions of local, state and national political candidates. (A similar
event will take place October 9 in Ohio.)
WHAT: CAIR-Michigan/AMT Candidate Forum
WHEN: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., Sunday, October 10, 2004
WHERE: Novi Sheraton Hotel Grand Ballroom, 21111 Haggerty Road, Novi,
Michigan
There are some 200,000 Muslims in the Southeast Michigan region.
According
to a recent study of Detroit mosques by the Institute for Social Policy
and
Understanding, approximately 70 percent of mosque attendees are
registered
to vote. Almost 80 percent of those surveyed strongly agreed that
Muslims
should participate in the political process.
SEE: "A Portrait of Detroit Mosques"
http://www.ispu.us/reports/the_detroit_mosque_study.html
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 29 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-MI, Celena Khatib or Misbah Shahid, 248-569-2203,
734-306-9507, 734-673-9430, cairmichigan@yahoo.com
-----
MEDIA REQUEST: DOCUMENTARY ON AMERICAN MUSLIMS POST-9/11
Do you have a son in the US Army fighting in Iraq?
Do you have a son waiting to go to fight in Iraq?
Have you lost a son in the war in Iraq?
Have have suffered any injustice because of your faith or racial
origin?
We would like to hear from you to take part in our documentary to be
filmed
during October in the USA.
Please contact Ruhi Hamid, 917-815-2211, ruhi.hamid@octoberfilms.co.uk
-----
PRAYERS GO UP FOR HENSLEY
'We have all been diminished by Jack's death.'
YOLANDA RODRÍGUEZ, CLINT WILLIAMS, Atlanta Journal, 9/24/04
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/cobb/0904/24vigil.html
The first public memorial service for slain hostage Jack Hensley drew
about
250 people to the Marietta Square on Thursday night, where Muslim,
Christian and Jewish leaders denounced the violence in Iraq and prayed
for
peace.
The crowd held candles and prayed for Hensley and his family, who live
about four miles west of the square in Cobb County…
Amjad Taufique, a member of the board of Masjid Al-Hedaya Mosque in
Marietta, who organized Thursday night's interfaith service, and other
speakers condemned the violence.
Metro Atlanta Muslims and Muslim organizations, including Masjid
Al-Hedaya,
the Islamic Speakers Bureau, the Council on American-Islamic Relations
of
North Georgia, and other Georgia mosques issued a statement denouncing
the
killings of Hensley and Armstrong.
"We condemn this latest act of murder in Iraq and repudiate those who
would
commit such atrocities," the statement said. "We also call for the
immediate release of all hostages currently held in Iraq, whatever
their
nation of origin or faith."
CONTACT: CAIR-NGA Board Member Amjad Taufique, (678) 596-0724; CAIR-NGA
Executive Director Chris Burke (770) 220-0082
SEE ALSO:
VIGIL HELD FOR SLAIN HOSTAGE
WXIA-TV, 9/24/04
http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=52309
An interfaith candelight prayer vigil was held Thursday evening for
executed American hostage Jack Hensley.
About 250 people attended the service held on the square in Marietta.
Hensley's family was not in attendance. They are expected to attend a
service scheduled for this Saturday.
The leaders of the First Baptist church and the leaders of the Masjid
al-Hedayah mosque in Marietta, Ga., worked together to organize the
prayer
vigil.
"We have been diminished by his death," said the Rev. Jerry Gladson of
First Christian Church of Marietta during the service. "But, his life
and
his death have enhanced our own lives."
"We are gathered here as brothers and sisters, condemning in the
strongest
possible sense the barbaric execution of Jack Hensley and Eugene
Armstrong," said Soumaya Khalifi, of the Atlanta chapter of the Islamic
Speakers Bureau. "We pray to our creator to give the Hensley family
patience and we also pray for peace in the world."
"It's too close to home. Jack Hensley lived right here in Marietta
[and]
his daughter goes to school in the same school as my daughter goes,"
said
Amjad Taufique of the mosque.
Taufique called upon his friend, Greg DeLoach, the senior pastor of the
First Baptist church in Marietta to organize the service.
"We think that as one family has had a very grievous event in their
life we
hurt with them. We think one of the things that we do best is that we
can
pray for one another, we can remember for one another, and support one
another," DeLoach said.
"We have to do something, we have to have something to recognize the
tragedy that has happened in our community and offer our condolences
and
prayers for the family," Taufique said.
Members of the Muslim community said they wanted to publicly condemn
the
hostage-taking and killings in Iraq. They said such acts were a
betrayal of
their faith.
"This is not who we are. This is what is being said and done in our
name,
but this is not who we are. This is something we condemn," Taufique
said…
---
BEHEADING AND CONDEMNATION: A MUSLIM-AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE
Parvez Ahmed, Seattle Times, 9/24/04
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002044688_parvez24.html
[Parvez Ahmed is a board member of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, headquartered in Washington, D.C. CAIR is the country's
largest
Muslim civil-liberties advocacy group. E-mail: pahmed@cair-florida.org]
Another American is beheaded in Iraq. While we hope it is the last, our
fear is that many more may follow. Not to say that the beheading is by
itself not repulsive, but the accompanying image of hooded men standing
in
front of Islam's sacred text and chanting Islam's sacred creed, "God is
great," makes the picture even more troublesome.
What could be worse than the taking of an innocent man's life? A life
taken
in the name of a merciful God and in the supposed cause of defending a
religion.
Each round of beheading brings with it condemnations from Muslim
groups,
both in America and abroad. Muslim groups keep condemning the brutal
acts
of terror, partly because it is the right thing to do but also partly
to
protect their community from backlash.
Each condemnation from Muslim groups is inevitably preceded by
bone-chilling hate mail from people who, like the terrorists, hide
behind
anonymity. It is almost mind-numbing to think that both groups believe
God
is on their side.
Islam does not teach such wanton violence no matter what the level of
grievance is for the aggrieved. There is no doubt that Iraqis and
Chechens
have a lot to be angry about. They have not just paid in blood but in
lost
human dignity. But their legitimate grievances do not justify the
illegitimate and barbaric acts of beheading innocent souls and planting
bombs in schools…
If bone-chilling cries of a helpless and defenseless human being moves
nothing in their souls, what meaning do words from sacred texts have
for
them? If thousands of American soldiers using sophisticated weaponry
and
backed by an equally impressive intelligence infrastructure cannot hunt
down the terrorists, what chance does a community of Muslims in America
have in influencing actions thousands of miles away?
At the heart of this dilemma today are the central questions: Who are
they
and why do they hate us? In "Imperial Hubris," a recent book by an
anonymous U.S. intelligence agent, the author contends that terrorism
is
not rooted in any inherent hatred toward America's championing of
freedom,
liberty and democracy, but rather has everything to do with U.S.
policies
and actions in the Muslim world.
Among the root causes are perceptions that U.S. policy turns a blind
eye to
the legitimate aspirations of Muslims who desire to live in freedom -
with
dignity, and in control of their own destiny. Our continued support of
brutal dictatorships, even as we toppled one, have a lot to do with the
current rage.
Muslim societies also need to be introspective of their
socio-political-religious structures and examine how the situation
evolved
to a point that life has lost all its meaning. Blaming America first is
not
going to absolve them of their own shortcomings.
Unless both sides hunker down into a meaningful dialogue, the current
spate
of incoherent policies will be followed by more acts of mindless
terror,
leading to harsher reprisals. The unending cycle of violence will send
the
world into a spiral of chaos, fear and confusion.
-----
FEDERAL CHARGES PENDING AGAINST ALLEGED ARSONIST
http://www.kvia.com/Global/story.asp?S=2342245&nav=AbC0RFvx
An ABC-7 follow-up on the man accused of trying to firebomb the El Paso
Islamic Center. The suspect faces a Federal arson charge and documents
obtained by ABC-7 indicate he holds very strong feelings about Muslims.
The Federal Court documents detail the attempt to firebomb the El Paso
Islamic Center last week and the specific charges being brought by the
Federal Government. The documents say Antonio Flores admitted to
throwing
two beer bottles filled with gasoline at the Islamic Center last Friday
afternoon, after watching a television documentary on the September
11th
attacks.
The suspect made several comments against the Islamic community to
Police
Officers, including: he wanted to "send a message" and "I don't like
these
Islamics. I don't want them in my city." The suspect then allegedly
said,
"I'm not like the Arabs at UTEP that know how to make bombs". "I meant
to
give them a good scare and get them the f--- out of El Paso".
ABC-7 spoke with a member of the Islamic Community who says even though
the
suspect is in custody there is still something to be afraid of. The
attack
last week happened just after Jew-ma sa-lot, a congregational prayer on
the
Muslim Holy Day when the Islamic Center is busiest. The Center has
requested police presence at services Friday…
SEE ALSO:
IMAGE OF ISLAM UNFAIRLY CAST, SAYS EXPERT
Morgan Jarema, Grand Rapids Press, 9/23/04
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-17/109595266249900.xm
l
Hisham Nashabe wants people to know that perhaps the most critical
issue
facing the Islamic world today is the image of Muslims that has been
created in the minds of most Americans since September 2001.
"Islam is a great religion that shares, I would say, all of the basic
tenets of Christianity and Judaism," he said. "But with the promotion
of
conflicts, the love of the spectacular, truth about Islam and Muslims
is
often hidden, camouflaged and distorted."
Nashabe spoke to about 50 members of the Woodrick Institute on
Wednesday at
Aquinas College's Donnelly Center in Grand Rapids. He is an expert in
Islamic studies and Lebanon's representative to the executive council
of
UNESCO.
He also is professor and dean of education of the Makassed Islamic
Philanthropic Association and president of the Institute of Islamic
Studies
in Beirut, Lebanon.
Nashabe is a visiting Fulbright scholar to Davenport University from
the
American University of Beirut. His visit here was part of the
institute's
monthly luncheons that invite speakers to talk on topics of cultural
diversity.
"It is a grave injustice and aggression against truth to judge Islam by
the
fanatics who have literally hijacked Islam," he said. "Millions like
myself
condemn (Osama) bin Laden and the likes of him."
He says terrorism and religious fanaticism have been waged by a small
faction that has come to be recognized around the world as
representative
of Muslims as a whole.
"The Quran is very clear in condemning violence," he said. "There is no
such thing as a holy war in Islamic literature…
"It is our duty to rethink what we're hearing and those stereotypes
that
distort our vision," he said. "We should not judge Islam by its
excesses,
nor judge the West by its excesses. Terrorism is a phenomenon that may
never completely go away, and wars have been and are and will be waged,
but
it is wrong to blame them on any religion."
-----
EX-SINGER CAT STEVENS TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST US
Agence France Presse, 9/24/04
British former pop star Cat Stevens is to begin legal action against US
authorities to find out why he was deported from the United States as a
terrorist risk, he said Friday.
"We have now initiated a legal process to try to find out exactly what
is
going on, and to take all necessary steps to undo the very serious, and
wholly unfounded, injustice which I have suffered," the ex-singer, now
known as Yusuf Islam, said in a statement.
Islam, 57, who gave up his hugely successful pop career in the late
1970s
when he became a Muslim, arrived back in London on Thursday after being
swiftly removed from the United States.
He had been travelling to Washington on Tuesday when his flight was
diverted to Bangor, Maine where he was detained on "national security
grounds", according to US security officials…
"Never would I believe that such a thing could happen in the land of
the
free - unfortunately, it did," he said.
SEE ALSO:
ONE WAY TO ALIENATE MODERATE MUSLIMS: DEPORT CAT
Mansoor Ijaz, Christian Science Monitor, 9/24/04
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0924/p09s01-coop.html
Cat Stevens, the pop artist best known for his songs "Wild World" and
"Morning Has Broken" in the 1960s and 70s, was detained onboard a
flight
from London to Washington when US transportation and immigration
officials
flagged his Muslim name, Yusuf Islam, on a security watch list that
tracks
known terrorist groups and their followers. He stands accused of
associating with one or more of the banned entities on that list, and
of
providing funds to certain ones (Hamas allegedly among them) known to
support terrorism in the Middle East.
As an American-born Muslim of Pakistani heritage and a strong supporter
of
the Bush administration's essential thesis that it is better to go
after
the terrorists wherever they hide than to let them migrate to our
shores
and attack us, I am outraged by the actions of our government in
detaining
and deporting Mr. Islam. I do not and have never condoned the terrorist
activities of Hamas in Israel or anywhere else, nor have I ever
supported
such groups with a penny of my money.
But Mr. Islam's expulsion from the US shows how ill-equipped the Bush
administration still is - three years after the attacks of Sept. 11,
2001 -
to ferret out the real terrorists from the quirkier followers of a
religion
that is increasingly the target of Islamophobes. For Muslims like me
who
have worked tirelessly to bring moderate voices forward as our religion
is
seized by extremists from within and put under siege by Islam's
detractors
from without, the Yusuf Islam episode is mostly counterproductive
because
it not only increases the rage in rational segments of Muslim society,
it
violates the fundamental principles by which America holds itself out
as a
beacon of freedom and liberty to the rest of the world. We have to be
better if we are to hold others accountable for their misdeeds…
Few of Islam's adherents have done as much to portray the religion
positively as tolerant and dedicated to education and humanitarian
causes
as Mr. Islam. He founded Islamia Primary School in London in 1983, and
in
1998 made it the first Islamic school qualified to receive British
government support on the same basis as other sectarian schools,
including
Christian ones. His friends in British political life are a Who's Who
of
the British establishment, including Prime Minister Tony Blair and
Prince
Charles. He has raised money for charitable groups in Europe and in the
US.
Those charities have provided solace to the families and orphans of
wars
from Kosovo to Bosnia to Iraq. His practice of Islam's basic tenets is
above reproach, and in fact sets a model for those who are born into
the
faith…
---
YUSUF ISLAM'S STATEMENT
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1312256,00.html
Friday September 24, 2004
First, I thank God for relieving me of my ordeal and delivering me home
safe; also, thanks to all those who prayed for me and supported me
through
this whole dark episode, from eminent politicians, the press and
religious
leaders, to plain, everyday people. Never would I believe that such a
thing
could happen in the land of the free - unfortunately, it did. But it's
warming to have such a wave of sympathy from my friends and my
worldwide
well-wishers.
After the experience of my dramatic deportation from the USA it feels
like
I am on a different planet from the one I was on a couple of days ago;
certainly the world has changed, not for the best.
Two days beforehand, I had started a journey with my daughter to
Nashville,
intending to initiate work on a new recording project. Suddenly, our
aeroplane was diverted 600 miles to Bangor International Airport and I
found myself surrounded by six uniformed officers and handed over to
the
FBI for questioning.
The most upsetting thing at this point was being separated from my
daughter, Maymanah, not knowing how she was or when and where we might
be
united.
And since my phone was confiscated I couldn't contact my family (nor
could
they ring me) and they were relegated to watching the whole frightening
episode on TV and surviving on scraps of information shown by the
media.
My interrogators repeatedly wanted to know how my name was spelt; it
sounded to me as though they had it mixed up with someone else's.
Security
officers finally told me that my name was on a no-fly list, I was
classified as inadmissible and sent back to London.
The amazing thing is that I was not given, and have still not been
given,
any explanation whatsoever as to what it is I am accused of, or why I
am
now deemed an apparent security threat - let alone given an opportunity
to
respond to these allegations. I was simply told that the order had come
from on high.
We have now initiated a legal process to try to find out exactly what
is
going on, and to take all necessary steps to undo the very serious, and
wholly unfounded, injustice which I have suffered.
I am a man of peace and denounce all forms of terrorism and injustice;
it
is simply outrageous for the US authorities to suggest otherwise.
I have dedicated my life to promoting peace and understanding
throughout
the world. It would be devastating were the charity work I do through
my
humanitarian relief organisation, Small Kindness, which helps countless
children and families, and which is accredited by the United Nations,
to be
undermined by what has happened.
What makes the situation even more distressing is the fact that I have
now
been prevented from entering the United States - a part of God's earth
that
I love and whose people have always been great friends to me.
Yet, after all this, I can think of no better response than by
continuing
what I believe to be the tremendously important work of caring for the
needy and campaigning for peace and stability in this volatile and
increasingly violent world, and at the same time try to seek to clear
my
name of this appalling and baseless slur.
In the meantime I am confident that, in the end, good sense and, above
all,
justice, will prevail.
Yusuf Islam
-----
THOUSANDS ARRESTED, FEW CONVICTED IN US TERROR WAR
Caroline Drees, Reuters, 9/23/04
WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - The United States has arrested
thousands of
people on terror charges since Sept. 11, 2001, holding some for years
without charge, but has seen one high-profile case after another
collapse.
Critics say the government is paying for hasty, politically motivated
accusations it cannot prove, while backers argue that the U.S. legal
system
is simply unsuited for the war on terror.
In the most recent collapse, the military dropped spy charges on
Wednesday
against Syrian-American airman Ahmad al Halabi, who had faced the death
penalty on accusations of aiding and abetting the enemy through
espionage
at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The Justice Department also said on Wednesday it had agreed to free
U.S.-Saudi "enemy combatant" Yaser Esam Hamdi and return him to Saudi
Arabia after holding him without charges -- for long stretches
incommunicado -- for more than two years.
"I can't remember a time when the government has taken it on the chin
as
often as this in a single area," said lawyer Eugene Fidell, whose
client,
Army Chaplain James Yee, was accused in a separate Guantanamo Bay spy
case
before the military dropped all those charges…
But critics of government arrests and efforts to secure convictions in
the
war on terror say the problem is not the legal system. They say the
crumbling cases prove prosecutors are being overzealous and sometimes
sloppy in a bid to show the public they are serious about fighting
terrorists.
"At the level of the individual cases ... it probably reflects haste,
overreaction, a desire to show how much you're doing and not the usual
degree of carefulness you would expect from federal prosecutors," said
Joseph Onek, senior counsel of the Constitution Project activist group,
who
was a senior justice official under President Bill Clinton.
Gerry Spence -- whose Muslim client Brandon Mayfield was held for two
weeks
as a material witness in the Madrid train bombings before being
released
with an apology from the FBI -- accused the U.S. government of
profiling
and failing to do its homework.
"Then when they begin to look at the facts, they find out that what
they've
done is charged good American citizens with crimes that they are not
guilty
of," he said.
Critics also say Supreme Court rulings in June that placed the first
limits
on President George W. Bush's war on terror showed the administration
had
overstepped its bounds.
"One reason the government hasn't succeeded in its overall strategy is
because it was taking a position that was indefensible under U.S.
constitutional law," Onek said.
Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice
--
which filed friend-of-the-court briefs in support of the government in
three terrorism cases, including Hamdi's -- said prosecutors were not
being
hasty, but trying to balance national security needs with legal
constraints…
-----
ANGLICAN GROUP CALLS FOR ISRAEL SANCTIONS
Campaigners inspired by boycott of apartheid South Africa
Chris McGreal, Guardian, 9/24/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1311571,00.html
An influential Anglican group is to ask church leaders to impose a
boycott
of Israel and firms that do business there in protest at the
occupation.
The call, by the Anglican Peace and Justice Network, comes amid growing
concern in Israel at rising support among churches, universities and
trade
unions in the west for a divestment campaign modelled on the popular
boycott of apartheid South Africa.
In July, the Presbyterian church in the US became the first major
denomination to agree a formal boycott of Israel.
The network said it would press leaders of the 75 million Anglicans and
Episcopalians worldwide to impose sanctions on Israel after an
eight-day
visit to the occupied territories.
The leader of the group, Jenny Te Paa, said the delegation from
Anglican
churches across the globe was so shocked by the plight of the
Palestinians,
including the construction of the concrete and steel barrier through
the
West Bank, that there was strong support for a boycott.
"There was no question that there has to be a very serious kind of
sanction
in order to get the world to see that at least one major church
institution
is taking very, very seriously its moral responsibility," she said.
"It happened in South Africa, and in South Africa the boycott had an
effect. Everybody said it wouldn't work and it did work. So here we are
taking on one of most wealthy and incredibly powerful nations,
supported by
the US. That's the Christian call…"
-----
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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
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/26/04
* PRE-ELECTION ARRESTS OF MUSLIMS? (Newsweek)
* CAIR-FL: DEATHS CONDEMNED (Miami Herald)
- Sign CAIR's 'Not in the Name of Islam' Petition
* MUSLIMS INVITE BUSH, KERRY TO SWING STATE MEETINGS (AP)
- OK: Muslims Hope Governor Will Host Ramadan Meal (AP)
- MO: Message of Muslim Awards Dinner: Vote (KC Star)
* CAT STEVENS INCIDENT HAS ORIGINS IN SPELLING MISTAKE (Time)
* MI: TEENS HELP CREATE ANTI-BIAS DRAMA (Detroit News)
* MORE IRAQI CIVILIANS KILLED BY U.S. THAN BY INSURGENTS (KR)
-----
PRE-ELECTION ARRESTS OF MUSLIMS?
Mark Hosenball and Michael Isikoff, Newsweek, 10/4/04
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6099899/site/newsweek/
Already angered by the government's treatment of Yusuf Islam, the
American
Muslim community is likely to become further enraged when the Bush
administration launches a new pre-election antiterrorism campaign this
week
that will include the likely arrests of hundreds of aliens from Middle
Eastern and other countries known to be havens for terrorists. Homeland
Security has targeted for possible detention as many as 2,000
foreigners
who are believed to be in violation of their visas and about whom there
is
"soft intelligence" suggesting possible terror connections. Some
security
and intel officials acknowledged, however, that intel on Yusuf Islam
might
be so soft that the U.S. authorities may have to apologize to the
singer.
-----
CAIR-FL: DEATHS CONDEMNED
AHMED BEDIER, Miami Herald, 9/26/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/editorial/letters/9752074.htm
The board, staff, members and volunteers of the Florida office of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations condemn the beheadings of
civilians
in Iraq by a group claiming links to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the United
States' most wanted man in Iraq.
As American Muslims, we condemn these heinous murders and repudiate
those
who deviate from authentic Islamic teachings by committing brutal acts
of
violence in the name of religion.
We call on people of all faiths and cultures to stand with us, united
against extremist ideologies that contradict the teachings and message
of
Islam.
As people of conscience, we unequivocally reject the claim that any
cause
could possibly be advanced by the killing of civilians.
AHMED BEDIER, Florida communications director, CAIR, Tampa
CONTACT: Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506, abedier@cair-florida.org; Altaf
Ali,
954-298-8214, altaf@cair-florida.org
SEE ALSO:
SIGN CAIR'S 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
-----
MUSLIMS INVITE BUSH, KERRY TO MEETINGS IN SWING STATES
CARRIE SPENCER, Associated Press, 9/25/04
http://www.freep.com/news/latestnews/pm463_20040925.htm
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The surveillance and detention allowed under the USA
Patriot Act could sway the small but largely united voting bloc of
American
Muslims, community leaders say.
A coalition of Muslim groups has invited both presidential campaigns,
plus
statewide and local candidates, to discuss civil rights in meetings in
the
key swing states that also have large numbers of Muslims: Michigan,
Ohio
and Florida.
"We truly believe central Ohio is the swing in Ohio," said Ahmad
Al-Akhras,
president of the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
relations.
The Muslim community wants the candidates to combat discrimination and
ethnic profiling.
"We need to hear it loud and clear. We need to hear it without
hesitation,"
Al-Akhras said. "Our civil liberties unfortunately have deteriorated so
much the people are afraid, intimidated and scared..."
Candidate forums are set for Oct. 9 in Columbus, Ohio, and Oct. 10 in
Novi.
Campaign spokesmen for President George W. Bush and Democrat John Kerry
said staff are reviewing schedules to see if anyone from the campaigns
can
attend in Ohio. The Kerry campaign has pledged to send a representative
to
the Michigan meeting, state CAIR director Celena Khatib said…
A study of southeast Michigan mosque attendees last summer found about
135,000 registered voters, Khatib said…
A CAIR-Ohio survey in 2000 indicated that four-fifths of 80 percent of
eligible Muslims in Ohio were registered to vote, and political
participation has increased since then, Al-Akhras said.
Nearly every Ohio mosque has had registration drives after Friday
afternoon
prayers, the most heavily attended service of the week, Al-Akhras said.
"We had one lady volunteer who brought us 500 names," he said. "It is
outstanding."
CONTACT: CAIR-MI, Celena Khatib or Misbah Shahid, 248-569-2203,
734-306-9507, 734-673-9430, cairmichigan@yahoo.com
CONTACT: CAIR-Ohio President Ahmad Al-Akhras, 614-989-5916, E-Mail:
ahmad@cair-ohio.com; CAIR-Ohio Executive Director Jad Humeidan,
614-571-2770, E-Mail: jad@cair-ohio.com
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIMS HOPE GOVERNOR WILL HOST RAMADAN MEAL
Associated Press, 9/25/04
http://www.kotv.com/main/home/stories.asp?whichpage=1&id=69635
OKLAHOMA CITY - The Governor's Mansion could be the site of a dinner
honoring the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, if the officials can approve
the
request on such a short notice.
At the first meeting of the Governor's Ethnic American Advisory Council
members during their first meeting voted to draft a letter asking Gov.
Brad
Henry to host the Muslim community one evening during Ramadan, which
goes
from Oct. 16 to Nov. 15 this year.
"We can even provide the food - make it easier for the governor's
staff,"
said council member Mohammad J. Farzaneh of Norman.
Because of the short notice, members of the Muslim community could be
disappointed, said Hank Batty, deputy administrator for programs in the
Office of Personnel Management.
"It will come as no surprise to you that the governor is a very, very
busy
man, and it may not be possible this year," Batty told members of the
council.
Former President Clinton began holding a Ramadan meal at the White
House
during his administration, and President Bush has continued the
tradition…
Henry created the diversity panel by executive order in May to advise
him
about policies and programs to meet the needs and to protect the civil
liberties of Oklahomans from the Middle East.
He appointed nine people to the council, but one resigned before
Friday's
first meeting.
The remaining eight elected Sandra Kay Rana of Broken Arrow as their
chairman. Marjaneh Seirafi-Pour of Norman was chosen vice chairman and
secretary.
---
MESSAGE OF MUSLIM AWARDS DINNER: VOTE
BENITA Y. WILLIAMS, Kansas City Star, 9/26/04
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/9761939.htm
The Heartland Muslim Council held its annual dinner Saturday on the
campus
of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where speakers urged
citizens to
vote.
The theme was "Voting is our right. To vote is your responsibility."
"We want every adult who is an American citizen to register to vote,"
council President Mahnaz Shabbir said.
The keynote speaker was Imam Omar Hazim of the Islamic Center of
Topeka.
Other speakers included Dick Kurtenbach, executive director of the
American
Civil Liberties Union in Kansas and Western Missouri, and Awais Sufi,
the
managing director and general counsel of the Education for Employment
Foundation in Washington. Both spoke about what they characterized as
the
erosion of civil liberties for all Americans and Muslim-Americans in
particular since the Patriot Act was passed after the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks.
"When the rights of one group are diminished, the rights of all are
diminished," Kurtenbach said.
Shabbir denounced terrorist attacks of all types, particularly those
attributed to Muslim groups.
"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 Qur'an and the
Prophet Mohammed," Shabbir said…
-----
THE CAT STEVENS INCIDENT HAS ITS ORIGINS IN A SPELLING MISTAKE
SALLY B. DONNELLY, Time Magazine, 9/25/04
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,702062,00.html
The Yusuf Islam incident earlier this week, in which the former Cat
Stevens
was denied entry into the U.S. when federal officials determined he was
on
the government's "no-fly" antiterror list, started with a simple
spelling
error. According to aviation sources with access to the list, there is
no
Yusuf Islam on the no-fly registry, though there is a "Youssouf Islam."
The
incorrect name was added to the register this summer, but because
Islam's
name is spelled "Yusuf" on his British passport, he was allowed to
board a
plane in London bound for the U.S. The Transportation Safety
Administration
alleges that Islam has links to terrorist groups, which he has denied;
British foreign minister Jack Straw said the TSA action "should never
have
been taken."
The incident points up some of the real problems facing security
personnel
as they try to enforce the "no-fly" list. One issue is spelling; many
foreign names have several different transliterations into English. And
the
sheer size of the list is daunting; thousands of names have been added
in
the last couple months, says one government official, bringing the
total up
to more than 19,000 names to look out for. That makes it difficult for
airlines and government agencies to check all passengers. Within the
past
six months, several people on the no fly list have been mistakenly
allowed
to fly.
Still, the TSA is learning. It recently acknowledged that a Federal Air
Marshall, unable to fly for weeks when his name was mistakenly put on
the
"no-fly" list, was in fact not a threat, and removed his name from the
list.
-----
TEENS HELP CREATE ANTI-BIAS DRAMA
Delores Patterson, Detroit News, 9/26/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/oakland/0409/26/b05-284323.htm
BIRMINGHAM - Over the course of three months last year, Sofia Begg
learned
she is more open to reaching out and starting dialogues with those of
different religious backgrounds than she thought.
"I grew up in the same circle my whole life and it's been like a
bubble.
And I have since been able to pop it," said the 18-year-old Muslim from
Bloomfield Hills.
Begg is one of 20 teens who helped create "The Children of Abraham
Project," a play about breaking down longstanding religious prejudices
and
hatred among Jews, Muslims and Christians. The performance debuted in
March
and will be featured at the Community House today.
The show is inspired by the story of Abraham and his two sons, which
provides a framework to explore how peace can be generated in the
aftermath
of the September 11 attacks and conflict in the Middle East. Abraham
was
married to Sarah, who couldn't have children so she volunteered a
servant
to give Abraham a child. The child's name was Ishmael, and he was the
forefather of Islam. Then through a miracle, Sarah had a son named
Isaac,
who became the forefather of Judaism and by extension Christianity.
The play, written by Rachel Urist of Ann Arbor, goes back and forth
between
the telling of the biblical story and teenagers' stories of the daily
issues they face. The juxtaposition shows some of the parallels between
past and present concerns throughout the world.
"We want people to see that from Abraham all three religions were born.
And
if we all realize that we have the same father and that Isaac and
Ishmael
came together to bury their father, we wouldn't have all these
problems. We
see it as more than a play but a peace movement," said Rick Sperling,
founder of the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and director of the
show...
-----
MORE IRAQI CIVILIANS KILLED BY U.S. FORCES THAN BY INSURGENTS
Nancy A. Youssef, Knight Ridder Newspapers, 9/24/04
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9753303.htm
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Operations by U.S. and multinational forces and Iraqi
police are killing twice as many Iraqis - most of them civilians - as
attacks by insurgents, according to statistics compiled by the Iraqi
Health
Ministry and obtained exclusively by Knight Ridder.
According to the ministry, the interim Iraqi government recorded 3,487
Iraqi deaths in 15 of the country's 18 provinces from April 5 - when
the
ministry began compiling the data - until Sept. 19. Of those, 328 were
women and children. Another 13,726 Iraqis were injured, the ministry
said.
While most of the dead are believed to be civilians, the data include
an
unknown number of police and Iraqi national guardsmen. Many Iraqi
deaths,
especially of insurgents, are never reported, so the actual number of
Iraqis killed in fighting could be significantly higher.
During the same period, 432 American soldiers were killed.
Iraqi officials said the statistics proved that U.S. airstrikes
intended
for insurgents also were killing large numbers of innocent civilians.
Some
say these casualties are undermining popular acceptance of the
American-backed interim government…
-----
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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
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