cair-net Digest of: get.2201_2300
Topics (messages 2201 through 2284):
CAIR-NET: Imams' Media Conference in VA / Lawmaker to Take Oath on
Koran, Faces Flak / In U.S., Fear and Distrust of Muslims Runs Deep
2201 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Skies Will Never Be Friendly for Imams / U.S. Muslim Thanks
His Adopted Homeland / Muslim Youth Enter Political Arena
2202 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: U.S. Holocaust Museum Urged to Drop Islam-Basher
2203 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: MI Lawyers Fight Terror Tag / Quran Oath Gets Wingnuts
Whirling / Texans Take Sides on Proposed Mosque
2204 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Holocaust Museum Distances Itself from Prager / MI Muslim
Cites Gym After Interrupted Prayer / NC Muslim Worker to Receive Apology
2205 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: President Asked to Rescind Prager's Appointment / NYPD
Anti-Terror Unit Filled with Anti-Muslim Hate / VT Man Held for Stalking
Muslim Family
2206 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Imams Removed from US Airways Flight Retain CAIR as Legal
Counsel
2207 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Slurs Used in Attacks on Muslims in Florida, Ohio / AJC Calls
Prager's Remarks 'Disrespectful' / Houston Suburb Objects to Mosque
Plans
2208 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Dennis Prager Supporters Spew Anti-Muslim Hate / CAIR-Tampa
Director Given Human Rights Award
2209 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: D.C. Press Club Panel to Offer Arab, Muslim View of Iraq
Report
2210 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Ed Koch Joins Call to Oust Prager from Council / Proposed NJ
Mosque Stirs Heated Debate
2211 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Voices Against Extremism and Terror / Fliers at PA
Church Take Aim at Islam
2212 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Iraq Report Discussion to Air Live on C-SPAN2
2213 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Hajjis Reminded of Their Rights as Airline Passengers /
Profiling Hotline Established
2214 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Condemns Iranian Holocaust Denial Conference / Holocaust
Museum Founder Calls Prager 'Poor Choice' / CA Effigy of 'Arab' Stirs
Uneasiness
2215 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FL Web Host Asked to Drop 'Kill All Muslim Kids' Site /
Muslim Asked to Remove Hijab on British Airways Flight
2216 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FL 'Kill All Muslim Kids' Hate Site Shut Down / U.S. Cannot
Afford Ignorance of Islam, World
2217 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims, Catholics in 'Encounter of Mutual Respect' /
Hanukkah-Hajj Event Brings Muslims, Jews Together / Ranks of West Point
Muslims Grow
2218 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Ask Elected Officials on Holocaust Council to Repudiate
Bigotry
2219 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FL Muslim Billboard Counters Negative Perceptions / VA
Program Aims to Dispel Fears of Muslims
2220 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Asks Wal-Mart to Drop Game Glorifying Religious Violence
2221 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: VA Rep Asked to Apologize for Anti-Muslim Remarks
2222 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: NJ Congressman Slams Rep. Goode's Anti-Muslim Remarks / FBI
Seeks Break in OH Mosque Blast / MD Schools' Islamic Lessons Inaccurate,
Group Says
2223 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Question GOP Silence on VA Rep's Islamophobic Remarks
2224 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Prager Asked to Resign / 'JDL' Threatens CA Peace Activist /
Rep. Honda 'Surprised and Offended' by Goode's Anti-Muslim Remarks
2225 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Revere Jesus / VA Muslims Want Apology from Goode /
Holocaust Museum Rebukes Prager / More U.S. Muslims Going on Hajj
2226 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: VA Muslims Show Solidarity with Hispanic Laborers / Bush
Urged to Act on Criticism of Muslim Rep
2227 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: VA Muslims Asked to Contact Davis, Wolf About Anti-Muslim
Remarks
2228 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Uncle Sam Wants US Muslims to Serve / Feud May Cast Texas
Mosque Beside Swine / Abraham's Devotion Inspires Muslims, Christians,
Jews
2229 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Welcomes TSA Hajj Sensitivity Training / CAIR-LA Airs
Eid Radio Spots / Do Israelis Practice Apartheid?
2230 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Traveler Gets Apology for Strip Search / Incitement:
'I Advocate the Forced Removal of All Muslims' / VA Students Will 'Live
as Muslims' for a Month
2231 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Sample Eid Media Advisory / Airport Officials Get Lesson in
Hajj
2232 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Top 10 CAIR Highlights of 2006
2233 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: German Muslim Denied Entry to U.S., Detained in Las Vegas
2234 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: MS Museum Touts Muslim Culture in Bible Belt / TX Man Races
Pigs to Protest Mosque Plans / For Young Americans, Hajj is an Epic
Adventure
2235 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CA Muslim Family Claims Profiling at Airport / NJ Muslim
Mayor / Breaking a U.S. Taboo of Criticizing Israel
2236 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: First Muslim in Congress to Use Thomas Jefferson's Quran /
CAIR-Orlando Director Interviewed
2237 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Chapters to Spot-Check Treatment of Returning Hajj
Pilgrims
2238 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: 'The New Nazi Party, Also Known as Islam' / Ellison Shakes
Hands with Goode / Fast-Food Giants Cater to Muslims
2239 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Islamophobes Mislead Senator Boxer / Editor Says CAIR's Work
Reflects Past Civil Rights Efforts / MI Muslims Donate Meat to Homeless
2240 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: 'If Muslims are Allowed to Infiltrate Congress' / Deported OH
Imam Has Disappeared / FBI Probes Death Threat Against CA Muslim Leader
2241 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FL Muslim Group Offers Hot Meal, Hope / Letters Praise CAIR,
Criticize Boxer
2242 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: MI Vandalism has Sunni, Shia Working for Peace / Israel
Arrests Deported Ohio Imam / Men Cleared in FL Port Scare 'Treated Like
Animals'
2243 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Call for Federal Probe into Vandalism / Muslim Record
Label Seeks to Make a Difference
2244 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Maryland's First Muslim Lawmaker Takes Office / Incitement:
'Koran is a Document of Hate, Death' / Politicians Should Not Cower
Before Bigots
2245 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: NYPD Appoints Imam for Muslim Outreach / Gonzales: 'Improve
Communication with Muslim Leaders' / MN Muslim Workers Sue Bus Company /
Blogger Forces CA Station to Address Anti-Muslim Remarks
2246 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR-MI to Call for Probe Into Airline's Treatment of Hajjis
/ Where are All the Moderate Muslims? / CAIR-KY Hosts Interfaith Dinner
Celebrating Abraham's Legacy
2247 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: NC Lawsuit Over Quran Oaths to Continue / MI Muslims Barred
from Flight / FL Man Wins Airline Profiling Suit / Pig Races at TX
Mosque Site / Apartheid in Israel
2248 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: MI Muslim Pilgrims Offered Apology by NW Airlines
2249 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Racial Slur Used During Assault on NY Muslim / Muslims
Concerned About Fox's '24' Portrayal
2250 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Michigan Imam Threatened / Islam and Religious Freedom / IBM
Worker Says He Was Fired for Being Muslim / DHS to Launch Traveler
Redress Inquiry Program
2251 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Concerned About Civil Liberties Impact of Fox's '24'
2252 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: IL Muslim Students Seek Prayer Space at Sports Arena / Muslim
Students Support Native-Americans / Anti-Islamic Lecture Cancelled By
Canadian Church / New Magazine for U.S. Muslim Girls
2253 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CA Anti-Muslim Hecklers Disrupt Talk on Islam / WA Islamic
Center Vandalized / Doubt Cast on Islamophobes' Terror Claims
2254 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CA Jewish Group Urged to Invite Muslim to Balance Islamophobe
/ Muslim Cabbies Should Not Bar Guide Dogs
2255 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Mich. Mosques Asked to Boost Security After New Act of
Vandalism
2256 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FBI Asked to Probe Hate Graffiti on MI Mosque
2257 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Fire at NJ Mosque / NC Assault Victims Called 'Sand N**gers,'
'Terrorists'
2258 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR, Senator Boxer Resolve Award Controversy
2259 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Controversy Follows Dennis Prager / Muslims See No Conflict
Between Islam, Democracy / President's Portrayal of Enemy Flawed
2260 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: PA Muslims Form 'Run for Understanding' Team for NJ Marathon
/ Probation for Assault on MI Arab-American / Carter Says 'Apartheid'
an Accurate Description of West Bank
2261 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: MI Religious Leaders Decry Mosque Vandalism / NC Campus Brawl
Brings FBI / Canada: Government Settles with Detained Muslim
2262 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Shots Fired at CA Mosque / FL Anti-Muslim Flier Raises Ire /
Canadian Village Acts on Anti-Muslim Stereotypes
2263 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Call Al-Arian Imprisonment 'Double Jeopardy'
2264 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Urge Senators to Oppose Iraq Troop Escalation / Congress May
Ban Racial Profiling
2265 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Slurs Used During Assault on Florida Muslim
2266 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: MI Speech by 'Ex-Terrorists' Draws Ire / Canadian Town Asked
to Retract Xenophobic 'Standards'
2267 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: MI Mosque Attacks 'Scary' for Muslims / CO Radio Host Can't
Think of 'a Good Muslim' / US 'Victory' Against Iraq Cult Leader a
'Massacre'
2268 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: NJ Imams Receive Threatening Letters / MI Panel on Terrorists
Draws Protests / Al-Arian on 11th Day of Hunger Strike in VA
2269 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: OK Officer Fired After Incident Involving Muslim Woman
2270 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: US Mayor Converts to Islam / Five Charged in Beating of NY
Muslim / NJ Mental Care Providers Learn to Understand Muslim Patients
2271 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FBI, ICE, CIS to Meet with MO Muslims / Muslim Culture Focus
of Law-Enforcement Video
2272 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Launches 'American Muslim Legacy' Photo Project
2273 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims, Christians, Hindus Aid FL Storm Victims / Debunking
Myths About Muslim Women
2274 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: NY Univ. Fires RAs Over 'Insensitive' Video / Fear of Bias
Keeps US Muslims Out of Military / Carter Accuses Wiesenthal Center of
'Slander' / Al-Arian Speaks Out from Prison
2275 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Rights Groups Sue Over Citizenship Delay / Politics, Not
Faith, Behind Shia-Sunni Violence / Canadians Show Least Bias Toward
Muslims
2276 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: More Hispanic Americans Converting to Islam / Scholar to
Speak on ‘Islam and Violence’ / Detained Palestinian Dad May Be Freed in
TX
2277 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Sen. Boxer Accused of Caving in to Anti-Muslim Fury / Muslims
Face Hatred, Curiosity in U.S.
2278 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: African Muslims Add 'Different Perspective' in MI / Economist
Slams New Hirsi Ali Book / Radio Host Says 'Islam Is Not the Enemy'
2279 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Congress Asked to Hear Both Sides of Mideast Conflict / NY
School to Teach Half of Classes in Arabic
2280 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR-MI Rep Discusses Malcolm X at Black History Event / TX:
Young Muslims Look to New Careers
2281 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Action - Write Letters in Support of Dr. Al-Arian / FL Prof
Collapses on 23rd day of Hunger Strike
2282 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: VA Rep Warns of 'In Muhammad We Trust' / FBI Probes Vandalism
of CA Muslim Website / Vitriolic E-Mails Zero in on UT 'Muslim'
2283 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CA Teacher Accused of Anti-Muslim Statements / IA Rep Says
Terror Started with Quran / FBI Honors GA Mosque's Chairman
2284 by: CAIR
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/1/06
*
Hadith:
God Grants Mercy to Those Who are
Merciful
*
CAIR-MD/VA:
Imams' Media Conference
in VA
-
CAIR-Houston Job Opening:
Executive Director
*
CAIR-CA:
Growing
Cooperation Between Muslims, Jews
*
CAIR Supports
Student-Initiated Religious
Displays (AP)
*
CAIR:
Lawmaker
to Take Oath on Koran, Faces Flak (Wash Times)
-
Oath on Quran:
Provocation or Act of
Faith? (Star Trib)
-
Newly Elected Muslim
Lawmaker Under Fire (USA Today)
*
CAIR:
In U.S., Fear
and Distrust of Muslims Runs Deep (Reuters)
*
IL:
Muslim,
Catholic Schools Bridge Cultural Gap (Chicago Trib)
-
NJ:
For All-Muslim Troop,
Scouting Has Merits
*
Analysis:
High
Bar Set in AIPAC Case (UPI)
*
Muezzin's Life Lies Sunk in a Gaza
Mosque's Ruins (Reuters)
*
Vandals Paint Crosses at Vienna's
Muslim Cemetery (Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD GRANTS MERCY TO THOSE WHO ARE
MERCIFUL -
TOP
When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was questioned about
weeping following the death of his granddaughter, he said:
"(Weeping) is the mercy that God has placed in the hearts of His
servants. And surely God bestows mercy upon those who are merciful (to
others)."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 4, Number 21
-----
CAIR-MD/VA: REGISTER
FOR IMAMS' MEDIA CONFERENCE IN VA -
TOP
(HERNDON, VA, 12/1/06) - On December 9,
the Maryland and Virginia
chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MD/VA), in
cooperation with the D.C. Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations
(DC-CCMO) and the Fairfax Institute, will hold its first annual Imams'
media relations conference in Herndon, Va.
The one-day conference is designed to teach Imams, community leaders and
activists how to interact effectively with media professionals. Sessions
will cover basic media relations skills.
WHAT: Day-long conference: 'Working with the Media'
WHEN: Saturday, December 9, 2006, beginning at 9 a.m.
Registration is free, but seating is limited. To register, contact:
Sakeena Abdulraheem or Jamil Moris-Days, Tel: 703-689-3100 or Khalid
Iqbal, Tel: 202-439-5432.
SEE ALSO:
IMMEDIATE JOB OPPORTUNITY:
CAIR-HOUSTON -
TOP
The
Houston Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR-Houston) has an immediate opening for an experienced, dynamic,
enthusiastic and motivated person for the position of Executive
Director.
All those interested and eligible to work in US (citizens and legal
residents) are encouraged to contact:
Dr. Tarek Hussein
Tel: 713-802-1211
FAX: 281-286-8627
E-Mail:
Tarek_Hussein@yahoo.com
-----
CAIR-CA: ISLAMOPHOBES' SMEARS
ARE OFF-BASE -
TOP
http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=16879
It is a sign of desperation on the part of America's most vicious
Islamophobe, Steven Emerson, to resort to deception and defamation to try
to undermine CAIR's work. It troubles him to see a growing number of
Muslims and Jews working together on issues of social justice, religious
tolerance and civil rights. The more we directly talk to each other, the
more irrelevant extremists like Emerson are going to be.
CAIR representatives regularly speak at synagogues. Rabbis and people of
the Jewish faith continue to be invited to speak at mosques and CAIR
events. CAIR spends a great deal of time conversing and exchanging ideas
with the Jewish community. Some of most ardent supporters of CAIR and
champions of human rights for the Muslim community are Jewish.
For the record, CAIR never did and will never sponsor any event that
promotes any form of racism, including anti-Semitism. Specifically, as
Emerson was told repeatedly, CAIR has no connection, direct or indirect,
to the event he referred to in New York.
If anything, CAIR has repeatedly spoken against those who resort to
negative stereotyping in order to comment on the Arab-Israeli conflict,
such as when we criticized an Arab newspaper that published excerpts from
the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion." Claiming that CAIR or I
are anti-Semitic will be found ridiculous and offensive by CAIR's many
Jewish members and donors who include rabbis among them. Information and
not misinformation is the first step on the path to dialogue, mutual
respect and trust and cooperation. When I needed to learn more about the
Jewish community, I went to The Jewish Federation and to my Jewish
friends. I did not go to the KKK.
I invite you to learn more about Islam and CAIR by visiting
www.cair.com and more about me by
visiting my blog at
www.hussamayloush.blogspot.com and not from the hate-mongering of
Emerson or Pat Robertson.
I know that we are not always going to agree on all issues, including the
Middle East conflict. However, dialogue is the only way forward toward a
just resolution of the Middle East conflict.
I am confident that most of us would like for our debate and even
disagreement to remain within the civil and compassionate boundaries
taught to us, respectively, by our great teachings of Judaism and Islam.
It is time for all of us to reject the extremists who insist on deciding
on our behalf that there is no common ground among us.
Hussam Ayloush, Executive Director, CAIR-Southern California
-----
CAIR: TIS THE SEASON FOR
DISPUTES OVER HOLIDAY OBSERVANCES -
TOP
Jeffrey Gold, Associated Press, 11/30/06
Colored lights, Christmas trees and menorahs are brightening town squares
around the state, but the legal landscape for such displays remains
murky.
Some schools are also wrestling with how to incorporate elements of
Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa in their classrooms, assemblies and
hallways.
The best advice from experts: honor the year-end traditions of different
religions without endorsing a particular ideology. . .
New Jersey has a growing Muslim population, centered around Paterson. A
national Muslim group said it had not received any complaints about
displays this season and supports them as long as all faiths can be
represented when their holidays arise.
"In schools, if it's student-initiated and students of all faiths
have access to a bulletin board or display case, we have no problem with
it," said
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on
American-Islamic Relations in Washington. (MORE)
-----
CAIR: LAWMAKER TO TAKE
OATH ON KORAN, FACES FLAK -
TOP
Eric Pfeiffer, Washington Times, 12/1/06
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20061130-105645-4387r.htm
Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, will take
his oath of office on the Koran, not the Bible.
Although some have criticized the Minnesota Democrat's decision, his
campaign manager cites historical precedent in describing it as a
nonissue.
"Well, he will be the first to do it with the Koran," Dave
Colling said. "But most members do not even take an individual oath
with any book. Keith Ellison will be taking his oath in the chamber with
the other members of Congress."
House members are sworn in en masse in the chamber, and no Bible or other
religious document is used for the oath. However, several incoming House
members use Bibles for their individual swearing-in, which is
administered by the House speaker and takes place after the official
group oath.
Mr. Ellison has been criticized by some Christian organizations and
conservative radio host Dennis Prager, who say that even if the law
allows him to take an oath on the Koran, he should adhere to what they
call the historical tradition of taking the oath of office on the
Bible.
"In your personal life, we will fight for your right to prefer any
other book. We will even fight for your right to publish cartoons mocking
our Bible. But, Mr. Ellison, America, not you, decides on what book its
public servants take their oath," Mr. Prager, who is Jewish, wrote
in an online column.
The American Family Association (AFA) posted an "Action Alert"
on its Web site requesting that supporters urge lawmakers to pass a law
requiring that the Bible be used in congressional swearing-in ceremonies.
"What book will America base its values on, the Bible or the
Koran?" the AFA posting said.
"The premise of the attack is false," Mr. Colling said, adding
that Mr. Ellison has not refused to take an oath on the Bible, because
his refusal would imply that such a requirement exists.
According to the Library of Congress, Theodore Roosevelt became the first
and only president to take an oath without a Bible in 1901. In 1961, John
F. Kennedy took his oath on a Catholic (Douay) version of the Bible.
Several Jewish members of Congress have taken their oath on the Torah.
Article VI of the Constitution specifies that "... no religious Test
shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust
under the United States."
In 2005, a North Carolina judge refused to allow a Muslim woman to take
her oath on the Koran before testifying. Guilford County Superior Judge
W. Douglas Albright cited state law in the case, which reads that oaths
are to be made upon "Holy Scriptures," which analysts agreed is
a reference to the Bible.
However, in 1997, a federal judge hearing a terrorism case in Washington
allowed witnesses to make such an oath to Allah.
"This is a tempest in an Internet teapot," said
Ibrahim
Hooper, spokesman for the Center for American-Islamic Relations.
"With the rising level of Islamophobia in America, you have some
people who see the empowerment of any Muslim as a threat to the
Constitution. In reality, they should see the empowerment of such an
individual as strengthening the Constitution."
SEE ALSO:
OATH ON QUR'AN: PROVOCATION OR ACT OF FAITH?
-
TOP
The choice by Keith Ellison, the first Muslim in the U.S. House, to take
his oath of office on his faith's holy book, has stirred a debate.
Rob Hotakainen, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 12/1/06
http://www.startribune.com/484/story/846590.html
Rep.-elect Keith Ellison's decision to take his oath of office on the
Qur'an is stirring a debate among academics and conservatives, with some
of them saying it's only appropriate to take an oath on the
Bible.
The Minnesota Democrat says that the Constitution gives him the right to
use the Muslim holy book, and that is what he intends to do on Jan.
4.
"Mr. Ellison, America, not you, decides on what book its public
servants take their oath," radio talk show host and author Dennis
Prager wrote in his online column this week. He said that American Jews
routinely have taken their oath on the Bible, even though they don't
believe in the New Testament, and that if Ellison refuses to do so,
"don't serve in Congress."
But Eugene Volokh, a professor of law at the University of California,
Los Angeles, said the Constitution authorizes people not to swear their
oath at all, protecting atheists and agnostics.
"Why would Muslims and others not be equally protected?" he
wrote for National Review Online.
Ellison, who told the Star Tribune shortly after his election victory
that he planned to use the Qur'an, was attending meetings in Washington
on Thursday and could not be reached for comment, according to Dave
Colling, his spokesman. But Ellison defended his plan to use the Qur'an,
Islam's holiest book, in an interview with Abdi Aynte, a reporter from
Minneapolis who writes for the Minnesota Monitor, an independently
produced political news blog.
"The Constitution guarantees for everyone to take the oath of office
on whichever book they prefer," Ellison was quoted as saying.
"And that's what the freedom of religion is all about."
(MORE)
---
NEWLY ELECTED MUSLIM LAWMAKER
UNDER FIRE -
TOP
Andrea Stone, USA Today, 12/1/06
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-12-01-muslim-lawmaker_x.htm
The first Muslim elected to Congress hasn't been sworn into office yet,
but his act of allegiance has already been criticized by a conservative
commentator.
In a column posted Tuesday on the conservative website Townhall.com,
Dennis Prager blasted Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison's decision to take
the oath of office Jan. 4 with his hand on a Quran, the Muslim holy
book.
"He should not be allowed to do so," Prager wrote, "not
because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act
undermines American culture."
He said Ellison, a convert from Catholicism, should swear on a Christian
Bible - which "America holds as its holiest book. … If you are
incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress."
(MORE)
-----
DC: IN U.S., FEAR AND
DISTRUST OF MUSLIMS RUNS DEEP -
TOP
Bernd Debusmann, Reuters, 12/1/06
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061201/us_nm/usa_muslims_fear_dc
When radio host Jerry Klein suggested that all Muslims in the United
States should be identified with a crescent-shape tattoo or a distinctive
arm band, the phone lines jammed instantly.
The first caller to the station in Washington said that Klein must be
"off his rocker." The second congratulated him and added:
"Not only do you tattoo them in the middle of their forehead but you
ship them out of this country ... they are here to kill
us."
Another said that tattoos, armbands and other identifying markers such as
crescent marks on driver's licenses, passports and birth certificates did
not go far enough. "What good is identifying them?" he asked.
"You have to set up encampments like during World War Two with the
Japanese and Germans."
At the end of the one-hour show, rich with arguments on why visual
identification of "the threat in our midst" would alleviate the
public's fears, Klein revealed that he had staged a hoax. It drew out
reactions that are not uncommon in post-9/11 America.
"I can't believe any of you are sick enough to have agreed for one
second with anything I said," he told his audience on the AM station
630 WMAL (
http://www.wmal.com), which
covers Washington, Northern Virginia and Maryland
"For me to suggest to tattoo marks on people's bodies, have them
wear armbands, put a crescent moon on their driver's license on their
passport or birth certificate is disgusting. It's beyond
disgusting.
"Because basically what you just did was show me how the German
people allowed what happened to the Jews to happen ... We need to
separate them, we need to tattoo their arms, we need to make them wear
the yellow Star of David, we need to put them in concentration camps, we
basically just need to kill them all because they are dangerous.". .
.
A poll carried out by the
Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), an advocacy group, found that for one in three Americans, the
word Islam triggers negative connotations such as "war,"
"hatred" and "terrorist." The war in Iraq has
contributed to such perceptions. (MORE)
SEE ALSO: Radio Spoof Draws Support for Nazi-Like Treatment of U.S.
Muslims
http://cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=2415&theType=NR
-----
IL: HARMONIOUS DAY AT
QUEEN OF PEACE -
TOP
Islamic, Catholic schools bridge cultural gap by spending day learning
about their religions
Jo Napolitano, Chicago Tribune, 12/1/06
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/chi-0612010157dec01,1,7550459.story
Thursday was a day of firsts in Burbank.
In a celebration called Harmony Day, students at Queen of Peace High
School and Muslim students from the Universal School in nearby Bridgeview
talked about the differences--and similarities--between Catholicism and
Islam.
The daylong program, meant to fuel understanding between the religions,
began with an 11-minute video in which Queen of Peace students talked
candidly about Islam. Asked what images or ideas enter their heads when
they hear the words "Islam" or "Muslim," they talked
about the Middle East and headscarves. One student mentioned the 2001
terrorist attacks.
The Universal School, with 629 Muslim students in preschool through high
school, is only 2.5 miles from Queen of Peace, but the Catholic students
said they knew little about their peers in the next town.
Many said they had no personal experience with Islam. Some Muslim
students said the same of Catholicism.
One girl from the Universal School said all her friends practice the same
faith. "I have no friends who are not Muslim," she said.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
NJ: FOR ALL-MUSLIM TROOP, SCOUTING
HAS MERITS -
TOP
Members say typical exercises carry practical and spiritual value
Chris Gaetano, North South Brunswick Sentinel, 12/1/06
http://nbs.gmnews.com/news/2006/1130/Front_Page/008.html
They can pitch a tent, start a campfire and point in the direction of the
holy city of Mecca no matter where they are. They are Boy Scout Troop
114, the only all-Muslim troop in the state, and they are based out of
South Brunswick.
Officially chartered in the fall of 2002, the troop formed at the
suggestion of senior members of the Islamic Society of Central Jersey who
had either been through the scouting process themselves or had children
who had done so.
"Part of the reason for that was that, although their boys had made
it to Eagle and had a wonderful experience, they thought the experience
would have been enhanced a lot more if they had been able to interact
within their own troop," said Saffet Abid, the committee chair for
the troop.
The group, based out of the Noor Ul-Iman School, started with 13 members
and four years later has grown to 33, having graduated their first set of
Star Scouts this past June.
According to Abid, having an all-Muslim troop has made being a Boy Scout
an easier experience for all of its members. He noted several
difficulties that Muslim Scouts have experienced in the past. One example
was the difficulties that the summer camps would have in meeting their
specific dietary restrictions, a difficulty they share with all-Jewish
troops. When together in a large group, however, they were able to tell
the camps of their needs beforehand, allowing them to buy the proper food
in bulk and prepare it for the troop. . .
Abid said that scouting has been a positive influence for the boys, not
only because of the asserted benefits of scouting in and of itself, but
also because of the impact it has on the way they practice their faith,
on both a spiritual and practical level. (MORE)
SEE ALSO: First Muslim Boy Scout Troop in New Jersey Takes Form
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17532467&BRD=1091&PAG=461&dept_id=425716&rfi=6
-----
ANALYSIS: HIGH BAR SET
IN AIPAC CASE -
TOP
Shaun Waterman, United Press International, 11/30/06
http://washtimes.com/upi/20061129-072531-3019r.htm
The government has been set a high bar for conviction in the AIPAC
secrets case -- prosecutors must show the two lobbyists charged under
espionage laws knew that the disclosure of the material they allegedly
passed to reporters and Israeli officials would hurt the United
States.
The defendants, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, lobbyists for the
American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, are charged with
conspiring with Department of Defense intelligence analyst Larry Franklin
to leak U.S. secrets in an apparent effort to influence U.S. policy
towards Iran.
In a transcript of a recent pre-trial hearing, made available Tuesday,
the judge in the case made it clear that prosecutors must prove
intention, or what lawyers call "mens rea" -- Latin for "a
guilty mind" -- for every element of the conspiracy.
"The Court imposed the requirement that the government prove that
the defendant knew the information ... would harm the United
States," Judge Thomas Ellis told the Nov. 16 hearing, though
prosecutors had asked that this requirement be lifted.
That is important, explains government transparency advocate Steven
Aftergood of the Federation of American Scientists, because it means the
defendants, if found guilty, will have been proved to have "the
intention of hurting the United States." (MORE)
-----
MUEZZIN'S LIFE LIES SUNK IN A GAZA MOSQUE'S
RUINS -
TOP
Luke Baker, Reuters, 12/1/06
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L3024915.htm
Hussein Kafarneh is a muezzin without a mosque.
For nearly 30 years he led the traditional call to prayer at Beit
Hanoun's al-Nasser shrine, one of the oldest mosques in Gaza, climbing
the twisting steps to the top of the white stone minaret five times a
day.
His father did the same for 40 years before him.
Then, on Nov. 3 this year, as Israeli forces pursued an offensive in
Gaza, they clashed with Palestinian militants holed up inside and nearby
the mosque, using it as cover.
A dramatic stand-off ensued, with Israeli tanks aiming their barrels
towards the shrine and around 60 well-armed militants firing rounds back
towards the Israelis.
The army decided that since the mosque was being used for military
purposes it was no longer protected under the rules of conflict.
Commanders sent in armoured bulldozers to knock down its ancient walls,
which dated to the 13th century. (MORE)
-----
VANDALS PAINT CROSSES AT VIENNA'S MUSLIM
CEMETERY -
TOP
REUTERS, 12/1/06
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20061201-0714-austria-muslims-vandalism.html
VIENNA - Vandals painted 23 large black crosses on a wall inside Vienna's
first Muslim cemetery, officials said on Friday.
The desecration was discovered by a state television crew filming
construction work at the cemetery, due to be opened in mid-2007 in the
Austrian capital, Islamic Community spokeswoman Carla Amina Baghajati
said. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/3/06
*
Hadith:
Sincere Prayer Removes
Sin
*
CAIR-CA:
Interfaith Leader Says
'We Need CAIR'
-
CAIR-MI:
Univ. to Begin
Diversity Training (Forward)
*
CAIR-AZ:
Skies
Will Never Be Friendly for Imams (AZ Rep)
-
CAIR-AZ:
A Muslim
Immigrant Thanks His Adopted Homeland
-
CAIR-TX:
Get to
Know Muslims and Curb the Paranoia
*
CAIR:
Muslim Youth Enter Political
Arena (InFocus)
*
TX:
Pig Races Used to Show Muslims
Unwelcome (Houston Chronicle)
-
List of U.S. Mosques that Have
Experienced Bias Incidents
*
DC:
Arabic Calligraphy
Aids Understanding of Islam (Wash Post)
*
U.S. Embassy in Berlin Reaches
Out to Muslims (NPR)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: SINCERE PRAYER REMOVES SIN -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once went out when the leaves
were falling from the trees. He took hold of a branch and said:
"Verily, when a servant of God prays seeking only His pleasure, his
sins fall away just as the leaves have fallen from this
tree."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 199
-----
CAIR-CA: WE NEED CAIR -
TOP
Inside Bay Area (California), 12/2/06
http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_4760948
I WAS saddened to read a recent letter attacking the very positive role
played by the
Council of American Islamic Relations during this
community's struggle to come to terms with the horrible death of Alia
Ansari.
CAIR's public events gave political and law enforcement leaders a chance
to address and reassure the people, something that was greatly
needed.
Local CAIR leaders always have taken the position that we need to be
patient while law enforcement investigates all the facts, and not leap to
unwarranted conclusions.
I have worked with CAIR, and I can testify to the high standards of its
leaders. It is without question the most important advocate for Muslims
in modern America.
In the Bay Area, CAIR has been particularly helpful in raising up a new
generation of powerful and brilliant young Muslim women whose leadership
abilities have been recognized by all who have worked with them.
Freedom of religion is one of the core values of America. With the
introduction of Islamophobia into political discourse by the religious
right, neoconservatives, hate radio and the hard political right,
religious liberty has become an important civil rights issue.
By opposing religious bigotry, we defend democracy -- and we need CAIR
with us in that good and necessary fight.
Lawrence Swaim
Executive director, Interfaith Freedom Foundation
Fremont
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MI: UNIVERSITY TO BEGIN
DIVERSITY TRAINING -
TOP
Beth Schwartzapfel, Forward, 12/1/06
http://www.forward.com/articles/university-to-begin-diversity-training/
Michigan State University announced recently plans to offer a series of
diversity training sessions for faculty and students, focusing on
Islam-related subjects. The announcement came on the heels of an October
3 meeting between members of the university administration and the Muslim
Student Union.
The Muslim group, in concert with the
Michigan chapter of the Council
on American-Islamic Relations, had been calling on the university to
institute such training since Indrek Wichman, a professor of mechanical
engineering, sent an e-mail to the Muslim students group last April, in
which he called them "dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and
uncivilized slave-trading Moslems." (MORE)
-----
CAIR-AZ: SKIES WILL
NEVER BE FRIENDLY FOR IMAMS -
TOP
E.J. Montini, Arizona Republic, 12/3/06
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1203montini1203.html
Mohammed AbuHannoud has a na�ve yet optimistically American belief that
it's possible for six imams to board a commercial airplane in the United
States and not make the passengers nervous.
AbuHannoud is the civil rights director for the
Phoenix office of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations. I spoke to him about the six
imams who were removed from a U.S. Airways flight last month after
passengers and crew became suspicious of their behavior.
"When we ask for respectful treatment, that doesn't mean that we
don't want security," he told me. "It can be achieved. But
there is evil on this Earth, and there will always be evil, but we are
not going to sacrifice our values because there is evil. We should really
think of how we can develop procedures that keep our security at the
highest level and at the same time keep our values. Because these values
are going to fight this evil. The Constitution is for everyone."
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-AZ: AN IMMIGRANT
APPRECIATES U.S. FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA -
TOP
Asim Ameer, Arizona Republic, 12/3/06
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/viewpoints/articles/1203ameer1203.html
[Asim Ameer serves on the Board of the Council on American Islamic
Relations in Arizona and is a longtime Gilbert resident. He can be
reached at
thekarachikid@yahoo.com]
As the immigration debate rages across the country, a lot is said about
how America is changed for better or worse by the influx of immigrants
legal and illegal. However, not much is said about how America changes
the immigrants who come from different cultures and dive headlong into
this melting pot of promise and opportunity.
As we offer thanks for our blessings during this holiday season, I
reminisce about my very first holiday season in America in its
bicentennial year. My love affair with America began long before I
reached her shores. Her culture and influence are projected in many ways
all over the world through her media. Growing up in the bustling
metropolis of Karachi, I was exposed to America in many ways. As long as
I can remember, my father subscribed to that great bastion of Americana,
Reader's Digest. Through its pages and other newsmagazines, I learned not
only about America and her people, but her history, culture and ideals. .
.
This American is living and realizing his own American dream. The $30 in
1976 has multiplied many times over, and I have changed for the better
having lived here. I hope I have made a positive contribution to my
adopted homeland. Over the years, I have met a lot of Americans who
personify America and its ideals, and I owe them a debt of gratitude that
I will never be able to repay. (MORE)
---
CAIR-TX: GET TO KNOW
MUSLIM NEIGHBORS, CURB THE PARANOIA -
TOP
Sarwat Husain, San Antonio Express-News, 12/3/06
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/stories/MYSA120306.4H.husaincomment.1ed88dd.html
[
Sarwat Husain is president of the Council on American Islamic
Relations-San Antonio. E-mail her at
sanantonio@cair-net.org.]
On Nov. 20, six imams (Islamic religious leaders) were profiled,
humiliated in front of hundreds of people and discriminated
against.
Their only crime was exercising their constitutional right to pray as a
group in the boarding area of US Airways at the Minneapolis airport. .
.
America has to learn that Islam is not only the world's second largest
religion, it also is the second largest in the U.S. and is growing at the
fastest rate. More than three-quarters of American Muslims were born
here. Thirty-three percent of U.S. Muslims are people who were born in
America and converted to Islam.
These Muslims are here to stay; they are not going anywhere. We all have
to learn to live together with mutual respect and understanding.
As Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a senior member of the House
Homeland Security Committee, said in her statement regarding the six
imams, "The Muslim community has grown in size and prominence and is
an integral part of the fabric of this nation. Muslim Americans share the
same values and ideals that make this nation great, ideals such as
discipline, generosity, peace and moderation."
-----
CAIR: MUSLIM YOUTH ENTER POLITICAL ARENA
-
TOP
Sarah Hassaine, Southern California InFocus, 11/2006
http://www.infocusnews.net/content/view/344/135/
A new generation of energized and focused young Muslims in America are
pursuing career paths that do not fall in the conventional or preferred
science and engineering fields.
In fact, a growing percentage of youth are considering and practicing
careers in the political and social sciences.
Washington D.C., the nation's capital, has become the hotspot for young
Muslims across America. The political hub and the home base for national
offices of multifarious political, social, and humane organizations, is
attracting impressive and ambitious youth that genuinely aspire to make a
difference.
Asma Gheyoub, community outreach coordinator for the D.C. office of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said that she has
definitely seen more involvement from Muslim youth in the past five
years. "My generation of over 50 years of age is just now seeing the
value of voting and of participating in our communities, but the youth
today are well aware of their responsibility and are working hard
already." (MORE)
-----
TX: PIG RACE PLAN LEADS TO DIRTY ARGUMENT
-
TOP
Upset by moves of a Katy Islamic group, shop owner nearby will hold
weekly contests
ALLAN TURNER, Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/religion/4373941.html
All snout and tail, the pink and brown pigs contentedly rooting in the
wire pen behind Craig Baker's stone shop seem piggishly comic. They're
racing pigs, after all, and that's got to be funny.
But few in the sprawling subdivisions along Baker Road are
laughing.
These pigs are subtle weapons, here to show the new neighbors - the Katy
Islamic Association - they aren't entirely welcome. Tension has been
growing in this west Harris County community since September when the
Muslim group announced it had purchased 11 acres south of Interstate 10
to build a mosque, school, community center and athletic facilities.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
MOSQUES IN U.S. THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED
VIOLENT OR RACIST INCIDENTS -
TOP
Sheila Musaji, The American Muslims, 11/30/06
http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/mosques_in_us_that_have_experienced_violent_or_racist_incidents1/0012120
Mosques in the U.S. are becoming dangerous places. Type MOSQUE in The
American Muslim site search engine and you will turn up 234 entries. I
can't help but think that the violent rhetoric of conservative and
religious commentators in America has to be counted as at least partially
responsible for what is going on. When people say that Arabs are
sub-human or that Muslim leaders should be killed and Muslims all
converted to Christianity, it cannot help but have some effect over time.
Ignorance and racism are a lot more powerful than people realize. throw
in a bit of fear (talk about mosques needing surveillance, or being
hotbeds of extremism), and even the most evolved of us may fall prey.
Much of this violence is the result of religiously motivated reprisals
against the Muslim community in general for acts committed by particular
individuals or organizations.
According to the most recent
CAIR Report on hate crimes there was
a 29% increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in 2005. "Overall, nine
states and the District of Columbia accounted for almost 79 percent of
all civil rights complaints to CAIR in 2005. These ten states are (in
descending order): California (19%), Illinois (13%), New York (9%), Texas
(8%), Virginia (7%), Florida (6%), District of Columbia (5%), Maryland
(4%), Ohio (4%) and New Jersey (4%)."
We have been collecting information about mosque incidents for some time,
and here is our (partial) list. If you know about other incidents, please
contact us with the information. (MORE)
-----
THROUGH ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY,
STUDENTS GAIN UNDERSTANDING OF ISLAM AND MIDDLE EAST -
TOP
Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post, 12/3/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/02/AR2006120201066.html
The Arabic Calligraphy Workshop at the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center
wasn't about the Arabic. The flier for the class said no knowledge of the
language was required.
Aishah Elinor Holland, the teacher, said sometimes when she teaches the
one-day workshop, non-Arabic-speaking students fear that the graceful,
swooping letters will spell something bad. "People are like, 'Well,
what is this letter? What is it that I'm writing?'" she
said.
Part of Holland's mission is to show these students there is more to Arab
culture than what they read in the news -- in this case, a fine art that
has flourished for centuries across the Muslim world.
"If they see that everyone whose name is Muhammad is not an Islamic
terrorist, that's a start," she said. "During the war on
terror, in this age, this is something totally non-threatening which is
totally Arab-Islamic." (MORE)
-----
U.S. EMBASSY IN BERLIN REACHES OUT
TO MUSLIMS -
TOP
Emily Harris, NPR, 12/2/06
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6569879&ft=1&f=1004
Weekend Edition Saturday, December 2, 2006 � An effort to improve
America's image abroad addresses Muslims in Germany with an outreach
program that includes visits to Berlin mosques and discussions with
Muslims about their view of the United States.
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. HOLOCAUST MUSEUM URGED TO DROP
ISLAM-BASHER
Presidential appointee says Quran oath 'undermines
American civilization'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/4/06) - A prominent national Islamic civil
rights and advocacy group today called for the removal of a presidential
appointee to the
United
States Holocaust Memorial Council because of his intolerant views
toward Islam in American society.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(
CAIR) urged that talk show host and
columnist
Dennis Prager
be removed from the taxpayer-supported museum's council because of a
recent syndicated column in which he wrote that Keith Ellison, the first
Muslim elected to Congress, should be prevented from taking his oath of
office using the Quran.
(President Bush recently appointed Prager to the United States Holocaust
Memorial Council, the governing board of the
Holocaust Memorial Museum, for the
remainder of a five year term expiring January 15, 2011.)
In his
column, headlined "America, Not Keith Ellison, Decides What Book
a Congressman Takes His Oath On," Prager wrote that swearing an oath
on the Quran "undermines American civilization." "Insofar
as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its
values is concerned, America is interested in only one book, the
Bible," wrote Prager. "If you are incapable of taking an oath
on that book, don't serve in Congress."
Prager also wrote that Ellison's swearing on a Quran would "be doing
more damage to the unity of America and to the value system that has
formed this country than the terrorists of 9-11."
(The
U.S. Constitution states that "no religious test shall ever be
required" to hold public office. No books of any kind are used in
the actual swearing-in ceremony. Representatives may use any book they
choose, or no book at all, during later ceremonial events.)
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
called
Prager's views "intolerant, misinformed and downright
un-American."
In a letter to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council Chairman
Fred S. Zeidman, CAIR wrote:
"No one who holds such bigoted, intolerant and divisive views
should be in a policymaking position at a taxpayer-funded institution
that seeks to educate Americans about the destructive impact hatred has
had, and continues to have, on every society. As a presidential
appointee, Prager's continued presence on the council would send a
negative message to Muslims worldwide about America's commitment to
religious tolerance."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its
mission is to
enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil
liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote
justice and mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS -
12/4/06
*
Hadith:
Learn From Your Mistakes
*
CAIR-MI: Lawyers Fight
Terrorism Tag (Detroit News)
-
CAIR:
US Airways
Responds to Profiling Accusations
-
CAIR-CT Hosts Town Hall Meeting
with Law Enforcement
-
CAIR-OH:
'Your Muslim
Neighbor' Radio Program
-
CAIR-CA:
Local Muslims
and Jews Build Understanding
*
CAIR Wants Ellison
Critic Removed from Holocaust Council (AP)
-
MN:
Ellison and
Quran Get Wingnuts Whirling (Star Trib)
-
CAIR:
Quran
Controversy: Prager Catching Flak (USA Today)
-
Hannity Says Swearing-in
on Quran Like Using 'Nazi Bible'
-
Video:
MN Reporter Cites
Examples of Non-Bible Oaths
*
TX:
Residents Take
Sides on Proposed Mosque
-
OR:
With No Mosque, Muslims
Find a Place to Pray
*
NY:
Islamic Group
Awards Rabbi for Bridging Faiths (Newsday)
-
MI:
Devotion to Faith Unites Four
Women (Detroit News)
*
On Tape:
An 'Enemy'
Interrogation (Newsweek)
*
Dead Russian Spy to be Buried as a
Muslim
*
CAIR: 'Sleeper Cell' Draws
Fire for Soft Take on Terrorists (NPR)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "A believer is not
stung twice from the same hole."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 154
-----
CAIR-MI: LAWYERS FIGHT TERRORISM TAG
-
TOP
Attorneys for suspects in smuggling case want to strike such language
from criminal indictments.
Paul Egan, Detroit News, 12/4/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061204/METRO/612040338/1003
Lawyers for three defendants in a tobacco and counterfeit Viagra
smuggling case are asking federal prosecutors to strike terrorism-related
language from their indictment, saying the case has nothing to do with
terrorism.
Language in the 2003 indictment related to terrorism and support for
Hezbollah will hurt the ability of defendants to receive fair trials,
lawyers for brothers Majid, Jihad and Fadi Hammoud said in pleadings
filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
The brothers are among 18 people indicted in a racketeering conspiracy
case that alleges smuggling of untaxed or low-taxed cigarettes from
Indian reservations as well as smuggling of stolen goods and counterfeit
goods such as false imitations of the sexual potency pill
Viagra.
Advocates for Muslim and Arab-Americans say the case is only one of many
examples since 2001 of prosecutors treating defendants unfairly by
alleging, but not charging, ties to terrorism in cases involving
financial crimes.
Federal prosecutors allege some of the proceeds from the tobacco
smuggling racket were sent to Lebanon to support Hezbollah, which is on
the U.S. list of international terrorist organizations.
But lawyers for the Dearborn-area brothers argue no charges of supporting
terrorism have been filed and no admissions of supporting terrorism have
been made in several guilty-plea agreements already reached in the
racketeering case. . .
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations of Michigan, said alleging terrorism in cases in which
Muslim or Arab-Americans may have been involved in criminal activity is
spreading an Islam-phobic climate in the United States.
"The vast majority of these allegations have been totally
unfounded," Walid said.
Walid cited the example of three Texas Muslims arrested in Michigan
earlier this year after purchasing large numbers of cell phones at
big-box stores. Local prosecutors alleged the men had ties to terrorism.
All charges were eventually dropped. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: US AIRWAYS
RESPONDS TO PROFILING ACCUSATIONS -
TOP
Lisa LaMotta, PR Week US, 12/4/06
http://www.prweek.com
US Airways, the most recent airline to face scrutiny for stricter
policies to combat terrorism, is pushing the message that its employees
do not use racial profiling when determining the threat of
passengers.
The airline came under fire from Muslim groups last week when six Muslim
clerics were handcuffed and escorted off a flight going from Minneapolis
to Phoenix on their return trip from the North American Imams Federation
conference. Islamic advocacy groups immediately called for an
investigation and a boycott of the airline.
The November 20 incident prompted US Airways to defend its policies to
the passengers and media. 'Our immediate focus is talking with the
customers and establishing that dialogue,' said Andrea Radar, corporate
communications director for US Airways.
'We must make sure we do (all) we can to ensure the safety of the
airplane,' she added. 'We have an experienced crew. We do not profile
(or) discriminate, but we have certain procedures (for removing a
passenger from a plane.)'
Despite US Airways' assertions, the incident has generated cries from
Muslim groups. The
Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is
considering legal action on behalf of the Imams and is still mulling its
PR response, but is leaning towards launching an extensive campaign to
educate Americans about the difference between terrorists and the Muslim
religion.
'When these kinds of incidents have occurred in the past, we tried to
make lemons into lemonade,' said
Ibrahim Hooper, communications
director for CAIR. 'We gave away free Korans when there were
allegations that the Koran was desecrated at Guantanamo. We gave away
free books and DVDs about the Prophet Mohammed when the Danish cartoon
incident occurred. When these kind of negative events happen, you have to
try to turn them into positive teaching opportunities.' (MORE)
---
CAIR-CT HOSTS TOWN HALL MEETING
WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT -
TOP
(NEW LONDON, CT, 12/4/06) - On Friday, December 1, the Connecticut
chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CT) held its
first town hall meeting at the Crowne Plaza in Cromwell, Conn.
Representatives from law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
were present. The meeting included presentations by these representatives
followed by a question and answer session.
CONTACT: Hamza Collins, 860-995-6628, E-Mail:
civilrights@cair.ct.com
---
CAIR-OH: 'YOUR MUSLIM
NEIGHBOR' RADIO PROGRAM -
TOP
(CINCINNATI, OH, 12/4/06) - CAIR-Ohio's Cincinnati Chapter Committee
Member Brent Meyer recently began hosting a local weekly radio program
called "Your Muslim Neighbor" on WSAI AM 1360. This
first-of-its-kind program in Cincinnati airs on Sunday evenings from 5 to
6-p.m. and tackles such topics as discrimination, religion and
politics.
CAIR-Ohio Cincinnati Chapter Director Karen Dabdoub was recently a guest
on the program. Meyer and Dabdoub spoke about CAIR, civil rights and the
election of Keith Ellison to Congress. Information about the program can
be accessed on-line at
http://www.yourmuslimneighbor.blogspot.com/
---
CAIR-CA: LOCAL MUSLIMS AND
JEWS BUILD BRIDGES OF UNDERSTANDING -
TOP
(SAN DIEGO, CA, 12/4/06) - On Friday, December 1, local Muslims visited
Congregation Beth El, a Conservative Jewish center in La Jolla, Calif.,
beginning a series of dialogue meetings between Jewish and Muslim groups.
These meetings are intended to take place once a month.
CAIR-San Diego Public Relations Director Edgar Hopida was among the
delegation of Muslims invited to dialogue with Senior Rabbi Philip
Graubart and members of his congregation.
CONTACT: Edgar Hopida, Tel: 858-278-4547 or 619-913-0719, E-mail:
ehopida@cair.com
-----
ISLAMIC GROUP WANTS
ELLISON CRITIC REMOVED FROM HOLOCAUST COUNCIL -
TOP
FREDERIC J. FROMMER,
Associated Press, 12/4/06
WASHINGTON (AP) _ An Islamic civil rights group wants a columnist who
criticized Rep.-elect Keith Ellison's decision to use the Quran during
his ceremonial swearing-in next month removed from the United States
Holocaust Memorial Council.
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations said Monday that the
comments by Dennis Prager, a columnist and conservative talk radio host,
displayed an intolerance toward Islam that makes him an inappropriate
person to serve on the memorial council.
Ellison, D-Minn., is the first Muslim elected to Congress.
In his column last week, Prager wrote: "Insofar as a member of
Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is
concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are
incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in
Congress."
The Holocaust Memorial Council oversees the U.S. Holocaust Memorial
Museum in Washington.
"No one who holds such bigoted, intolerant and divisive views should
be in a policy-making position at a taxpayer-funded institution that
seeks to educate Americans about the destructive impact hatred has had,
and continues to have, on every society,"
CAIR's executive
director, Nihad Awad, wrote in a letter to the council's chairman,
Fred Zeidman. . .
Messages left at the Holocaust Museum and at Zeidman's office were not
returned Monday.
In a telephone interview Monday, Prager offered what he called "a
solution to this that would satisfy me and the vast majority of
Americans" _ Ellison bringing a Bible with him along with his Quran.
. .
"It's obviously up to Mr. Ellison to decide, but I don't think that
forcing him to swear an oath on a book not of his faith is the
answer,"
said [CAIR] spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper.
Hooper said that although his group supports free speech, "When you
are appointed by the president to a council whose mission is to combat
hatred and bigotry, and you hold views that promote hatred and bigotry,
there's a problem there.". . .
By tradition, all members of the House are sworn in together on the House
floor. It's in the photo-op ceremony that a Bible is used _ or in
Ellison's case, the Quran.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Defamation League, which fights anti-Semitism and
racism, issued a statement calling Prager's comments "intolerant,
misinformed and downright un-American."
SEE ALSO:
MN: EDITORIAL:
ELLISON AND HIS QUR'AN GET WINGNUTS WHIRLING -
TOP
What a hilarious load of ignorance, intolerance he exposed.
Minneapolis Star Tribune, 12/2/06
http://www.startribune.com/561/story/848427.html
You've gotta hand it to Keith Ellison, Minneapolis' congressman-elect:
He's not even in the House yet, and he's got wingnuts falling out of the
trees on their empty heads.
When Ellison announced that he would take the oath of office on the
Qur'an, right-wing radio gasbag Dennis Prager went into high indignation
mode. Ohmygod, Prager fumed, Ellison can't be allowed to do that; it
"undermines American civilization." Using the Qur'an is akin to
a racist taking the oath on a copy of Adolf Hitler's "Mein
Kampf," he fulminated: "Insofar as a member of Congress taking
an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is
interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are incapable of taking an
oath on that book, don't serve in Congress."
And Prager was just warming up, not to mention the acolytes who responded
to him. He was over the top, but they were over the moon. Did you know,
voters of Minneapolis, that Ellison's campaign was financed by
terrorists?
Where to begin? How about that oath Ellison will take? He will pledge to
"support and defend the Constitution of the United States." If
the wild talkers scrunch up their brows and focus really, really hard,
maybe even they will recall that freedom of (and from) religion -- that
which motivated the Pilgrims to brave the Atlantic -- is the paramount
value Ellison will swear to protect. Scrunch a little more, and perhaps
they will even recall that the Constitution specifically prohibits any
religious test for members of Congress. Requiring someone to put their
hand on a Bible would seem to fill the "religious test" bill
quite well.
That's probably why no religious book plays an official role in swearing
in members of Congress. (MORE)
---
CAIR: QURAN CONTROVERSY
CONTINUES: PRAGER CATCHING FLAK -
TOP
Mark Memmott, USA Today, 12/4/06
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/12/quran_controver_1.html
Conservative radio host and blogger Dennis Prager has now been criticized
by both prominent Muslim and Jewish groups for his Townhall.com column
attacking incoming Rep. Keith Ellison's announcement that he will use a
Quran during his ceremonial swearing-in as the first Muslim member of
Congress.
Today, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Prager should lose
his presidential appointment to the United States Holocaust Memorial
Council because of "his intolerant views toward Islam in American
Society."
Friday, the Anti-Defamation League said Prager's position is
"intolerant, misinformed and downright un-American."
For Prager's part, at his blog this afternoon there's a link to this
story in The Mercury News. Prager's blog says "can you imagine how
much good Keith Ellison could do if he followed this example" -- a
reference to the last paragraph of the Mercury News story, where there's
mention of a U.S. ambassador's decision to take his oath "on the
Bible and the Quran, with the Quran on top." (MORE)
---
HANNITY SUGGESTED USE OF
QURAN IN REPRESENTATIVE'S SWEARING-IN SAME AS USING "NAZI
BIBLE" MEIN KAMPF -
TOP
Media Matters, 12/1/06
http://mediamatters.org/items/200612010010
Summary: Echoing columnist Dennis Prager, Sean Hannity claimed that
incoming Rep. Keith Ellison's reported intention to use a copy of the
Quran apparently during the ceremonial photo op on the day he is sworn in
"will embolden Islamic extremists and make new ones" and
suggested that using the Quran for a swearing-in is comparable to using
"Hitler's Mein Kampf, which is the Nazi bible." (MORE)
---
MN REPORTER CITES EXAMPLES OF
NON-BIBLE OATHS -
TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irs65zYhdTs&eurl=
-----
TX: BAKER RD. RESIDENTS
TAKE UP SIDES ON PROPOSED MOSQUE -
TOP
Tara Stanley, Katy Times, 12/4/06
http://www.katytimes.com/articles/2006/12/04/news/01news.txt
The Katy Islamic Association (KIA) has come under fire this week as local
homeowners in its Baker Rd. neighborhood voice concern over a proposed
mosque and community center.
Located in an affluent residential area, the KIA's 11-acre property
located at 1800 Baker Rd. has become a hot-button issue for homeowners
who live nearby. Residents cite traffic problems, falling property
values, potential for flooding and fear of the unknown as reasons that
they do not want the Islamic religious center in their area.
Representatives from the KIA say the center will only add to the
community and create a family-centered facility in which kids can play
and feel safe in a drug-free environment.
"We think that there is a small minority of people who oppose us
here and those people are bigoted and close minded," said Rauf Diab,
spokesperson for the KIA.
"The reasons they oppose us, such as property value, are not
credible and they are anti-Islam."
A local business and property owner, Craig Baker, whose property borders
the KIA property line, has chosen to display several pigs in a pig pen
and is advertising "Friday night pig runs" coming
soon.
The sign is in the same bright yellow color and black lettering as a sign
in front of the KIA property advertising the community center as
"Coming Soon." Baker is owner and president of Craig Baker
Marble Company, Inc. and his business lies near the KIA. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
OR: WITH NO MOSQUE IN SALEM,
MUSLIMS FIND A PLACE TO PRAY -
TOP
Area families rent an apartment as a gathering place to share their
religion
Ruth Liao, Statesman Journal, 12/4/06
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061204/NEWS/612040324/1001
Marwan Albustami of Salem unrolled a child-sized prayer mat fringed in
red and blue and explained how he teaches his children how to
pray.
Young children learn the importance of prayer after witnessing the
devotion of their parents' prayers five times per day, he said.
"They watch us. They ask when we're praying, but they learn to leave
us, and observe us then," Albustami said.
Muslim prayers are performed at dawn, at noon, in mid-afternoon, at
sunset and at night. They can be performed anywhere -- in the home,
office or even outside -- but mosques provide a consecrated space for
those prayers.
Despite a relatively small number of Muslims in the Salem area, a group
of residents established their own worship quarters in Salem about two
years ago. It's a modest, unfurnished apartment in a southeast Salem
neighborhood. The apartment is not for the public, but it's well-known
among Salem's tight-knit Muslim community.
"You feel like you're a part of something if you go to the
mosque," said Amin Ackridge of Salem, a friend of Albustami. Mosques
are considered the cornerstone of shared activity, said Ackridge, who
said he wishes that more of a community center existed in the area.
(MORE)
-----
NY: ISLAMIC GROUP AWARDS
RABBI FOR BRIDGING FAITHS -
TOP
Jennifer Barrios, Newsday, 12/4/06
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-limusl045002044dec04,0,7252702.story
A Long Island Islamic group gave its community-service award to a Great
Neck rabbi who was vocal this election season against a congressman who
denounced the group as "radical Islam."
Rabbi Jerome Davidson of Temple Beth El received the third annual award
from the Islamic Center of Long Island at a dinner Saturday night.
Davidson helped found American Muslims and Jews in Dialogue, an
interfaith discussion group involving members of Beth El and the Islamic
Center, more than 15 years ago.
"We felt that the rabbi deserved this recognition," said
Faroque Khan, chairman of the board of trustees of the Islamic Center.
"He's been a leader, a visionary in building bridges of
understanding."
Davidson said he approached the mosque years ago when he realized he and
his congregation had little direct experience with Islam.
"I knew my congregation had probably never spoken to a Muslim - not
because they didn't want to, but because they didn't have that kind of
opportunity," Davidson said. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
MI: DEVOTION TO FAITH UNITES FOUR
WOMEN -
TOP
Metro interfaith group will feed people near, far
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 12/4/06
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061204/LIFESTYLE04/612040354&SearchID=73264959276233
As politicians and religious leaders stumble in the face of conflicts in
the world, four women say, God brought them together.
First, last spring, Peggy, who is a Christian, met Gail, who is Jewish.
Then, the two of them met Shahina, who is a Muslim. The three then met
Trish, who is a Catholic.
The four women say they quickly realized that their dedication to their
faiths made them more similar than different. As they found one another
at activities in churches, synagogues and mosques in Metro Detroit, they
also realized that in addition to praying to the same God, they had been
thinking the same thought: How do we bring women of diverse faiths
together to benefit the community and to learn about different
religions?
They united to establish WISDOM -- Women's Interfaith Solutions for
Dialogue and Outreach in Metro Detroit. It is just one initiative to
unite the local followers of diverse religions.
"We wanted to do something to foster peace and also do some services
for the community," said Shahina Begg, who attends the Unity Center
of Bloomfield Hills, a mosque. (MORE)
-----
ON TAPE: AN 'ENEMY' INTERROGATION -
TOP
Newsweek, 12/11/06
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16011273/site/newsweek
Lawyers for "enemy combatant" Jose Padilla claim he is so
disoriented from three years of isolation and aggressive interrogations
that he is now mentally ill. In new court filings, Padilla's lawyers also
assert for the first time that Padilla's interrogations were taped,
thereby providing a potentially extensive video record of how the
government treated a man once considered a dangerous Qaeda operative.
(MORE)
-----
DEAD RUSSIAN SPY TO BE BURIED AS A MUSLIM -
TOP
Times, 12/4/06
http://www.mediafax.ro/english/articole-free/Dead-Russian-Spy-To-Be-Buried-As-A-Muslim-586366-9.html
Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian intelligence agent poisoned in
London, is to be buried according to Muslim tradition after converting to
Islam on his deathbed, timesonline.co reported.
The spy''s father, Walter Litvinenko, said in an interview published
today that his son - who was born an Orthodox Christian but had close
links to Islamist rebels in Chechnya - made the request as he lay dying
in University College Hospital.
"He said 'I want to be buried according to Muslim tradition',"
Mr Litvinenko told Moscow''s Kommersant daily.
-----
CAIR: 'Sleeper Cell' Draws Fire
for Soft Take on Terrorists -
TOP
Laura Sydell,
National Public Radio, 12/3/06
All Things Considered, December 3, 2006 � The second season of the
Showtime series Sleeper Cell"premieres next Sunday. The principle
character is a black Muslim FBI agent determined to bring down a
terrorist cell in Los Angeles. The show has drawn a range of critics who
say it is too sympathetic to the terrorist motivations of Sleeper Cell's
characters.
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/5/06
*
Hadith:
Don't Abuse Time
*
CAIR:
NC Muslim Worker to Receive
Apology, Back Pay
*
MI:
Muslim Cites Gym After
Interrupted Prayer (Detroit News)
-
TX:
Pig Racin' Brings
Texas-Sized Controversy
-
Arab-American FBI Agent Sues
for Discrimination (NBC)
*
DC:
Holocaust
Museum Distances Itself from Dennis Prager
-
U.S. Holocaust Museum Urged
to Drop Islam-Basher
*
MN:
Muslim Rep Has Right
to Oath on Quran (Daily Southtown)
-
Campos:
Prager's Un-American Rant (Rocky
Mountain News)
*
FAIR:
Glenn Beck
Threatens Muslims with Concentration Camps
*
Elahi:
Open
U.S.-Iran Dialogue to Further Peace (Detroit News)
*
IL:
Obama Doesn't Hide Muslim
Middle Name (Sun-Times)
*
CA:
Imam is on his Way to
Hajj (SF Gate)
-
VA:
Hajj Seminar
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: DON'T ABUSE TIME -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "God said, 'The
offspring of Adam abuse time, (even though) I am Time.'"
VERSE OF THE DAY: BY THE TOKEN OF TIME
"By (the token of) time (through the ages). Verily mankind is in a
state of loss, except those who have faith and do righteous deeds, and
(join together) in the mutual teaching of truth and of patience and
constancy."
The Holy Quran, Chapter 103
-----
NC MUSLIM WORKER TO RECEIVE APOLOGY, BACK
PAY -
TOP
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/5/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) announced today that a Muslim employee at a Belk department store
in Durham, N.C., will be offered an apology and back pay after reporting
that she was sent home because she had applied henna to her hands in
celebration of Eid ul-Fitr, the holiday following the month-long fast of
Ramadan. SEE:
http://www.belk.com/
After CAIR's intervention, Belk reviewed the incident and reprimanded the
party responsible. The company also reaffirmed its policy supporting
religious accommodation in the workplace.
-----
MI: MUSLIM WOMAN CITES GYM AFTER
INTERRUPTED PRAYER -
TOP
Dearborn resident says her complaint to Fitness USA manager about patron
went unheeded.
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 12/5/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061205/LIFESTYLE04/612050368/1041
Fitness USA, a gym chain, is investigating an alleged civil rights
violation involving a local Muslim woman who says her afternoon prayer
was interrupted by a fellow patron, and that her complaint to management
about the situation was rejected.
"The manager told me, 'You have to respect her (the patron), but she
does not have to respect your God,'?" said Wardeh Sultan of
Dearborn. "I've had my membership for seven or eight years, and I've
never had a problem with praying there.
"I told that manager, 'I can't believe you said that'?" Sultan
said. "Honestly, I feel humiliated and I feel ashamed, right now, to
go back to Fitness USA."
Local representatives of Fitness USA, which operates branches throughout
Metro Detroit and in two other states, referred all inquiries regarding
the matter to their corporate offices.
"We will, as we will with any complaint involving our staff and a
member, be doing a full and thorough investigation of the matter and take
any appropriate action we need to take," said Jodi Berry, executive
director of Fitness USA. "We want every member to get a good
exercise experience every time they come to the club."
Berry said she learned of the complaint on Monday.
The allegations are among a series of recent complaints by Muslims who
say they are free to practice their religion in the United States, until
someone tells them they cannot. Recently, the same Fitness USA facility
enacted a new dress code to allow Muslim women to wear more modest
clothing, in compliance with some Islamic practices. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
TX: FRIDAY NIGHT PIG RACIN'
BRINGS TEXAS-SIZED CONTROVERSY -
TOP
Shanna Sissom, Midland Reporter-Telegram, 12/5/06
http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17549363&BRD=2288&PAG=461&dept_id=475590&rfi=6
While Muslim faithful are worshiping Allah, sounds of liquored up Texans
chasing greased pigs may soon be heard outside the mosque.
"Comin' soon weekly Friday night pig racin'" reads the sign in
the Houston suburb of Katy. It goes on to promote a greased pig-catching
contest, the opportunity to purchase a slow pig to save it's life and--of
all things--a pork cook-off. Bring your own bottle, the sign also says
and boasts the availability of "clean port-o-pots."
It sounds like a rowdy Friday night outing, Texas style.
But the planned pig races are wallowing in controversy. A Muslim group
having just purchased adjacent property to build a mosque is not amused
by the new sign and upcoming swine activities as neighbors--including
parishioners at a nearby church my mother pastors--are left wondering
what's going to happen to the neighborhood.
Not far from the large pig racing sign, the other group has a small
placard that says "KIA Community Center coming soon," I'm told,
with the acronym standing for Katy Islamic Association.
This sort of thing, of course, attracts attention from media types and
the pigs have already been in the news. Our sister Hearst newspaper, the
Houston Chronicle, is among those following the story.
"Pig race leads to dirty argument," the headline read. TV news
crews also got onboard, interviewing the property owner who posted the
sign and pig pens. (MORE)
---
IS THE FBI DOING ITS BEST TO
COMBAT TERRORISM? -
TOP
Highest-ranking Arab-American agent says no, sues for discrimination
Lisa Myers, Jim Popkin, NBC News, 12/4/06
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16042604/
Bassem Youssef is the FBI's highest-ranking Arab-American agent. He's
fluent in Arabic, ran the FBI's offices in Saudi Arabia and is a
terrorism expert. In fact, Youssef's undercover work helping to
infiltrate the terror organization of the so-called "blind
sheik," Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman, earned him the intelligence
community's most-prestigious award, the National Intelligence
Distinguished Service Medal.
But now, for the first time, Youssef is speaking out against the agency
he loves.
"I don't believe that the FBI's doing everything it can to combat
terrorism," the 18-year FBI veteran tells NBC News.
Though he's one of only six FBI agents with advanced Arabic skills,
Youssef believes that, since 9/11, the FBI has blocked him from playing a
significant role in the war on terror. He claims discrimination, and sued
the FBI in 2003.
"To be totally set aside, blackballed since 9/11, makes absolutely
no sense," he says.
Beyond Youssef's own employment claims, depositions of nearly a dozen top
FBI officials in his case have exposed what critics say are serious
shortcomings in the FBI's approach to counterterrorism. The taped
depositions, which have never been aired before, seem to reveal a
stunning lack of knowledge about some terrorism basics. (MORE)
-----
DC: HOLOCAUST MUSEUM
DISTANCES ITSELF FROM DENNIS PRAGER -
TOP
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum released this statement
concerning Council member Prager. "Talk show host Dennis Prager
speaks solely for himself. His statements do not reflect the position of
the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, whose board is not
self-appointed."
(
Source: Media Relations Director Andrew Hollinger,
AHollinger@ushmm.org; Abdi
Aynte,
Minnesota Monitor)
SEE ALSO:
U.S. HOLOCAUST MUSEUM URGED TO
DROP ISLAM-BASHER -
TOP
http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=2426&theType=NR
-----
MN: FIRST MUSLIM CONGRESSMAN
HAS RIGHT TO TAKE OATH ON QURAN -
TOP
Dean Koldenhoven, Daily Southtown, 12/5/06
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/news/opinion/guests/159871,051guc1.article
The news that Minnesota congressman-elect Keith Ellison says he does not
want to put his hand on the Bible while taking the oath of office really
is a nonissue.
Unless the formality of the swearing-in changes, the official swearing-in
for the House of Representatives is done in the House chambers by the
speaker of the House en masse. The Bible is not ordered to be used in
this ceremony. If any congressman wants to put his hand on a Bible or
Quran or whatever book during this ceremony, he or she is free to do
so.
The so-called "conservative" radio talk-show host Dennis Prager
made quite an issue of the fact that Keith Ellison wants to use the Quran
instead of the Bible for his swearing-in.
Prager has been stirring the conservative crowd into sending out messages
to other elected officials to not let Ellison use the Quran instead of
the Bible for the swearing-in ceremony. Mr. Prager should read the
Constitution before sending out his biased material. The constitution
says nothing about inaugural ceremonies, other than the words of the oath
itself for the respective office.
What the First Amendment spells out is the "establishment"
clause. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ..."
Common sense tells us that if Congress declared that the Bible has to be
the only book being used in swearing-in ceremonies, that would be
establishing the Christian religion as the "established"
religion of the United States. The First Amendment protects this from
happening. The U.S. government never has established any religion by law
for its citizens. All citizens have the freedom to worship whomever they
want to worship and use whatever book they choose to use in their belief
of their faith.
Perhaps Ellison is targeted by some because he happens to be the first
black congressman from Minnesota and the first Muslim to serve in the
U.S. House of Representatives. Minorities, whether it be race or
religion, unfortunately become targets of people who have unfounded fears
of minorities. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAMPOS: PRAGER'S UN-AMERICAN RANT -
TOP
Paul Campos, Rocky Mountain News, 12/5/06
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion_columnists/article/0,2777,DRMN_23972_5190201,00.html
On their holiest day, Jews remember the martyr Rabbi Akiba, who was put
to death by the Romans. The Romans were specialists in what the Bush
administration refers to as "enhanced interrogation methods,"
and they skinned Rabbi Akiba alive with iron combs.
"They scraped away his skin as he recited Sh'ma Yisrael, freely
accepting the yoke of God's Kingship. 'Even now?' his disciples asked. He
replied: 'All my life I have been troubled by a verse: 'Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul,' which means even if
he take your life. I often wondered if I would ever fulfill that
obligation. And now I can.' He left the world while uttering, 'The Lord
is One.' "
A different perspective on religious obligation is provided by Dennis
Prager, a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and newspaper
columnist. Unlike right-wing buffoons of the Ann Coulter and Michael
Savage type, Prager likes to present himself as a serious and thoughtful
commentator, and he is treated as such by some people who actually are
serious and thoughtful (for example law professors Eugene Volokh and
Stephen Bainbridge, who maintain popular conservative blogs).
Thus it's noteworthy that Prager has just published a column so idiotic
and immoral that it raises the question of whether the political movement
of which he is a prominent representative has become fundamentally
un-American.
Prager argues that Keith Ellison, the first Muslim ever elected to the
U.S. Congress, should not be allowed to take his oath of office on the
Quran, but should be required to do so on the Christian Bible. "If
you are incapable of taking an oath on that book," Prager tells
Ellison, "don't serve in Congress." (MORE)
-----
FAIR: Flirting With Fascism
on CNN Headline News -
top
Host Glenn Beck threatens Muslims with concentration camps
FAIR, 12/5/06
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3014
The New York Times (12/4/06), profiling new CNN Headline News host Glenn
Beck, called him "brash" and "opinionated," with an
"unfiltered approach." The conservative talk-radio
host-turned-cable news announcer, the paper reported, "take[s]
credit for saying what others are feeling but are afraid to
say."
The Times mentioned one of the things Beck has said recently, to newly
elected U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), a Muslim: "Sir, prove to
me that you are not working with our enemies." But as press critic
Eric Alterman pointed out (Altercation, 12/4/06), as offensive as that
question is, it doesn't begin to suggest the poisonousness of Beck's
rhetoric about Muslims.
On his August 10 radio show, distributed by Clear Channel's Premiere
Radio Networks, Beck told listeners, "The world is on the brink of
World War III," then issued this warning:
All you Muslims who have sat on your frickin' hands the whole time and
have not been marching in the streets and have not been saying, 'Hey, you
know what? There are good Muslims and bad Muslims. We need to be the
first ones in the recruitment office lining up to shoot the bad Muslims
in the head.' I'm telling you, with God as my witness... human beings are
not strong enough, unfortunately, to restrain themselves from putting up
razor wire and putting you on one side of it. (MORE)
-----
OPEN INTERFAITH,
U.S.-IRAN DIALOGUE TO FURTHER PEACE -
TOP
Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi, Detroit News, 12/5/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061205/OPINION03/612050305/1008/OPINION01
I t has been said that if you don't vote you don't exist. But Americans
who want peace made their presence known by giving an election victory to
the Democrats, representing a clear rejection of President Bush's costly
war-mongering.
After spending more than $300 billion and keeping our 150,000 troops in
Iraq, Bush succeeded only in destroying the country and U.S. interests
around the world. Security is now so catastrophic that in his recent trip
to the Middle East, the president met Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki in
Jordan instead of Baghdad.
It's a great blessing to see that America's majority prefers diplomacy
and peace over military options. Saying no to war means declaring yes to
civil discourse.
So Americans may be interested in a six-page letter Iran President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote to our nation. Mentioning common concerns and
values, Ahmadinejad called for dialogue and cooperation between the two
nations for the sake of justice, peace, prosperity of all the people of
the world.
I hope the Bush administration shows some humility and will wisely open
this window of communication to save our sons and daughters from another
military nightmare. Talking to Tehran is in the best interest of the
United States and is in line with the spirit of the Iraq Study Group,
which was created at the urging of Congress in response to the nation's
increasing demands for peace. (MORE)
-----
IL: OBAMA DOESN'T HIDE MIDDLE NAME -
TOP
Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times, 12/5/06
http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/160150,CST-NWS-sweet05.article
Barack Hussein Obama. The blogosphere and talk radio, even C-Span, has
chatter about the middle name of the Illinois Democrat.
Obama never hid the name. Never highlighted it, either. People are just
starting to pay closer attention as Obama mulls a 2008 White House run.
He is the son of Barack Hussein Obama Sr.
Hussein is a family name. His grandmother is Sara Hussein Obama.
At one point he was Barack H. Obama. That's how he is listed in the
Harvard Law Review when he was the president of the publication. He
dropped the H and dumped his nickname of Barry along the way.
It wouldn't make sense in Illinois to use Barack Hussein Obama as a
ballot name when he started running for the state Senate in the late
1990s -- before 9/11 (Osama bin Laden) and the Iraq war (Saddam
Hussein).
Barack Obama was enough to deal with -- not so much because of
anti-Muslim prejudice, which I am sure unfortunately exists, but the
irrational preference Illinois voters have had for Irish and WASPy names.
(MORE)
-----
CA: A SILICON VALLEY IMAM IS ON
HIS WAY TO THE HAJJ, THE ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA -
TOP
David Ian Miller, SF Gate, 12/4/06
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2006/12/04/findrelig.DTL
Imagine standing in a crowd of 2 million people whose most cherished
dream has just come true. For many Muslims, participating in the hajj --
the annual journey to the physical and spiritual heart of Islam -- is the
most central spiritual experience of their lives.
All Muslims are expected to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in
their life if they are financially and physically able. Attending the
world's largest annual spiritual gathering -- which begins on the eighth
day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic year -- is no
vacation. However, pilgrims say that despite the crowds and associated
inconveniences, the hajj is primarily a time of great joy.
Imam Tahir Anwar, spiritual leader of Silicon Valley's South Bay Islamic
Association, is leaving for the hajj on Dec. 19 with 150 members of his
congregation. Anwar, 28, who teaches part-time at Granada Islamic School
in Santa Clara, spoke with me by phone last week about the joys and
frustrations of the hajj and his life as an imam in America.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
ZAMZAM TOURS AND ADAMS CENTER
INVITES YOU TO A HAJJ SEMINAR -
TOP
With Dr. Mamdouh N. Mohamed, Author of Hajj A-Z
The Prophet (saw) said: "O people! Learn from me the way how to
perform your Hajj rituals for I do not know if I will be able to make
Hajj next year or not." [Muslim, An-Nassaa'i, Abu Dawud, and
Ahmad].
Join Dr. Mamdouh as he takes you on a roundtrip journey to learn the hajj
rituals step by step, starting from your intention at home till you reach
back home.
WHEN: Friday Dec. 8th, 6:30 - 9 p.m., (Isha'a Salaah at 8 p.m.)
WHERE: in the ADAMS Main Hall
For more information: 703.433.1325 ext. 101
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/6/06
*
Hadith:
Be a 'Key' for Good
*
CAIR:
President Asked to
Rescind Appointment of Dennis Prager
-
CAIR-Orlando Rep
Discusses Quran Oath Issue (Fox
35)
-
Prager Continued to
Baselessly Attack Muslim Rep (MSNBC)
-
Savage
'Worst Person' Runner-Up for Attack on Ellison (MSNBC)
-
MN:
Worry About the Oath, Not
the Book (Pioneer Press)
*
Incitement:
Former Alabama Chief Justice
Smears Islam
*
Lawsuit:
NYPD Anti-Terror Unit
Filled with Muslim Hate (AP)
-
NY:
Police
Antiterrorism Analyst Sues City (NY Times)
*
VT:
Man is Held for
Stalking Muslim Family
-
IL:
Muslim Family
Threatened After Break-In (News Sun)
*
ISLAM-OPED:
Pope Turns
Corner on Muslim-Catholic Relations
-
U.S. Muslim-Catholic Dialogues
Growing Reality
*
CAIR-CA:
Muslims and Jews Build
Bridges of Understanding
-
Video:
CAIR-FL Sponsors
Thanksgiving Luncheon at Church
*
Radio Host on
Detained Imams: '[T]hese People Want Us Dead'
-
AL:
Dangers of Flying While
Muslim
*
Muslims for a Better
Washington, D.C.
*
Iraq Panel Mentions Palestinian
'Right of Return' (AFP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: BE A 'KEY' FOR GOOD -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Wealth consists of
various kinds of treasures, and those treasures (all) have keys. Blessed
is the person whom God has made a key for good and a lock for
evil."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1366
-----
PRESIDENT ASKED TO RESCIND
APPOINTMENT OF DENNIS PRAGER -
TOP
Holocaust Museum council member said Quran oath 'undermines American
civilization'
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20061206/pl_usnw/president_asked_to_rescind_appointment_of_dennis_prager136_xml
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/6/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today called on President Bush to rescind the appointment of radio
talk show host Dennis Prager to the United States Holocaust Memorial
Council because of his intolerant views toward Islam in American
society.
SEE:
http://www.ushmm.org/museum/council/
Earlier this week, CAIR urged the taxpayer-supported museum's council to
remove Prager because of a recent syndicated column in which he wrote
that Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, should be
prevented from taking his oath of office using the Quran.
In his commentary, Prager wrote that swearing an oath on the Quran
"undermines American civilization." "Insofar as a member
of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is
concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible," wrote
Prager. "If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't
serve in Congress."
Prager also wrote that Ellison's swearing on a Quran would "be doing
more damage to the unity of America and to the value system that has
formed this country than the terrorists of 9-11."
On Tuesday, the Holocaust Museum distanced itself from Prager's views,
but indicated that it did not have the power to remove him from the
council. The museum's statement said: "Talk show host Dennis Prager
speaks solely for himself. His statements do not reflect the position of
the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, whose board is not
self-appointed."
A number of groups and commentators have rejected Prager's views. The
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called his comments "intolerant,
misinformed and downright un-American." The New York Sun said today:
"Mr. Prager is not only wrong but his comments are so outrageous
and, by our lights, almost unbelievably ignorant." SEE:
http://www.nysun.com/article/44639
Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform
Judaism said in a statement: "The criticism by Dennis Prager of Rep.
Keith Ellison's use of the Koran for taking the oath of office is
irreconcilable with American law and ideals as well as Jewish values and
interests."
President Bush recently appointed Prager to the governing board of the
Holocaust Memorial Museum for the remainder of a five year term expiring
January 15, 2011.
In a letter to President Bush, CAIR wrote:
"If put into practice, Mr. Prager's exclusionary and intolerant
views would permanently marginalize every minority faith in America and
would violate the constitutional ban on a state-sponsored
religion.
"By taking action to disassociate your administration from Prager's
remarks, you will send a positive message to all those in this country
and worldwide who believe in religious diversity and mutual
understanding.
"As a private citizen, Mr. Prager has the absolute right to hold
whatever views he chooses, no matter how divisive or ill-informed. But as
a presidential appointee to a taxpayer-funded institution, he must be
held to a higher moral standard.
"We therefore respectfully request that you rescind your appointment
of Dennis Prager to the United States Holocaust Memorial
Council."
The U.S. Constitution states that "no religious test shall ever be
required" to hold public office. No books of any kind are used in
the actual swearing-in ceremony. Representatives may use any book they
choose, or no book at all, during later ceremonial events.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
SEE ALSO:
VIDEO: CAIR-ORLANDO REP DISCUSSES
QURAN OATH ISSUE -
TOP
Fox 35, 12/5/06
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=1696898&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1
Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to the
U.S. Congress is raising eyebrows after he announced he wants to use the
Koran when he is sworn in next month.
---
ON MSNBC, PRAGER CONTINUED TO
BASELESSLY ATTACK MUSLIM REP.-ELECT -
TOP
Media Matters, 12/5/06
http://mediamatters.org/items/200612060001
On the December 4 edition of MSNBC's Tucker, conservative radio host and
Townhall.com columnist Dennis Prager continued to accuse incoming Rep.
Keith Ellison (D-MN) of "imperil[ing]" America because of
Ellison's reported intention to use a copy of the Quran during the
ceremonial photo op on the day he is sworn in. Prager acknowledged, as
the weblog Think Progress reported, that Ellison would use the Quran for
"a photo op" and not the actual swearing-in, which is conducted
in a large group. Ellison is the first Muslim ever elected to Congress.
(MORE)
---
OLBERMANN:
SAVAGE "WORST PERSON" RUNNER-UP FOR ATTACK ON ELLISON -
TOP
Media Matters, 12/5/06
http://mediamatters.org/items/200612060002
On the December 4 edition of MSNBC's Countdown, host Keith Olbermann
awarded nationally syndicated radio host Michael Savage runner-up in his
nightly "Worst Person in the World" segment for asking -- as
Media Matters for America documented -- in response Rep.-elect Keith
Ellison's (D-MN) reported intention to use a copy of the Quran during the
ceremonial photo op on the day he is sworn in: "What's next, a witch
gets elected, and she says she's only going to be sworn in with her hand
over a pentagram?" Olbermann then observed that "members of
Congress are not officially sworn in on a Bible, a Quran, or even a copy
of the Worst Person in the World book." Savage is a frequent honoree
during Olbermann's "Worst Person" segment and recently received
"worst person" honors for claiming that his anti-gay comments
would appear "in several of the blogs run by gays -- and they think
only of that 'cause they're like drug addicts," as Media Matters
also noted. (MORE)
---
MN: WORRY ABOUT THE OATH, NOT THE
BOOK -
TOP
St. Paul Pioneer Press, 12/6/06
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/editorial/16171052.htm
Allow us to interrupt a swell food fight over U.S. Rep.-elect Keith
Ellison and his official swearing-in with a fact.
No Good Book is required by the United States government for a person to
take the oath of office and become a member of Congress. Members raise
their hands together on the House floor on the first day of the session
and are sworn in by the speaker of the House.
So, the coast-to-coast gyrations over whether Ellison, a Minneapolis
Democrat whose Muslim faith is a first for a member of Congress, should
use the Quran instead of the Bible is a fight over symbolism, not law and
policy.
It is a fight over a photo opportunity.
Ellison's Muslim faith was a complicating factor in his difficult race to
succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo. Ellison, a lawyer who has served
in the Minnesota House for four years, won despite his unpaid parking
tickets, his dalliance with the Nation of Islam and his failure to file
campaign finance documents on time.
Shortly after winning, he told the Star Tribune newspaper that he planned
to use the Quran, Islam's holy book, at his swearing-in. In a later
interview with the Minnesota Monitor blog, he said: "The
Constitution guarantees for everyone to take the oath of office on
whichever book they prefer. And that's what freedom of religion is all
about.'' His office could not be reached to comment further.
An influential conservative talk-radio host, Dennis Prager, wrote on the
townhall.com blog last week: "When all elected officials take their
oaths of office with their hands on the very same book, they all affirm
that some unifying value system underlies American civilization. If Keith
Ellison is allowed to change that, he will be doing more damage to the
unity of America and to the value system that has formed this country
than the terrorists of 9-11.''
Whoa.
Salley Collins, press secretary for the U.S. House Committee on House
Administration, said the official swearing-in does not involve a good
book of any kind. Next Jan. 4, she said, the newly elected speaker,
expected to be Nancy Pelosi, of California, will ask all members to raise
their right hands and take the oath. (MORE)
-----
INCITEMENT: FORMER ALABAMA CHIEF JUSTICE SMEARS
ISLAM -
TOP
Judge Roy Moore, WorldNetDaily, 12/6/06
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53246
"A basic teaching of the Quran is that all infidels, i.e., those who
do not acknowledge "Allah" as the true god, should be killed
wherever they are found. Such is the nature of this new
war."
"A great danger to our country exists when government offices and
institutions are opened to Islamic influence. . ."
-----
NY: LAWSUIT SAYS NYPD ANTI-TERROR
CYBER UNIT FILLED WITH MUSLIM HATE -
TOP
Larry Neumeister, Associated Press, 12/5/06
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-bc-ny--terror-biassuit1205dec05,0,1286841.story
A celebrated police anti-terrorism cyber unit became a beehive of
anti-Muslim rhetoric after a city consultant unleashed hundreds of
hateful e-mails saying Muslims and Arabs were all potential terrorists, a
unit member said in a lawsuit Tuesday.
The Department of Correction lieutenant, listed as John Doe
Anti-Terrorism Officer on the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in
Manhattan, said he was subjected to a hostile work environment, great
emotional anguish, public humiliation and illegal retaliation.
The Egyptian-born man asked for unspecified damages, saying he had
suffered severe emotional distress, mental anguish, depression, physical
injuries, illness, loss of pay and benefits and loss of advancement
opportunities as a member of the elite anti-terror unit.
The man, described in the lawsuit as "a proud Arab-American, a
practicing Muslim and a patriot," blamed the city for failing to
respond to his repeated complaints about the contractor, who was alleged
to have sent e-mails saying "Burning the hate-filled Koran should be
viewed as a public service at the least" and "Without Islam,
there wouldn't be any Islamic terror."
He said the hateful rhetoric, unchecked by supervisors, infected the
workplace, where other employees felt comfortable making anti-Muslim
comments and jokes and where a high-ranking police official thought it
was OK to say, "All Arabs are animals."
A city law office spokeswoman, Connie Pankratz, said city attorneys were
aware of the case and were reviewing the papers Tuesday. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
NY: POLICE
ANTITERRORISM ANALYST SUES CITY, CITING ANTI-MUSLIM E-MAIL -
TOP
William K. Rashbaum, New York Times, 12/6/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/06/nyregion/06suit.html
For several years, the New York Police Department has touted an elite
undercover unit of mostly Middle Eastern and Asian investigators who use
their foreign-language skills online to search out potential terrorist
threats against the city.
But now the department is under criticism from a member of the unit, an
Egyptian-born analyst who filed a suit yesterday that charges he was
subjected to hundreds of blistering anti-Muslim and anti-Arab e-mail
messages sent out by a city contractor over the course of three
years.
The analyst, not named in the court papers, filed the discrimination
lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan as "John Doe Anti-Terrorism
Officer" because he still works undercover in the Cyber
Unit.
In an interview yesterday, he said he complained repeatedly to
supervisors but that no one took action.
A 48-year-old captain with the New York City Department of Correction,
the analyst has been assigned to work with the Police Department's
Intelligence Division since 1998. He said he helped form the Cyber Unit
there in 2002. The members, who number about a dozen, troll message
boards and Web sites to engage extremists and collect intelligence about
potential threats, the suit says. He fears that his family in Egypt may
face retaliation if his name and the nature of his work were revealed,
said his lawyer, Ilann M. Maazel.
At the center of the lawsuit are e-mail briefing messages sent out
several times a day to members of the Intelligence Division by Bruce
Tefft, a former C.I.A. official who has identified himself in the past as
the Police Department's counter-terrorism adviser. The e-mail messages
were sent to everyone in the division, including Deputy Commissioner
David Cohen, also a former C.I.A. official, the suit said.
(MORE)
-----
VT: MAN IS HELD FOR STALKING
MUSLIM -
TOP
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061206/NEWS/61206023
A 32-year-old Guilford man has been arrested and accused of stalking
and threatening to kill a family of Muslims that he believed were
plotting a terrorist attack.
The family the man is accused of targeting lives in Dummerston and owns a
Brattleboro business. Authorities said the man's suspicions are
baseless.
Kyle A. Thurber was arrested Dec. 1 after waiting with a loaded rifle
outside the workplace of two Muslim men, police said. Thurber, who has
known the men for many years, told police they were terrorists planning
to attack the United States.
Thurber apparently has been living out of his car in the Brattleboro area
and is undergoing a mental health evaluation, said David Gartenstein, the
deputy state's attorney for Windham County.
Thurber pleaded innocent Monday in Brattleboro District Court to two
felony counts of aggravated stalking with a deadly weapon. He faces up to
10 years in prison and $50,000 in fines if convicted.
In court documents, Brattleboro Police accuse Thurber of stalking the
family over a three-day period, beginning Nov. 29 when he allegedly
gunned his car outside their residence in Dummerston, spinning the tires,
and then drove on their driveway and lawn.
They told police Thurber stalked them again the next day at their
Brattleboro business. Thurber confronted one of the men and said he
wanted to talk with him and with his son; Thurber left
"frustrated" after the man told him his son had called in sick,
court documents state.
Employees of the business said Thurber had been waiting in the company's
parking lot since 6:30 a.m. that day. The confrontation with Thurber
occurred at about 10:30 a.m.
Fearing for his family's safety, the man hired an off-duty Brattleboro
Police officer to guard the office and moved his family to a seasonal
home in New Hampshire. Police said Thurber tried and failed to enter the
business at about 10 a.m. Nov. 31. The doors had been locked. Police said
that when they arrived to question Thurber, he told them he had a job
interview.
Police searched his car and found a Remington 7600 rifle and ammunition,
according to records.
Thurber told police members of the family, who are Palestinian, were
plotting to blow up the north end of Brattleboro and possibly the Vermont
Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon. He said he was suspicious because
they frequently spoke Arabic to each other.
Thurber told police he planned to assault family members but did not want
to kill them because he didn't want to go to prison. Still, police
allege, he repeatedly made threats against their lives.
"Thurber stated that he thought the [family] should no longer be
able to breathe," Brattleboro Police Officer Mark Carignan wrote in
his affidavit. "He said that they needed to be killed to protect the
United States." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
IL: POLICE, MUSLIM COMMUNITY
ADDRESS THREATS -
TOP
Jason Arndt, Lake County News-Sun, 12/5/06
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/161107,5_1_WA05_zionmuslimfamily.article
The City of Zion is working to quash the recent threats to a local Muslim
family following a home invasion during which a 16-year-old alleged gang
member was killed.
Zion police are reaching out to Muslim groups in the area to prevent any
potential hate crimes arising out of the incident. A town hall meeting
will be held next week where Zion officials and members of the Muslim
community will work with the public to bring a better understanding of
the Muslim faith. (MORE)
-----
ISLAM-OPED: POPE'S VISIT TO TURKEY
TURNS CORNER ON MUSLIM-CATHOLIC RELATIONS -
TOP
ISLAM-OPED is a national syndication service of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designed to offer an American Muslim
perspective on current political, social and religious issues. ISLAM-OPED
commentaries are offered free-of-charge to one media outlet in each
market area. Permission for publication will be granted on a
first-come-first-served basis.
CONTACT:
ihooper@cair.com
TEL: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726 (c)
Please consider the following commentary for publication.
---
ISLAM-OPED: POPE'S VISIT TO TURKEY TURNS CORNER ON MUSLIM-CATHOLIC
RELATIONS
By Parvez Ahmed
WORD COUNT: 744
[
Parvez Ahmed is board chairman of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy
group. He may be contacted at
pahmed@cair.com.]
Following the death of Pope John Paul II, much of the world, including
the Muslim world, anxiously awaited the naming of the next Pope. Such
anticipation among non-Catholics was a tribute to John Paul's legacy of
outreach and reconciliation with people of other faiths.
As the world waited to hear the name of the new Pope, I was invited to
participate in a "virtual conclave" by Beliefnet.com in which
Catholics and people of other faiths discussed who they would like to see
leading the Church.
When Pope Benedict XVI began his first visit to Turkey, a predominantly
Muslim country, I went back to the conclave archives to find out what
aspirations the participants had about the Muslim-Catholic
relationship.
One prominent Catholic participant posed the question, "To what
extent should concerns about Muslim-Christian relations guide the choice
of a pope?"
Mary Louise Hartman of the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the
Church replied, "The new Pope will have to be skilled in diplomacy
and sensitive in his approach to our sisters and brothers in
Islam."
Russell Shaw of the National Conference of Catholic Bishop's wrote,
"the relationship with Islam is one of the big three issues the next
pope will have to address. ... But what to do? It's all very well to say
Catholics should dialogue with Muslims and encourage the moderates among
them. But I do not think the people who flew airliners into the World
Trade Center were very open to dialogue."
The desire to build a solid relationship was clashing with fears about
extremism.
John Esposito of Georgetown University injected a dose of reality,
"Inter-religious dialogue is between the mainstream majorities -
their leaders, scholars, followers. Therefore, Catholicism's dialogue
with Islam/Muslims is not with the extremist minority no more than its
dialogue would be with Jewish extremists, Hindu extremists,
etc."
By visiting Turkey, Pope Benedict chose the path of engagement. His visit
could help undo the damage resulting from his quoting a 14th century
Byzantine emperor who had said that Islam was "spread by the
sword."
While the reprehensible violence by a tiny minority of Muslims reacting
to the Pope's remarks received wide publicity, calls for dialogue by
mainstream Islamic groups went virtually unnoticed.
A recent survey by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) found
that among Muslims in America, 84 percent agreed that they should
strongly emphasize shared values with People of the Book (i.e. Christians
and Jews).
More than three-quarters of American Muslims are native born. They are
part of mainstream America and are here to stay. Yet some are bent on
marginalizing this voice of moderation.
Take for example some recent incidents that expose a nasty strain of
bigotry in our society.
Washington, D.C., radio host, Jerry Klein in an attempt to ridicule and
expose anti-Muslim bigotry, made a suggestion on-air that all Muslims in
the United States should wear "identifying markers" such as a
crescent-shape tattoo or a distinctive arm band. Rather than be repulsed
by this outlandish Nazi-like proposal, the phone lines lit-up with
callers who spoke in agreement.
CNN talk-show host Glen Beck recently questioned the patriotism of Keith
Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress. He told Ellison:
"[W]hat I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not
working with our enemies.'"
But perhaps the most disturbing opinion was recently expressed by
talk-show host Dennis Prager when he argued that Keith Ellison should not
be allowed to take his oath of office on the Quran. "If you are
incapable of taking an oath on that book (the Christian Bible),"
Prager tells Ellison, "don't serve in Congress."
Pope Benedict's visit to Turkey may help turn a corner in recent
Muslim-Christian relations. His concluding plea, "I hope that this
dialogue continues," will reverberate louder than his earlier faux
pas. Muslims also have responded with optimism. Turkey's influential
Milliyet newspaper declared the visit as "The Istanbul
Peace."
The Pope made history by being only the second pontiff to set foot inside
a mosque and being the first to join Muslims in prayer. Mustafa Cagrici,
head cleric in Istanbul, described this gesture as sign of a new
beginning for the world.
People of conscience in all faiths must use the opening resulting from
the Pope's visit to Turkey to come together and create a new La
Convivencia ("the Coexistence"), when Spanish Jews, Muslims and
Christians lived in relative peace and managed to develop a golden era
progress in science and culture.
SEE ALSO:
U.S. MUSLIM-CATHOLIC
DIALOGUES GROWING REALITY -
TOP
Jerry Filteau, Catholic News Service, 12/5/06
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=22243
Muslim-Catholic dialogue is a living and growing reality in the United
States.
"The important thing is to keep the dialogue going because there are
so many parts of the world where it isn't going," said John Borelli,
special assistant to the president and director for interreligious
initiatives at Georgetown University in Washington.
Sayyid M. Syeed, national director of the Islamic Society of North
America's new Office of Interfaith and Community Alliances, called the
advancement of the U.S. dialogues "something of a historical
imperative" because "if they go in the right direction, they
could give a gift of the 21st century to the rest of
mankind."
Father Francis Tiso, associate director for interreligious relations at
the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops, said dialogue "is a tremendous
opportunity to refine your thinking about the other side."
Borelli, who held Father Tiso's post from 1987 to 2003, played a major
role in the 1990s in getting three official regional dialogues started
between Catholic and Muslim leaders and scholars.
Father Tiso said those three dialogues - West Coast, Midwest and Middle
Atlantic - have their roots in local dialogues. "The model he
(Borelli) set up is to have a pair of persons from each town or diocese,
along with Catholic and Muslim scholars, get together once a year for a
two-day session," he said.
For example the Midwest dialogue has paired participants from
Catholic-Muslim dialogues in Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee,
St. Louis, Louisville, Ky., and Toledo, Ohio. Under that arrangement the
regional dialogue also serves as a kind of leadership meeting for the
leaders of the local dialogues, Father Tiso said. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-CA: MUSLIMS
AND JEWS BUILD BRIDGES OF UNDERSTANDING -
TOP
(DAVIS, CA, 12/6/06) - On Monday, December 4, the Council on American on
American-Islamic Relations Sacramento Valley chapter (CAIR-SV) gave a
lecture titled "What We All Should Know About Islam" at
Congregation Bet Haverim in Davis, Calif.
CAIR-SV Executive Director Basim Elkarra discussed the Abrahamic
connection of Judaism and Islam. Elkarra also addressed Islamic beliefs
and a history of Muslim-Jewish relations. More than 100 community members
were in attendance.
"We thank Bet Haverim for hosting this important dialogue,"
said CAIR-SV Executive Director Basim Elkarra. "We look forward to
working with the Jewish community to help build bridges of
understanding." The lecture was sponsored by the Israel Peace
Alternatives.
CONTACT: Basim Elkarra, 916-441-6269, Email:
sacval@cair.com
SEE ALSO:
VIDEO: CAIR-FL SPONSORS THANKSGIVING
LUNCHEON AT BAPTIST CHURCH -
TOP
http://cbs4.com/video/?id=26112@wfor.dayport.com
-----
RADIO HOST MARK WILLIAMS
ON IMAMS THROWN OFF FLIGHT: "[T]HESE PEOPLE WANT US DEAD" -
TOP
Media Matters, 12/5/06
http://mediamatters.org/items/200612050012
Summary: Mark Williams stated the six imams removed from a November 20 US
Airways flight "are one of two things. ... They are either
terrorists or they're trying to cash in on the politically correct
lottery," in that the imams could "get themselves thrown off
the plane, and sue." Williams added, "[T]hese people want us
dead. ... I don't want this guy as my neighbor." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
AL: DANGERS OF FLYING WHILE MUSLIM -
TOP
Jason Shepard, Vanguard, 12/5/06
http://www.usavanguard.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/12/05/4575fb5558b04
A priest, rabbi and an imam walk into an airport. What do they have in
common? Aside from being a set-up for a horrible joke, the leaders of
their respective religious communities have joined together to protest
the tyranny of American racism. Specifically, the priests, rabbis and
imams recently staged a "pray-in" at Reagan Washington National
Airport and asked for an apology from U.S. Airways for their decision to
kick six Muslims off a Minneapolis-to-Phoenix flight and to detain these
imams on suspicion of terrorism.
Come to find out the imams were not terrorist at all. It is
understandable that in today's reality of high-risk threats emanating
from the potential actions of a few faceless terrorists, it's always
better to be safe than sorry. But the fact of the matter is that there
was no legitimate justification to even believe that these imams might
have been terrorist. The most plausible explanation for their detention
is plain and simple: They were victims of Islamophobia.
The imams in question visibly prayed prior to boarding the plane. As they
were boarding, a fellow passenger overheard one of the imams making
"anti-American" remarks. Once on the plane, they "moved
around." A concerned citizen passed the pilot a note, and as a
result, the imams were subjugated to humiliation and detention, not to
mention the major inconvenience that goes along with such consequences.
The only statement of the facts that seems potentially incriminating was
the so-called "anti-American" remarks.
So what exactly was said? The comments were nothing more than part of a
casual conversation that included harmless critiques of certain aspects
of American policy. There was no outward display or remark of hate or
even strong disgust for America or Americans. Nor was there even a hint
of threatening language used. The comments were simply passing critiques
of American governmental policies. There was absolutely nothing
threatening or anti-American said.
The last time I checked, it is not only legal to critique the American
government, but at least in theory, it is encouraged for all to
participate in debates concerning our government and its policies. The
freedom from persecution from engaging in such debates, or simply making
passing comments while in public, is what separates a democratic society
from a dictatorship. The day such comments, critiques and debates become
characterized as anti-American is the day that the populace decides that
"pro-American" implies anti-democracy, anti-liberty and
anti-rationality. The day people start being persecuted, arrested and
detained for such actions is the day that our country will have begun to
make a slide towards fascism. Perhaps that day has already befallen our
nation. Perhaps it has not. After all, I personally wrote a piece in
which I suggested that Bush and company deserved to be sent to the
gallows-a comment much more extreme than any that the imams made-without
fear of persecution. I even feel I could make such a remark in an airport
while boarding a plane without fear of being detained. So maybe the
explanation is not that America is becoming a fascist country, but rather
that America remains a country of ignorant bigots full of fear of the
"others." (MORE)
-----
MUSLIMS FOR A BETTER
WASHINGTON, DC -
TOP
Imam Johari Abdul-Malik is inviting you to a series of assessment and
planning sessions with the advent of the new government administration
lead by Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty in Washington, DC.
The goal of this meeting is to develop a strategic assessment and plan
for "Muslim Empowerment in the District of Columbia."
The input of the broadest cross-section of the community is needed to
gather the needs and resources that can be brought to bear in the future
development of Washington, DC. We have the opportunity to expand our
horizons and to work together for true economic development and growth
for the community.
Our community has such diverse skills and talents. Our city needs all of
our positive energies to attend. Whatever your qualifications: real
estate development, health care, agriculture and landscaping,
computers/IT and financial services, etc. This will be a first in a
series of meetings to quickly develop our plan to assist in the
development of Washington, DC.
WHEN: Saturday, December 9, 2006, 1 - 4 p.m.
WHERE: 441-4th Street NW [1 Judiciary Square], South 11th Floor
Conference Room, Washington, DC
Please RSVP by December 5, 2006
CONTACT:
imamjohari@gmail.com
or call 202-345-5233
-----
BAKER PANEL'S MENTION OF PALESTINIAN
"RIGHT OF RETURN" RAISES EYEBROWS -
TOP
Agence France Presse, 12/6/06
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/12/06/061206204349.qjq06iek.html
A reference to Palestinians' "right of return" in the report
issued by the high-level Iraq Study Group broke a diplomatic taboo which
sparked immediate concern in Israel and surprise among Middle East policy
experts.
The reference was buried deep inside a 160-page report that urged US
President George W. Bush to renew efforts to revive Israel-Palestinian
peace talks as part of a region-wide bid to end the chaos in
Iraq.
"This report is worrisome for Israel particularly because, for the
first time, it mentions the question of the 'right of return' for the
Palestinian refugees of 1948," said a senior Israeli official, who
was reacting to the US policy report on condition he not be
identified.
A Middle East analyst who was involved in the Iraq Study Group
discussions but did not participate in drafting the report expressed
surprise when the reference was pointed out to him by a
reporter.
"It's hard to know whether that language got in there because of
carelessness -- I know there were many revisions up to the very last
minute -- or whether it was a deliberate attempt to fuse something to the
Bush rhetoric which wasn't there before," the analyst said.
The 1993 Oslo peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians calls for
a resolution of the issue of Israeli and Palestinian "refugees"
as part of a final status agreement that would include the creation of a
Palestinian state. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
IMAMS REMOVED FROM US AIRWAYS FLIGHT RETAIN CAIR
AS LEGAL COUNSEL
Muslim leaders concerned about false claims resulting
from incident
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/6/06) - The Council on American-Islamic
Relations (
CAIR) announced today that
five of the six American Muslim imams recently removed from a US Airways
flight in Minnesota have retained the Washington-based civil rights group
as their legal counsel.
Airline and law enforcement officials say the imams were taken off the
flight November 20th for alleged "suspicious activity." They
were handcuffed and questioned for several hours by authorities before
being released. CAIR, along with other civil rights organizations, has
called for congressional hearings on religious and ethnic profiling at
airports in response to the incident.
Since their removal from the flight, a number of charges have circulated
in the media and on the Internet that the imams say are false, distorted
or a misrepresentation of actual events.
"Unfortunately, the false claims and smears used against these
religious leaders only serve to cloud the real issue involved, that of
how national security can be maintained while preserving
constitutionally-protected freedoms and respect for religious
diversity," said
CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
Awad, a past member of the civil liberties advisory panel for the
Clinton-administration White House Commission on Aviation Safety and
Security, said CAIR has requested a meeting with US Airways to seek a
mutually-agreeable resolution to the incident.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/7/06
*
Hadith:
God Does Not Grow Weary of Giving
Rewards
*
CAIR:
Slurs Used in
Attacks on Muslims in Florida, Ohio
*
American Jewish Committee:
Prager's Remarks
'Disrespectful'
-
CAIR:
Group Wants
Prager Removed from Board (AP)
-
CAIR:
Rep Wants to
Carry Quran, Outrage Ensues (CS Monitor)
-
CA:
Quran Poses No Threat
(Press-Enterprise)
*
VA:
Darfuri Leaders to
Join Friday Prayers at Mosque
*
PA:
'Stand Against Hatred'
Event at College (Reading Eagle)
*
TX:
Houston Suburb Objects
to Mosque Plans (AP)
-
NY:
Mosque Celebrates Roots
Near and Far
*
CAIR-CAN:
Resignation Does
Not Make Up for Arar's Ordeal
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD DOES NOT GROW WEARY OF GIVING
REWARDS -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Do (good) deeds
according to your capacity because. . .God does not grow weary of giving
rewards unless you get tired of doing good deeds."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 2, Number 24
The Prophet was once asked: "What is the (good) deed most loved by
God?" He answered: "One that is performed constantly, even if
it is small."
VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD'S REWARD
"Anyone who desires the reward of this world should know that God
possesses the rewards of both this world and the
hereafter."
The Holy Quran, 4:134
-----
CAIR: SLURS USED IN ATTACKS ON
MUSLIMS IN FLORIDA, OHIO -
TOP
Attackers shout 'you stupid Arab m***er f**ker,' 'go back home'
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=77250
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/7/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) said today that racial and ethnic slurs were used during recent
attacks on Muslims in Florida and Ohio. CAIR called on the FBI to probe
both incidents as possible hate crimes.
In Melbourne, Fla., a Muslim of North African heritage was badly beaten
during a robbery November 14th in which a witness told police that one of
the assailants shouted "you stupid Arab m***er f**ker" as he
beat the 42-year-old victim. A mosque in that same city was struck by
gunfire in September as worshipers prayed inside.
In Ohio, a Muslim woman wearing an Islamic head scarf said she was
verbally assaulted on Tuesday by another customer at a Lakewood Walgreens
when she used a passport as identification to cash a check.
She told CAIR that the cashier and other customers looked on as the man
shouted obscenities, made obscene gestures and shouted "go back
home" and "who needs to use a passport for ID in
America."
According to the victim, the man also tried to back his vehicle over her
in the parking lot when she attempted to write down his license plate
number. The woman, a permanent resident who was born in Saudi Arabia,
said she was concerned that no one in the store came to her
assistance.
"Unfortunately, these types of incidents are becoming more frequent
as the level of anti-Muslim rhetoric in our society grows, while
religious and political leaders remain largely silent," said CAIR
National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "We call on local
and national law enforcement authorities, including the FBI, to
investigate both incidents as possible hate crimes."
Hooper said CAIR's most recent report on the status of American Muslim
civil rights showed an almost 30 percent increase in the total number of
complaints of anti-Muslim bias.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Orland Executive Director Sabiha Khan, 407-649-1660,
E-Mail:
skhan@cair.com; CAIR-Ohio
Cleveland Office Director Julia A. Shearson, 216-830-2247 or
216-440-2247, E-Mail:
cleveland@cair-ohio.com;
CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787;
202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com
-----
PUNDIT RIPPED FOR TELLING REP
TO KEEP QURAN OUT OF CONGRESS -
TOP
Jennifer Siegel, Forward, 12/8/06
http://www.forward.com/articles/pundit-ripped-for-telling-rep-to-keep-quran-out-of/
A conservative pundit popular on the Jewish dinner circuit has aroused a
nationwide controversy by rejecting the right of a newly elected Muslim
congressman to be sworn in using a Quran.
In a November 28 column published on the Web site Townhall.com, radio
talkshow host and syndicated columnist Dennis Prager wrote that using
Islam's sacred text would be "damaging to the fabric of American
civilization."
"Insofar as a member of Congress is taking an oath to serve America
and uphold its values is concerned," Prager wrote, "America is
interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are incapable of taking an
oath on that book, don't serve in Congress."
Prager penned the essay after learning that Minnesota Rep.-elect Keith
Ellison - the first Muslim ever elected to Congress - plans to use a
Quran at his private swearing-in ceremony. Muslim American leaders, in
turn, have called for Prager, who is Jewish, to be stripped of his seat
on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, which oversees the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.
Several prominent Jewish organizations and leaders have also publicly
criticized Prager. In an unusually barbed rebuke, the Anti-Defamation
League called the pundit's argument "intolerant, misinformed and
downright un-American."
"If Prager were merely a blogger and radio talkshow host trying to
be relevant and provocative, these views might not merit a
response," the ADL wrote in a December 1 statement. "But as a
newly appointed member of the United States Holocaust Council, Prager and
his views must be held to a higher standard." The ADL's criticism
was echoed by Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action
Center of Reform Judaism, who issued a statement urging the commentator
"to rethink his position and apologize."
In response to an inquiry from the Forward, the American Jewish
Committee issued a statement calling Prager's remarks "disrespectful
and unfortunate." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: GROUP WANTS PRAGER
REMOVED FROM BOARD -
TOP
Frederic J. Frommer, Associated Press, 12/6/06
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061206/ap_on_re_us/ellison_quran_4
WASHINGTON - An Islamic civil rights group Wednesday called on President
Bush to rescind the appointment of a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum board
member who criticized an incoming congressman, Keith Ellison, the first
Muslim elected to Congress.
Last week, Dennis Prager, a conservative talk radio host and columnist,
criticized Ellison - a Minnesota Democrat, for choosing to use the Quran,
rather than the Bible, during his ceremonial swearing-in.
"Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and
uphold its values is concerned," Prager wrote in an Internet column,
"America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are
incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in
Congress."
The museum board said this week that Prager's comments did not reflect
the museum's position, but added that the board "is not
self-appointed," and lacked the power to remove him.
So
Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, sent Bush a letter on Wednesday asking for Prager's
removal.
"If put into practice, Mr. Prager's exclusionary and intolerant
views would permanently marginalize every minority faith in America and
would violate the constitutional ban on a state-sponsored religion,"
said the letter, a copy of which The Associated Press obtained.
The White House had no immediate comment on the letter. Earlier
Wednesday, before the letter was sent, White House press secretary Tony
Snow called the matter "an issue that the president does not need to
adjudicate and, therefore, will not."
Bush appointed Prager in August to fill the remainder of a five-year term
that expires in January 2011.
In a telephone interview, Prager argued that CAIR was waging the campaign
against him because of critical things he said about the group, not what
he wrote about Ellison.
"CAIR is afraid of me, and that is the reason," he said.
"I never said a word or wrote a word against the Quran or
Islam."
CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper responded: "Until this
controversy arose, we were not aware of any reference Mr. Prager made
about CAIR."
---
CAIR: AT SWEARING IN,
CONGRESSMAN WANTS TO CARRY KORAN. OUTRAGE ENSUES. -
TOP
Jane Lampman, Christian Science Monitor, 12/7/06
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1207/p01s03-uspo.html
Keith Ellison hasn't even started his new job, and he's already under
fire.
When America's first Muslim congressman, a Democrat from Minnesota, let
it be known he will carry a Koran to his swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 4,
conservative pundit Dennis Prager called it "an act of hubris ...
that undermines American civilization."
In a web column, the talk-show host said, "Insofar as a member of
Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is
concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are
incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in
Congress."
The column has sparked a brouhaha on talk radio, in the blogosphere, and
in newspapers across the country. The congressman's office has been
inundated with angry e-mails.
The US Constitution says nothing about swearing on the Bible. But some
commentators insist the US is a Christian nation, and the proposed act
goes against its values and tradition. To others, the uproar shows an
ignorance of the Constitution and the principle of religious freedom.
Some people worry that it reflects growing anti-Muslim sentiment in the
country. . .
The Council for American-Islamic Relations has called for Prager to be
dropped from his recent presidential appointment to the Holocaust
Memorial Council. "He is trying to marginalize Muslims by making it
seem as though any practice of American Muslims is different or 'other'
than what America stands for," says
Arsalan Iftikhar, CAIR's
legal counsel.
What the courts have decided
US courts have dealt with the issue in various ways. In a 1997 federal
terrorism case, a Washington, D.C., judge permitted witnesses to swear to
Allah. In North Carolina in 2005, a woman was not allowed to take the
oath on the Koran when testifying. The American Civil Liberties Union has
sued, and the case is in appeal.
At least 17 state constitutions explicitly prohibit discrimination
against witnesses or jurors on religious grounds. Some allow people to
swear or affirm "under the pains and penalties of perjury,"
omitting "so help me God." Judges generally have jurisdiction
over how oaths are administered in their courts. Mr. Iftikhar says that
some judges have allowed the use of the Koran. (MORE)
---
CA: QURAN POSES NO THREAT -
TOP
Press Enterprise, 12/7/06
http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/letters/stories/PE_OpEd_Opinion_D_op_07_letters.38f083d.html
Please tell me radio talk-show host Dennis Prager was joking when he said
it would damage the unity of Americans if Keith Ellison were allowed to
use the Quran to be sworn into office.
As a registered Republican and conservative for more than 40 years, I was
so deeply offended by Prager's remarks that I considered changing
parties.
The very foundation of this country hinges on the freedom to choose one's
religion, and one of the foundations of conservatives is the right of
people to do what their conscience and beliefs tell them without
government intrusion.
Prager gives conservatives a bad name with his right-wing rant. It's no
wonder people think conservatives are nuts. Rest assured, most of us are
not.
If Ellison were forced to swear an oath on a book he doesn't believe in,
that oath would not be valid.
JEFF SEITZ
Corona
-----
VA: DARFURI LEADERS TO JOIN
FRIDAY PRAYERS AT ADAMS CENTER -
TOP
You are invited to attend a special event tomorrow, Friday, December 8th
at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center.
Imam Mohamed Magid is graciously hosting a delegation of Darfuri leaders
and refugees to Friday prayers, which will begin at 11:45am, and a lunch
afterwards. This group of thirty Darfurians will be in Washington to
participate in a leadership training weekend sponsored by the Save Darfur
Coalition. Their visit to the ADAMS Center and meeting with Imam Magid is
also part of the Weekend of Prayer activities that the Coalition has
coordinated with houses of worship across the country.
Please let me know if you will be able to attend, and feel free to extend
the invitation to others.
CONTACT: Sean P. Brooks, Save Darfur Coalition, Tel: (202) 478-6197,
Email:
sean@savedarfur.org
-----
PA: A STAND AGAINST HATRED -
TOP
Albright College event includes discussion about hate speech
Rebecca VanderMeulen, Reading Eagle, 12/7/06
http://www.readingeagle.com/re/news/1603722.asp
With a cheerleader's cadence, Amber E. Harmes called out the message she
left on the cloth banner strung across a wall at Albright College on
Wednesday afternoon.
"Don't hate, appreciate!" she said.
Then the sophomore from Lebanon County added a heart and smiley
face.
Albright students and faculty were encouraged to sign the banner as part
of a "Stand Against Hatred" event on campus.
The idea, according to organizer Mindy E. Cohen, was to say that racist
or otherwise hateful comments are not OK.
The event included a candlelight vigil and an organized, but informal,
discussion about hate speech.
Anti-Muslim comments are plentiful in the United States from people who
connect the religion to terrorism, said Cohen, a member of the Council on
Social Equality at Albright.
And hate speech has been in the news lately with anti-Semitic remarks
linked to actor Mel Gibson and racial slurs made by comedian Michael
Richards during a performance.
"I'm Jewish, and my best friend is a Muslim," said Cohen, who
also manages Albright's radio station.
What really matters, she said, isn't what people say in public, but what
they say in private places such as someone in a car who makes angry
comments toward a driver of another race.
Several students signing the cloth Wednesday said they had heard that
there had been some hateful graffiti on campus around Thanksgiving, but
none of them had seen it. Cohen said the graffiti was not a driving force
behind Wednesday's event. (MORE)
-----
TX: HOUSTON SUBURB OBJECTS TO
MOSQUE PLANS -
TOP
Rasha Madkour, Associated Press, 12/7/06
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061207/ap_on_re_us/mosque_pig_races_1
KATY, Texas - A plan to build a mosque in this Houston suburb has blown
up into a neighborhood dispute, with community members warning the place
will become a terrorist hotbed and one man threatening to hold pig races
on Fridays just to offend the Muslims.
Many neighborhood residents claim they have nothing against Muslims and
are more concerned about property values, drainage and traffic.
But one resident has set up an anti-Islamic Web site with an
odometer-like counter that keeps track of terrorist attacks since Sept.
11. A committee has formed to buy another property and offer to trade it
for the Muslims' land. And next-door neighbor Craig Baker has threatened
to race pigs on the edge of the property on the Muslim holy day. Muslims
consider pigs unclean and do not eat pork.
"The neighbors have created havoc for us and we didn't expect
that," said engineer Kamel Fotouh, president of the 500-member Katy
Islamic Association.
Fotouh vowed to press ahead with plans for a mosque on the 11-acre site,
as well as a community center that would offer after-school activities,
housing for senior citizens, a fitness center and an Islamic school.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
NY: MOSQUE CELEBRATES ROOTS
NEAR AND FAR -
TOP
Ted O'Callahan, Queens Chronicle, 12/7/06
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17562997&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=575596&rfi=6
After Joseph Jada emigrated from Algeria to Queens, he began attending
services at Masjid al Hikmah simply because it was the closest mosque to
his home in Long Island City. Once inside, he discovered, to his
surprise, that the leaders of the mosque came from a country far away
from his own. "I grew up thinking only Arabs were Muslims. I was
shocked that people from Indonesia knew Arabic better than me. They are
more serious, far more serious about religion," Jada said.
While there are many mosques in Long Island City attracting Muslims from
specific geographic regions, Masjid al Hikmah is unusual in that it
serves a highly diverse congregation.
Immigrants from Indonesia started the mosque-whose name translates as
"Wisdom Mosque" in Arabic-and bought the building. Yet most
days, the founders find themselves in the minority. With few Indonesians
living in the neighborhood, nearly three out of every four worshippers at
Friday services claim other ethnic backgrounds. Among them are immigrants
from Algeria, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Senegal and Egypt, as well as
African Americans and some Hispanics. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-CAN:
RESIGNATION DOES NOT MAKE UP FOR ARAR'S ORDEAL, CRITICS CHARGE -
TOP
Rod Mickleburgh and Oliver Moore, Globe and Mail, 12/7/06
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20061207.RCMPARAR07/TPStory/
Giuliano Zaccardelli's tenure as commissioner of the RCMP was no longer
tenable given his two "radically different" statements about
the case of Maher Arar, a lawyer for Mr. Arar said yesterday.
"The contradiction was inexcusable," said Marlys Edwardh,
co-counsel for Mr. Arar at Mr. Justice Dennis O'Connor's commission of
inquiry into the circumstances of her client's deportation to Syria and
subsequent torture there.
"It is incomprehensible to me how he could give such different
explanations about what he knew and when he knew it. His resignation
comes as no surprise."
In September, Mr. Zaccardelli told a parliamentary committee that he knew
shortly after Mr. Arar's deportation in 2002 from the United States to
Syria that it had been, in part, because of erroneous information passed
on by the RCMP that the Canadian software engineer had links to al-Qaeda
terrorists.
But this week, the RCMP commissioner changed his story, saying that he
had not known that at all until Judge O'Connor's extensive report
exonerating Mr. Arar came out a few days earlier in September.
But Ms. Edwardh said Mr. Zaccardelli's resignation does nothing to
address the issue of accountability for the terrible ordeal suffered by
Mr. Arar at the hands of his Syrian jailers.
She said the RCMP commissioner stepped down only because of the
"political embarrassment" arising from his changed position on
the Arar case, rather than any sense of accountability.
Mr. Arar, who moved with his family this summer to Kamloops, B.C., where
his wife has a university teaching position, declined comment on Mr.
Zaccardelli's resignation.
Ms. Edwardh said she expects him to give his views at a news conference
tomorrow.
"I don't want to speak for him, but his position all along has been
that the government should hold people accountable [for what
happened]."
So far, she said, no one has been held accountable, nor has there been
any suggestion of discipline for the RCMP officers who passed on the
erroneous information to U.S. security officials.
Ms. Edwardh said she found it "staggering" that Mr. Zaccardelli
professed not to know that anything was amiss in the case until the
O'Connor report.
"I have no doubt that, for the RCMP, Mr. Arar was an afterthought.
There was not a nano-bit of concern for his position, being held by
military intelligence in a country with a long record of
torture."
The
Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations struck a
similar note to Ms. Edwardh, urging that Mr. Zaccardelli's leaving not be
seen as a sufficient response to the Arar affair.
"Accountability goes beyond the resignation of Zaccardelli. It is
critical that all departments, agencies and individuals involved in Mr.
Arar's ordeal be held accountable,"
Karl Nickner, executive
director of CAIR-CAN, said in a statement. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS -
12/8/06
*
Hadith:
God Loves You
*
CAIR-Tampa Director Given Human
Rights Award
-
CAIR-San Diego:
Similarities Between
Christianity, Islam
*
Dennis Prager Supporters
Spew Anti-Muslim Hate
-
CAIR:
Hate Crimes
Reported in Florida, Ohio (UPI)
-
AZ:
Lecture by
'Anti-Muslim' Speaker Protested (Daily Star)
*
CAIR:
Opinions
Differ on Imams' Dispute with Airline (Was Post)
-
CAIR
to
Represent Imams in US Airways Flight Incident
*
Carter:
Speaking Frankly about
Israel and Palestine (LA Times)
-
MI:
Muslims, Jews Start to
Heal (Free Press)
*
CA:
Japanese, Muslim
Americans Look Back on National Calamities
-
OH:
True Islam Promotes
Peace, Harmony
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD LOVES YOU -
TOP
A man once came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with a piece
of cloth and something in his hand. The man said: "I saw a group of
trees and heard the sound of young birds. I took them and put them in my
garment. Their mother then came and began to hover around my head. I
showed (the chicks) to her, and she fell on them. I wrapped them (all)
with my garment. They are now with me."
The Prophet said to his companions: "Are you surprised at the
affection of the mother for her young?. . .God is more affectionate to
His servants than a mother to her young ones. Take (the chicks) back and
put them where you found them."
Sunan of Abu Dawood, Hadith 1359
-----
CAIR-TAMPA DIRECTOR GIVEN HUMAN RIGHTS
AWARD -
TOP
(TAMPA, FL - 12/8/06) - CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier today
received the prestigious Human Rights Award at the 33rd Annual Awards
Breakfast of the Tampa/Hillsborough Human Rights Council.
"I am grateful for this recognition and accept the award on behalf
of the board, staff, volunteers, and members of CAIR who made it
possible," said Bedier. Bedier added that the "true
winner" of the award is the Muslim Community in the Tampa Bay
area.
Other Human Rights Award winners included: Sheriff David Gee,
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office; Dr. Sam Horton of the NAACP
Hillsborough; Rev. Beverly Lane.
CONTACT:
tampa.press@cairfl.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-SAN DIEGO: 'THE
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM' -
TOP
(SAN DIEGO, CA, 12/8/06) - On December 6, CAIR-San Diego Public Relations
Director Edgar Hopida gave a presentation on "The Similarities
Between Christianity and Islam" at the Solana Beach Library in
Solana Beach, Calif.
Event participants learned about how Islam shares beliefs and practices
found in Christianity. The presentation was concluded by a question and
answer session. CAIR-San Diego presented the Solana Beach Library with a
copy of the Quran, Islam's revealed text.
-----
DENNIS PRAGER SUPPORTERS SPEW
ANTI-MUSLIM HATE -
TOP
Islamic civil rights group receives hundreds of hate-filled
e-mails
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/8/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) said today that it has received hundreds of hate-filled e-mails
from supporters of radio talk show host Dennis Prager who says the first
Muslim elected to Congress should be prevented from taking his oath of
office using the Quran.
This week, CAIR called on
President Bush to
rescind Prager's appointment to the
United States Holocaust
Memorial Council because of his intolerant views toward Islam in
American society. CAIR had earlier called on the head of the museum
council to remove Prager from his post because his views are incompatible
with the mission of that taxpayer-funded institution.
A number of other commentators and groups, including the Anti-Defamation
League, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and the American
Jewish Committee, have rejected Prager's views.
SEE:
What People Say About Dennis Prager
On his radio program, Prager asked supporters to come to his assistance
by writing letters to those, like the Minneapolis Star Tribune, who have
been critical of his views. A few examples of the hundreds of
Islamophobic e-mails CAIR has received from Prager's supporters include:
(Spelling errors have been left unedited, while expletives have been
alerted or removed.)
* "ROT in hell with your allah and that pig Mohammed. Take your
islam [expletive deleted] back to the desert sand n**ger. We are watching
you"
* "nobody give a [expletive deleted] about you camel [expletive
deleted] raghead dog breathe smelling antiamerican [expletive deleted],
get the hell out of my country you [expletive deleted]. . .dennis prager
speaks the truth. . .
* "I would suggest that those in attendance at the upcoming
swearing-in just murmur [expletive deleted] as the oath with the Koran is
taken."
* "Dennis Prager has more right to serve on ANY committee or board
in this country than you morons even have to EXIST in this country. Go
back to the deserts and take your ignorance with you."
* "Quit trying to force your [expletive deleted] coran and your
towel head way of life on us! respect our traditions and blend in
[expletive deleted]!"
* "No way, [expletive deleted] the stone aged pigs. Including our
new congressman"
"Mr. Prager must recognize by now that his call to permanently
exclude Islam and other minority faiths from the public arena has added
substantially to the level of anti-Muslim bigotry and interfaith mistrust
in our society," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "We
urge Mr. Prager to issue a statement calling on his supporters to
repudiate anti-Muslim hatred and to respect the religious rights of all
Americans."
Awad said that Prager should take responsibility for the harm his views
have caused to interfaith relations by resigning from the United States
Holocaust Memorial Council.
The U.S. Constitution states that "no religious test shall ever be
required" to hold public office. No books of any kind are used in
the actual swearing-in ceremony. Representatives may use any book they
choose, or no book at all, during later ceremonial events.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
CAIR: HATE CRIMES REPORTED IN
FLORIDA, OHIO -
TOP
United Press International, 12/8/06
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20061208-110226-9536r
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Muslims in Florida and Ohio have been victims
of alleged racially-motivated attacks, the Council on American-Islamic
Relations said Thursday.
The group urged the Federal Bureau of Investigation to launch
investigations into the attacks.
"In Melbourne, Fla., a Muslim of North African heritage was badly
beaten during a robbery Nov. 14 in which a witness told police that one
of the assailants shouted "you stupid Arab ..." and used other
abusive terms, CAIR said. "A mosque in that same city was struck by
gunfire in September as worshipers prayed inside," the organization
said.
"In Ohio, a Muslim woman wearing an Islamic head scarf said she was
verbally assaulted on Tuesday by another customer at a Lakewood Walgreens
when she used a passport as identification to cash a check. She told CAIR
that the cashier and other customers looked on as the man shouted
obscenities, made obscene gestures and shouted 'go back home' and 'who
needs to use a passport for ID in America.'" (MORE)
---
AZ: EX-CNN
REPORTER'S LECTURE HERE WILL BRING PROTEST AS SOME CALL HIM ANTI-MUSLIM -
TOP
Stephanie Innes, Arizona Daily Star, 12/8/06
http://news.yahoo.com/s/azstar/20061208/lo_azstar/excnnreporterslectureherewillbringprotestassomecallhimantimuslim
Some community members are angry about an upcoming lecture by
controversial author and former CNN reporter Steven Emerson, claiming
Emerson is anti-Muslim.
Emerson, who wrote the 2002 bestseller "American Jihad: The
Terrorists Living Among Us," is scheduled to speak at Tucson's
Jewish Community Center Monday evening as part of the University of
Arizona's Shaol Pozez Memorial Lectureship Series.
"The organizations that sponsored this man are not helping peace
between the Muslim and Jewish faiths," said Muhammad As'ad, a Muslim
who plans to protest the talk Monday. "This is going to be a very
upsetting scene."
UA officials say they are aware of the opposition, but the talk is part
of the series' goal of rigorous discussion resulting in a better
understanding of important issues.
According to literature promoting his talk, Emerson is expected to speak
about how militant Islamic individuals and groups have insinuated
themselves into Western society. He contends that Islamist extremists
living in the U.S. often pretend to be moderate while secretly carrying
out a terrorist agenda in funding, organizing and coordinating the
activities of radical Islamic groups.
Emerson's critics say the UA's Arizona Center for Judaic Studies, which
is sponsoring Emerson's talk, should not be sanctioning "anti-Muslim
rhetoric."
"I think he's a racist. ... He runs around and scapegoats
Muslims," said Racheli Gai, a member of the local Women in Black
group, which is an international peace network. She's also a co-founder
of the Tucson Peace Walk - an annual walk and gathering of Muslims and
Jews. (MORE)
-----
CAIR: DIVERSITY OF
OPINION ON IMAMS' DISPUTE WITH AIRLINE -
TOP
Kari Lydersen, Washington Post, 12/8/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/07/AR2006120701643.html
For years, the Minneapolis-St. Paul area has been known for its
liberalism and tolerance, especially when it comes to religion. Many
Muslims, including the largest population of Somalis outside of
Mogadishu, make their home in the Twin Cities. The area just elected the
nation's first Muslim congressman, Keith Ellison (D).
"We are well known for acceptance at a period in time when much of
America feels like an unwelcome place" for Muslims, said Minneapolis
Mayor R.T. Rybak. "This is a place where Muslims are succeeding and
thriving in leadership positions."
So, last month's removal of six imams from a Phoenix-bound US Airways
flight at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has prompted
hand-wringing, finger-pointing, calls for greater sensitivity to
religious diversity and more communication between non-Muslims and
Muslims.
Police and airline officials say the imams, who attended a national
conference of Muslim clerics, were removed after exhibiting suspicious
behavior, including uttering anti-American statements, changing their
seat assignments so that they would be scattered around the airplane and
asking for seat-belt extenders, which could be used as weapons. Valerie
Wunder, a spokeswoman for US Airways, said yesterday that the airline has
completed its investigation of the incident and has concluded that the
flight crew was justified in its actions.
But the imams say the behavior in question was merely quiet prayers
before boarding the flight. . .
Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesman Patrick Hogan said that, while
the commission has no say in a pilot's decision to take someone off a
plane, the commission is supportive of Muslims' right to pray in the
airport. Officials said they are considering a "meditation
room" where people of various faiths can pray, and they will visit a
mosque at the request of local imams.
"Muslims fly through this airport all the time, and we don't have
incidents of this kind," Hogan said. "I have Muslims asking me
where they can pray in the airport, and I direct them to a quiet place
and tell them which way is east." . . .
Omar Shahin, one of the imams removed from the plane, said they were not
praying loudly. He thinks US Airways and the media have been
misrepresenting the incident. "The rumor that we were chanting
Allah, making anti-American comments -- this never happened," Shahin
said. "We teach at universities, we are Americans, we live in this
country and love this country. Everybody who knows me knows I am the
first one to do fundraising for the victims of 9/11, Katrina, the
tsunami. This broke my heart."
Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, is angry that false rumors were circulated, including that the
imams had one-way tickets and paid in cash. The group has called for an
investigation and is considering a lawsuit, Awad said.
"We believe these allegations have been aired to justify the actions
of US Airways," he said. "We believe it's shameful to smear
them after subjecting them to this treatment," he added, referring
to the imams. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR:
ISLAMIC GROUP TO REPRESENT IMAMS IN US AIRWAYS FLIGHT INCIDENT -
TOP
Mike Sunnuck, Business Journal of Phoenix, 12/7/06
http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2006/12/04/daily35.html
Several of the Muslim clerics removed from a recent US Airways flight to
Phoenix have retained an Islamic civil rights group as their legal
counsel.
The
Council on American Islamic Relations announced that five of
the six imams removed from the Minneapolis to Phoenix flight have
retained the group as their legal representatives.
The imams were removed from the flight after other passengers were
concerned about their behavior, which included including switching seats
and saying Muslim prayers.
Tempe-based US Airways Group Inc. has defended its handling of the
incident. A Washington Times story on Thursday said various
investigations into the matter, including by federal agencies and the Air
Line Pilots Association union, showed US Airways personnel did not act
inappropriately in removing the clerics from the flight.
The Muslim individuals were attending a religious conference in Minnesota
and returning to Phoenix. They were questioned and released.
CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement there have
been false rumors and statements regarding the imams behavior while on
the flight and his group wants to make sure events are accurately
portrayed and religious and civil liberties are protected.
CAIR is a Muslim civil rights group. Critics have accused the group of
being sympathetic towards anti-Israel militant groups.
US Airways (NYSE: LCC) serves 230 destinations in the U.S., Canada,
Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America.
-----
CARTER: SPEAKING
FRANKLY ABOUT ISRAEL AND PALESTINE -
TOP
Jimmy Carter says his recent book is drawing knee-jerk accusations of
anti-Israel bias.
Jimmy Carter, Los Angeles Times, 12/8/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-carter8dec08,0,7999232.story
JIMMY CARTER was the 39th president of the United States. His newest book
is "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," published last month. He
is scheduled to sign books Monday at Vroman's in Pasadena.
I signed a contract with Simon & Schuster two years ago to write a
book about the Middle East, based on my personal observations as the
Carter Center monitored three elections in Palestine and on my
consultations with Israeli political leaders and peace
activists.
We covered every Palestinian community in 1996, 2005 and 2006, when
Yasser Arafat and later Mahmoud Abbas were elected president and members
of parliament were chosen. The elections were almost flawless, and
turnout was very high - except in East Jerusalem, where, under severe
Israeli restraints, only about 2% of registered voters managed to cast
ballots.
The many controversial issues concerning Palestine and the path to peace
for Israel are intensely debated among Israelis and throughout other
nations - but not in the United States. For the last 30 years, I have
witnessed and experienced the severe restraints on any free and balanced
discussion of the facts. This reluctance to criticize any policies of the
Israeli government is because of the extraordinary lobbying efforts of
the American-Israel Political Action Committee and the absence of any
significant contrary voices.
It would be almost politically suicidal for members of Congress to
espouse a balanced position between Israel and Palestine, to suggest that
Israel comply with international law or to speak in defense of justice or
human rights for Palestinians. Very few would ever deign to visit the
Palestinian cities of Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Gaza City or even
Bethlehem and talk to the beleaguered residents. What is even more
difficult to comprehend is why the editorial pages of the major
newspapers and magazines in the United States exercise similar
self-restraint, quite contrary to private assessments expressed quite
forcefully by their correspondents in the Holy Land. (MORE)
-----
MI: MUSLIMS, JEWS START TO HEAL -
TOP
Religious leaders bring honest talk on tensions over war
David Crumm, Detroit Free Press, 12/8/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061208/NEWS05/612080459/1007/NEWS
One of the world's leading experts on overcoming religious barriers flew
from Israel to Michigan on Thursday to help ease tensions between local
Muslims and Jews.
"You have such a remarkable opportunity here in Detroit, because
people from so many different cultures live here, to transform clashes
into opportunities for enrichment," Rabbi David Rosen, expert on
interfaith relations for the American Jewish Committee, said Thursday
night.
Extreme religious voices were raised during tensions over the war in
Lebanon last summer, Imam Mohammad Mardini of the American Muslim Center
in Dearborn said. "But, do we blame them, if we are not doing
anything to rebuild bridges?" he asked.
This was the first such public dialogue since a rift opened between local
Muslim and Jewish leaders last summer. Nearly 200 Christians, Jews and
Muslims met at Congregation Adat Shalom in Farmington Hills on Thursday
night to listen to two rabbis and four Muslim leaders from metro
Detroit.
Rosen moderated the dialogue, which was designed to avoid explosive
exchanges by asking the speakers to respond to questions written out by
the mostly Jewish audience.
Yet pent-up emotion often surfaced.
Victor Begg, chair of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan,
said local Muslim leaders are fed up with non-Muslims' demands that that
they continually condemn terrorism, as if they are responsible for all
such crimes.
"It is exhausting and depressing to be responsible for everyone in
the world who uses our faith for evil," Begg said. (MORE)
-----
CA: JAPANESE, MUSLIM
AMERICANS LOOK BACK ON NATIONAL CALAMITIES -
TOP
Major tragedies usher in dark ages for both minority groups
Michael Manekin, San Mateo County Times, 12/7/06
http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_4794684
When the Imperial Japanese Navy swooped over Pearl Harbor 65 years ago
and destroyed more than 2,400 American lives, Mas Yamasaki was watching a
church basketball game in Sacramento.
He was 12, and he didn't know that he would soon live in a detention camp
in Tule Lake - sleeping on an Army-issued mattress, braving the elements
without indoor plumbing or heat.
The child of Japanese immigrants, Yamasaki was born an American citizen.
But he spent 31/2 years of his American childhood in the camp - he was
considered a threat to national security.
The internment of Japanese immigrants is familiar to most Americans - in
large part, because Yamasaki and legions of Japanese camp survivors have
made their voices heard.
Now, Yamasaki and other survivors are speaking out against a new
danger.
"We were stereotyped," said Yamasaki. "Now, with the
Muslims, it's the same thing. Everyone's pointing fingers saying they're
an enemy."
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor stripped Japanese-Americans of their
homes and freedom. But five years ago, the actions of 19 hijackers
radically altered the lives of the country's estimated 6 million Muslims.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
OH: TRUE ISLAM PROMOTES
PEACE, HARMONY -
TOP
B. Salem Foad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12/8/06
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061208/EDIT02/612080343
As one of the monotheistic or Abrahamic faiths, Islam came from the same
God who gave us Judaism and Christianity. These three divine revelations
have similar teachings because the source is the same, and principles of
morality like kindness, justice, charity, love and mercy do not change.
We as human beings distort this divine message or fail to implement its
teachings, and some use religion to advance their own political agenda.
Prejudice and bias can blind our perception and understanding of those
who have a different faith or different culture and tradition. Lack of
proper knowledge can lead to mistrust and fear.
The concept of God and one's relationship with God, though very personal,
has often been a topic of heated public discussion. Some Americans do not
even understand that Allah is the Arabic word for God, and that Jews,
Christians and Muslims who speak the Arabic language call on God by his
Arabic name, Allah. He is a loving, merciful God who cares for his
creatures, and who provides for them and guides them, and turns in mercy
and forgiveness despite our many mistakes and shortcomings.
Often American Muslims' patriotism is questioned merely by the fact
Muslims pray five times daily and turn their faces in prayer toward
Mecca. This does not mean they are loyal to Saudi Arabia, but it means
they show respect for the Kabbah, the sacred mosque built by prophets
Abraham and Ishmael. Muslims are loyal to the country where they live and
are an integral part of their community. They are good neighbors and good
workers. (MORE)
Dr. B. Salem Foad, in addition to being a practicing physician, is an
educator who serves on the Board of Trustees of the International Academy
of Cincinnati and is the Adult Religious Education chair at the Islamic
Center of Greater Cincinnati in West Chester.
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
D.C. PRESS CLUB PANEL TO OFFER ARAB, MUSLIM VIEW OF IRAQ REPORT
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/8/06) - On
Tuesday, December 12, the
Council on American-Islamic Relations
(
CAIR) will host a panel discussion at
the
National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to offer the Arab and
Muslim perspective on recommendations contained in the report issued this
week by the Iraq Study Group.
The panel discussion will include remarks by the
Syrian ambassador to
the United States, as well as comments from Middle East expert
Shibley Telhami and
CAIR officials. Tuesday's event is free
and open to the public. Those wishing to attend must register by sending
an e-mail to
events@cair.com by 4
p.m., Monday, December 11. (Attendees must present registration
confirmation at the event.)
WHAT: Arab, Muslim Perspectives on Iraq Study Group Report
WHEN: Tuesday, December 12, 2006, 10-11:30 a.m. (Eastern)
WHERE: National Press Club (Ballroom), National Press Club, 529
14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
R.S.V.P to:
events@cair.com
Panelists:
*
Dr. Imad Moustapha, Ambassador of the Syrian Arab
Republic
*
Dr. Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor at the University of
Maryland
*
Senator Larry Shaw, North Carolina General Assembly
*
Dr. Parvez Ahmed, CAIR Board Chairman
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/10/06
*
Verse:
Forgive Others
*
NJ:
Proposed Mosque Stirs Heated
Debate (Herald News)
*
CAIR:
U.S. Has Islamophobes, But
is Not Culturally Static (Guardian)
*
Ed Koch Joins Call to Oust
Prager from Council (Forward)
-
American Jewish Committee:
Prager is
Intolerant
*
CAIR:
Conservatives Attack Use
of Koran for Oath (RNS)
-
Page:
Prager Must Think Koran is Truly
Powerful Book
*
CAIR-OH:
Airline
Discriminated Against Muslim Clerics
*
CAIR-CAN:
Canadian Muslim
Barred from U.S. Seeks Answers
-
CAIR-CAN:
Use Diplomatic
Efforts to Stop Profiling
*
CAIR-FL:
Group Says Attack a Hate
Crime (Orlando Sentinel)
*
CAIR-CA:
Muslims Gather to
Celebrate Influence in Elections
*
IL:
Muslims Prepare to
Embark on Hajj (Daily Southtown)
*
Iraq:
Photos Confirm US Raid Child
Deaths (Al Jazeera)
-
Reminder:
CAIR Panel to Offer
Muslim View of Iraq Report
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: FORGIVE OTHERS -
TOP
"Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord and for a
garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth
that has been prepared for the righteous. (The righteous are) those who
spend (in His way), whether in prosperity or in adversity, who control
their anger and forgive other people. For God loves those who do
good."
The Holy Quran, 3:133-134
-----
NJ: PROPOSED MOSQUE STIRS HEATED DEBATE
-
TOP
MICHAEL J. FEENEY,
Herald News, 12/10/06
The Albanian Associated Fund, which represents nearly 200 families, has
outgrown its Paterson mosque and is seeking permission to build a
combination mosque, recreation and school building in Wayne, where a
number of members already live.
About five years ago, the group bought 11 acres in the township for about
$350,000 in an attempt to expand its facilities in safer
surroundings.
The complex would sit atop a hill where Colfax Road and Paterson-Hamburg
Turnpike meet. Neighbors have opposed the project, saying it will bring
heavy traffic and contribute to existing flooding problems in the
area.
In a July discrimination lawsuit filed at the federal level, Albanian
group members claimed that township officials stalled approving the
4,715-square-foot mosque and 7,957-square-foot school for nearly four
years at the planning board level, imposing unusually stringent
requirements and several delays. (MORE)
-----
AT LEAST IN AMERICA THEY UNDERSTAND THE
NOTION OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCE -
TOP
The US is not free from Islamophobes, but nor is it a racially monolithic
culturally static state like Tony Blair's Britain
Gary Younge, The Guardian, 12/11/06
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1969165,00.html
Afew weeks ago, Washington-based radio host Jerry Klein announced his own
very radical plan to assuage public fears of terrorism. All Muslims, he
suggested, should be branded with a crescent-shaped tattoo or be forced
to wear a red armband. The phones rang off the hook. The first caller
said Klein was "off his rocker". The next thought he was a
genius. "Not only do you tattoo them in the middle of their forehead
but you ship them out of this country," the caller said. "They
are here to kill us."
And so it went on, with Klein being praised or pilloried, until he
finally confessed that the whole thing was a hoax to see how deep the
rivers of American Islamophobia ran. "I can't believe any of you are
sick enough to have agreed for one second with anything I said," he
told his listeners. "It's beyond disgusting."
When it comes to popular prejudice and state repression, the Muslim
experience in the US does not seem to have differed much from the rest of
the western world since September 11. Klein was pushing at an open door.
A Gallup poll this summer showed that 39% of Americans supported
requiring Muslims in the US, including American citizens, to carry
special identification. In 2005 the
Council on American Islamic
Relations (Cair) recorded a 30% increase in the number of complaints
received about Islamophobic treatment.
In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, the US government undertook
the "preventative detention" of 5,000 men on the basis of their
birthplace, and later sought 19,000 "voluntary interviews".
Over the next year, more than 170,000 men from 24 predominantly Muslim
countries and North Korea were fingerprinted and interviewed in a
programme of "special registration". None of these produced a
single terrorism conviction.
According to a Pew research survey this year, Muslims are viewed less
favourably in the US than in Russia, Britain and France. There has been
progress. Last month Minneapolis elected the nation's first Muslim
congressman - an African-American convert, Keith Ellison. But with each
advance come new challenges. There is a brouhaha over Ellison's request
to swear an oath on the Qur'an.
But while many Muslims here looked to Europe in the hope that it might
provide a counterbalance to America's disastrous foreign policy, they
also look across the Atlantic in horror at the experiences of their
co-religionists. There lies the paradox: the country that has done more
than any other to foment Islamic fundamentalism abroad has so far
witnessed relatively little of it at home. "Europe is not coping
well with the emergence of Islam," says the
executive director of
Cair, Nihad Awad. "It has taken a long time for them to accept
that Islam is part of its future and also part of its past."
(MORE)
-----
KOCH CALLS FOR PUNDIT'S OUSTER FROM
SHOAH COUNCIL -
TOP
Jennifer Siegel, Forward, 12/8/06
http://www.forward.com/articles/koch-calls-for-pundits-ouster-from-shoah-council/
Former New York City Mayor Edward Koch has called for Dennis Prager to
resign or be removed from United States Holocaust Memorial Council, in
response to the pundit's recent insistence that a Muslim congressman
should not be sworn in using a Quran.
"There is no question that Dennis Prager is a bigot who ought to
be repudiated even by his closest supporters," Koch said this
morning in an interview with the Forward. "His statements are a
disgrace … and I will be down there calling for the council to condemn
him, and, if we have the power, to remove him." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
AJC OUTRAGED BY PRAGER REBUKE OF MUSLIM
CONGRESSMAN -
TOP
http://www.wfn.org/2006/12/msg00084.html
The American Jewish Committee views as outrageous and religiously
intolerant Dennis Prager's critical remarks regarding newly elected
Congressman Keith Ellison's decision to use a Koran when taking the
private, ceremonial oath of office that will follow the official oath in
the House of Representatives. (MORE)
-----
CONSERVATIVES ATTACK USE OF KORAN FOR
OATH -
TOP
Sacred and Secular Books Have Subbed for Bible
Omar Sacirbey, Religion News Service, 12/9/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/08/AR2006120801482.html
When Keith Ellison, the Minnesota Democrat whose election last month will
make him the first Muslim in Congress, announced he would take his oath
of office on Islam's holy book, the Koran, he provoked sharp criticism
from conservatives and some heated discussion on the
blogosphere.
The discussion has revived the debate about whether the nation's values
and legal system are shaped only by Judeo-Christian heritage or if there
is room for Islamic and other traditions.
"America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are
incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress,"
Dennis Prager, a conservative talk radio host in Los Angeles, wrote on
http://TownHall.com.
Prager, who is Jewish and serves on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council,
said Ellison should not be allowed to take his oath on the Koran. .
.
But Ellison, who could not be reached for comment, would not be the first
member of Congress to forgo a Bible. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
(D-Fla.) took her oath in 2005 on a Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, that she
borrowed from Rep. Gary L. Ackerman (D-N.Y.).
"Each of us has every right to lay our hand on the bible that we
were raised with; that's what America is all about -- diversity,
understanding and tolerance," Wasserman Schultz said. "It
doesn't appear that Dennis Prager has learned anything from his time on
the Holocaust commission."
Other politicians have departed from the Bible as well. Hawaii Gov. Linda
Lingle (R) used the Tanakh when she took her oath in 2002, and Madeleine
Kunin placed her hand on Jewish prayer books when she was sworn in as
governor of Vermont in 1985. . .
In 1825, John Quincy Adams took the presidential oath using a law volume
instead of a Bible, and in 1853, Franklin Pierce affirmed the oath rather
than swearing it. Herbert Hoover, citing his Quaker beliefs, also
affirmed his oath in 1929 but did use a Bible, according to the Joint
Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. Theodore Roosevelt used
no Bible in taking his first oath of office in 1901 but did in 1905. .
.
On Monday, the
Council on American-Islamic Relations called on the
Holocaust council, which oversees the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, to
remove Prager.
"No one who holds such bigoted, intolerant and divisive views should
be in a policy-making position at a taxpayer-funded institution that
seeks to educate Americans about the destructive impact hatred has had,
and continues to have, on every society," the group wrote in a
letter to Fred S. Zeidman, the council chairman. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
SECTARIAN PEACE BEGINS AT HOME -
TOP
Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 12/10/06
http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2006/12/10/opinions/columnists/page/18486077.txt
WASHINGTON -This country's first Muslim to be elected to Congress has not
been sworn in yet but he's already taking heat.
Dennis Prager, a conservative columnist and radio talk show host, objects
to the holy book on which Rep.-elect Keith Ellison plans to take his oath
of office on Jan. 4.
The Minnesota Democrat plans to use a Koran, the Muslim holy book,
instead of a Bible.
Poor naive me. Here I thought it was an encouraging sign of this
country's respect for liberty and diversity that Americans would elect a
Muslim to Congress in the midst of an international war against Islamic
terrorists. No country is perfect, but we've come a long way on the
tolerance scale since World War II when thousands of innocent Japanese
Americans were rounded up into camps far from home just for having
Japanese ancestry.
But, not Prager. Ellison's choice should be blocked, Prager wrote,
"not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the
act (of taking the oath on the Koran) undermines American
culture."
Again, poor naive me. I had no idea that American civilization was so
fragile. Prager must think that Koran is some truly powerful book.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR-OH: AIRLINE
DISCRIMINATED AGAINST MUSLIM CLERICS -
TOP
Columbus Dispatch, 12/10/06
http://www.dispatch.com/editorials-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/10/20061210-B4-03.html
I respond to Richard Levine's Nov. 29 letter "Airport wasn't guilty
of discrimination." Six imams, who had passed through the airport
security checks and boarded a US Airways flight in Minneapolis, were
regarded as suspicious by a passenger, who alerted a flight
attendant.
The men were handcuffed, removed from the plane, detained and questioned
for several hours. Then, despite their being innocent and completely
cleared by federal officials, US Airways and some other airlines refused
to allow them to purchase tickets for other scheduled flights
home.
Many of the rumors and inaccurate information surrounding the alleged
suspicious behavior of the men have been proved to be false. For example,
contrary to what some media reports stated, all had roundtrip tickets and
luggage. The incident boils down to overreaction by a passenger and the
airline to Muslim men on the aircraft and their observance of routine
prayers prior to boarding. In America today, those who encourage this
type of religious profiling stoke the flames of anger and fear. Then they
call for people to act on prejudice and institutionalize bigotry in the
form of ethnic and religious profiling. But sanctioning witch hunts and a
Ku Klux Klan-like mentality will not lift up this nation, nor will it
make us safer.
We have worked very hard in this country to set standards of decency and
personal conduct that respect each individual. Some of the memories of
racial and ethnic profiling in our nation's history bring us shame and
disbelief as we wonder why we allowed it. Others bring pain as the blight
of racism has not been purged from us collectively, and we know
it.
But we try. Because when prejudice exists in the eye of the beholder, any
innocent activity can seem sinister. This was illustrated clearly in
these recent events. Three men prayed in a side area of the airport
waiting room. Two large men asked for seatbelt extenders. A blind man
moved his seat to be near an acquaintance. These brought out handcuffs,
the FBI and wild rumors circulating in the media.
At an interfaith pray-in near the US Airways ticket counter at Washington
National Airport, Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Shalom Center of
Philadelphia explained why he would not fly on US Airways until they
apologized and recompensed the imams.
If we believe in the values America has stood for, we must stand together
to be a just nation and recognize the humanity of each individual. We
must give each person equal protection under the law, and we must stand
against racial, ethnic and religious profiling and
discrimination.
ASMA MOBIN-UDDIN
President
Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ohio Chapter
Columbus
-----
CAIR-CAN: OTTAWA RESIDENT WANTS
EXPLANATION AFTER OUSTER FROM U.S. PUTS JOB AT RISK -
TOP
CanWest News Service, 12/9/06
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=48fbd803-bc96-43d1-9937-040beaecb25f
An Ottawa man who was denied entry into the United States in October is
trying to find out why and hoping to clear his name with security
authorities.
Ali SeifAnNasr, a Tunisian-born business analyst who came to Canada in
1996, says he was detained by U.S. officials at Chicago's O'Hare airport
after he landed on Oct. 22 to attend a two-week training session for his
new employer, a business consulting firm.
He said the incident was especially puzzling because he had cleared U.S.
Customs and Immigration in Ottawa.
SeifAnNasr was questioned by security officials and the FBI, and detained
overnight. Homeland Security officials sent him back to Canada the next
day.
SeifAnNasr, 42, wants to find out what happened, clear his name, and win
some compensation if mistakes have been made. "I lost my job. It's
my reputation," he said. . .
Karl Nickner, executive director of the
Canadian Council on
American-Islamic Relations, said the SeifAnNasr incident is an
example of racial-religious profiling. He said border detentions, based
on incorrect information in databases, are happening in Canada but not
being reported. He said they can leave people humiliated and
fearful.
"We think it's occurring on a daily basis," said Sameer Zuberi,
spokesman for the council.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CAN: GOVERNMENT MUST PURSUE
DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS TO STOP PROFILING BY US CUSTOMS -
TOP
http://www.caircan.ca/itn_more.php?id=2811_0_2_0_C
-----
CAIR-FL: GROUP SAYS ATTACK A HATE CRIME
-
TOP
Orlando Sentinel, 12/9/06
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-mcfbriefs09_506dec09,0,2327383.story
MELBOURNE -- -A national association that advocates for the rights of
Muslims has asked the FBI to investigate a Melbourne attack as a federal
hate crime.
Elhassan Elfakiri, 42, was mugged Nov. 14 while checking his mail at
Tradewinds apartments on Palm Bay Road, a police report states. The two
attackers shouted religious and ethnic slurs as they beat him, police
say.
Sabiah Kahn, executive director of the Orlando office of the Council
on American-Islamic Relations, said the FBI needs to investigate to
show attackers that authorities take bias crimes seriously.
"Among their mandates is to protect people against hate
crimes," Kahn said.
Elfakiri was hit from behind, according to the report. The attackers
knocked Elfakiri unconscious and drove off in a tan SUV.
Elfakiri is a Muslim from Morocco.
The attack unnerved already anxious Melbourne Muslims, Kahn said. The
Islamic Society of Brevard County, a local mosque, was shot up in
September on the first day of Ramadan while the building was packed with
worshippers, Kahn said. One suffered minor injuries, she said.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR-CA: MUSLIMS GATHER TO
CELEBRATE THEIR INFLUENCE IN ELECTIONS -
TOP
Mercury News, 12/9/06
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/peninsula/16202160.htm
Bay Area Muslims and various politicians are coming together tonight in
Newark for a meet-and-greet to celebrate the contribution of the Muslim
vote in local, state and national elections this year.
The event is being sponsored by Muslim American Project -- Voters, and
supported by many other organizations, including the
Council on
American Islamic Relations, American Muslim Voice, Indian Muslim
Relief & Charities, North American Islamic Shelter for the Abused and
United Muslims of America. (MORE)
-----
IL: AREA MUSLIMS PREPARE TO EMBARK
ON SPIRITUAL PILGRIMAGE -
TOP
Isaac Wolf, Daily Southtown, 12/10/06
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/news/166635,103nws2.article
When 24-year-old Badie Ali returns from his winter vacation, he won't
begin only a new year. He'll begin a new life.
About to embark on the "hajj," or religious pilgrimage to
Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Ali believes that his trip to the birthplace of
Muhammad will cleanse his spirit.
"Finishing the hajj is like being a newborn baby," he said.
"You're forgiven of all of your previous sins."
Ali, along with about 150 other Southland Muslims, is preparing to make
his hajj to Islam's holiest sites. He begins the trip Dec. 16 and will
return home to Orland Park on Jan. 6. (MORE)
-----
PHOTOS CONFIRM US RAID CHILD DEATHS -
TOP
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A7B418CB-37BD-4A69-B55C-CBDC7D932B38.htm
Al Jazeera has obtained exclusive footage that confirms children were
among the victims of a US air raid northwest of Baghdad. Local officials
said that the bodies of 17 civilians, including six children and eight
women, had been pulled from the debris of two houses in
al-Ishaqi.
The US military had issued a statement on Friday saying that two women
were among 20 suspected "al Qaeda terrorists" killed in the
operation.
Al Jazeera's footage showed the bodies of men, women and children wrapped
in blankets after they had been pulled from the rubble.
The Agence France Presse news agency said it passed its own photographs
of the dead children to Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Garver, a US
military spokesman, who said: "We've checked with the troops who
conducted this operation - there were no children found among the
terrorists killed. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
REMINDER: CAIR PANEL TO OFFER MUSLIM
VIEW OF IRAQ REPORT -
TOP
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/061208/clf065.html?.v=10
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/11/06
*
Verse:
The Flimsiest of Dwellings
*
CAIR Panel to Offer Arab,
Muslim View of Iraq Report
*
PA:
Fliers at Pa. Church Take Aim
at Islam
*
CAIR Director Meets with Arab
League Secretary General
-
CAIR-MD/VA Trains Imams in
Media Relations
*
Resources:
Muslim Voices Against Extremism
and Terrorism
*
CAIR:
Muslims Turn Corner on
Ties with Catholics (Orlando Sent)
*
WA:
Religious Freedom
Trumps All in Congressman's Case
-
People For the American Way
Supports Muslim
Rep
-
NC:
Muslims Have Right to Use Quran in
Oaths (News & Obs)
*
OR:
Local Muslims Prepare
for Hajj (Oregonian)
*
CA:
Muslims Aim for
Greater Political Involvement (KCBS)
*
Officers Had Role in
Evangelical Video (Wash Post)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: THE FLIMSIEST OF DWELLINGS -
TOP
"The parable of those who choose protectors other than God is that
of the spider that builds (itself) a dwelling. But truly, the flimsiest
of dwellings is that of the spider."
The Holy Quran, 29:41
-----
CAIR HOSTS PANEL TO OFFER ARAB,
MUSLIM VIEW OF IRAQ REPORT -
TOP
Washington Daybook, 12/12/06
WHEN: 10 a.m. Foreign Affairs - Discussion
SPONSOR: The
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
TOPIC/SUBJECT: hosts a panel discussion to offer the Arab and Muslim
perspective on recommendations contained in the report issued by the Iraq
Study Group.
PARTICIPANTS: Syrian Ambassador Imad Moustapha; Shibley Telhami,
professor at the University of Maryland; North Carolina State Sen. Larry
Shaw; and Parvez Ahmed, CAIR Board Chairman
DATE: December 12, 2006
LOCATION: National Press Club, 14th and F Streets NW, Ballroom,
Washington, D.C.
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726,
ihooper@cair.com [Note: Register by
sending an e-mail to
events@cair.com]
-----
PA: FLIERS AT PA. CHURCH TAKE AIM AT
ISLAM -
TOP
Ashley Kelly, Times Herald-Record, 12/11/06
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061211/NEWS/612110320
Islam is a "clear and present danger," according to the
pamphlet in the foyer of the Milford Bible Church.
"Christians are in danger from the spread of the doctrines of
Islam," reads the first sentence of the flier.
The words are not meant as an attack against Muslims, according to the
parishioner who brought in the fliers. They are only a defense against
Islamic teachings, she says.
"It's really all about us being aware of the danger spiritually, not
physically," Norma Drake said at the church yesterday. "It's
just presenting Christ as superior to Mohammed, which is what we, as
Christians, believe."
The pamphlet is published by the Personal Freedom Outreach, a nonprofit
group with offices in Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The group lists three goals on its Web site: to educate Christians about
the dangers and heretical doctrines of religious cults, to use the Gospel
of Jesus Christ to reach members of those cults and to warn Christians of
unbiblical teachings within the church itself.
The tone of the flier angered some local Muslims.
"Statements like this only further show the ignorance and naiveness
of a large portion of Americans when it comes to Islam," said
Abdus-Shaheed Azeez, a Muslim from Middletown.
Dr. Quazi Al-Tariq, the president of the Middletown Islamic Center, said
he was surprised that a church would display that type of
message.
"This is definitely dividing the nation and creating hatred among
people," Al-Tariq said. "This is not a good practice for a
church. It is the church's moral responsibility to bring peace on all
sides and not to provoke any religious hatred."
The Milford church's senior pastor, Rodney Ryle, said he had not seen the
pamphlet and that the church would usually approve a pamphlet about Islam
for informational purposes, but not to slam Islam. (MORE)
-----
CAIR DIRECTOR MEETS WITH ARAB LEAGUE
SECRETARY GENERAL -
TOP
(WASHINGTON, DC, 12/11/06) - CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad, along
with other Muslim and Arab American leaders, recently met with Arab
League Secretary General Amr Musa. Among the topics discussed were the
Iraq Study Group report, the so-called "clash of
civilizations," Islamophobia, and the recent mid-term elections.
Awad updated Musa on the status of Muslim civil rights in the United
States.
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MD/VA TRAINS IMAMS IN MEDIA
RELATIONS -
TOP
(HERNDON, VA, 12/11/06) - On December 9, the Maryland and Virginia
chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MD/VA), in
cooperation with the D.C. Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations
(DC-CCMO) and the Fairfax Institute, held its first annual Imams' media
relations conference in Herndon, Va.
More than 40 imams, community leaders and activists joined the one-day
conference, which was designed to teach them how to interact effectively
with media professionals.
CONTACT: Sakeena Abdulraheem or Jamil Moris-Days, Tel: 703-689-3100 or
Khalid Iqbal, Tel: 202-439-5432
-----
RESOURCES: MUSLIM VOICES AGAINST EXTREMISM AND
TERRORISM -
TOP
* Part I -
Fatwas
* Part II -
Statements by Organizations
* Part III -
Statements and Articles by Individuals
-----
CAIR: TURNING THE CORNER ON TIES
WITH CATHOLICS -
TOP
Parvez Ahmed, Orlando Sentinel, 12/11/06
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-parvez1106dec11,0,3066454.story
Following the death of Pope John Paul II, much of the world, including
the Muslim world, anxiously awaited the naming of the next pope. Such
anticipation among non-Catholics was a tribute to John Paul's legacy of
outreach and reconciliation with people of other faiths.
As the world waited to hear the name of the new pope, I was invited to
participate in a "virtual conclave" by Beliefnet.com, in which
Catholics and people of other faiths discussed who they would like to see
leading the church.
When Pope Benedict XVI began his first visit to Turkey, a predominantly
Muslim country, I went back to the conclave archives to find out what
aspirations the participants had about the Muslim-Catholic
relationship.
One prominent Catholic participant posed the question, "To what
extent should concerns about Muslim-Christian relations guide the choice
of a pope?"
Mary Louise Hartman of the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the
Church replied, "The new pope will have to be skilled in diplomacy
and sensitive in his approach to our sisters and brothers in
Islam."
Russell Shaw of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote,
"The relationship with Islam is one of the big three issues the next
pope will have to address. . . . But what to do? It's all very well to
say Catholics should dialogue with Muslims and encourage the moderates
among them. But I do not think the people who flew airliners into the
World Trade Center were very open to dialogue."
The desire to build a solid relationship was clashing with fears about
extremism.
John Esposito of Georgetown University injected a dose of reality:
"Inter-religious dialogue is between the mainstream majorities --
their leaders, scholars, followers. Therefore, Catholicism's dialogue
with Islam/Muslims is not with the extremist minority no more than its
dialogue would be with Jewish extremists, Hindu extremists,
etc."
By visiting Turkey, Pope Benedict chose the path of engagement. His visit
could help undo the damage resulting from his quoting a 14th century
Byzantine emperor who had said that Islam was "spread by the
sword."
While the reprehensible violence by a tiny minority of Muslims reacting
to the pope's remarks received wide publicity, calls for dialogue by
mainstream Islamic groups went virtually unnoticed.
A recent survey by the
Council on American Islamic Relations
(CAIR) found that among Muslims in America, 84 percent agreed that
they should strongly emphasize shared values with "People of the
Book "(i.e. Christians and Jews).
More than three-quarters of American Muslims are native born. They are
part of mainstream America and are here to stay. Yet some are bent on
marginalizing this voice of moderation. (MORE)
[
Parvez Ahmed is board chairman of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy
group. He may be contacted at
pahmed@cair.com. ]
-----
WA: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM TRUMPS
ALL IN CONGRESSMAN'S CASE -
TOP
Yakima Herald-Republic, 12/11/06
http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/287703290317377
Chalk it up to symbolism blown out of proportion.
Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, D-Minn., caused a brief stir last week when he
said he planned to use the Quran, rather than the Bible, during his
ceremonial swearing-in. Ellison is the first Muslim elected to Congress
and will take his seat when that body convenes next month.
Dennis Prager, a conservative talk radio host and columnist, subsequently
criticized Ellison's decision. But in a country where the First Amendment
guarantees freedom of religion, his rationale was shaky at best.
Prager had written in his column: "Insofar as a member of Congress
taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned,
America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are incapable
of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress."
Wrong. America is not interested in only one book. Christianity may be
the dominant religion in the country, but it's certainly not the only
one.
Minnesota Republican Sen. Norm Coleman -- who like Prager is Jewish --
was quick to support Ellison, and with much more realistic reasoning.
Coleman said that even though the Jewish Bible includes only the Old
Testament, he uses a Bible that includes both the Old and New Testaments.
It's his choice.
Coleman said he knows Prager well, adding, "I've broken bread with
him -- on many issues, I agree with Dennis Prager. I think he's a
brilliant man on a whole range of things. But I disagree with him on this
one.
"First of all, I think it's a ceremonial act; people have a right to
worship in their way, and this is what Keith Ellison chose to do. From my
perspective, he had that right. It's freedom of religion in this
country."
Well said, and it certainly reflects a deeper understanding of First
Amendment guarantees. Freedom of religion doesn't mean "you're free
to believe as I do." Rather it guarantees a person can practice
whatever religion he or she wants -- or not practice religion at
all.
The swearing-in ceremony is symbolic. Ellison has the right to choose the
symbol that best suits his religious beliefs as one of the
props.
SEE ALSO:
ATTACKS ON
MUSLIM CONGRESSMAN-ELECT'S FAITH UNDERMINE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM -
TOP
People For the American Way, 12/9/06
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=23226
CONTACT: Drew Courtney or Josh Glasstetter, email:
media@pfaw.org, phone:
202-467-4999
When congressman-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim ever elected to
Congress, said that he would take the oath of office using a Koran, far
right ideologues were quick to attack him. Right wing activist Dennis
Prager said that Congressmen should only be allowed to use only the Bible
in taking the oath of office, and the American Family Association
demanded that legislation be passed to require all Congressmen to swear
an oath on the Bible, regardless of their religion.
People For the American Way President Ralph G. Neas issued the following
statement:
"It appears that some on the Religious Right need to review the
Constitution, which expressly prohibits a religious test for public
office. Every congressman has a right to swear or affirm the oath of
office according to his own personal faith. It would violate our
constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion to require an official to
swear on a Bible against that official's own religious belief.
"At a time when Religious Right leaders are falsely trying to turn
"happy holidays" into an attack on Christianity, Prager has
given us a real example of religious intolerance."
---
NC: ON MY OATH -
TOP
Religious freedom means that American Muslims should have the right to
use their sacred text when swearing an oath
News & Observer, 12/11/06
http://www.newsobserver.com/579/story/520115.html
Next month Minnesota's Keith Ellison will become Congress' first Muslim
member. And how could any American who honors the role of faith in public
life object to his holding the Quran? Surely in this country freedom of
religion applies to followers of Islam, the world's second-largest faith
by membership.
Indeed it should, but in a flap over Ellison's choice of a holy book to
hold during his oath-taking (or at a photo-op afterwards) some
commentators have left behind both common sense and the Constitution. The
American Family Association actually proposes a law making the Bible the
only book to be used during swearing-in ceremonies.
Ellison, a Democrat, dismisses all this as more "politics of
division" stuff, but it's considerably worse than just
that.
Not only does the Constitution mandate that "no religious test shall
ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under
the United States," it's hypocritical, in a nation grounded on
religious freedom, for believers to set up one true faith for public
consumption. The Constitution wisely prohibits a federal
"establishment of religion," and for Congress to rule out the
use of a major world religion's sacred text would be theological
meddling, abuse of power or both.
Furthermore, U.S. representatives are all sworn in together on the House
floor. There's no formal swearing-on-the holy-book ceremony anyway.
Holding a sacred text during or after is a private decision, purely a
matter of faith. Leave it alone, and swear in every lawfully elected
representative.
An echo of this issue was heard in North Carolina last year. A Muslim
woman who had been called to testify in a Guilford County courtroom was
asked to place her hand on the Bible and take an oath to tell the truth.
She declined, asking "Do you have a Quran available?"
The court allowed her to raise a hand affirming that she was telling the
truth, or to swear by God that she was telling the truth without laying a
hand on the Bible. But no Quran -- even after a local Muslim organization
offered to donate copies.
The Guilford court's options were an accommodation, but they were not
equality. Religious people may well feel that their courtroom testimony
will be discounted if they don't swear by their sacred text. And to make
their oath most meaningful, people of faith will want to use the text
that means the most to them. (MORE)
-----
OR: TO BE ONE OF MILLIONS IN
MECCA -
TOP
The Muslim faithful prepare to make the trek "for the sake of
Allah"
Nancy Haught, Oregonian, 12/9/06
http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/living/1165622115290160.xml&coll=7
Before Oregon Muslims begin their pilgrimage to Mecca, Amr Khalifa works
to prepare them in two ways: for an intimate encounter with Allah, or
God, and a very public one with millions of their fellow
believers.
"Every action has an intention behind it," Khalifa tells a
group of adults from several Portland mosques who have gathered to get
ready for the pilgrimage, or hajj. Some people will travel to Mecca with
shopping on their minds, he says, or because they have made a personal
vow to visit the holy sites.
"Intention is very difficult to put your finger on," Khalifa
says. But the right intention for the hajj is to make the journey
"for the sake of Allah." (MORE)
-----
CA: LOCAL MUSLIMS AIM FOR
GREATER POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT -
TOP
KCBS, 12/10/06
http://kcbs.com/pages/145612.php?contentType=4&contentId=255950
Bay Area Muslims have pledged to become more politically aware and
politically active. The Muslim American Project sponsored an event in
Newark Saturday night where local Muslims could meet with several elected
officials.
Project Spokeswoman Moina Shaiq told KCBS' Tim Ryan that more and more
Muslims are deciding to vote, and many are now enjoying the outcome of
the most recent elections.
"People are happy with the outcome because of what's been happening
in the past several years. The general public is not very happy with the
current administration policies."
Shaiq said they are also celebrating the election of the first Muslim to
Congress, Democrat Keith Ellison of Minneapolis, who says he'll take his
oath of office on the Koran.
"We're very proud and we feel that we have a voice," said
Shaiq.
The most important issues in the Muslim community are civil rights, due
process and the war in Iraq, according to Shaiq. Her organization hopes
the recent meeting is the start of a future where politics will have a
stronger Muslim voice.
-----
INQUIRY SOUGHT OVER
EVANGELICAL VIDEO -
TOP
Defense Department Asked to Examine Officers' Acts Supporting Christian
Group
Alan Cooperman, Washington Post, 12/11/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/10/AR2006121000883.html
A military watchdog group is asking the Defense Department to investigate
whether seven Army and Air Force officers violated regulations by
appearing in uniform in a promotional video for an evangelical Christian
organization.
In the video, much of which was filmed inside the Pentagon, four generals
and three colonels praise the Christian Embassy, a group that evangelizes
among military leaders, politicians and diplomats in Washington. Some of
the officers describe their efforts to spread their faith within the
military.
"I found a wonderful opportunity as a director on the joint staff,
as I meet the people that come into my directorate," Air Force Maj.
Gen. Jack J. Catton Jr. says in the video. "And I tell them right up
front who Jack Catton is, and I start with the fact that I'm an
old-fashioned American, and my first priority is my faith in God, then my
family and then country. I share my faith because it describes who I
am."
Pete Geren, a former acting secretary of the Air Force who oversaw the
service's response in 2005 to accusations that evangelical Christians
were pressuring cadets at the Air Force Academy, also appears in the
video. The Christian Embassy "has been a rock that I can rely on,
been an organization that helped me in my walk with Christ, and I'm just
thankful for the service they give," he says.
The 10-minute video is on the group's Web site, Christianembassy.com. The
organization was founded nearly 30 years ago by the late Bill Bright, who
also founded Campus Crusade for Christ. The Christian Embassy Web site
says the group holds prayer breakfasts each Wednesday in the Pentagon's
executive dining room and organizes small groups to help military leaders
"bridge the gap between faith and work."
Army Brig. Gen. Bob Casen refers in the video to the Christian Embassy's
special efforts to reach admirals and generals through Flag Fellowship
groups. Whenever he sees another fellowship member, he says, "I
immediately feel like I am being held accountable, because we are the
aroma of Jesus Christ."
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a watchdog group led by
retired Air Force lawyer Michael L. "Mikey" Weinstein, is
requesting an investigation in a letter to the Defense Department's
inspector general. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
CAIR IRAQ REPORT DISCUSSION TO AIR LIVE ON C-SPAN2
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/11/06) - On Tuesday, December 12, CAIR's
National Press Club panel discussion on the Iraq Study Group report will
be aired live at 10 a.m. (Eastern) on
C-SPAN2. The event will include remarks by the Syrian ambassador to
the United States, as well as comments from Middle East expert Shibley
Telhami and CAIR officials.
WHAT: Arab and Muslim Perspectives on the Iraq Study Group
Report
WHEN: Tuesday, December 12, 2006, 10-11:30 a.m. (Eastern)
WHERE: National Press Club (Ballroom), National Press Club, 529
14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com
Panelists:
*
Dr. Imad Moustapha, Ambassador of the Syrian Arab
Republic
*
Dr. Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor at the University of
Maryland
*
Senator Larry Shaw, North Carolina General Assembly
*
Dr. Parvez Ahmed, CAIR Board Chairman
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In
the Name of God, the Compassionate,
the Merciful
MORE U.S. MUSLIMS EXPECTED TO TAKE PART IN
HAJJ
CAIR reminds pilgrims of their rights, offers 'hotline'
for bias reports
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/12/2006) - A prominent national Islamic
civil rights and advocacy group said today that the number of American
Muslims taking part in this year's pilgrimage to Mecca, or
Hajj, is expected to increase because the
religious observance falls during the winter holidays.
(American Muslims are
just
beginning to leave for Hajj and will be returning in early January.
Some 10,000 American Muslims go on Hajj each year. To find a local
mosque, go to:
http://islamicfinder.org/)
Following recent allegations of "flying while Muslim" airport
profiling incidents, the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(
CAIR) is advising those going on
pilgrimage to be aware of their civil and legal rights as airline
passengers. CAIR is also offering a toll-free hotline
(
1-800-784-7526) for anyone who believes their rights were
violated.
In its
"
Your Rights and Responsibilities as an American Muslim" pocket
guide, CAIR states:
"As an airline passenger, you are entitled to courteous, respectful
and non-stigmatizing treatment by airline and security personnel. You
have the right to complain about treatment that you believe is
discriminatory. If you believe you have been treated in a discriminatory
manner, immediately:
1. Ask for the names and ID numbers of all persons involved in the
incident. Be sure to write this information down.
2. Ask to speak to a supervisor.
3. Ask if you have been singled out because of your name, looks, dress,
race, ethnicity, faith, or national origin.
4. Ask witnesses to give you their names and contact information.
5. Write down a statement of facts immediately after the incident. Be
sure to include the flight number, the flight date, and the name of the
airline.
6. Contact CAIR to file a report. If you are leaving the country, leave a
detailed message, with the information above at
202-488-8787."
"Given the increase in the number of complaints CAIR has received
alleging airport profiling of American Muslims, we believe it is
important that all those taking part in this year's Hajj be aware of
their legal and civil rights," said
CAIR Communications Director
Ibrahim Hooper.
Hajj is one of the "five pillars" of the Islamic faith.
(The other pillars include a declaration of faith, daily prayers,
offering regular charity, and fasting during the month of Ramadan.)
Pilgrimage is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for those who have the
physical and financial ability to undertake the journey.
When the
main portion of the pilgrimage is
completed, Muslims worldwide gather for communal prayers on the first day
of Eid ul-Adha (eed-al-ODD-ha), the second of the two major Muslim
holidays.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
HAJJ ACTIVITIES -
TOP
Q: What Does The Quran Say About Hajj?
A: In the Quran, Islam's revealed text, God says:
"Thus We settled Abraham at the site of the House (the Ka'aba)
(saying): 'Do not associate anything with Me, and purify My house for
those who walk around it, and those who stand there (praying), and those
who bow down on their knees in worship.
"Proclaim the pilgrimage to all people. They will come to you on
foot and on every lean (beast of burden). Let them come from every deep
ravine, to bear witness to the advantages they have, and to mention God's
name on appointed days." The Holy Quran, 22:26-28
The obligatory and optional activities of Hajj include:
* Entrance into a state of self-control called "ihram,"
during which pilgrims are forbidden to harm living creatures, even
insects or plants, or raise the voice in anger. The state of ihram is
signified (for men) by the wearing of two pieces of unsewn white cloth.
This clothing signifies the equality of all before God. No specific
clothing is prescribed for female pilgrims.
* Circling ("Tawaf") of the "Ka'aba," the stone
building Muslims believe was originally built by Abraham and his son
Ishmael. The Ka'aba is viewed as the first sanctuary on earth dedicated
to the worship of the One God. It is a symbol of unity for Muslims
because all prayers, wherever they are performed, are oriented in the
direction of the Ka'aba.
* The "Sa'i," or "hastening" between two small hills
near the Ka'aba, to commemorate Hagar's search for water to offer her son
Ishmael.
* The "Day of Arafah." Arafah is a mountain and its surrounding
empty plain near Mecca. On this day, the climax of the Hajj season,
pilgrims assemble for supplication to God.
* The stoning of three pillars representing Satan's temptation of
Abraham. The stoning indicates the pilgrim's rejection of evil
deeds.
* Cutting the hair to symbolize the completion of Hajj.
* Sacrifice of an animal to help the poor, and in remembrance of
Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael at God's command. The
meat is distributed to relatives and to the needy.
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/13/06
*
Hadith:
Share with Others
*
CAIR Condemns Iranian Holocaust Denial
Conference
-
Holocaust Museum Founder Calls
Prager 'Poor Choice'
-
U.S. Group Hosts
Israeli Extremist (NY Sun)
*
CAIR's Iraq Report Panel Video Now
Online (C-SPAN)
-
CAIR-FL:
Speak to
Syria
-
CAIR-MI to be Honored by Michigan
ACLU
*
MN:
Muslim Rep
Scores High on Racial Equity Report Card
*
CAIR:
CA Effigy
of 'Arab' Stirs Uneasiness (Marin IJ)
*
MI:
Muslims Say Fear 'As Bad as
After 9/11' (USA Today)
-
FL:
Fear of Islam Can
Be Treated, Cured (SP Times)
*
MI:
Furor Grows
Over Closure of Charity Account (Free Press)
-
Muslim Charity Sues Over
Terror Charges (NYT)
*
CA:
'Convert or
Die' Game Divides Christians (SF Chronicle)
*
What Muslim Women Want (Wall Street
Journal)
-
OK:
Muslim Women Seek
Acceptance of Culture, Clothing
-
Veil No Bar to Glory for
Muslim Women (Reuters)
-
IL:
Women Discuss
Leadership Roles in Islam
*
CAIR:
Minnesota Among
Top Destinations for US Muslims
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: SHARE WITH OTHERS -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "He whose property
exceed his needs, let him support the one whose property does not (meet
his needs), and he whose food exceeds his needs, let him share it with
those who do not have food."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, 3:93C
VERSE OF THE DAY: GIVE ONLY WHAT IS GOOD
"O you who believe, give (to others out) of the good things you have
(lawfully) earned and that which We have produced for you from the earth.
And do not choose (for your charitable giving) those worthless things
that you yourselves would not accept but with closed eyes."
The Holy Quran, 2:267
-----
CAIR CONDEMNS IRANIAN HOLOCAUST DENIAL CONFERENCE -
TOP
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/13/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today condemned a conference in Iran that seeks to deny the
Holocaust, the systematic destruction of the Jewish community in Europe
by the Nazis during World War II.
In a statement, CAIR said:
"No legitimate cause or agenda can ever be advanced by denying or
belittling the immense human suffering caused by the murder of millions
of Jews and other minority groups by the Nazi regime and its allies
during World War II. Cynical attempts to use Holocaust denial as a
political tool in the Middle East conflict will only serve to deepen the
level of mistrust and hostility already present in that troubled
region."
CAIR also expressed concern that individuals who have promoted racist
views, like former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, were invited to speak
at the conference. "Islam, through the example of the Prophet
Muhammad, has always rejected racism in any form," said CAIR's
statement.
In his final sermon, the Prophet stated: "All mankind is from Adam
and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab
have any superiority over an Arab. Also, a white (person) has no
superiority over a black (person), nor does a black have any superiority
over a white - except by piety and good action." SEE:
http://cair.com/Muhammad/
The Washington-based council has in the past condemned an Iranian contest
soliciting political cartoons mocking the Holocaust and supported calls
for an apology from an Arab-American newspaper that published excerpts
from an anti-Semitic tract.
In its past statement supporting an apology from the newspaper, CAIR said
"we must challenge those who would fan the flames of
anti-Semitism." CAIR's statement condemning the Iranian cartoon
contest called the Holocaust "one of the lowest moments in human
history."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
HOLOCAUST MUSEUM FOUNDER CALLS
PRAGER 'POOR CHOICE' FOR COUNCIL -
TOP
Ed Koch wants Prager out -- will ask him to resign from Holocaust
Memorial Council next week
James Besser, Jewish Journal, 12/12/06
http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=16942
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council faces continuing questions over
recent statements by one of its members, local commentator and writer
Dennis Prager.
But the panel, which oversees the Holocaust Museum on Washington's Mall,
has no answers, since it had no role in appointing Prager and no way of
removing him. Prager was appointed to the Council in September, but has
not attended any meetings since it has not met since then, and has not
been appointed to any committees.
Prager generated protests from across the political spectrum when he
wrote that Keith Ellison, elected to the U.S. House on November 7,
shouldn't be allowed to take the oath of office on a Quran.
In January Ellison will become the first Moslem in Congress; although
members do not get sworn in on any holy book, he has said he would bring
a Quran to the private ceremony that many members use as a swearing-in
photo op.
That offended the conservative Prager, who wrote that allowing
congressional oaths on a Quran "undermines American
civilization." "If you are incapable of taking an oath on (the
Bible), don't serve in Congress."
A long list of Jewish leaders quickly condemned his comments, and former
New York Mayor Ed Koch demanded that he quit the Council.
Koch is also a Council member, and in an interview he said he will seek
Prager's resignation at the December 18 Council meeting. . .
One of the Museum's founders said Prager was probably a poor choice
for the panel.
"A pundit's job is to stir up controversy," said Holocaust
scholar Michael Berenbaum, a former Council member and Museum official.
"Prager views himself as a great ethicist, as a moral voice, but on
this issue he has gone off on a profoundly alienating tangent. He sure
doesn't help the Council."
Berenbaum said Prager's comments suggest a "religious test for
public office. And that's wrong; it goes against the whole thrust of
Jewish activism in this country." (MORE)
---
ISRAEL'S LIEBERMAN
CALLS FOR TOUGHER STANCE ON ISRAELI ARABS -
TOP
Ira Stoll, New York Sun, 12/13/06
http://www.nysun.com/article/45120
The deputy prime minister of Israel, Avigdor Lieberman, is calling for a
tougher stance toward Israeli Arabs.
Mr. Lieberman outlined his views at a luncheon session in New York
yesterday organized by the Middle East Forum, and afterward in an
interview with The New York Sun and other journalists.
"The conflict includes not only the Arabs in Judea, Samaria, and the
Gaza Strip, but Israeli Arabs also," Mr. Lieberman said. "The
linkage between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Arab population
- it will destroy us, it is impossible. What is the logic of creating one
and a half country for one people and a half country for the Jewish
people?"
Mr. Lieberman spoke of requiring Israelis to sign a commitment to loyalty
to the Israeli flag and to its national anthem, and of requiring service
in the army or alternative national service.
Citizens who refuse to
sign the declaration, he said, could continue as permanent residents of
Israel, working, studying, and receiving health care benefits, but they
could not vote in national elections or be elected to national
office. (MORE)
-----
CAIR: IRAQ REPORT PANEL VIDEO NOW
ONLINE -
TOP
http://www.c-span.org/rss/video.asp?MediaID=28984
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-FL: SENATOR'S TRIP TO
SYRIA LANDS HIM IN HOT ZONE -
TOP
Kevin Begos, Tampa Tribune, 12/13/06
http://www.tbo.com/news/nationworld/MGBJHSLANVE.html
Dec. 13--TALLAHASSEE -- U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is scheduled to meet with
Syrian President Bashar Assad today despite President Bush's
objections.
"We discourage the travel of members of Congress to Syria because we
believe it undermines the Siniora government" of Lebanon, White
House spokesman Blair Jones said. . .
"He should be commended for reaching out and trying for
dialogue," said
Ahmed Bedier of Tampa, a spokesman for the
Council on American-Islamic Relations. Syria, branded by the Bush
administration as a supporter of terrorism, could perhaps help bring
stability to Iraq, he said.
"You don't have to agree on everything -- but there are some common
interests for all countries in the region," Bedier said. "If
you continue to neglect and not speak to them, that will make your job a
lot harder." (MORE)
---
CAIR-MI TO BE HONORED BY ACLU -
TOP
Celebrate Bill of Rights Day with the Metro Detroit Branch of the
ACLU!
WHEN: Thursday, December 14, 2006, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Swords into Plowshares Gallery, 33 E. Adams, Detroit, MI
Join the ACLU of Michigan Metropolitan Detroit Branch in honoring the
courageous plaintiffs in ACLU v NSA, the successful lawsuit to halt the
warrantless wiretapping of the Bush administration.
2006 Honorees:
* William W. Swor, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
* Nabih H. Ayad, Mohammed Abdrabboh, and Noel Saleh, ACLU members
*
Nazih Hassan, Dawud Walid, Council on American Islamic Relations -
Michigan chapter
-----
MN: MINNEAPOLIS
LEGISLATORS SCORE HIGH ON RACIAL EQUITY REPORT CARD -
TOP
Kari VanDerVeen, Southwest Journal, 12/13/06
http://www.swjournal.com/articles/2006/12/13/news/news04.txt
Minneapolis legislators scored big on the recently released Minnesota
Legislative Report Card on Racial Equity.
The report card, compiled by the nonprofit Organizing Apprenticeship
Project, grades the performance of the Legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty
during the 2005-06 biennium on policies that address and strengthen
racial equity in the state. The five legislators who scored highest on
the report card all represent Minneapolis.
The report card looked at 22 bills that, if passed, would advance racial
equity and eliminate racial disparities. Each legislator was given points
based on leadership as author or co-author of a racial equity bill in the
2005-06 session.
Rep. Keith Ellison (DFL-58B), who represents Downtown north of 7th Street
and was recently elected to Congress, led the way with 135 points. Rep.
Karen Clark (DFL-61A), whose district includes most of the Whittier
neighborhood, scored 90 points. Rep. Neva Walker (DFL-61B), whose
district includes parts of Whittier, Lyndale and Kingfield, scored 75
points. Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL-62A), who represents South Minneapolis,
scored 70 points. And Sen. Linda Higgins (D-58), who represents Downtown
north of 7th Street, scored 50 points. (MORE)
-----
CA: EFFIGY OF 'ARAB'
STIRS UNEASINESS IN SAN ANSELMO -
TOP
Tad Whitaker, Marin Independent Journal, 12/13/06
http://www.marinij.com/marin/ci_4830391
An effigy of a man in Arab headdress hanging from a gallows in a San
Anselmo yard has become the latest public display of politics to raise
eyebrows in a town becoming known for that type of thing.
Pat La Tray, 57, built the gallows for the straw effigy - which has an
American flag piercing its heart - after police asked him to take it out
of a tree on town property in front of his house at 330 Greenfield Ave.
He built the effigy for Halloween, but said he has decided to leave it up
as a symbol of his support for troops fighting in the Iraq war and his
stance against terrorism.
"It is a patriotic symbol," La Tray said. "It has nothing
to do with race or religion."
Nearby resident Pilar Sinelnikoff said she doesn't care what La Tray
says. The effigy offends her every time she walks by it.
"I'm appalled he calls himself an American," she said.
"He's pathetic." . . .
When asked her thoughts about the effigy, Nong La Tray, who is a citizen
of Thailand and moved here in 2002, said she has no problem with it. She
said Muslims were oppressive in her home country.
"They're not good people," she said.
Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Washington D.C.-based
Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he hears about similar
displays from time to time across the country and understands the
frustration caused by terrorism. But, he added, there are better ways to
express opposition to it that don't reinforce stereotypes against Arabs
or Muslims who don't participate.
"I don't think this would promote interfaith understanding," he
said. (MORE)
-----
MI: FEAR 'AS BAD AS AFTER 9/11' -
TOP
Rick Hampson, USA Today, 12/12/06
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-12-12-arab-americans-cover_x.htm
DEARBORN, Mich. - The Arab Muslims who came here eight decades ago to
work on Henry Ford's new assembly line believed their American future was
limitless. But after five years on the home front in America's war on
terrorism, many of their descendants are hunkering down, covering up and
staying put.
In this and similar enclaves, like those in northern New Jersey and
Brooklyn, many Arab Muslims say their community is turning in on itself -
shying away from a society increasingly inclined to equate Islam with
terrorism.
"It's as bad as after 9/11," says Rana Abbas-Chami of the
Michigan American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. "A lot of
people are scared. They've changed how they do things."
Some stay put. They don't like to fly, cross the border with Canada or
shop at malls outside the city. "It's a feeling that if you go too
far outside Dearborn, anything can happen," says Osama Siblani, a
local newspaper publisher.
Some blend in. They Anglicize their names (Osama Nimer, electrician, is
now Samuel Nimer) or change them (Mohammad Bazzi, nurse, is Alex
Goldsmith). They trim their beards. In public, they speak English instead
of Arabic. They display the flag. They wear the Tigers cap.
Some lie low. They won't contribute to a Muslim charity, at least not by
check, and not if it works overseas. They watch what they say, especially
on the phone. They think twice before trying to rent a truck, get a
hunting license or take a flying lesson.
Some regard Dearborn, center of the nation's largest Arab Muslim
community, as an island of security; others see it as a potential
trap.
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, fears of domestic
sabotage led to the internment of Japanese-Americans. Some Arab Muslims
wonder if it could happen again - especially if there's another domestic
terror attack. People here speculate about spies and informers in their
midst; government eavesdropping and surveillance; and, if there's another
9/11, concentration camps.
These themes emerged repeatedly in USA TODAY interviews with about two
dozen Arab Muslims around the nation. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
FL: FEAR OF ISLAM CAN BE
TREATED, CURED -
TOP
Dr. Adel Eldin, St. Petersburg Times, 12/12/06
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/12/Hernando/Fear_of_Islam_can_be_.shtml
Let the world know, American Muslims strongly condemn terrorism and all
terrorists, whoever they are and wherever they may be. We love our
country and are very proud to be American and Muslim.
Taking a scientific approach to the problem, first we should diagnosis
it, then treat it.
The Diagnosis: The disease called Islamophobia (or fear of Islam and
Muslims with the rise of terrorism). It has been perpetuated mostly by
ignorance, and partly with deception and misinformation before and after
the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
As much as terrorists hijacked our religion, extreme right-wing
neoconservatives hijacked our administration, and it seemed to every
Muslim that America is at war with Islam the religion, not with the
terrorists who have hurt us. As you, we wanted to bring terrorists to
justice. It seemed the facts did not matter anymore, as negative and
false perceptions became the rule, not the exception, about Islam and
Muslims.
Islam in the media is seen as violent, aggressive, threatening,
supportive of terrorism, and engaged in a clash of civilization (an idea
put in Samuel Huntington's 1998 book The Clash of Civilizations and the
Remaking of World Order). Thus, anti-Muslim hostility is seen, which
includes demonizing Islam and attacking our prophet and holy book (the
Koran), and waging a smear campaign on radio talk shows, TV programs and
the Internet.
The treatment: I believe the therapy will include education and outreach
and kindness. Ignorance constitutes 90 to 95 percent of the problem; the
remaining 5 percent of the problem will need to be dealt with by law
enforcement.
In Hernando County, for the past five years, there has been ongoing
education about Islam and the prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him),
including a radio show aired at 12:40 p.m. every Friday on WWJB-AM
1450.
There also have been many visits to a large number of churches, clubs and
businesses to educate, share views and establish dialogue. There is a Web
site,
www.hernandomasjid.com,
with all free materials in English and Spanish about Islam for those who
are interested. (MORE)
-----
MI: FUROR GROWS OVER BANK
CLOSURE OF CHARITY ACCOUNT -
TOP
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 12/12/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061212/NEWS05/612120315/1007
The U.S. Department of Justice may defend the Patriot Act in a case
involving Comerica Bank and a Muslim charity based in Southfield,
according to court documents the department filed in Detroit.
Comerica officials have told Life for Relief and Development that it
intends to close its accounts.
The bank's move came after the charity was raided by federal agents in
September. The government has not said what the raid was about, but
charity officials say it may be related to work the charity did in
Iraq.
In response, the charity sued Comerica, saying the bank violated its
civil rights.
The suit, filed last month, challenges the constitutionality of a section
of the Patriot Act that allows financial institutions to share
information about suspected money laundering or terrorist
activity.
On Dec. 1, Justice Department attorneys filed a notice in U.S. District
Court in Detroit that said it may "intervene in this action to
defend the constitutionality" of the section under
question.
Some Arab Americans and Muslims charge the bank is discriminating against
the charity because it is operated by Arab-American Muslims.
Protests are planned for Friday and Saturday outside Comerica branches in
Dearborn, Detroit, Canton and Ann Arbor.
Organized as the Charity Without Fear Coalition, groups against the
bank's move include the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the
Muslim American Society and the
Council on American-Islamic
Relations.
Some Arab Americans and Muslims say they plan to close their accounts
with Comerica in protest. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIM CHARITY SUES TREASURY
DEPT. AND SEEKS DISMISSAL OF CHARGES OF TERRORISM -
TOP
Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times, 12/12/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/12/washington/12charity.html
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 11 - In a new challenge to Washington over its
closing several American Muslim charities that it has accused of aiding
terrorism, the largest such group sued on Monday seeking dismissal of
many of the charges.
More Politics NewsLawyers for the group, the Holy Land Foundation of
Richardson, Tex., filed suit in Federal District Court in Dallas two
weeks after a federal judge in California called into question a crucial
provision in designating terrorist supporters. Since December 2001, the
Treasury Department has designated Holy Land and five other Muslim
charities in the United States as terrorist supporters, seizing millions
of dollars in assets and halting their activities.
No accused charity or any senior officer have been convicted on a charge
of terrorism. Some charities have faced no criminal charges.
(MORE)
-----
CA: 'CONVERT OR DIE' GAME
DIVIDES CHRISTIANS -
TOP
Some ask Wal-Mart to drop Left Behind
Ilene Lelchuk, San Francisco Chronicle, 12/12/06
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/12/12/MNG8TMU1KQ1.DTL
Liberal and progressive Christian groups say a new computer game in which
players must either convert or kill non-Christians is the wrong gift to
give this holiday season and that Wal-Mart, a major video game retailer,
should yank it off its shelves.
The Campaign to Defend the Constitution and the Christian Alliance for
Progress, two online political groups, plan to demand today that Wal-Mart
dump Left Behind: Eternal Forces, a PC game inspired by a series of
Christian novels that are hugely popular, especially with teens.
The series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins is based on their
interpretation of the Bible's Book of Revelation and takes place after
the Rapture, when Jesus has taken his people to heaven and left
nonbelievers behind to face the Antichrist.
Left Behind Games' president, Jeffrey Frichner, says the game actually is
pacifist because players lose "spirit points" every time they
gun down nonbelievers rather than convert them. They can earn spirit
points again by having their character pray.
"You are fighting a defensive battle in the game," Frichner,
whose previous company produced Bible software, said of combatting the
Antichrist. "You are a sort of a freedom fighter."
A Wal-Mart spokeswoman said the retailer has no plans to pull Left
Behind: Eternal Forces from any of the 200 of Wal-Mart's 3,800 stores
that offer the game, including just seven in California. The nearest are
in Chico and Redding. (MORE)
-----
WHAT MUSLIM WOMEN WANT -
TOP
Geneive Abdo and Dalia Mogahed, Wall Street Journal, 12/13/06
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116597643672848516.html
Religion and modernity are butting heads again, or so it seems -- this
time in Egypt. The country's cultural minister, Farouk Hosni, touched off
a fiery, mostly male-dominated debate last month when he commented to a
local newspaper that the increasing numbers of women in his country
wearing headscarves marked a "regressive" trend in society and
a turn away from modernity.
But do millions of Muslim women agree that embracing Islam, expressed by
wearing the hijab, is in conflict with modernity? In fact, Muslim women
paint a much more complex picture of their lives and desires than others
paint for them. In their minds, the choice is not one between Islamic law
and modernity; the two are not mutually exclusive.
Consider the recent findings of a Gallup Poll of 22 predominantly Muslim
countries, including Egypt, over the last 16 months. The survey
represents the views of more than 90% of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims.
Majorities of women in these countries say they think women should have
the same rights as men. At the same time, they also say that Shariah, the
sacred law of Islam, should be a source of the nation's laws. For many
Westerners who associate Shariah with the lack of women's rights, this
might appear to be a stark contradiction. But that is not quite
correct.
Shariah literally means "the road to water," and represents the
moral compass of a Muslim's personal and public life. Historically, the
principles of Shariah could be used to limit the power of the sultan;
after all, he would never claim he was above God's law. Therefore, when
Muslims call for Shariah and gender equality, both are calls for the rule
of law and an end to inequality. In many countries, Muslims are calling
for the application of Shariah because even when the constitution states
that Shariah is the primary basis of law, in practice, this is not
enforced by officially secular governments.
Among the women surveyed in our poll, Egyptian women are most likely to
believe Shariah should be the primary source of legislation: 62% say it
should be the only source of law, and 28% say it should be a source, but
not the only source. In nearly every country surveyed, aside from
officially secular Turkey, a majority of women say Islamic law should
either be the primary source of legislation or a source.
For decades, the role of women in Islamic societies has provided one of
the primary battlegrounds in the cultural war between East and West. As a
result, Muslim women have been placed in two artificial and mutually
exclusive categories: Modern and secular or religious and traditional --
even backward. The assumption is that, although the numbers of women
choosing to veil in Egypt and elsewhere are growing, this trend is a
result of either ignorance or women surrendering to pressure from their
husbands or fathers.
In contrast to the popular wisdom that women are content even if they
believe they are second-class citizens, Gallup's survey found that women
in the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed believe they should have
equal legal rights as men, from voting rights to employment opportunities
and access to the highest posts in government. Some 83% of Iranian women,
for example, say women should be able to hold leadership positions in the
cabinet and national council. Still, when the same Iranian women were
asked the Shariah question, 66% said Islamic law should be a source, and
14% said the sole source, of legislation.
Majorities of Muslim women also say that religion is an important part of
their daily lives. When asked to associate descriptions with the Islamic
world, the most often chosen statement among men and women was
"attachment to their spiritual and moral values is crucial to
progress."
When asked an open-ended question about what they admire most about their
own societies the most frequent response was "people's attachment to
the teachings of Islam." (MORE)
[Ms. Abdo and Ms. Mogahed are, respectively, senior analyst at, and
executive director of, the Center for Muslim Studies at the Gallup
Organization.]
SEE ALSO:
OK: MUSLIM WOMEN SEEK
ACCEPTANCE OF CULTURE, CLOTHING -
TOP
Jaclyn Cosgrove, Daily O'Collegian, 12/12/06
http://www.ocolly.com/read_story.php?a_id=31520
As she sits in the library studying biology at Java Dave's, a student
walking by sends a curious look her way.
The feeling one gets when he or she knows people are staring may cause a
student to lose concentration when studying. But Amal Abo-Basha doesn't
seem to be nervous about being in a room where so many stare at
her.
The civil engineering sophomore seems aware of the looks she receives yet
she is accustomed to the fact people are going to stare from time to
time.
Abo-Basha continues to read, not looking away from the pages of her book
to see if anyone is looking at her.
Although Abo-Basha, wearing jeans and a long-sleeved pink button-down
blouse, is dressed like many college students, one of the main pieces of
material in Abo-Basha's attire isn't part of many OSU students'
wardrobes.
Surrounding her face and draping onto her shoulders is a pink scarf with
a yellow flower design sewn onto its right side.
The piece of material that covers Abo-Basha's head is not usually
referred to as a scarf but as the hijab.
The hijab refers to the variety of styles of scarves and large pieces of
cloth Muslim women use to cover their hair and necks and sometimes
shoulders, said Najwa Raouda, who has taught classes dealing with Muslim
culture.
Abo-Basha is one of thousands of Muslim women in America who wear the
hijab daily. Religion and women's rights have always been controversial
topics, and Abo-Basha must deal with both issues every day.
(MORE)
---
VEIL NO BAR TO GLORY FOR
MUSLIM WOMEN SAYS DOHA CHAMPION -
TOP
Nick Mulvenney, Reuters, 12/11/06
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-6273569,00.html
Winning the Asian Games 200 metres in a veil proves there are no barriers
to Muslim women pursuing their sporting dreams, champion Ruqaya Al
Ghasara said on Monday.
The 24-year-old wore a hijab -- a scarf which covers the hair and neck --
along with leggings and long sleeves, but still outpaced her more
scantily-clad rivals to win gold for Bahrain.
"I want to say I'm very thankful for being a Muslim; it's a
blessing," said the sports management student.
"Wearing conservative clothes has encouraged me. Wearing a veil
proves that Muslim women face no obstacles and encourages them to
participate in sport. This is a glory to all Muslim women."
---
IL: WOMEN
DISCUSS THEIR LEADERSHIP ROLES WITHIN THE RELIGION AT SAINT XAVIER
CONFERENCE -
TOP
Angela Caputo, Daily Southtown, 12/12/06
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/news/169024,121nws6.article
Ingrid Mattson is a trailblazer.
Earlier this year, she took the reins of the largest Muslim organization
on the continent -- the Islamic Society of North America.
Never before has a woman been elected president of the group. Nor has a
convert -- or even a North American native -- held the top
position.
Rather than focusing on the obstacles and pressure she has faced in
rising to national prominence, Mattson said she's driven by the new
possibilities.
"I've found that most Americans are eager to have the opportunity to
interact with a Muslim leader that they can relate to, someone who has
grown up in this society," the Canadian-born professor
said.
Islam is one of the fastest-growing religions in America. As many as 30
percent of the 2 million practicing Muslims in America are converts. And
a growing number of others are second-generation immigrants whose primary
cultural influence is the United States.
"If we're going to claim to represent Muslims in America ... then we
need to bring in a new generation that reflects diversity," she
said.
Striking similarities exist between the challenges Mattson and her Saint
Xavier University counterpart, Sister Susan Sanders, describe in working
to bridge a gap between modernity and religious traditions in Islamic and
Christian faiths.
Sanders organized a two-day "Portraits of Islam" conference at
Saint Xavier this weekend. The conference brought religious and academic
voices from across the nation to talk about making the leadership roles
that women have held for generations -- albeit behind the scenes -- more
public. Mattson, who is an Islamic studies professor at the Hartford
Seminary in Hartford, Conn., was the keynote speaker. (MORE)
-----
CAIR:
MINNESOTA AMONG TOP DESTINATIONS FOR US MUSLIMS, SURVEY FINDS -
TOP
Abdi Aynte, Minnesota Monitor, 12/11/06
http://www.minnesotamonitor.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=918
A new survey finds that Minnesota is one the most popular destinations
for U.S. Muslims. The state comes in at number 12 of the top dozen states
that are home to more than 80 percent of U.S. Muslims.
Conducted by the California-based Genesis Research Associates in August,
the survey was paid by the
Washington-based Council on American
Islamic Relations (CAIR). It is the "first scientific survey of
American Muslims," CAIR said.
No exact figure is available, but estimates of U.S. Muslims range from
six to eight million.
The survey finds that California, Illinois, New York, Texas, New Jersey
each has more Muslims than Michigan, which is generally thought to be
home to the largest population of Arab Americans.
Other states that have more Muslims than Minnesota are: Florida,
Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
According to the survey, Minnesota is home to 2.8 percent of U.S.
Muslims. That number does not include "Muslims with non-common
Muslim names or those with no Muslim-sounding names-especially
converts," the survey reads.
One such person, evidently, would perhaps be America's most well-known
Muslim-Rep.-elect Keith Ellison.
Ethnic break down of U.S. Muslims shows that 5.7 percent of respondents
are of African descent. But the number is likely higher in Minnesota,
where more than half of its estimated 150,000 Muslim population comes
from Somalia and Ethiopia.
Recently, Minnesota has been the subject of high profile controversies
involving Muslims. A group of taxicab drivers in Minneapolis-St. Paul
International Airport refused to carry alcohol-toting passengers, citing
religious concerns. Also at the airport, six Muslim clerics, who attended
a nationwide Imams conference in Minneapolis, were removed from a US
Airways flight, after a passenger voiced a concern over their
behavior.
And the controversy around the first Muslim elected to Congress, Ellison,
is hardly over. Ellison declared that he'll swear of the Qur'an, Islam's
holy book, at his private, photo-op ceremony with the speaker of the
House, this January.
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/14/06
*
Hadith:
Justice Rewarded by God
*
CAIR-FL:
Web Host Asked To Drop
'Kill All Muslim Kids' Site
*
CAIR:
Muslim Asked to
Remove Hijab on British Airways Flight
-
Commentary:
Flying While
Muslim (NPR)
-
CAIR:
U.S. Hajj Pilgrims
Get Anti-Bias Guide (UPI)
*
CAIR-Ohio Wins
Prayer Accommodation for Hotel Employee
*
Ed Koch Calls for Ouster of
'Bigot' on Holocaust Board (Wash Post)
-
CA Congressman
Call on Prager to Apologize
(Forward)
-
Controversial Columnist
Shows Anti-Islam
Bigotry
*
Glenn Beck's Questions to
Muslim Rep Called 'Bigotry'
-
UT:
Muslims Live in Fear,
Panelist Says
*
PA:
Bill Planned to
Allow Training of Bearded Firefighters (AP)
-
Muslim-American Rappers
Promote Tolerance in Middle
East
-
CA:
Muslims Reach
Out to Community
*
Resources:
Muslim Voices
Against Extremism - Quotes
*
Carter Won't Back Down on
Palestine Book (Sun-Sentinel)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: JUSTICE REWARDED BY GOD -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "For every day on
which the sun rises, there is a (reward from God) for the one who
establishes justice among people."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 870
-----
FL WEB HOST ASKED TO DROP 'KILL ALL
MUSLIM KIDS' SITE -
TOP
(TAMPA, FL, 12/14/06) - The Tampa, Fla., office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Tampa) is calling on an Internet web
hosting company in that state to drop a hate site that supports calls to
"kill all Muslim kids."
Under the headline, "Love Your Kids? Fear For Their Future? Kill All
Muslim Kids!!!!," the website's owner, who lives in the Tampa area,
wrote: "Makes sense to me. After all, if Muslims are raising their
little crumb-snatching, curtain climbing, ankle biting rug rats to strap
on bombs in order to kill us, it is logically correct to assume that in
order to stop that from happening we need to kill all Muslim kids.
Starting now."
SEE:
http://rightwinghowler.com/2006/11/29/love-your-kids-fear-for-their-future-kill-all-muslim-kids/
Other entries on the site contain obscene and hate-filled attacks on
Islam and Muslims, as well as support for violent actions. One entry
states: "It's bad enough some [expletive deleted] in Minnesota elect
a Muslim to Congress but the people in Michigan might have done them one
better. . .Start sticking [sic] up on guns and ammo. The war will start
soon."
SEE:
http://rightwinghowler.com/2006/11/09/dummies-in-minnesota-have-company-in-michigan/
In a letter to Boca Raton-based Hostgator.com LLC, CAIR-Tampa Executive
Director Ahmed Bedier wrote: "While we respect an individual's right
to freedom of speech, we oppose hate-filled speech that calls for
violence against innocent people. . .It's clear that [the website is] in
violation of your company's 'Terms of Service' agreement which states:
'...Any material that, in our judgment, is obscene or threatening is
prohibited and will be removed from our servers with or without notice.'
The agreement also clearly defines 'hate sites' under 'Examples of
unacceptable material.'"
Bedier asked Hostgator to stop hosting the site. He noted that CAIR had
raised concerns about the anti-Muslim site at a local forum on hate
crimes in November.
SEE: Meeting Focuses on Hatred in Hernando (Tampa Tribune)
http://www.hernandotoday.com/MGBJE0LJ4VE.html
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR--Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506,
E-Mail:
abedier@cair-florida.org;
CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
MUSLIM ASKED TO REMOVE HIJAB
ON BRITISH AIRWAYS FLIGHT -
TOP
CAIR seeks investigation of incident, clarification of airline
policy
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/14/06) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and advocacy group today called on British Airways to clarify its policy
on passengers wearing religiously-mandated attire after a Muslim woman
traveling to the United States reported that she was asked to remove her
Islamic headscarf, or hijab, during the flight.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said
the Muslim passenger, who lives in the United Kingdom, reported that a
British Airways employee asked her to remove her scarf before boarding a
flight from Heathrow to Philadelphia on November 24.
According to the passenger, the British Airways employee said that
permission to wear an Islamic headscarf on the plane was "at the
discretion of the pilot." The employee allegedly cited an incident
last June in which Muslim women wearing headscarves were taken off a
flight from Egypt to Russia after the pilot of the aircraft said their
appearance was cause for concern. (The Independent, 8/22/06)
Because of the British Airways employee's request, the Muslim passenger
pulled her headscarf down around her shoulders for the duration of the
flight.
In a letter to British Airways, CAIR Civil Rights Manager Khadija Athman
wrote: "We hope this unfortunate incident was the result of an
individual employee's prejudice or misinformation about actual British
Airways policy on the wearing of religiously-mandated attire on passenger
flights."
Athman requested a clarification of British Airways policy on the issue
of passengers' religious rights.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
SEE ALSO:
COMMENTARY: FLYING WHILE MUSLIM -
TOP
Robin Washington, National Public Radio, 12/13/06
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6618869
News & Notes, December 13, 2006 � Just in time for holiday travel, a
post-Sept. 11 security check makes headlines. Six Muslim clerics were
ejected from a US Airways jet after a series of misunderstandings.
Commentator Robin Washington is editorial page editor of The Duluth News
Tribune.
---
CAIR: U.S. HAJJ PILGRIMS GET
ANTI-BIAS GUIDE -
TOP
United Press International, 12/13/06
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20061213-020915-2623r
WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- A U.S. Islamic rights group has issued
guidelines against discrimination for American Muslims going on
hajj.
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations said Tuesday it was
advising hajj pilgrims to Mecca "to be aware of their civil and
legal rights as airline passengers." The group said it had also set
up toll-free hotline at 1-800-784-7526 "for anyone who believes
their rights were violated."
CAIR has also published a pocket guide for hajj pilgrims entitled
"Your Rights and Responsibilities as an American
Muslim."
"As an airline passenger, you are entitled to courteous, respectful
and non-stigmatizing treatment by airline and security personnel,"
the group said in its statement Tuesday. "You have the right to
complain about treatment that you believe is
discriminatory."
American Muslims who had cause to think they had been "treated in a
discriminatory manner" should "ask for the names and ID numbers
of all persons involved in the incident. Be sure to write this
information down," CAIR said.
The group said such individuals should also "ask to speak to a
supervisor" and inquire whether they had been "singled
out" because of their "name, looks, dress, race, ethnicity,
faith, or national origin."
"Given the increase in the number of complaints CAIR has received
alleging airport profiling of American Muslims, we believe it is
important that all those taking part in this year's hajj be aware of
their legal and civil rights," said
CAIR Communications Director
Ibrahim Hooper.
-----
CAIR-OHIO WINS PRAYER
ACCOMMODATION FOR HOTEL EMPLOYEE -
TOP
(CINCINNATI, OH, 12/14/06) - CAIR-Ohio's Cincinnati office announced
today that a claim of discrimination by a Muslim employee at an
international hotel chain has been resolved successfully.
Following intervention by CAIR-Ohio, the female Muslim employee will be
allowed to perform her daily prayers during break periods after initially
being denied that religious accommodation.
Muslims pray five times each day and each prayer typically takes 5-7
minutes. Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits employers from
discriminating against employees on the basis of color, national origin
or religion and requires employers to make reasonable accommodation for
employee's religious practices.
CONTACT: CAIR-Ohio Cincinnati Director Karen Dabdoub, 513-281-8200,
E-Mail:
karen@cair-ohio.com
-----
ED KOCH CALLS FOR OUSTER OF
'BIGOT' ON HOLOCAUST BOARD -
TOP
Jacqueline Trescott, Washington Post, 12/14/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/13/AR2006121302260.html
Edward Koch, the former mayor of New York and a member of the U.S.
Holocaust Memorial Council, plans to ask the advisory board to remove
columnist and talk radio host Dennis Prager from its membership.
Koch is outraged that Prager has condemned Rep.-elect Keith Ellison
(D-Minn.) for saying he will take his oath of office -- in a private
ceremony after the mass swearing-in -- with his hand on a Koran. A Bible
is often used at oaths, and Prager says Ellison is disregarding an
American tradition.
Koch said there is no room for a "bigot" on the Holocaust
Memorial board, which has a regular meeting on Monday in
Washington.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Koch said, "I believe that the
great mission of the members of the commission is to spread the word you
may not engage in bigotry directed on the basis of religion or on the
basis of sexual orientation or on the basis of political disagreement.
For Dennis Prager to take the position on Mr. Ellison not using the Bible
is wrong. That's the mission of we who are on the board and his
statements are 180 degrees from that mission statement."
Prager, a commentator based in Los Angeles, responded, "The
centrality of the Bible as the repository of our values is the main
issue."
When members of Congress are sworn in, the first ceremony is simply the
raising of their right hands. Afterward, in the private reenactment, many
take the oath on a Christian Bible; some use a Jewish Bible. There is no
requirement that members of Congress take an oath on any holy
book.
In interviews in tomorrow's Forward, a Jewish American weekly, Koch and
Prager explain their opposing positions. Koch, a former member of
Congress, also was interviewed by Prager yesterday on his syndicated
conservative radio show.
The debate was generated by Prager, who wrote two columns about his
objections to Ellison's choice. On Nov. 28, Prager said Ellison, the
first Muslim elected to Congress, should not be allowed to swear an oath
on the Koran, "not because of any American hostility to the Koran,
but because the act undermines American civilization." After the
media and other talk shows picked up on Prager's position, he wrote,
"Keith Ellison's freedom to openly believe and practice Islam and to
run for elective office as a Muslim is a direct result of a society
molded by the Bible and the people who believed in it, a fact he should
be willing to honor as he is sworn in." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CA CONGRESSMAN CALL ON PRAGER
TO APOLOGIZE -
TOP
Koch: Kick Pundit off Shoah Board
Forward, 12/15/06
Former New York City Mayor Edward Koch has called for Dennis Prager to
resign or be removed from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council,
in response to the pundit's recent insistence that a Muslim congressman
not be sworn in using a Quran . . .
The Holocaust Memorial Council includes a number of prominent Jews,
including Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel and Jack Rosen, president of the
American Jewish Congress. A number of members of Congress also serve on
the panel, including Reps. Eric Cantor, Tom Lantos and Henry Waxman, as
well as Senators Norm Coleman, Russell Feingold and Frank Lautenberg. .
.
Waxman, a California Democrat told the Forward that Prager's comments
were inappropriate incorrect and reflect a lack of the qualities of
tolerance and civility and respect for other people's religion. The
lawmaker, who said he had never used a Bible at his own swearing-in
ceremonies, called on Prager to apologize. Waxman said he had not decided
what action he would take if Prager refuses to issue an apology.
(MORE)
---
CONTROVERSIAL COLUMNIST SHOWS
ANTI-ISLAM BIGOTRY -
TOP
Jordan Ruud, Collegian, 11/14/06
http://www.utulsa.edu/collegian/article.asp?article=3134
It seems to me that at this time of year, conservative religious hysteria
on the part of some reaches a fever pitch.
Last year, it was commentator Bill O'Reilly's bizarre hallucinations of a
"war on Christmas." This year, it's columnist Dennis Prager's
attacks on Representative Keith Ellison.
In a controversial column published on Townhall.com, Prager responds with
spite and contempt to Ellison's announcement that he will swear his oath
of office on a Koran.
Ellison's decision makes perfect sense, given that Ellison is a Muslim.
For him to do otherwise would be tantamount to, say, a Christian swearing
on the Bhagavad-Gita. Why swear on a book less relevant to your beliefs
than another?
But Prager claims that Ellison's act is far more seditious than we can
imagine. Prager states that Ellison "will be doing more damage to
the unity of America and to the value system that has formed this country
than the terrorists of 9-11."
Yes, you read that right. Terrorists killing thousands in horrendous
attacks on America - that's nothing, compared to a man swearing in on a
different text than usual.
Prager has rightly come under fire for the outlandish paranoia of his
attack. Prager claims, incorrectly, that the United States is founded on
Christian values, and that Ellison's swearing on a Koran somehow denies
those values.
But underneath Prager's paranoia about sedition and the damage of
multiculturism lies thinly-veiled xenophobia.
The strange suggestion that Ellison ought to swear his oath on a book
irrelevant to his own religious practice devalues Ellison's religion in a
way that's sadly become all too familiar.
In a follow-up column, Prager dismisses the criticisms of those who have
called him "Islamophobic." But it's hard to see what other
force could be at work here. (MORE)
-----
IT'S RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY -
TOP
Scott D. Pierce, Deseret Morning News, 12/14/06
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650214802,00.html
Let's imagine that Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appeared on CNN and the
subject of his religion came up. And the host said the
following:
"No offense, and I know Mormons. I like Mormons. I've been to Mormon
churches. I really don't believe that Mormonism is a religion of
evil.
"I have to tell you, I have been nervous about this interview with
you because what I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are
not working with our enemies.' And I know you're not. I'm not accusing
you of being an enemy, but that's the way I feel. And I think a lot of
Americans will feel that way."
If that happened, it would be like a bomb hit the state of Utah. People
would be up in arms. There would be an outcry against CNN, including
calls not only for apologies, but for the host to be fired.
And rightfully so.
Despite that preamble (which sounds a whole lot like the stereotypical
bigot who proclaims, "Some of my best friends are Jewish"), if
something like this were to happen, it would be utterly irresponsible
religious bigotry and intolerance. No elected official should ever have
to put up with something like this. No American should ever have to put
up with something like this.
And yet, here's what happened last month on CNN Headline News:
Host Glenn Beck welcomed Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota who is
the first Muslim elected to Congress.
"May we have five minutes here where we're just politically
incorrect and I play the cards face up on the table?" Beck said.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
UT: MUSLIMS LIVE IN FEAR, PANELIST
SAYS -
TOP
Elaine Jarvik, Deseret Morning News, 12/14/06
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650215033,00.html
Noor Ul-Hasan has never been reluctant to speak up on behalf of Muslims
living in Utah. But even Ul-Hasan admitted Wednesday night, she sometimes
lives in fear.
It was just this week, in fact, that she balked when somebody asked her
to put her phone number in a local newsletter. "I said, 'No,'
because I don't want to be targeted," Ul-Hasan told a small group
attending a city-sponsored panel Wednesday night called "Freedom
from Prejudice: Utah's Middle Eastern Voices."
Her fellow Utah Muslims are afraid to attend rallies, for fear that they
will be profiled, said Ul-Hasan, who is a member of the Islamic Society
of Greater Salt Lake. Because she has lived in America nearly all her
life and has many friends in Utah, she says she knows that if she
"disappeared tomorrow," those friends would speak up. But many
of the refugees she works with - who have watched Muslims be detained and
extradited - don't have that same assurance, she says.
Ul-Hasan's has been a familiar voice in Utah since Sept. 11, 2001, as
were most of the other members of Wednesday night's panel. There were
familiar calls for continued dialogue and the need to establish personal
relationships with people of other backgrounds and faiths.
"We should try to overlook what makes us different," said Ron
Zamir, an Israeli who is chief executive officer of Allen Communication
Learning Services. "We should talk about the things that bring us
together." (MORE)
-----
PA: LAWMAKER PLANS BILL TO
ALLOW BEARDED FIREFIGHTERS TO TRAIN -
TOP
Associated Press, 12/14/06
http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-44/1166106306199490.xml&storylist=penn
A lawmaker said he will introduce legislation to help bearded
firefighters who are barred from training with protective air
masks.
The state fire code prohibits such training for bearded firefighters
because the mask is unable to fully seal against the skin.
Amish religious custom dictates that married men wear beards, and this
means they are unable to get the training needed for state certification.
Among other things, the number of certified firefighters can affect the
amount of federal and state grant money a fire company will
receive.
Rep. Gordon Delinger, R-Lancaster, told about 40 firefighters on
Wednesday he has drafted legislation that says the state Fire Commission
may not violate a person's religious freedom.
A Philadelphia Common Pleas judge ruled in September 2005 that a Muslim
firefighter was not entitled to wear a beard on the job because of the
safety risk that facial hair posed.
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIM-AMERICAN RAPPERS
PROMOTE TOLERANCE IN MIDDLE EAST -
TOP
Native Deen hip-hop group energizes Palestinian youth in Jerusalem
Carolee Walker, USINFO, 12/13/06
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=December&x=20061212165055bcreklaw0.8355371
When Native Deen took hip-hop music to Jerusalem in fall 2006, the group
of Muslim-American rappers was moved deeply by the holiness of the place
and the energy of the hundreds of teens who attended their concerts. Yet
nothing came close to the connection the performers felt to their faith
during their Middle East trip.
"I could feel it in the stone and the rocks," said Naeem
Muhammad of Native Deen, a Muslim-American hip-hop group based near
Washington that has a strong following in the United Kingdom and the
United States.
"Our music inspires Muslims to be better Muslims, but it also gives
other people a better view of our faith," Joshua Salaam told USINFO
in an interview. (MORE)
---
CA: LA CA�ADA MUSLIMS
REACH OUT TO COMMUNITY -
TOP
Mary O'Keefe, La Canada Valley Sun, 12/14/06
http://www.lacanadaonline.com/articles/2006/12/14/news/lnws-islam1214.txt
Last Friday night a group of about 75 adults and children gathered at the
Roger Barkley Community Center. They had two main things in common: they
all love their La Ca�ada community and are all members of the Islamic
faith.
This was the first meeting of the Islamic Congregation of La Ca�ada
Flintridge, a newly formed congregation whose purpose is to get to know
other Muslim families, support their community, be a presence within the
La Ca�ada charitable organizations and to be more active in the political
area. They also, according to member Levent Akbarut, want to reach out to
the community as Muslims to educate others and to bridge the gap of
misunderstanding between Muslims and other religions. He quoted ICLCF's
mission statement:
"To strengthen the bonds of Islamic fellowship at the neighborhood
level and to develop a Muslim presence in the city through outstanding
citizenship and community service promoting peace and mutual
understanding."
Akbarut said, "This concept is so important. According to a recent
poll only ten percent of those who say they personally know someone who
is Muslim say they would not want a Muslim as a neighbor. That is a 21
percent gap of those who do not know a Muslim."
He was citing an August USA Today/Gallup Poll that focused on U.S.
attitudes toward Muslims living in the United States. The poll found that
22 percent of Americans questioned would not like to have a Muslim as a
neighbor, however there was a considerable difference in attitudes toward
Muslims if there is a personal acquaintance. The ten percent Akbarut
mentioned is in comparison with 31 percent of those who are not
acquainted, thus the 21 percent gap in views.
"[Reaching out] is important with what is going on in the media with
perceptions and terrorism and everything," he said.
"There is a general misunderstanding in the media [of the Muslim
faith]," said Faisal Khan, member of ICLCF. "Our kids are in
the local schools, we are involved in the La Ca�ada Flintridge
Educational Foundation and other charities." (MORE)
-----
RESOURCES:
MUSLIM VOICES AGAINST EXTREMISM AND TERRORISM - PART IV A FEW QUOTES -
TOP
http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/muslim_voices_against_extremism_and_terrorism_a_few_quotes/0012273
-----
CARTER WON'T BACK DOWN ON PALESTINE
BOOK -
TOP
Sensitive Mideast issues go undebated in U.S., he says
Tim Collie, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 12/14/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-carter14dec14,0,4731518.story
Despite charges of plagiarism, shoddy research and even anti-Semitism,
former President Jimmy Carter isn't backing off the contention in his new
book that Israel's rule over the Palestinians is oppressive and brutal.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
– 12/15/06
*
Hadith:
Toleration and Kindness
*
CAIR-FL:
'Kill All Muslim
Kids' Hate Site Shut Down
*
CAIR-MI Director Honored
by ACLU for Protecting Civil Liberties
*
CAIR:
Shiite? Sunni?
Some in US Learn Who's Who (CS Monitor)
-
U.S. Cannot Afford Ignorance of
Islam, World (Sun-Sentinel)
-
CA:
Understanding Muslim
Prayers Will Ease Fear
*
CAIR:
Know Your Rights When
‘Flying While Muslim’ (Arab News)
-
CAIR:
WA Couple Making
Pilgrimage to Mecca (Spokesman Rev)
*
CAIR-CAN:
Muslims Not Offended by
Christmas Trees (Toronto Star)
*
TN:
Suspects Arrested in
Fatal Shootings of Arab-Americans
*
MD:
Tour of Worship Places
Exposes Students to Several Faiths (Wash Post)
*
'Cat Stevens' Returns to
Music (USA Today)
*
U.S. Soldiers Lead Iraq
Children in Obscene Chant
*
TX:
From Head Scarf
to Army Cap, Making a New Life (NY Times)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: TOLERATION AND KINDNESS -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once told a man: “You have two
qualities which God, the Most Exalted, likes and loves. One is mildness
and the other is toleration.”
Rihadh us-Saleheen Volume 1:632
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also said: “God is kind and
likes kindness in all things.”
Rihadh us-Saleheen Volume 1:633
-----
'KILL ALL MUSLIM KIDS' HATE SITE
SHUT DOWN -
TOP
CAIR-Tampa welcomes decision by web hosting company
(TAMPA, FL, 12/15/06) - The Tampa, Fla., office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Tampa) announced today that an Internet
web hosting company in that state has shut down a hate site that
supported killing "all Muslim kids."
Hostgator.com removed the site in response to a request by CAIR-Tampa.
The Boca Raton-based company also informed the Islamic civil rights and
advocacy group that the website has been suspended permanently.
View a screen shot of the "kill all Muslim kids" posting:
http://www.cairfl.org/tampa/images/rwh/rightwinghowler-kill-all-muslim-kids01.jpg
Other entries on the site contained obscene and hate-filled attacks on
Islam and Muslims, as well as support for other violent actions.
One entry stated: "It's bad enough some [expletive deleted] in
Minnesota elect a Muslim to Congress but the people in Michigan might
have done them one better. . .Start sticking [sic] up on guns and ammo.
The war will start soon."
"We commend Hostgator.com for doing the right thing by refusing to
associate with those who spew anti-Muslim bigotry and support calls to
violence," said CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier. "We
believe hate-filled rhetoric is a major contributing factor to bias
crimes and prejudice."
Bedier said CAIR will continue to monitor Internet hate sites based in
Florida.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR--Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506,
E-Mail:
abedier@cair-florida.org;
CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
CAIR-MI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
HONORED BY ACLU FOR PROTECTING CIVIL LIBERTIES -
TOP
(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 12/14/06) - On Thursday, December 14, CAIR-MI Executive
Director Dawud Walid was honored by the American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) of Michigan Metro Detroit Branch for “courageously defending the
Bill of Rights and helping to protect our civil liberties.”
The award ceremony was held in honor those involved in a successful
lawsuit earlier this year against the National Security Agency’s
warrant-less wiretapping program. CAIR-MI was the chief plaintiff in the
case.
SEE: Judge Rules Against Wiretaps
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/17/AR2006081700650.html
Other award recipients include ACCESS Board President and attorney Noel
Saleh, ADC Board Member and attorney Nabih Ayad, and attorney William
Swor.
The case is currently being appealed by the Federal Government, and oral
arguments will begin on January 31, 2007 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, E-Mail:
dwalid@cair.com
-----
CAIR: SHIITE? SUNNI? SOME
IN US LEARN WHO'S WHO -
TOP
While some in Congress made gaffes, police, businesses, and others are
boning up on Muslim culture.
G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Christian Science Monitor, 12/15/06
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1215/p02s01-ussc.html
Some in Congress may need a primer on Islamic extremists. Five years
after 9/11, three members of the House Intelligence Committee in recent
interviews couldn't answer basic questions about who's Sunni and who's
Shiite in the Muslim world. But other American institutions are already
boning up - especially when they have a stake in doing so. For
example:
• Law-enforcement agencies, from the FBI to the New York Police
Department are learning Muslim customs in attempts to do their jobs more
effectively.
• Major hospitals, including one in Tampa, Fla., are training staff to
honor Muslim beliefs about the body.
• Business groups are studying Islamic law in order to raise capital
among Muslims, who aren't allowed to charge interest.
In general, Americans don't know much about Muslims, surveys show. The
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that the share of those
saying they knew "not very much" or "nothing at all"
about Islam actually grew from 61 percent in 2001 to 66 percent in 2005.
In another 2005 Pew finding, 62 percent failed to identify Allah and the
Koran as the terms Muslims use for God and sacred scripture.
Certain key sectors of US society also display a dangerous ignorance,
Muslim advocates say. Topping the list this month is Rep. Silvestre Reyes
(D) of Texas, the incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
In an interview with Congressional Quarterly last week, he could identify
the historic Sunni-Shiite split but didn't know that Al Qaeda is Sunni or
that Hizbullah, which fought Israel this summer in Lebanon, is
Shiite.
GOP Reps. Jo Ann Davis and Terry Everett, also on the intelligence
committee, fared worse when the Congressional Quarterly interviewed them
last summer.
But even on Capitol Hill, there are pockets of hope, Muslim advocates
say. Congressmen tend to know more about Islamic culture when their own
futures depend on working well with Muslims.
"In areas where there are large Muslim populations, you tend to see
that members of Congress are more in tune with the thinking of the Muslim
community," says
Corey Saylor, national legislative director for
the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim advocacy group in
Washington. Among those with few Muslim constituents, he says, knowledge
of Islamic culture is "better than it was five years ago, but we
still have a long way to go." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
U.S. CANNOT AFFORD IGNORANCE OF ISLAM,
WORLD -
TOP
Mary Sanchez, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 12/15/06
By now you've heard about the six imams, how they were removed from a
Minneapolis flight, detained for five hours of questioning and not
allowed to fly home.
Perhaps you lean toward believing the version that talks of how the
Islamic leaders requested seatbelt extenders, but didn't use
them.
How they shouted angrily in Arabic and refused to sit in their assigned
seats, choosing instead a pattern that placed a man close to every exit
of the aircraft.
Or maybe you prefer the version that leans toward the outcries after the
story hit the media. There are the charges of "flying while
Muslim," how praying five times a day is being demonized and the
allegations of discrimination that have literally made this a federal
case.
Do not expect to ever learn the full truth. It most likely exists
somewhere between all of these well-circulated theories about the
November incident. And I'm not stupid enough to try to recreate the
events from afar and come to a supreme conclusion.
One thing years of reporting on race relations ingrains is a keen sense
that full truths are rarely found in the reconstruction of events once
charges of discrimination arise.
Retellings are always filtered through everyone's individual brand of
truth. Yes, even from people who were there, as both observers and
participants. Their backgrounds, their experiences, their ingrained
viewpoints, their fears were also present.
Add in the possibility of lawsuits, new federal legislation against
airport profiling and the opportunity to make a statement on the nature
of Islam in the United States and, well, things can get skewed pretty
quickly, even without malicious intent.
The only crystal-clear thing is this: Similar incidents will
occur.
We are at the beginning of a long process to gain a better understanding
of, comfort level with, Muslims in the United States.
We're a country founded to secure religious freedom, yet the first Muslim
elected to the U.S. Congress is eliciting a national debate on whether or
not he can be sworn into office carrying a Quran. (MORE)
---
CA: UNDERSTANDING MUSLIM PRAYERS
WILL EASE FEAR -
TOP
Tri-Valley Herald, 12/15/06
http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_4844723
Last month, a Jewish man and six Muslim imams were profiled and
humiliated for praying at airline terminals.
Security is everyone's concern. Unprofessional behavior by those in
constant touch with the general public (airlines and law enforcement
employees) is troublesome. These individuals are expected to be trained
to discern prayers (Jewish or Muslim) from a security threat.
Let me share with you, in brief, what a Muslim prayer is.
Where there are more than a couple of worshipers, the prayer starts with
a "Call to prayer."
Three of the five daily prayers (morning, sunset and night) are recited
loudly by the imam (prayer leader), loudly enough to be heard by the
followers. Prayers are said in Arabic (except for new Muslims who cannot
yet do so).
The phrase "Allah-o-Akbar" (God is great) is repeated a minimum
of 18 times in the morning prayer and a maximum of 108 times in the night
prayer. The phrase is to praise the greatness of God compared to us, and
our smallness in front of him. As you can see, in this context, it is a
call for goodness and to show humbleness, not a call to aggressive
behavior.
Muslim prayers are physical, and consist of postures and movements while
reciting. The worshipers try to have a sincere intention with physical
and mental purity. . .
I hope that sharing the description will help in understanding your
neighbors. Remaining strangers creates misunderstandings.
Almost all Islamic centers throughout our nation are open for observance
of prayers, just for asking. So, please take advantage of it. Know thy
neighbor, love thy neighbor. (MORE)
Riaz Hasan is a former director of outreach for the Tracy Islamic Center.
He is now active in Islamic Outreach in the greater Bay Area and San
Joaquin County. For more information, call (209) 830-6286 or e-mail
Islam.Outreach@yahoo.com
.
-----
CAIR: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS WHEN ‘FLYING
WHILE MUSLIM’ -
TOP
Barbara Ferguson, Arab News, 12/15/06
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=90075&d=15&m=12&y=2006
Thousands of American Muslims planning to make their annual pilgrimage to
Haj this month are being briefed by an Islamic civil rights group to know
their rights when “flying while Muslim.”
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), citing what it
calls the “airport profiling” of six imams removed from a recent flight,
has issued guidelines against discrimination for American Muslims
traveling to perform their pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia this
month.
“Given the increase in the number of complaints CAIR has received
alleging airport profiling of American Muslims, we believe it is
important that all those taking part in this year’s Haj be aware of their
legal and civil rights,” said
CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim
Hooper.
The Washington-based CAIR has issued tips and established a toll-free
hotline for American Muslims heading to Makkah and Madinah, and published
a pocket guide for Haj pilgrims entitled “Your Rights and
Responsibilities as an American Muslim.”
“As an airline passenger, you are entitled to courteous, respectful and
non-stigmatizing treatment by airline and security personnel,” CAIR says
in its pocket guide to American Muslims’ rights and responsibilities.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: LOCAL COUPLE MAKING
PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA -
TOP
Virginia De Leon, Spokesman Review, 12/15/06
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/local/story.asp?ID=164518
It is the journey of a lifetime, a period of rebirth and the spiritual
pinnacle for every Muslim.
Mecca, the holy city of Islam, will be the ultimate destination this
month for Sayed Daoud and Mariam Mohieldin, a Pullman couple who will
join more than 2 million people for hajj – the pilgrimage required of all
able-bodied Muslims at least once in their life.
"This is the highest level of spirituality for Muslims," said
Daoud, a member of Masjed al-Farooq, one of two mosques in the Palouse.
"Nothing else comes close to the experience."
This voyage to Mecca will be the first for Daoud and Mohieldin, who have
never had the chance to go on hajj until now. To their knowledge, they
are the only Muslims from Eastern Washington who will take part in this
year's sacred pilgrimage.
Every year, roughly 10,000 American Muslims go on hajj, according to the
Council on American-Islamic Relations. Because the religious
observance falls during the winter holidays this year, the number is
expected to increase significantly.
Daoud and Mohieldin, who are both in their 50s and have lived in Pullman
for the last 15 years, have waited all their lives to make this long,
costly journey to Saudi Arabia. In the past, the couple couldn't go
because they were busy with work and children, explained Daoud, an
associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Washington State
University. Now that their three kids are in college and because of the
conveniently-timed winter break, they finally got their chance.
One of the five pillars of Islam, hajj is a time of joy, hope and
renewal, said Mohieldin. "Hajj is worshipping God and asking him for
forgiveness," she said.
Thursday, the Daouds were expected to join about 100 Muslims from the
Seattle area, Oregon and California on a 15-hour flight to Jeddah, a city
in Saudi Arabia near the Red Sea. From there, they will travel about 45
miles inland to Mecca's Masjed al-Haram or the Grand Mosque, where men
and women worship separately and spend five days in prayer. During this
time, they will circle the Ka'aba, a large, ancient granite cube that is
considered the center of the Islamic world. Regardless of where they are,
Muslims all over the globe turn in the direction of the Ka'aba whenever
they pray.
During a ritual known as "tawaf," Muslims circle the Ka'aba
seven times. They are not worshipping the stone structure, Mohieldin
emphasized; rather, they are depicting the actions of Hagar, Ibraham's
wife, as she tried to find water for her son, Ishmael.
"When you see the Ka'aba in Mecca, it's an amazing feeling – a
feeling of serenity and peace and the greatness of God," said
Mamdouh El-Aarag of Spokane, recalling the pilgrimage he made six years
ago. "When you leave it, you feel sad."
Although it isn't an official part of the hajj, the Pullman couple and
many others also will travel to Medina, where the Prophet Muhammad is
buried. The pilgrimage officially ends on Dec. 30 after a ritual
"stoning of the devil" in the desert of Mina. The conclusion of
hajj is marked by Eid Al-Adha, the most significant holiday in the Muslim
calendar and a commemoration of Ibrahim's obedience to God.
-----
CAIR-CAN: ANTI-TREE MOVE SPARKS DEBATE
-
TOP
Judge's removal of holiday icon termed 'unfortunate,' 'stupid' and
'terrible thing'
Isabel Teotonio and Laurie Monsebraaten, Toronto Star, 12/15/06
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1166136613892&call_pageid=970599119419
Is the Grinch of political correctness back to steal Christmas?
A Toronto judge this week banished a Christmas tree from a courthouse
lobby, reigniting a controversy over public displays many thought ended
in 2002, when public outrage overturned a decision to call the Nathan
Phillips Square tree a "holiday tree."
The judge's administrative move was "unfortunate" and
"represents a misunderstanding of what we are working so hard to
build here," Premier Dalton McGuinty said yesterday, noting
Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and other faiths' celebrations are
marked at Queen's Park.
"We enjoy the wonderful privilege of building a pluralistic,
multicultural society," he said, adding no one should be "asked
to abandon their traditions."
"It doesn't offend anyone when we celebrate Diwali at Queen's Park
or celebrate Hannukah ... That's part and parcel of who we
are."
Provincial Conservative Leader John Tory didn't mince words, calling it
"political correctness gone crazy."
"It seems to be only well-meaning public officials who get onto
these things and decide they're going to make a crusade of it when no one
else is raising any concern," said Tory.
Their comments came on the heels of a decision by Justice Marion Cohen,
who oversees administration for the Ontario Court of Justice at 311
Jarvis St., to move a small artificial Christmas tree from the main foyer
to an administrative corridor Monday. In a letter to staff, Cohen
explained it was a Christian symbol that might alienate people of other
creeds and cultures.
But religious displays are lighting up many government institutions and
courthouses, including a towering Christmas tree at city hall, and a tree
and menorah outside Queen's Park.
"We should ban political correctness, not the Christmas tree,"
said Farzana Hassan, president of the Muslim Canadian Congress.
"This is stupidity and takes political correctness to new
heights."
Living in a pluralistic society means tolerating and celebrating our
differences, said
Faisal Kutty, vice-chair of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations Canada. "I don't believe most Muslims
would feel alienated or offended by the sight of a Christmas tree in a
courthouse," he said.
"But if they were on the stand and the only option available to them
(for swearing in) was the Bible, then people would have a problem."
(MORE)
-----
TN: 3 SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN FATAL
STORE SHOOTINGS -
TOP
WSMV 4, 12/13/06
http://www.wsmv.com/news/10529350/detail.html
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Police said Wednesday night they have arrested all
three suspects in the attempted robbery of a convenience store that left
two employees dead and critically injured a customer Tuesday
night.
Joshua Lee Brown, 20, and Rokisha Alderson, 16, were arrested in a
neighborhood near the store Wednesday evening.
Police said the pair were the two robbers who walked into the AMPM
Discount Tobacco north of downtown Nashville wearing ski masks and armed
-- Alderson with a pistol and Brown with a shotgun -- demanding money
from the clerks.
Robin L. Betts II, 18, was also arrested and accused of being the getaway
driver of the sport utility vehicle in which they fled.
Brown was identified first by investigators through fingerprint analysis
and other evidence found at the crime scene, police said, and tracked to
the neighborhood where all three suspects were caught.
Brown and Betts were expected to be charged with criminal homicide late
Wednesday night. Alderson was scheduled to be charged in Juvenile
Court.
Brown was spotted in a neighborhood yard Wednesday evening and attempted
to run before being captured by SWAT officers.
Aaron said the two would-be robbers demanded money, but became frustrated
when the clerks began speaking in Arabic and opened fire.
Shot and killed were Salama Estfanous, 23, and Bishouy Hanna, 24, both of
Egypt. (MORE)
-----
MD: A WINDOW ON RELIGION AND
TOLERANCE -
TOP
Tour of Worship Places Exposes Md. Students to Several Faiths
Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post, 12/15/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121401943.html
Where Yalda Jafari comes from, there are no churches or synagogues. In
fact, girls in her northern Afghanistan town had no schools for five
years under the Taliban.
As if to make up for lost time, the 16-year-old sophomore from Thomas S.
Wootton High School in Rockville kept raising her hand yesterday as she
and her classmates gathered around the handwritten Torah scrolls at the
Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, which was preparing to celebrate the
first night of Hanukkah today.
"Why are there three pieces?" asked Yalda, who came to the
United States five months ago through a year-long exchange program.
"Why is it not a small book, like the Bible or the Koran?" As
the synagogue's executive director answered her queries, the student held
up her digital camera to capture everything.
Yalda and about 50 other Wootton students were on an unusual field trip
that took them to Washington National Cathedral, the Islamic Mosque and
Cultural Center and the synagogue. They marveled at stained glass and
gothic arches, watched Muslim men perform noon prayers and heard about
the history of the Jewish community in Washington, all in an effort
become familiar with religious traditions many had never seen up
close.
"We as Americans tend to know very little about other religions,
other languages, other cultures," said Lili Monk, who brought her AP
human geography class, students from a comparative religion class and
members of the school's Muslim Students Association. "Many of the
major conflicts around the world are religious, and the more the kids
learn about faith and tolerance and have a better understanding of them,
they will be in a better position to address these issues."
With Christmas approaching and Hanukkah starting tonight, the adults said
they hoped to make students think beyond the annual blur of shopping and
partygoing. "Wouldn't it be great if they went into the real world
believing that everyone has the right to worship in the way they want
to?" said Amy Buckingham, who teaches the comparative religion
students. (MORE)
-----
'CAT STEVENS' RETURNS TO MUSIC -
TOP
'Don't let me be misunderstood,' says singer billed as Yusuf
Edna Gundersen, USA Today, 12/15/06
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2006-12-14-yusuf-islam_x.htm
"There are 100 reasons I felt it right to leave the music
business," Yusuf Islam says, "and 101 to come back in. A lot of
those are songs."
Some landed on An Other Cup, the first pop album in 28 years by the
artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, now billed as Yusuf.
The singer/songwriter is known in Islamic circles as a humanitarian who
founded Muslim schools and provides relief to orphans and families
through his U.N.-registered charity, Small Kindness.
As Stevens, he gained fame with such pop hits as Oh Very Young, Wild
World and Moon Shadow before stunning fans with his 1978 conversion and
retreat from music and, a decade later, outraging the public with
comments supporting Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwa against author Salman
Rushdie.
Though much has transpired, including an arranged marriage and five
children, Cup embodies '60s values of peace, love and understanding. When
he picked up the guitar again, "so many ideas floated in," he
says. "I knew there was something I could do, a symbol of
bridge-building."
Cup's concepts of faith and hope grew from Islamic teachings. "The
philosophy does come from the Prophet," Islam, 58, says.
"Being in the position I am today, I do feel like a looking glass,
where people living in the West can view Islam, and Muslims can view
another culture," he says. "I feel comfortable looking at both
and living in these two distinct zones."
Yet his cover of Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood acknowledges the
misconceptions he has faced in both realms. "Since I've become a
Muslim, I've been accused of saying things and doing things I've never
said or done," he says. "I'm trying to cut through that by
singing a few songs. My zealous period of discovering Islam kept me out
of the picture a long time, and that created questions and doubts. I hope
those doubts are being removed." (MORE)
-----
U.S. SOLDIERS LEAD IRAQ CHILDREN IN
OBSCENE CHANT -
TOP
Raw Story, 12/14/06
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/U.S._soldiers_lead_Iraq_children_in_1214.html
[Note: Teambio.org first brought this video to our attention.]
American troops lead a group of Iraqi children in a profane chant, as
seen in a video viewed by RAW STORY.
In the brief, undated video at the site liveleak.com, a U.S. soldier
appears atop a military vehicle as another mills about, directing the
children to shout, "F*ck Iraq." The youngsters, though smiling,
do not seem to understand what it is they are saying.
The soldiers have a laugh, presumably at the childrens' expense, with one
at the end heard saying with a chuckle, "Oh God, that was so
wrong."
Morbid humor has long been a tradition among soldiers in combat zones,
and the Iraq war has been no exception. Recently a video of an American
G.I. taunting an Iraqi boy with a bottle of water made the rounds of the
Internet, reportedly leading to a Pentagon investigation.
Warning: The link contains profanity.
-----
TX: FROM HEAD SCARF TO ARMY
CAP, MAKING A NEW LIFE -
TOP
Andrea Elliott, New York Times, 12/15/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/15/nyregion/15muslim.html
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Tex. � Stomping her boots and swinging her bony
arms, Fadwa Hamdan led a column of troops through this bleak Texas
base.
Only six months earlier, she wore the head scarf of a pious Muslim woman
and dropped her eyes in the presence of men. Now she was marching them to
dinner.
“I’m gonna be a shooting man, a shooting man!” she cried, her Jordanian
accent lost in the chanting voices. “The best I can for Uncle Sam, for
Uncle Sam!”
The United States military has long prided itself on molding raw recruits
into hardened soldiers. Perhaps none have undergone a transformation
quite like that of Ms. Hamdan.
Forbidden by her husband to work, she raised five children behind the
drawn curtains of their home in Saudi Arabia. She was not allowed to
drive. On the rare occasions when she set foot outside, she wore a
full-face veil.
Then her world unraveled. Separated from her husband, who had taken a
second wife, and torn from her children, she moved to Queens to start
over. Struggling to survive on her own, she answered a recruiting
advertisement for the Army and enlisted in May.
Ms. Hamdan’s passage through the military is a remarkable act of
reinvention. It required courage and sacrifice. She had to remove her
hijab, a sacred symbol of the faith she holds deeply. She had to embrace,
at the age of 39, an arduous and unfamiliar life.
In return, she sought what the military has always promised new soldiers:
a stable home, an adoptive family, a remade identity. She left one
male-dominated culture for another, she said, in the hope of finding new
strength along the way.
“Always, I dream I have power on the inside, and one day it’s going to
come out,” said Ms. Hamdan, a small woman with delicate hands and sad,
almond eyes.
She belongs to the rare class of Muslim women who have signed up to
become soldiers trained in Arabic translation. Such female linguists play
a crucial role for the American armed forces in Iraq, where civilian
women often feel uncomfortable interacting with male troops.
Finding Arabic-speaking women willing to serve in the military has proved
daunting. Of the 317 soldiers who have completed training in the Army
linguist program since 2003, just 23 are women, 13 of them Muslim.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS
BRIEFS - 12/17/06
*
Verse:
Abraham, Moses and Jesus
*
CAIR-FL:
Muslims,
Catholics in 'Encounter of Mutual Respect' (Sun-Sent)
-
CAIR-Tampa:
Blog Pulled Over Call to Kill
Muslims (SP Times)
*
Video:
CAIR Rep Debates
'Flying While Muslim' on O'Reilly Factor
-
Video:
Ed Koch Slams Dennis Prager
Over Quran Oath (CNN)
*
NY:
Ranks of West Point
Muslims Grow (CBS)
-
MN:
Law Enforcement Works with Somali
Youth (AP)
*
MD:
Hanukkah-Hajj
Event Brings Muslims, Jews Together (News-Post)
-
MI:
Muslims Prepare for
Once-In-A-Lifetime Journey (Free Press)
*
MA:
Muslim, Jewish Groups
at Odds Over Mosque (Boston Globe)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: ABRAHAM, MOSES AND JESUS -
TOP
"Say: 'We believe in God and that which has been revealed to us; and
what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and their
descendants, and that which was given to Moses, Jesus and other Prophets
from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to God
we have surrendered ourselves."
The Holy Quran, 2:136
"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."
The Holy Quran, 2:62
-----
CAIR-FL: BROTHERS IN THE NAME
OF THE LORD -
TOP
Rev. Pedro Corces, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 12/15/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
The holiday season is a special time in the lives of our families,
churches, mosques and synagogues. Gratitude flows easier than ever from
our hearts during the season as we start reviewing another year that's
approaching its end.
This past Thanksgiving Day was more than special at St. Katharine Drexel
Catholic Church is Weston. It was unique. It was different.
Our founding pastor, the Rev. Paul Edwards, who passed away this past
April, had started a beautiful ecummenical relationship with other faith
traditions in our community.
We wanted to continue this wonderful gift left to us by Father Paul. Our
parish community decided to invite
Altaf Ali, executive director of
CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) to the Eucharistic
celebration.
Ali and two other members of CAIR were present among us that morning. It
was a joyful moment in all of our lives, a sacred and fraternal encounter
of mutual respect and admiration.
As new administrator of this parish, I met Ali during my visit with one
of our parishioners, Joe Preite, to the CAIR offices in Pembroke Pines. I
wanted to give him a gift on behalf of our community and as a sign of
respect and cooperation in this religious dialogue. I decided to give him
a copy of the Prayer of Peace by St. Francis of Assisi, one of our most
beloved and admired saints in the Catholic Church. . .
At the end of our Thanksgiving Day Mass we handed Ali a copy of St.
Francis's prayer: "Make me a channel of your peace ... where there
is hatred let me sow love ... where there is injury, pardon ...
"
We embraced and called each other brother. There were tears in everyone's
eyes. I gave our pulpit to Ali. In a most humble and simple way he
reminded us of our common heritage: "To love the Lord our God with
all our hearts, minds and souls and to love our neighbor as we love of
ourselves is all God asks of us."
Thanksgiving Day was definitely different and unique. It was a living
miracle and a dream come true. There was peace, mutual respect in our
differences and admiration for each other.
Peace is possible.
It was there, visiting us, that morning at our church.
The Rev. Pedro A. Corces is administrator at St. Katharine Drexel
Catholic Church in Weston.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-TAMPA: BLOG PULLED OVER CALL TO KILL
MUSLIMS -
TOP
ASJYLYN LODER, St. Petersburg Times, 12/16/06
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/16/State/Blog_pulled_over_call.shtml
A blogger was shut down late Thursday for telling readers, " ...we
need to kill all Muslim kids. Starting now."
The Boca Raton-based Web host removed the blog from the Internet after
complaints from the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Ahmed
Bedier, executive director of the group's Tampa chapter.
"It's frightening," Bedier said. "We were concerned
about the safety of the kids in the area."
Vilmar Tavares, the Spring Hill author of the Right Wing Howler blog, did
not return a call for comment Friday.
Bedier said he had been monitoring the site after a recent spate of
anti-Muslim comments in Hernando County.
In late October, Mary Ann Hogan, a prominent local Republican and former
state committeewoman, wrote a letter calling Islam a "hateful,
frightening religion." State politicians condemned her remarks, and
those of her husband, then-county Commissioner Tom Hogan Sr.
(MORE)
-----
VIDEO: CAIR REP DEBATES 'FLYING
WHILE MUSLIM' ON O'REILLY FACTOR -
TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mNw7BMH2zE
SEE ALSO:
VIDEO: CNN'S SNOW DID NOT CALL PRAGER ON
BACKPEDALING ON USE OF QURAN FOR OATH -
TOP
http://mediamatters.org/items/200612150013
On the December 14 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, correspondent
Mary Snow uncritically aired a clip of conservative radio host Dennis
Prager asserting that he has "no problem" with incoming Rep.
Keith Ellison (D-MN) "taking his oath [of office] on his holiest
book. ... I have a problem with the Bible not being present at all.
That's what I wrote. That's what I keep saying." Snow did not
mention, as Media Matters for America noted, that Prager claimed in his
November 28 column that Ellison "should not be allowed" to
"take his oath of office ... on the bible of Islam, the Koran."
Prager went on to compare Ellison's choice of the Quran to a hypothetical
representative's choice of "Hitler's 'Mein Kampf,' the Nazis' bible,
for his oath."
Snow's report on The Situation Room focused on former New York City Mayor
Ed Koch's (D) recent criticism of Prager's attack on Ellison. Snow
reported that Koch is calling for Prager's removal from the U.S.
Holocaust Memorial Council, to which Prager was recently appointed and of
which Koch is also a member.
-----
NY: RANKS OF WEST POINT MUSLIMS
GROW -
TOP
CBS, 12/17/06
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/17/eveningnews/main2274638.shtml
(CBS) Since Thomas Jefferson signed legislation creating West Point
Academy more than 200 years ago, it has often had to move with the times
- admitting the first African American cadet and letting in women,
reports CBS News correspondent Russ Mitchell. Now it's coping with
another new challenge.
The serene Hudson Valley campus, with its history, traditions and
ceremonies, has given birth to some of America's greatest wartime
leaders. But now, even as the U.S. Army is fighting wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, West Point finds itself training a new generation of leaders
- some with a surprising background. They are American Muslims.
"Muslims of West Point are unique in themselves because they are
going to be the leaders of tomorrow…of platoons, companies, battalions
and maybe even of the whole Army itself," Imam Asadullah Burgos
tells Mitchell.
Asadullah Burgos is the Imam at West Point, where he has seen the number
of Muslim cadets grow from just one 10 years ago to more than 30 now.
This fall West Point dedicated a prayer room solely for use by Muslims.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
MN: LAW ENFORCERS WORK FOR BETTER
RELATIONS WITH SOMALI YOUTH -
TOP
Associated Press, 12/17/06
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/state/minnesota/16262336.htm
ST. PAUL - Law enforcers in Ramsey County are using a $250,000 state
grant to improve relations with Muslim communities.
St. Paul police and Ramsey County sheriff's deputies have teamed with
Somali leaders and nonprofit groups to ease skepticism, overcome language
barriers, and train officers to be more culturally sensitive.
"We do a pretty fair job of reaching out to other communities of
color," Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said. "But we can do
a much better job with the Somali community."
Fletcher assigned two deputies on the Gang Strike Force in June to work
on gang prevention and suppression in the Somali community. It's a
similar approach to what police were doing with the Hmong community about
20 years ago, Fletcher said.
"The issues are different, but the lack of understanding is the
same," he said.
Authorities said the fastest growth of gangs in the Twin Cities is within
the Somali community. The Twin Cities is home to the largest population
of Somalis nationwide. (MORE)
-----
MD: JEWS, MUSLIMS JOIN
FOR WINTER CELEBRATION -
TOP
Hanukkah-Hajj event brings together members of both faiths
Geoffrey D. Brown, News-Post, 12/16/06
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?storyid=54909
FREDERICK -- A dialogue between Muslims and Jews reached its first major
milestone as members of Frederick County's two Jewish congregations and
the Islamic Society of Frederick broke bread together and shared their
cultures at a joint holiday celebration last week.
"It was wonderful," said Andy Carpel, president of Beth Sholom
Congregation. "All my members said they had a great
time."
About 100 people attended the joint Hanukkah-Hajj celebration Thursday at
the Lynfield Event Complex on Hansonville Road. Hanukkah, the Festival of
Lights, began Friday. The Hajj -- an annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi
Arabia, the site of Islam's holiest mosque -- begins Dec. 29.
"I thought it's a dream coming true," said the Islamic Society
of Frederick's imam, Yahya Hendi, who has publicly called for dialogue
among Muslims and Jews locally, nationally, and internationally.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
MI: AREA MUSLIMS PREPARE FOR
ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME JOURNEY -
TOP
Charles Honey, Gran Rapids Press, 12/16/06
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1166289373140380.xml&coll=6
Kamal Nuriddin sat in a Grand Rapids coffeeshop and contemplated the
journey he soon will make to Mecca -- one he hopes brings him closer to
God.
He's been preparing for this journey his whole life, said Nuriddin, 58,
of the Muslim pilgrimage known as the hajj. When he leaves Dec. 24 for
Saudi Arabia, Nuriddin will be on a quest to more fully realize his
spiritual essence. (MORE)
-----
MA: MUSLIM, JEWISH GROUPS AT ODDS
-
TOP
Charles A. Radin, Boston Globe, 12/17/06
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/12/17/tension_high_amid_roxbury_mosque_plan/
The leader of the Muslim group that is attempting to build New England's
largest mosque at Roxbury Crossing has accused a Jewish advocacy
organization that has criticized the project of deliberately inflaming
communal relations in the Boston area. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
CAIR ACTION ALERT #504
ASK ELECTED OFFICIALS ON HOLOCAUST COUNCIL TO
REPUDIATE BIGOTRY
Urge members of Congress to help 'expedite' Dennis
Prager's removal
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/18/06) -
CAIR is asking American Muslims and
other people of conscience to contact elected officials who are members
of the
United States
Holocaust Memorial Council and urge them to repudiate "bigoted
remarks" by Dennis Prager, a fellow council member. (Ten members of
Congress serve on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, which is
meeting today.)
Prager has
written that Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress,
should be prevented from taking his oath of office using the Quran. He
also wrote that swearing an oath on the Quran "undermines American
civilization."
CAIR had previously called on President Bush to
rescind Prager's appointment to the council, the governing board of
the Holocaust Memorial Museum, because of his intolerant views toward
Islam in American society. CAIR had also called on the
museum's council to remove Prager from his post because his views are
incompatible with the mission of that taxpayer-funded
institution.
Since coming out against Prager's appointment to the council, CAIR has
received hundreds of
hate-filled e-mails from Prager's supporters.
Two members of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Council have
already spoken out against Prager's intolerant remarks.
Rep.
Henry Waxman (D-CA) said Prager's comments were "inappropriate,
incorrect and reflect a lack of the qualities of tolerance and civility,
and respect for other people's religion." Former New York City Mayor
and current council member
Edward Koch said, "There is no question that Dennis Prager is a
bigot who ought to be repudiated even by his closest
supporters."
In a letter to council members Reps. Christopher Cannon (R-UT), Eric
Cantor (R-VA), Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Steven LaTourette (R-OH), and Sens.
Norm Coleman (R-MN), Susan Collins (R-ME), Russell Feingold (D-WI), Orrin
Hatch (R-UT), and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ),
CAIR National Legislative
Director Corey Saylor wrote:
"I am writing you in your role as a member of the United States
Holocaust Memorial Council to respectfully ask that you join those who
are condemning the bigoted remarks of council member Dennis Prager. I
also ask that you take action to expedite his removal from the council. .
.The United States Holocaust Memorial is an important reminder of where
indifference to intolerant and misinformed comments can
lead."
Saylor's letter included published comments from groups such as the
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the
American Jewish
Committee condemning Prager's remarks. The letter also supported
Prager's right to free speech, but said a presidential appointee to a
taxpayer-funded institution must be held to a higher standard.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its
mission is to
enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil
liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote
justice and mutual understanding.
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.)
CONTACT the elected officials who are members of the United States
Holocaust Memorial Council to respectfully request that they repudiate
Dennis Prager's intolerant and divisive remarks and seek his removal from
the taxpayer-funded council. (
NOTE: Calls are best, followed by
faxes, letters, and e-mail messages.)
CONTACT LINKS:
http://chriscannon.house.gov/contact.htm
http://cantor.house.gov/contact/index.htm
http://lantos.house.gov/HoR/CA12/Contact+Tom/
http://www.house.gov/latourette/contact.htm
http://coleman.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Offices
http://collins.senate.gov/
http://feingold.senate.gov/contact.html
http://hatch.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Offices.Home
http://lautenberg.senate.gov/contact/
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/18/06
*
Hadith:
Appreciate What You Have
*
CAIR-FL:
Muslim
Billboard Counters Negative Perceptions (Sun-Sent)
-
VA:
Program Aims to
Dispel Fears of Muslims (AP)
*
CAIR-St. Louis:
Muslims Denounce Conference of
Holocaust Deniers
-
CAIR-FL:
Holocaust Deniers
Don't Speak for Islam (Tampa Trib)
*
CAIR-TX Offers 'Women
in Islam' Workshop at Air Force Base
-
CAIR-Sacramento Director
Receives Award from Senator
Boxer
*
CA:
Japanese, Muslims Recall
Racism (San Mateo County Times)
*
TX:
Faiths Come
Together for the Holidays (Waco Tribune)
*
Blaming Islam:
Examining the Religion
Building Enterprise
-
EU Report:
Muslims Face
'Islamophobia' (AP)
*
Muslim Convert Describes Her
Journey to Islam (Salon.com)
*
AZ Company Ordered to Pay
Muslim Ex-Employee $390,000 (AZ Rep)
*
Ex-Soldiers Break Silence
on Israeli Excesses (Toronto Star)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Anyone who spends
the day in safety, in good health and with (enough to eat), is like
someone upon whom the world and all it contains has been
bestowed."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 185
-----
CAIR-FL:
PALM BEACH COUNTY MUSLIMS USE BILLBOARD TO COUNTER NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS -
TOP
Lois K. Solomon, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 12/18/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-pbillboard18dec18,0,3451952.story
Muslims are trying to show a different side of their faith in a
high-visibility place: along Interstate 95.
A new billboard near the Boynton Beach-Delray Beach line encourages
drivers to "Explore the life of the Prophet Muhammad," and
directs viewers to the
Council on American-Islamic Relations Web
site. The sign sits along the southbound side of the highway, but faces
drivers heading northbound.
People who go to the Web site can request a book or a DVD on Islam, said
Altaf Ali, CAIR executive director for Florida.
Ali said CAIR decided to go on the offensive after last year's Danish
cartoon controversy, in which 12 Danish editorial cartoonists depicted
Muhammad in unflattering ways. Chapters throughout the U.S. began
designing billboards to counter negative perceptions. Placards in
California last year said, "Even a smile is charity. A message from
your Muslim neighbor," with smiling Muslims in the
background.
"There are a lot of negative perceptions about Islam and the life of
Muhammad," Ali said. Many see the religion as advocating violence,
but he believes those who study closely will see a peaceful, charitable
faith.
"We're not proselytizing. We're just getting information to
people," said Rubina Hossain, a Muslim from Palm Beach Gardens.
"A lot of it is our fault that we don't get the word
out."
Hossain said her first-grade daughter brought home a pamphlet recently
that explained the world's many faiths, but Islam was not
included.
"People think we don't believe in the same God, that we're a tribal,
desert cult," Hossain said.
CAIR, a national civil rights group, estimates about 70,000 Muslims live
in South Florida, with about 7 million in the United States.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
VA: NEW PROGRAM AIMS TO
DISPEL FEARS OF MUSLIM COMMUNITY -
TOP
Kristen Gelineau, Associated Press, 12/18/06
http://www.wvec.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8M3F89G4.html
The small beige signs bearing black Arabic script have been appearing all
over town on buses and at colleges.
Are they secret messages from terrorists? one panicked bus rider asked.
Should the FBI be contacted? What do they mean??
Actual translation: "Paper or plastic?"
The signs are part of a campaign by A More Perfect Union, a program of
the Virginia Interfaith Center, and are aimed at dispelling some of the
public's fears toward the Muslim community. Organizers hope to eventually
expand the program statewide.
"As people see Arabic, they immediately make an association with
terrorism," said the Rev. C. Douglas Smith, executive director of
the Virginia Interfaith Center. "That's probably because since
Nine-Eleven, not only is fear overwhelming us, but that's how we're being
trained to think."
The signs were placed in all 170 Greater Richmond Transit Company buses
in Richmond on Nov. 27 and will remain there through the end of December,
though many buses will continue to display them at least through the end
of January. The signs, designed by The Martin Agency, have also been
posted at the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth
University.
Along with the "paper or plastic" sign, there are two others -
one which is the Arabic version of the "I'm a little tea pot"
rhyme and the other roughly translating to the English equivalent of
"rock, paper, scissors." Accompanying the translations at the
bottom of the posters are comments such as, "Misunderstanding can
make anything scary," and "What did you think it
said?"
The transit company has already fielded several calls from concerned
riders, said Gretchen Schoel, executive director of A More Perfect Union.
One woman Schoel described as a well-educated university employee placed
a frantic call to the bus company's manager, suggesting the FBI be called
in to investigate. Even after the signs' English translations were
explained to her, she remained concerned that they might contain secret
messages, Schoel said.
"It's so great that we're getting feedback, even if it is negative,
because it shows that people are looking, they're thinking," Schoel
said. "And it really proves the point that this script right here
conjures up certain ideas in our heads that we have to work
with."
Bias toward the Muslim community is a continuing problem across the
country and in Virginia, said Imad Damaj, president of the Virginia
Muslim Coalition for Public Affairs. (MORE)
On the Net:
A More Perfect Union:
http://www.yourvoiceouraction.org
Virginia Interfaith Center:
http://www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org/
-----
CAIR-ST. LOUIS: MUSLIM
LEADERS HERE DENOUNCE CONFERENCE OF HOLOCAUST DENIERS -
TOP
Aisha Sultan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 12/18/06
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/EB53A29025EE320B86257248000967EE?OpenDocument
Local Muslim leaders denounced on Sunday the recent international
conference in Iran attended by many who deny the existence of the
Holocaust.
Spokeswoman Ghazala Hayat read a statement at the annual general body
meeting at Daar ul Islam mosque in West County.
"We, the community of the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis,
denounce questioning the authenticity of the number of Jewish deaths in
the Holocaust. … Unimaginable crimes were committed by the Nazis during
World War II. Denying the pain endured by millions of human beings only
intensifies it," she said.
About 100 participants listened while she read the statement.
Erbab Majeed, principal of the Sunday school at the mosque, said the
statement was necessary to distinguish between the views of Muslims here
from those in other parts of the world.
"They made their statement, and we're making ours," he
said.
Gulten Ilhan, vice president of the St. Louis chapter of the Council
of American Islamic Relations, said she had heard reports of Iran's
president trying to justify the conference as a matter of freedom of
speech - just as many said the Danish cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad
were.
"I was very saddened by the cartoons, and I am also very saddened by
the act of (President) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad," she said. "Two
wrongs do not make a right."
Karen Aroesty, spokeswoman for the Anti-Defamation League in St. Louis,
said she welcomed the message from local Muslims.
"I think it will be a very heartening message for many in the Jewish
community," she said.
Ilhan said her faith directed her to speak out against injustice, even if
meant acting against one's own kin. She said she appreciated that the
statement made reference to Islamic teachings when it said, "We
condemn any attempt by any group to belittle atrocities against Jewish or
any other ethnicity, realizing that even one single life lost should pain
the whole of humanity."
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-FL: HOLOCAUST DENIERS DON'T
SPEAK FOR ISLAM -
TOP
Ahmed Bedier, Tampa Tribune, 12/15/06
VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM0HHYNVPKY
On behalf of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, I condemn the
shameful conference in Iran that sought to deny one of the lowest moments
in human history: the Holocaust.
No legitimate cause can ever be advanced by denying the enormous human
suffering caused by the massacre of millions of Jews and other minority
groups by the Nazis. Attempts to use Holocaust denial as a political tool
in the Middle East conflict will only serve to deepen the level of
mistrust and hostility already present in the region.
Muslims are commanded in the Koran to "enjoin in the good and forbid
the evil," and clearly the genocide of European Jews was nothing but
evil.
It is a shame that the current government of Iran, which claims to be an
Islamic state, would ignore Islamic ethical values and belittle evil.
Responsible governments must encourage the study of the Holocaust and
other human atrocities to ensure that they are not repeated.
Americans in general and the Jewish and Muslim communities in particular
should know that those who spew anti-Semitic bigotry do not speak for
Islam; Muslims denounce their views and their hatred.
Islam acknowledges Judaism (and Christianity) as a true revealed religion
from God; furthermore, Muslims view Jews (and Christians) as fellow
"People of the Book" who believe in the same Abrahamic
monotheism.
While the cynical conference was held in Iran, it included many
non-Muslim participants, including former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke
and French "scholar" George Tail, who called the Holocaust a
myth. The diverse participation is a reminder that bigotry is not
exclusive to any one group.
As "People of the Book," we must stand united and challenge
those who would fan the flames of all forms of hate, including anti-
Semitism.
Ahmed Bedier is executive director of the Tampa Chapter of the Council
on American-Islamic Relations.
-----
CAIR-TX OFFERS 'WOMEN IN
ISLAM' WORKSHOP AT AIR FORCE BASE -
TOP
(SAN ANTONIO, TX, 12/18/06) - The San Antonio chapter of the Council on
American Islamic Relations (CAIR-San Antonio) recently gave a
presentation on "Women in Islam" to personnel at the Lakeland
Air Force Base.
The two-hour presentation offered an in-depth view of the position of
women in Islam, focusing on their rights and duties and how that faith
encourages women to be fully-engaged and productive members of
society.
"It is encouraging to see our military making this kind of
educational commitment and we hope this type of workshop will be repeated
in the future," said CAIR-SA President Sarwat Husain.
Husain presented a copy of the Quran, Islam's revealed text, to the
library of the base and handed out booklets with basic information about
Islam to the workshop attendees.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims and build coalitions that promote justice and
understanding.
CONTACT: Sarwat Husain, 210-378-9528, E-Mail:
sanantonio@cair-net.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-SACRAMENTO VALLEY
DIRECTOR RECEIVES AWARD FROM SENATOR BOXER -
TOP
(SACRAMENTO, CA, 12/18/2006) - CAIR-Sacramento Valley (CAIR-SV) Executive
Director Basim Elkarra recently received an award from Senator Barbara
Boxer (D-CA). Elkarra received the "Outstanding Service" award
in recognition of his efforts to protect civil liberties and to build
bridges among diverse communities in California.
"The CAIR-California team congratulates Basim Elkarra on this
well-deserved award for his work to promote harmony between communities
and protect civil liberties," said Fouad Khatib, chairman of
CAIR-California.
CONTACT: Basim Elkarra, 916-441-6269, Email:
sacval@cair.com
-----
CA: JAPANESE, MUSLIMS RECALL RACISM -
TOP
Pearl Harbor, 9/11 ushered in problems for minorities
Michael Manekin, San Mateo County Times, 12/18/06
http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/ci_4859712
When the Imperial Japanese Navy swooped over Pearl Harbor 65 years ago
and destroyed more than 2,400 American lives, Mas Yamasaki was watching a
church basketball game in Sacramento.
He was 12, and he didn't know that he would soon live in a detention camp
at Tule Lake - sleeping on an Army-issued mattress, braving the elements
without indoor plumbing or heat.
The child of Japanese immigrants, Yamasaki was born an American citizen.
But he spent 31/2 years of his American childhood in the camp - he was
considered a threat to national security.
The internment of Japanese immigrants is familiar to most Americans - in
large part, because Yamasaki and legions of Japanese camp survivors have
made their voices heard.
Now, Yamasaki and other survivors are speaking out against a new
danger.
"We were stereotyped," said Yamasaki. "Now, with the
Muslims, it's the same thing. Everyone's pointing fingers saying they're
an enemy."
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor stripped Japanese Americans of their
homes and freedom. But five years ago, the actions of 19 hijackers
radically altered the lives of the county's estimated 6 million
Muslims.
"Pearl Harbor gave the United States the excuse to discriminate
against Japanese Americans by saying these guys are potential
saboteurs," said Steve Okamoto, co-president of the San Mateo
chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). "Now,
they're lumping (Muslims) together like they did with the
Japanese."
Okamoto, 65, was only 6 weeks old when he and his family were shipped
from their home to the Tanforan Racetrack in San Bruno and later to the
Topaz internment camp in Utah.
After 9/11, Okamoto and other members of the JACL were the first
non-Muslims to speak out against the swirling dust storm of anti-Muslim
hate speech. Okamoto since has helped coordinate JACL forums with Muslim
Americans to speak out on the dangerous excesses of stereotyping - both
past and present.
In February, Imam Tahir Anwar, the director of religious services at the
South Bay Islamic Center in San Jose, appeared at a JACL event to honor
the Day of Remembrance - the day that President Franklin D. Roosevelt
signed Executive Order 9066 and authorized the detention of Japanese
Americans.
"The decisions that have been made by the administration after Sept.
11 - and the decisions made after Pearl Harbor - have not been very
friendly to a lot of Americans," Anwar said last week. "People
have suffered. After Pearl Harbor, it was the Japanese. And now, it's
almost anyone who is a Muslim, looks like a Muslim, comes from a Muslim
country or has anything that sounds like a Muslim last name." . .
.
"You would imagine that we would learn after Pearl Harbor, but we
just haven't learned the most important lesson: Don't judge people based
on the color of their skin or what they look like," said Anwar.
(MORE)
-----
TX: LOCAL
REPRESENTATIVES OF A VARIETY OF FAITHS COME TOGETHER FOR THE HOLIDAYS -
TOP
Terri Jo Ryan, Waco Tribune-Herald, 12/18/06
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/12/18/12182006wacTJRinterfaith.html
Eight months ago, when the Islamic Center of Waco hosted an event for the
Greater Waco Interfaith Conference, mosque leader Al Siddiq playfully
challenged Rabbi Mordechai Rotem of Temple Rodef Sholom to host the next
event at his place.
Rotem's initiative is to invite all the followers of the Abrahamic
religions - Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Bahai Faith - to a joint
celebration of the season of light.
The community event, called "Lighting the Path to
Understanding," is set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Temple Rodef Sholom,
1717 N. New Road. It is sponsored by the Greater Waco Interfaith
Conference, an organization created more than 30 years ago to promote
harmony, understanding and tolerance among the faith traditions of the
greater Waco area.
Rotem said he noted that three major religious holidays come upon the
heels of one another: Hanukkah, (beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish
calendar month of Kislev), which started at sundown Friday; Christmas,
which takes place Dec. 25; and Eid Al-Adha or "Feast of the
Sacrifice," (the 10th day of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijja), which
starts at sundown Dec. 30 this year.
The metaphor of light as holiness and hope is a common bond of the
religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Bahai Faith,
he said.
The one-hour program will start with lighting the candles for the fifth
night of Hanukkah, Rotem said. Four speakers will make brief remarks on
the importance of light in their religious tradition, followed by
seasonal musical interludes on the theme. (MORE)
For more information, call 366-7684.
-----
BLAMING ISLAM: EXAMINING THE RELIGION
BUILDING ENTERPRISE -
TOP
Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
Contact: 586-416-1150;
info@ispu.us
Detroit MI: The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU)
released its long awaited report entitled "Blaming Islam: Examining
the Religion Building Enterprise".
Dr. Louay Safi, a Fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and
Understanding and a recognized authority on Islam and the Middle East,
authored the report.
The report examines the religion building enterprise and assesses recent
writing on Islam by scholars, pundits and policy makers. While the report
suggests that Islam is in need of a new interpretation it also points out
that on balance, Islam has been a positive force, rather than a villain
to be arrested and chastised.
In the report, Safi argues that containing radical groups and ensuring
more friendly and cooperative relations with the Muslim world requires a
drastic shift in policy and attitude. In addition, American Muslims can
be of great help in reconciling the differences between the United States
and the Muslim world while also helping to fight terrorism and extremism.
It suggests that US government officials should involve American Muslim
scholars and leaders on policies relating to Islam and the Muslim
world.
The report also recommends officials to:
* Engage Muslim leaders who represent social and political groups that
are committed to democracy, instead of relying completely or exclusively
on the views of experts who do not have firsthand contact or experience
with Muslim groups.
* Ensure that U.S. foreign policy is always respectful of democratic
principles and values, the rule of law, and protection of human
rights.
* Apply the same set of principles and values to all people, regardless
of their religious and ethnic affiliation.
* Withdraw support from authoritarian regimes, and send a clear message
by requiring an open political system and free and fair elections as a
precondition for economic cooperation.
* Have a clear position regarding Islam, and avoid sending mixed messages
to Muslim communities and societies.
The full report was presented by Dr. Louay Safi at a conference on
Islamophobia held on December 4th 2006 at the Brookings Institution in
conjunction with ISPU. For copies of the report please contact the ISPU
office at 586-416-1150 or visit our website at
www.ispu.us
SEE ALSO:
EU REPORT: MUSLIMS FACE
'ISLAMOPHOBIA' -
TOP
Brian Murphy, Associated Press, 12/18/06
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/breaking_news/16266523.htm
ATHENS, Greece - Muslims across Europe are confronting a rise in
"Islamophobia" ranging from violent attacks to discrimination
in job and housing markets, a wide-ranging European Union report
indicated Monday.
The study, compiled by the European Monitoring Center on Racism and
Xenophobia, urged European authorities to strengthen policies on
integration. But it also noted that Muslims need to do more to counter
negative perceptions driven by terrorism and upheavals such as the
backlash to cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
The 117-page survey details the many divides between the EU mainstream
and the estimated 13 million Muslims - now at least 3.5 percent of the
25-nation bloc's population - and seeks to offer a street-level view of
the complexities blocking efforts to bridge the differences.
"The disadvantaged position of Muslim minorities, evidence of a rise
in Islamophobia and concern over processes of alienation and
radicalization have triggered an intense debate in the European
Union," said Beate Winkler, director of the Vienna-based
group.
The report reinforces the growing urgency of tackling religious tensions
and suspicions in Europe.
During a trip to Turkey earlier this month, Pope Benedict XVI appealed
for greater understanding between Christianity and Islam and sought to
ease Muslim outrage over his remarks in September that cited a medieval
emperor speaking about violence and Muhammad's teachings.
Last week, British Prime Minister Tony Blair called tolerance one of the
"essential values" of his nation and denounced
"hatemongers, whatever their race, religion or creed."
The report cited hundreds of reported cases of violence or threats
against Muslims in the EU since 2004, including vandalism against mosques
and Islamic centers, abuse against women wearing Islamic headscarves and
attacks, such as a Somali family in Denmark assaulted by a gang carrying
baseball bats emblazoned with swastikas and racist slogans.
(MORE)
ON THE NET:
European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia:
http://eumc.eu.int
-----
FINDING MY RELIGION -
TOP
Fifteen years ago, I converted from Catholicism to Islam. My mother still
doesn't understand my choice, but there's not a day that I regret
it.
Patricia Dunn, Salon.com, 12/18/06
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2006/12/18/converting_islam/?source=whitelist
I'm not the same woman I was at 27 when I told my mother, "Ma, I
can't eat the pasta fagioli." (She'd made it with bacon.) I'm not
the same woman who lied when she said, "I didn't become Muslim
because of Ahmed."
My mother believes that for women, most problems and solutions begin and
end with the man in her life. But back then there was no way this
feminist would admit to anyone -- including herself and especially not
her mother -- that she had converted because of a man.
But today, at 42, and secure in my faith, I can admit that if it weren't
for Ahmed -- though he is now my ex-husband -- the word "Islam"
would probably still conjure up images of black-cloaked women and
melodramatic Sally Field movies in my head. After all, I am my mother's
daughter.
The day I left my Italian-Bronx neighborhood to go to college, I knew my
communion and confession days were over. I was never going to let Jesus
stick to the roof of my mouth again. There were too many contradictions
for me in Catholicism. Why was my never-miss-Sunday-mass father
excommunicated after he and my mother divorced -- especially when she was
the one having the affair? How could the pope have an Olympic-size
swimming pool while millions of his people were starving? And how could I
tolerate the church's position on abortion and women's rights?
By the time I transferred from Barnard to UCLA, I was a lapsed Catholic
who wanted nothing to do with organized religion. But I needed to believe
in something.
During my years at UCLA I spent more hours making fliers, organizing
demonstrations and making phone calls -- and once or twice bail -- than I
spent studying. I defended clinics under attack by anti-abortionists; I
worked for funding for the homeless and against nuclear testing; I
traveled to Nicaragua to build houses and to Arizona to herd sheep for
Navajos fighting to keep their land.
I tried to change the world one cause at a time.
In the summer of 1988, I interned at the Nation magazine's Washington
office. While researching a story about Mubarak Awad, a
Palestinian-American psychologist and founder of the Palestinian Center
for Non-Violence, the president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee invited me to go on a student delegation to the Occupied
Territories. Two weeks after returning to UCLA from the West Bank and
Gaza I gave a talk to 50 students about my experience. I explained how
the intifada had propelled women into major leadership roles. How
women-run factories and businesses were building an infrastructure for a
future state.
At the back of the room stood a man, 6 feet tall with bright red hair. He
held his hand to his chin, and his focus on me helped me focus. When I
finished, he applauded louder than anyone else. I was relieved the talk
had been a success -- at least no one from the audience had shouted out,
"Arab-loving whore!"
The man waited until I gathered my notes and walked off the stage before
approaching me. "Brilliant speech," he said. I thanked him,
trying not to blush. Extending his hand, he said, "My name is
Ahmed." But I already knew who he was. He was president of the
Muslim Students Association and, like me, he wrote a column for the
school paper, where we were both slotted "on the left." I was a
fan. . .
I studied Islam in order to debate Ahmed and his belief system, but the
more I learned, the more I found how greatly I had underestimated my own
ignorance. Mine wasn't a hit-you-over-the-head epiphany, but rather a
slow and steady stream of aha's.
The feminist in me aha'd when she realized that in the Quran God is
neither male nor female. The scholar in me aha'd at the various
interpretations and schools of thought within Islam, most of which depict
the religion as a social and constantly changing belief system, rather
than the fixed, dogmatic one the government of Saudi Arabia would have
the world believe.
The Christian still left in me aha'd when she read in the Quran how those
who do good deeds are in God's grace. And the scared Bronx girl in me
aha'd at the Quran's refrain that God is "merciful and
compassionate" -- until, eventually, the scared Bronx girl was no
more. (MORE)
-----
AZ: GO DADDY ORDERED TO PAY
EX-EMPLOYEE $390,000 -
TOP
Jane Larson, Arizona Republic, 12/18/06
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1218sr-godaddy1218-ON.html
SCOTTSDALE - Go Daddy Group Inc. wrongfully terminated a Muslim employee
from Morocco for complaining of discrimination and must pay the man
$390,000 in damages, a federal jury decided late Friday.
The jury did side with the Scottsdale-based registrar of Internet domain
names on five other counts in the civil lawsuit filed by the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission.
Jurors concluded that Go Daddy decided not to promote Youssef Bouamama
for other reasons, not because of his religion or national origin or
because of his discrimination complaints. The jury also concluded that Go
Daddy did not terminate him because of religion or national
origin.
Go Daddy said Monday that it plans to appeal the retaliation decision and
the damages award.
Bouamama, who now works for a Valley credit agency, said Monday that he
is happy with the verdict.
"I was relieved. I believe in American justice, and I believed in
the jury. They were able to find the truth," he said. . .
The EEOC filed the lawsuit against Go Daddy in 2004, alleging it had
failed to promote Bouamama on the basis of his religion and national
origin and in retaliation for his discrimination complaints. The lawsuit
also alleged that Go Daddy terminated Bouamama based on those
factors.
The case went to trial in U.S. District Court in Phoenix last week. The
eight-woman jury deliberated for four hours Friday before returning the
verdict.
The jury said Go Daddy must pay Bouamama $250,000 in punitive damages,
$135,000 in back pay and $5,000 for emotional pain and suffering.
(MORE)
-----
CANADA: EX-SOLDIERS BREAK
'SILENCE' ON ISRAELI EXCESSES -
TOP
Yehuda Shaul tells Haroon Siddiqui `something rotten' is going on in Gaza
and the West Bank
Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star, 12/17/06
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1166271550356&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795
A young Israeli was in Canada last week raising ethical questions about
the conduct of Israeli soldiers in the Occupied Territories.
Yehuda Shaul was born in Jerusalem to an American mother and Canadian
father (from Toronto). Shaul went to school in a West Bank settlement and
served in the army from 2001 to 2004. He did a 14-month stint in Hebron,
guarding about 650 settlers living among approximately 150,000
Palestinians.
He is one of the founders of Break the Silence, a group of ex-soldiers
speaking out about what they saw and did during their tour of duty in the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
At 6-foot 1-inch, the heavy-set Shaul cuts an imposing but engaging
figure with his beard, ponytail and the kippa. He smiles easily.
He had a lot to say during a vegetarian kosher lunch we shared in my
office with his Toronto host, Judith Wiseman.
He came here after a tour of six American cities. In Toronto, he spoke at
the Winchevsky Centre of the United Jewish People's Order and at the
Quaker House. Then he was off to London, Ottawa and Montreal.
He recounted the moment when, three months before being released from the
army, he was alone and wondering what he would do upon returning to
civilian life.
It struck him, he said, that he had become "a monster," doing
things that were not right. "It was a frightening
moment."
He spoke to fellow soldiers. "They were feeling the same:
`Something's rotten here.' Israelis don't know what goes on here, and we
must tell them.'"
Within three months of being discharged in March 2004, Shaul and friends
mounted an exhibit, Bringing Hebron to Tel Aviv. It had powerful photos
and video testimony by 64 soldiers showing and describing the treatment
meted out to Palestinians by the troops as well as some of the
settlers.
There were pictures of Palestinians bound and blindfolded. There was a
photo of a settler carrying an assault rifle with a decal on the magazine
clip: "Kill 'em all, Let God sort 'em out." Another was of
graffiti on a wall: "Arabs to the gas chamber." (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/19/06
*
Hadith:
Acknowledge the Rights of the
Poor
*
CAIR Asks Wal-Mart to Drop Game
Glorifying Religious Violence
*
CAIR Rep Discusses
Supreme Court Sculpture of Muhammad (NPR)
-
CAIR-FL:
'Kill All Muslim Kids'
Blogger Calls It Quits
*
TN:
Pastor Questions
Picture of Muslim on Gov's Christmas Card (AP)
-
WV:
Muslim Couple Settles
Employment Bias Lawsuit (AP)
*
MI:
Critic of
Quran Use Hasn't Done Homework (Free Press)
-
Ignorance, Bias Cloud our Judgment (Kansas City
Star)
*
OH:
Faith, Hope
Drive Hajj for Cincinnati Couple (Enquirer)
*
DC:
Brookings Hosts an Ethnic
Cleanser (Counterpunch)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: ACKNOWLEDGE THE RIGHTS OF THE
POOR -
TOP
A man once came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and said:
"I have plenty of property, a large family, a great deal of money,
and I am a gracious host to my guests. Tell me how to conduct my life and
how to spend (my wealth)." The Prophet replied: "Pay regular
charity out of your property, for truly it is a (purifier), and be kind
to your relatives, and acknowledge the rights of the poor, neighbors, and
beggars."
The Prophet also said: "Charity taken from a property never
decreases it."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 3
-----
CAIR ASKS WAL-MART TO DROP GAME
GLORIFYING RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE -
TOP
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/19/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR)
today asked Wal-Mart to stop selling a video game that glorifies
religious violence and may harm interfaith relations.
CAIR says it has received complaints about the game
"
Left Behind: Eternal
Forces," produced by Left Behind Games Inc. The game reportedly
rewards players for either converting or killing people of other
faiths.
SEE:
'Convert or Die' Game Divides Christians
In a letter to Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott Jr., CAIR Executive Director
Nihad Awad wrote in part:
"We believe the message this game is promoting is one of religious
intolerance. The game's enemy team includes people with Muslim-sounding
names. When asked about the Arab and Muslim-sounding names, Left Behind
Games' President Jeffrey Frichner said, 'Muslims are not believers in
Jesus Christ' -- and therefore cannot be on the side of Jesus in the
game. (San Francisco Chronicle, 12/12/06) As you may know, Muslims do in
fact revere Jesus as one of God's prophets.
"In the post 9-11 climate, when improving interfaith relations
should be a priority for all, this type of product only serves to
dehumanize others and increase interfaith hostility and
mistrust.
"Each year, CAIR issues an annual report on the status of American
Muslim civil rights outlining hundreds of incidents involving anti-Muslim
discrimination, harassment, and hate crimes. It is our experience that
many of these incidents result from Islamophobic rhetoric and negative
images of Muslims in popular culture. . .
"We have no desire to stifle creativity or inhibit freedom of
speech. However, it is our duty as America's leading Islamic civil rights
group to promote mutual understanding and ensure the safety of Americans
of all faiths.
"We also believe that as a company that prides itself in hiring and
offering services to a diverse group of people, it is Wal-Mart's
corporate social responsibility to take into account the potential social
impact of its decision to sell this harmful game. We, therefore,
respectfully request the removal of the video game 'Left Behind: Eternal
Forces' from your shelves."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
CAIR REP DISCUSSES SUPREME
COURT SCULPTURE OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD ON 'THIS AMERICAN LIFE' -
TOP
http://thislife.org/pages/descriptions/06/322.html
A Muslim woman persuades her husband that their family would be
happier if they left the West Bank and moved to America. They do, and
things are good, until September 11. After that, the elementary school
their daughter goes to begins using a textbook that says Muslims want to
kill Christians. This and other stories of what happens when Muslims and
non-Muslims try to communicate, and misfire.
Prologue. In the 1930s, the designer of the U.S. Supreme Court made a
frieze to adorn the courtroom walls. It depicted eighteen great lawgivers
through ages, including Moses, Solon, Confucius ... and Muhammad. The
only problem is that Islam forbids such portrayals of the prophet. Ira
Glass talks to
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, about why the frieze is offensive to
Muslims, and what they tried to do about it. (7 minutes)
Act One. Which One of Them Is Not Like the Other? Serry and her husband's
love story began in a place not usually associated with romance: the West
Bank. That was where the couple met, fell in love and decided to get
married. Then Serry, who was American, convinced her Palestinian husband
to move to America. She promised him that in America their children would
never encounter prejudice or strife of any kind. But things didn't quite
work out that way. This American Life producer Alix Spiegel tells the
story. (33 minutes)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-FL: CONTROVERSIAL BLOGGER CALLS
IT QUITS -
TOP
Tony Marrero, Hernando Today, 12/18/06
http://www.hernandotoday.com/MGBHVQCNVVE.html
It was a decision Vilmar Tavares says he had made before the recent
controversy over his blog.
But the firestorm that erupted last week over some content on his Web
site made the Spring Hill resident hasten his plan to quit.
"I was going to drop the blog at the end of the year anyway and
these events precipitated ... and advanced ... my scheduled
quitting," Tavares says in statement posted where his blog,
www.rightwinghowler.com, could once be found.
HostGator, a Boca Raton-based Internet service provider, suspended
Tavares's account last week after the Council for American-Islamic
Relations complained about a posting that encouraged readers to
"kill all Muslim kids."
As he did last week, Tavares declined comment for this story, saying in
an e-mail to Hernando Today that the note posted at the former location
of his site "says it all."
In the statement, Tavares addresses his fans.
"I'm sorry if I disappoint some of you and you may think I've been
'forced' into this decision by HostGator," Tavares wrote.
"Well, there can be nothing further from the truth."
Tavares had tried to "take a break," but that didn't work.
Blogging is simply no longer "fun," he said. . .
Those terms of service are HostGator's to define, Tavares said, "and
if they think I violated them, then my only recourse is to find someone
else. I will not be choosing that option."
Tavares posted a piece Nov. 29 under the heading "LOVE YOUR KIDS?
FEAR FOR THEIR FUTURE? KILL ALL MUSLIM KIDS!!!"
The piece is actually the original work of another blogger known as Frank
J., who had posted it on his site,
www.imao.us.
"As responsible parent and possible future parents, we have to make
sure our children don't have to deal with the terrorism that plagues us
now," the piece reads. "The only way to do that is to kill all
the Arab kids."
Above the posting, Tavares added this comment: "Makes sense to me.
After all, if Muslims are raising their little crumb-snatching,
curtain-climbing, ankle-biting rug rats to strap on bombs in order to
kill us, it is logically correct to assume that in order to stop that
from happening we need to kill all Muslim kids. Starting
now."
Frank J., who said his last name is Fleming, told Hernando Today last
week that the piece was satirical and "made to ridicule extreme
viewpoints like that."
Fleming said it was his impression that Tavares was "playing along
with the satire and not being serious at all."
Ahmed Bedier, executive director of CAIR's Tampa chapter, had a
different view and wrote a letter to the company asking it to shut down
Tavares' site. The advocacy group had been monitoring the site and grew
increasingly concerned by what they saw as hate speech that could incite
violence against Muslims.
The recent posting about killing Arab children "crossed the
line," Bedier said.
"That's nothing to joke around about," said Bedier.
(MORE)
-----
TN: PASTOR QUESTIONS PICTURE
OF MUSLIM ON GOVERNOR'S CHRISTMAS CARD -
TOP
Associated Press, 12/19/06
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=5832984
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A Nashville pastor is questioning why Governor
Bredesen chose to paint a picture of a teenage Muslim girl for his annual
Christmas card.
Bredesen's card shows a young Muslim girl that he met in Afghanistan last
March.
Pastor Maury Davis of Cornerstone Church told W-K-R-N-T-V in Nashville
that the governor's message is convoluted and could be interpreted as an
insult to Christianity.
On the back of the card, Bredesen wrote that it may seem odd to put a
portrait of a Muslim on a Christmas card. But he said that the season
should serve as a reminder that God loves his children most of all.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
WV: MORGANTOWN MUSLIM COUPLE SETTLES
NIOSH LAWSUIT -
TOP
Associated Press, 12/18/06
http://wvgazette.com/section/Breaking/000000233
MORGANTOWN -- A Muslim couple has settled its lawsuit against the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Terms of the settlement were not released.
Attorneys for Aliakbar and Shahla Afshari and the U.S. Department of
Justice declined to say anything other than that the case had been
settled.
No settlement agreement has yet been filed with the U.S. District Court
in Clarksburg, either.
In the lawsuit filed in December 2004, the Afsharis said they were
illegally fired in May 2004 from their jobs at NIOSH's Morgantown
facility because of their religious beliefs and national origin. The
Afsharis are Shiite Muslims and natives of Iran.
They were fired after failing a secret background investigation of
employees from countries considered a threat to the United States, even
though they passed previous background checks when they were
hired.
Aliakbar Afshari studied the health effects of welding and asphalt fumes,
and hand and arm vibrations.
Shahla Afshari worked in a laboratory that researched sensitivity to
chemicals in the workplace, such as allergic reactions to latex
gloves.
-----
MI: CRITIC OF QURAN USE
HASN'T DONE HOMEWORK -
TOP
Desiree Cooper, Detroit Free Press, 12/19/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061219/NEWS01/612190342
It figures that in this season of goodwill toward men, all hell would
break loose before one newly elected congressman could say, "I do
solemnly swear."
U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., is a Detroit expatriate whose platform
of tolerance can still be found on
www.keithellison.org: "We
are working for an America where everybody counts, where everybody
matters, and where peace is our guiding principle," he
pledged.
But that lovey-doveyness met with outrage as soon as Ellison, the first
Muslim elected to Congress, announced that he'll take his oath of office
upon a Quran, not a Bible.
The squawking is coming from one conservative commentator in particular,
columnist and talk show host Dennis Prager, who argued that Ellison's use
of the Quran "undermines American civilization."
Doesn't he know that the free exercise of religion is a pillar of our
civilization, not a threat to it?
Bible not required
Prager argued further that if Ellison is incapable of taking an oath on
the Bible, he shouldn't serve in Congress. I wonder if he knows that
members of Congress are sworn in en masse, with no religious tomes
present anyway. (The pictures of them taking oaths with their hands on
Bibles are shot later, as mementos.)
Perhaps worrying that flames will soon be licking at the edges of our way
of life, Prager charged that Ellison's intention is an "act of
hubris that perfectly exemplifies multiculturalist activism -- my culture
trumps America's culture."
But bigger Americans than he -- or Ellison for that matter -- have
flouted the Bible tradition. Like John Quincy Adams, who was so devout,
he refused to thrust the Bible into the political crosshairs. Instead, he
took his oath of office upon a book of laws and the
Constitution.
What would Prager say to President Franklin Pierce, whose son was killed
in a train accident soon after he was elected? Pierce felt the death was
God's judgment against him and considered himself unworthy to swear upon
the Bible.
The Quakers believe that swearing to an oath is forbidden, since
truthfulness is always expected. Quaker President Herbert Hoover,
"affirmed" his oath of office instead. Over the years, members
of Congress have used Jewish and Mormon religious texts, while others
have used none at all.
Are they all "multiculturalist activists" or are they simply
better versed on what it means to be an American? (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
IGNORANCE, BIAS CLOUD OUR JUDGMENT -
TOP
Mary Sanchez, Kansas City Star, 12/19/06
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16269728.htm
By now you've heard about the six imams, how they were removed from a
Minneapolis flight, detained for five hours of questioning, and not
allowed to fly home.
Perhaps you lean toward believing the version that talks of how the
Islamic leaders requested seat-belt extenders, but didn't use
them.
How they shouted angrily in Arabic and refused to sit in their assigned
seats, choosing instead a pattern that placed a man close to every exit
of the aircraft.
Or maybe you prefer the version that leans toward the outcries after the
story hit the media. There are the charges of "flying while
Muslim," how praying five times a day is being demonized and the
allegations of discrimination that have literally made this a federal
case.
Do not expect to ever learn the truth. It most likely exists somewhere
between all of these well-circulated theories about the November
incident. And I'm not stupid enough to attempt recreating the events from
afar to derive a supreme conclusion.
One thing years of reporting on race relations ingrains is a keen sense
that full truths are rarely found in the reconstruction of events after
allegations of discrimination are made.
Retellings are always filtered through people's individual brand of
truth. Yes, even from people who were there, as both observers and
participants. Their backgrounds, their experiences, their engrained
viewpoints and their fears were also present.
Add in the possibility of lawsuits, proposed federal legislation against
profiling at airports, and what some grasp as an opportunity to make a
statement about the nature of Islam; and well, things can get skewed
pretty quickly.
The only crystal clear thing is this: Similar incidents will occur. As a
nation, we are at the beginning of a long process to gain a better
understanding of, and comfort level with, Muslims in the United
States.
How else could we be a country founded to secure religious freedom, yet
the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress is eliciting a national
debate on whether or not he can be sworn into office with a
Qur'an?
A Tampa, Fla., Web site recently was shut down after it proposed killing
all Muslim kids as an answer to terrorism. A Washington, D.C., radio host
set out to test anti-Muslim sentiment by proposing that all Muslims be
tattooed, a way of branding them for public recognition. Many listeners
thought that was a fine idea. (MORE)
-----
OH: FAITH, HOPE DRIVE
PILGRIMAGE -
TOP
Disabling accident deepens couple's hajj to Mecca
The 7,000-mile journey once seemed impossible.
John Johnston, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12/19/06
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061219/LIFE/612190343/1086
Gulnar and Ashraf Durrani, married 19 years, this month will make the
pilgrimage to Mecca known as the hajj. An estimated 30,000 Muslims live
in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, and more than 40 are making
the trip to Saudi Arabia, where they will join more than 2 million others
from around the world. (MORE)
-----
DC: BROOKINGS HOSTS AN ETHNIC CLEANSER -
TOP
Mr. Lieberman Comes to Washington
Will Youmans, Counterpunch, 12/8/06
http://counterpunch.org/youmans12082006.html
When far-right leader Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael Beiteinu party
joined the Israeli government, pro-peace Israelis expressed outrage. The
Brookings Institution extended an invitation.
Brookings' Saban Center for Middle East Policy is holding the third
annual Saban Forum in Washington, D.C. from December 8 through the 10th.
This year's forum is entitled "America and Israel: Confronting a
Middle East in Turmoil" � "turmoil," meaning pissed off
Arabs, of course.
In his new book Palestine Peace Not Apartheid, Jimmy Carter charges that
we lack a national discussion about our nation's support for Israel. This
invitation proves his point, as does the entire forum � which doesn't
think any Arabs, not even the empire butt-kissers, need be present. For
some reason, they invited Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer, but not a
single Arab.
An Arab-less discussion of the Middle East fits comfortably with one
prominent guest's vision of the holy land. Lieberman is one of Israel's
leading advocates of forcibly removing masses of Palestinians in order to
alter the country's demographic outlay permanently. This has a more
common name: ethnic cleansing.
In 2002, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth quoted with dismay one of
Lieberman's many disgusting proposals. If the Palestinians did not comply
with Israeli dictates, he suggested, the occupying forces should
"bomb all the commercial centers... gas stations... [and]
banks."
Lieberman's ghastly plan for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel was to
drown them in the Dead Sea. He offered to provide the buses to transport
them. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VA REP ASKED TO APOLOGIZE FOR ANTI-MUSLIM
REMARKS
Rep. Goode slams Quran, election of Muslims, growth of U.S. Islamic
community
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/19/06) - The Council on American-Islamic
Relations (
CAIR) tonight called on
Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) to
apologize for anti-Muslim remarks he made in a recent letter to a
constituent.
Goode's letter to the head of the local Sierra Club chapter slammed the
planned use of a Quran for the ceremonial swearing-in of Keith Ellison,
the first Muslim elected to Congress. (No religious texts of any kind are
used for the official swearing-in ceremony.)
"I do not subscribe to using the Koran in any way," wrote
Goode. "The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the
voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt
the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more
Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the
Koran."
Goode also decried the growth of the American Muslim community. He wrote,
"I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in
the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that
I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to
the United States of America." (Keith Ellison has traced his
family's roots in America to the year 1742.)
SEE:
Anti-Muslim Letter Goes Out to Hundreds - Not All are Amused
"Representative Goode's Islamophobic remarks send a message of
intolerance that is unworthy of anyone elected to public office,"
said
CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor. "There
can be no reasonable defense for such bigotry."
Saylor said Goode should apologize for his remarks and offered to arrange
a meeting between the congressman and members of the Muslim community in
his district.
The controversy over Representative-elect Ellison's use of the Quran for
the ceremonial oath began with a
recent commentary by Dennis Prager, a member of the United States
Holocaust Memorial Council, in which he wrote that swearing an oath on
the Quran "undermines American civilization." CAIR has asked
that
Prager be removed from the taxpayer-supported council.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its
mission is to
enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil
liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote
justice and mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor,
571-278-4658, E-Mail:
csaylor@cair.com; CAIR National
Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726,
E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/20/06
*
Hadith:
Authority is a Trust
*
DC:
CAIR Rep Takes Part in
Holocaust Memorial Event
*
NJ Congressman Slams
Rep. Goode's Anti-Muslim Remarks
-
VA Rep Fears 'Many More
Muslims' in Office (AP)
-
VA Rep
Says Muslim
Rep Threatens US Values (AFP)
-
Image:
Rep. Virgil
Goode's Letter
*
CAIR-OH:
FBI Seeks
Break in Mosque Blast (Enquirer)
-
CAIR-OH:
One-Year
Anniversary of Mosque Bombing
*
CAIR-FL:
Internet Host
Flooded with Complaints (SP Times)
-
CAIR:
Muslim Travelers
Get Bias Hotline (Journal News)
-
CAIR:
Ads Hope to Dispel Fears
of Muslims (AP)
-
CAIR:
Muslim Group Wants
Sale of Game Halted
-
CAIR:
Government, Muslims Define 'Islamophobia'
-
CAIR:
A People Under Siege
(IPS)
*
MD:
Schools'
Islamic Lessons Inaccurate, Group Says
*
Book Review:
Muhammad as Prophet and
Politician (NY Times)
*
The Other Israel Lobby
(Salon.com)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: AUTHORITY IS A TRUST -
TOP
Narrated AbuDharr: "I said to the Prophet (Muhammad, peace be upon
him). . .'Will you not appoint me to a public office?' He stroked my
shoulder with his hand and said: 'AbuDharr, you are weak and authority is
a trust, and on the Day of Judgment it is a cause of humiliation and
repentance except for one who fulfills its obligations and (properly)
discharges the duties attendant thereon.'"
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 842
-----
DC: CAIR REP TAKES PART IN
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL EVENT -
TOP
(WASHINGTON, DC, 12/20/06) - A representative of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today joined Washington-area Muslim
leaders in an event at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to honor and
remember the victims of the Holocaust.
CONTACT: CAIR Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar, 202-488-8787,
202-415-0799, E-Mail:
aiftikhar@cair.com
-----
PASCRELL OFFENDED BY REP
GOODE'S ANTI-MUSLIM REMARKS -
TOP
Urges Virginia representative to meet with Muslim community
Contact: Caley Gray (202) 468-3081
12/20/06
For Immediate Release
PATERSON- U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) today sent the
following
correspondence to U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA-05) expressing his
disappointment in ethnically offensive remarks the Congressman wrote
about the use of the Koran in U.S. Representative-elect Keith Ellison's
unofficial swearing-in ceremony to the House of Representatives. Pascrell
also expressed alarm in Congressman Goode wrongfully equating the issue
of immigration with a fear of Muslim integration in our society.
December 20, 2006
Rep. Virgil Goode
1520 Longworth Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Congressman Goode:
I was greatly disappointed and in fact startled by your recent
constituent letter addressing the issue of Representative-elect Keith
Ellison using a Koran for his swearing-in ceremony. The United States
Constitution is clear on this issue when its states in Article VI,
section 3: "...no religious test shall ever be required as a
qualification to any office or public trust under the United
States." Furthermore, as a returning Member of Congress you know
that the official swearing-in for new Members of Congress is done without
use of any religious text. The use of any text including a Bible, Torah
or Koran is done only in a ceremonial event after the Member has already
taken an official oath of office. I have had the pleasure to meet Keith
Ellison on a number of occasions and it is clear that his integrity and
values will make him an outstanding Member of Congress for many years to
come. Keith Ellison serves as a great example of Muslim-Americans in our
nation and he does not have to answer to you, to me or anyone else in
regards to questions about his faith.
Your letter also wrongfully equates the issue of immigration with a fear
of Muslim integration in our society. I take your remarks as personally
offensive to the large community of Muslim-Americans I represent in the
Eighth District of New Jersey. I have learned a great deal from the
Muslim community and have made it one of my priorities to educate other
Americans about the common misconceptions regarding the peaceful faith of
Islam. There are many valid policy questions regarding immigration that
should be addressed by Congress, however promoting a fear and disrespect
of Muslims is not only wrongheaded, but it is reckless. Muslim-Americans
do not threaten our American values and traditions, in fact they only add
to them. The State of Virginia has a large vibrant Muslim population and
I would hope you would take this opportunity to meet with that community
and learn to dispel misconceptions instead of promoting them.
Please accept my comments in good faith. Together I know we are committed
to fighting extremism. Virgil, I trust that our "fight" will
not be confused or misdirected to discriminate against any race, religion
or ethnicity.
Sincerely,
Bill Pascrell, Jr.
Member of Congress
SEE ALSO:
VA CONGRESSMAN FEARS ELECTION
OF 'MANY MORE MUSLIMS' TO OFFICE -
TOP
Associated Press, 12/20/06
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-12-20-goode_x.htm
WASHINGTON (AP) - Responding to constituent e-mails about Rep.-elect
Keith Ellison's decision to use the Quran at his ceremonial swearing-in,
a Virginia congressman warned that "many more Muslims" will be
elected demanding to use the Quran unless immigration is
tightened.
Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va., made the comments in a letter sent to hundreds
of constituents about Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to
Congress.
"The Muslim representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters
of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the
Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more
Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran," Goode
wrote.
Goode said the U.S. needs to stop illegal immigration "totally"
and reduce legal immigration.
Goode added: "I fear that in the next century we will have many more
Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration
policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs
traditional to the United States of America and to prevent our resources
from being swamped."
Ellison was born in Detroit and converted to Islam in college. He did not
immediately return a telephone message left Wednesday.
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group,
called on Goode to apologize for the letter.
"Representative Goode's Islamophobic remarks send a message of
intolerance that is unworthy of anyone elected to public office,"
said CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor. "There can be
no reasonable defense for such bigotry."
Goode spokesman Linwood Duncan said no apology was forthcoming.
"The only statement the congressman has is that he stands by the
letter," Duncan said.
---
CAIR:
CONGRESSMAN SAYS MUSLIM LAWMAKER'S ELECTION THREATENS US VALUES -
TOP
Agence France Presse, 12/20/06
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061220/pl_afp/uscongressislam_061220204052
A US lawmaker stirred up controversy when he expressed uneasiness over
the election of a Muslim to serve with him in the House of
Representatives, which he said endangered "the values and beliefs
traditional" to the United States.
"The Muslim representative from Minnesota (Keith Ellison) was
elected by the voters of that district, and if American citizens don't
wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration, there will
likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of
the Koran" in their swearing-in ceremonies, Goode said in a letter
to one of his associates, sent to AFP Wednesday.
The powerful Muslim rights group
CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, demanded an apology from Goode in response to the
letter.
"Representative Goode's Islamophobic remarks send a message of
intolerance that is unworthy of anyone elected to public office,"
said
CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor. "There
can be no reasonable defense for such bigotry."
Goode's spokesman said the lawmaker stood by his letter and would not
offer any apology.
Ellison was also ordered by a conservative radio commentator, Dennis
Prager, to take his oath of office using the Bible rather than the
Koran.
"Mr. Ellison: America, not you, decides on what book its public
servants take their oath," argued Prager, adding that taking the
oath using the Muslim holy book would disqualify Ellison from serving in
Congress. (MORE)
---
IMAGE: LETTER FROM
REP. VIRGIL GOODE (R-VA) TO CONSTITUENTS -
TOP
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/goode-letter/
-----
CAIR-OH: FBI SEEKS BREAK
IN MOSQUE BLAST -
TOP
$35,000 reward offered in pipe bombing of a year ago today
Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12/20/06
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061220/NEWS01/612200377/1056/COL02
The FBI is still looking for a break that could lead to an arrest in the
bombing of a Clifton mosque one year ago today.
Despite a public outcry against the bombing - and promises of at least
$35,000 in reward money - investigators say they are no closer to
catching the bomber than they were last December.
"It's frustrating and disappointing," said
Karen Dabdoub,
director of the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR). "We had an attack on a house of worship in our
community. Whoever did it is still out there running
around."
The attack occurred shortly after 10 p.m. Dec. 20, when two pipe bombs
detonated near the entrance to the Islamic Association of Cincinnati's
mosque. The blasts damaged the wooden door and blew out windows, but no
one was hurt.
FBI Agent Jim Robertson, heading the investigation, said investigators
have had fewer leads to pursue in recent months and hope attention from
the anniversary of the bombing will spur new ones.
The FBI increased the reward it is offering for information leading to an
arrest from $15,000 to $25,000. CAIR and Crime Stoppers each are offering
an additional $5,000. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-OH: ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
OF CLIFTON MOSQUE BOMBING -
TOP
Deb Haas, 9News, 12/19/06
http://wcpo.com/news/2006/local/12/19/mosque.html
The FBI announced Tuesday that it is raising the reward for information
about the bombing of a mosque in Clifton.
The reward is now at $25,000 and agents hope that money will help solve
the case.
The FBI believes the person who put the bombs there didn't want to hurt
anyone, but wanted to intimidate people.
A full year later, police say the case is open and they want to bring it
to a close.
Though attendance at services is up, people still talk about it, still
worry about it.
Karen Dabdoub represents the Council on American-Islamic
Relations.
"Oh it's very frustrating because a crime like this is extremely
serious. It's not just a crime against a house of worship, but it affects
the entire community and makes them feel unsafe in their house of
worship, makes them feel very vulnerable."
She hopes the FBI gets the break it needs to solve this case.
James Robertson of the FBI hopes so too.
"It's an important matter for us, freedom of religion is a basic
constitutional right, of everybody. We take that very
seriously."
As days and months go by though, leads dry up.
The FBI said that is why agents are talking to the media and offering a
larger reward, hoping someone comes forward with information.
"It is a big deal, again, we take it very seriously, in today's
climate with threats of international terrorism looming over our heads.
We want to ensure people here are safe and secure no matter their race,
religion or creeds are."
Officers promise to keep working the case, while those victimized must
wait, and wonder, if it will ever be solved.
-----
CAIR-FL: BLOGGER PULLED PLUG
HIMSELF, HE SAYS -
TOP
Asjylyn Loder, St. Petersburg Times, 12/20/06
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/20/Hernando/Blogger_pulled_plug_h.shtml
A Spring Hill blogger posted a farewell to his readers after his
controversial posting - "...we need to kill all Muslim kids.
Starting now." - led to the closing of his Web site late last
week.
"It was fun. It was real. And for me, in the past couple of months
it had not been 'real fun,'" wrote Vilmar Tavares, 54, the host of
Right Wing Howler, on the remnant of his defunct Web site.
Tavares denied reports that his Web hosting company shut him down after
complaints from the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, a
Muslim advocacy group that claimed credit for the shutdown. Tavares said
he shut it down voluntarily because he was tired of blogging.
Host Gator Co., the Web host that carried Right Wing Howler, said Monday
that Tavares volunteered to shut down after Host Gator Co. told him there
had been "literally thousands" of complaints.
CAIR supporters swamped Host Gator Co. with e-mails, said company
president Brent Oxley.
"It was overwhelming, their support," Oxley said.
Tavares did not return a call for comment Tuesday.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: MUSLIM TRAVELERS GET
BIAS HOTLINE -
TOP
Suzan Clarke, Journal News, 12/20/06
http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061220/NEWS03/612200360/1019
Among the more than 2 million people performing the hajj this year are
thousands of American Muslims.
One advocacy group has established a toll-free hotline so that hajj
travelers may report any instances of perceived bias against
them.
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based
advocacy group, created the hotline because of recent incidents of
profiling on airlines that the organization called "flying while
Muslim."
In November, six Muslim clerics were removed from a US Airways flight in
Minneapolis after a passenger registered concerns about the men's
behavior. The clerics had conducted evening prayers in the airport
terminal before boarding their flight.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has called for a thorough
investigation into the incident.
Because the hajj falls during winter holidays this year, more American
Muslims - an estimated 10,000 - are expected to participate, the group
said.
In addition to the number, which is 800-784-7526, the group has issued a
pocket guide that advises travelers of their rights as
Americans.
"As an airline passenger, you are entitled to courteous, respectful
and nonstigmatizing treatment by airline and security personnel. You have
the right to complain about treatment that you believe is
discriminatory," the guide says, according to a press release issued
last week that also advised people on the action they should take if they
feel their rights are violated.
Mohammed Ziaullah, a board member of the Islamic Center of Rockland who
is going to the hajj tomorrow, said he was "comfortable" with
the idea but said it should have come from the government.
"I want to see more from the administration," he said.
"The Bush administration should have instituted the hotline."
(MORE)
---
CAIR: ADS HOPE TO DISPEL FEARS OF
MUSLIMS -
TOP
Kristen Gelineau, Associated Press, 12/20/06
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/16279577.htm
RICHMOND, Va. - The small beige signs bearing swirling, black Arabic
script appear all over town on buses and at colleges.
One panicked bus rider wondered if they were secret messages from
terrorists. Should the FBI be contacted? What do they mean?
Actual translation: "Paper or plastic?"
The signs are part of a campaign by the Virginia Interfaith Center, aimed
at dispelling some of the public's fears about the Muslim community.
Organizers hope to eventually expand the program statewide.
"As soon as people see Arabic, they immediately make an association
with terrorism," said the Rev. C. Douglas Smith, executive director
of the interfaith center. "That's probably because since 9/11, not
only is fear overwhelming us, but that's how we're being trained to
think."
The signs were placed in all 170 Greater Richmond Transit Company buses
on Nov. 27 and many buses will continue to display them at least through
the end of January. The signs, designed by The Martin Agency, have also
been posted at the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth
University.
Besides the "paper or plastic" sign, there are two others - one
which is the Arabic version of the "I'm a little tea pot" rhyme
and the other roughly translating to the English equivalent of
"rock, paper, scissors." Accompanying the translations at the
bottom of the posters are comments such as, "Misunderstanding can
make anything scary," and "What did you think it
said?"
The transit company has already fielded several calls from concerned
riders, said Gretchen Schoel, executive director of A More Perfect Union,
a project of the Virginia Interfaith Center that is spearheading the ads.
. .
The ad push is one of the latest efforts to dispel stereotypes of Muslims
and Arabic speakers. In 2004, the Council on American-Islamic Relations
launched a nationwide TV and radio campaign, featuring Muslims from
different backgrounds, each ending with the slogan, "I am an
American Muslim."
Yet high-profile misunderstandings continue. In late November, six Muslim
imams were removed from a flight to Phoenix after some airline passengers
grew concerned. It was just the latest incident in which passengers who
were Muslim or, in some cases, simply not Caucasian, were questioned
before boarding flights.
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations said it processed more
civil-rights and workplace discrimination complaints in 2005 than ever
before. The total jumped to 1,972 in 2005 from 1,522 in 2004.
(MORE)
---
CAIR: MUSLIM GROUP WANTS SALE
OF GAME HALTED -
TOP
News & Observer, 12/20/06
http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/523426.html
RALEIGH - A Muslim advocacy group in Raleigh has joined a national
campaign to ask Wal-Mart to stop selling a video game that it says
glorifies religious violence.
The Muslim American Public Affairs Council said the game, "Left
Behind: Eternal Forces," promotes Muslim intolerance.
"We don't want any more hatred to be spread around," said
Waleed Elhentaty, president of the Raleigh group's public affairs
council.
The organization said it contacted 17 Triangle Wal-Mart stores asking
them to stop selling the game. It is also urging the public to contact
Wal-Mart with the same request. The
national Council on
American Islamic Relations has issued a similar plea.
A Wal-Mart spokeswoman acknowledged that the retail giant sells the game
and gave no indication it was considering pulling it from
shelves.
---
CAIR: US GOVERNMENT AND AMERICAN MUSLIMS ENGAGE TO DEFINE ISLAMOPHOBIA -
TOP
Middle East Online, 12/20/06
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/opinion/?id=18846
The panelists argued that American Muslims must work with the government
to not only challenge the anti-Islamic discourse that is spreading in the
US but also work to correct some of the misunderstandings that the
government itself maybe harboring about Islam and American Muslims, notes
Muqtedar Khan. . .
Nihad Awad, the Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic
Relations, argued that Islamophobia was a new word but not a new
phenomenon. He presented data to indicate that hate crimes against
Muslims had risen by 29% in the last one year and in the ten years since
1995 that his organization [CAIR] had collected data on Islamophobic
episodes, it has shown nothing but steady increase. He concluded that
being critical of Islam and Muslims is not Islamophobia, but to ridicule
the faith and the faithful, certainly is.
---
CAIR: A PEOPLE UNDER SIEGE -
TOP
William Fisher, Inter Press Service, 12/19/06
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=35897
Five years after the terrorist attacks of Sep. 11, 2001,
"Islamophobia" -- intensified by the war in Iraq and government
actions -- has left millions of Muslims here and in other Western
countries fearful of harassment, discrimination and questionable
prosecutions, and confused about their place in society.
Recent polls indicate that almost half of U.S. citizens have a negative
perception of Islam and that one in four of those surveyed have
"extreme" anti-Muslim views. A survey by the
Council on
American Islamic Relations (CAIR) found that a quarter of people here
consistently believe stereotypes such as: "Muslims value life less
than other people" and "The Muslim religion teaches violence
and hatred."
In 2005, CAIR received 1,972 civil rights complaints, compared to 1,522
in 2004. This constitutes a 29.6 percent increase in the total number of
complaints of anti-Muslim harassment, violence and discriminatory
treatment from 2004. It is the highest number of Muslim civil rights
complaints ever reported to CAIR.
-----
MD: SCHOOLS'
ISLAMIC LESSONS INACCURATE, GROUP SAYS -
TOP
Julia Wilson, North County News, 12/20/06
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=806&NewsID=770512&CategoryID=8408&on=1
Some Muslims in Baltimore County say lessons involving Islam being taught
to seventh- and 10th-graders in public schools are inaccurate.
Bash Pharoan, president of the Baltimore chapter of the American Arab
Anti- Discrimination Committee, said resource sheets, called
"Islamic Life" given to seventh-graders studying world cultures
and "World Religions" for 10th- graders in world history
classes, not only misrepresent Islam, but show disrespect to the prophet
Muhammad.
For three years, Pharoan said, he has unsuccessfully petitioned the
Baltimore County school board to review the way Islam is presented in
public school classrooms.
Joe Hairston, county school superintendent, said his "teachers do
not use materials that contain inaccurate information."
Pharoan disagrees, saying the resource sheet on Islam belittles the
prophet Muhammad by referring to him only as
"Muhammad."
"We always say 'Prophet Muhammad. Omitting the word prophet is
disrespectful."
Pharoan said many of facts on the resource sheets are untrue or
half-true, and they "emphasize negative differences that are
divisive in nature." He said it is wrong to knowingly teach children
inaccurate information.
Getting accurate information to children is important now because of the
war in Iraq, he said.
Pharoan said the information given to students about "jihad"
and the Quran, the sacred book of Islam, is especially
objectionable.
The resource sheets state Muhammad's "main goal was to get people to
accept Allah and to spread the faith of Islam. Muhammad justified his
attacks to his followers by explaining that to weaken those who opposed
the spread of God's word was a virtue, and that those who fell in battle
would be rewarded in heaven. Thus the idea of the jihad became the holy
war of the Muslims against 'the unbelievers.'" (MORE)
-----
SEEING MUHAMMAD AS BOTH A
PROPHET AND A POLITICIAN -
TOP
Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, 12/20/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/20/books/20goods.html
The religion with the most adherents on the planet is Christianity, and
few people would say they are unfamiliar with the story of its founder
and prophet, Jesus. The second largest faith is Islam, and yet there is
boundless ignorance among non-Muslims about the story of its founder and
prophet, Muhammad, even after 9/11 set off a global panic about whether
Islam fuels terrorism.
Since then Muhammad has been defined by his detractors: who have called
him a terrorist, a lunatic and most colorfully - by the Rev. Jerry Vines,
former president of the Southern Baptist Convention - a
"demon-possessed pedophile." Even Pope Benedict XVI, whatever
his intention, created an uproar by unearthing a remark from a
14th-century emperor who cited Muhammad's contributions to religion as
"only evil and inhuman." Is this the prophet of the world's 1.3
billion Muslims?
It may be time then to put down the biographies of John Adams and Ronald
Reagan and devote a little attention to Muhammad. But beware. Several new
biographies picture Muhammad through the lens of a suicide bomber, and
ultimately these books reveal more about suicide bombers than
Muhammad.
To glimpse how the vast majority of the world's Muslims understand their
prophet and their faith, Karen Armstrong's short biography is a good
place to start. The volume is part of a series called "Eminent
Lives": small profiles of big-name subjects by big-name
authors.
Ms. Armstrong, best known for "A History of God," is a scholar
and a former nun with a genius for presenting religions as products of
temporal forces - like geography, culture and economics - without
minimizing the workings of transcendent spiritual forces.
She profiles Muhammad as both a mystic touched by God on a mountaintop
and a canny political and social reformer. He preached loyalty to God
rather than tribe; reconciliation rather than retaliation; care for
orphans and the poor; and in many ways, empowerment of women, which will
be a surprise to some. The Koran gave women property rights and freed
orphans from the obligation to marry their guardians: radical changes at
a time when women were traded like camels.
Ms. Armstrong writes: "His life was a tireless campaign against
greed, injustice and arrogance. He realized that Arabia was at a turning
point and that the old way of thinking would no longer suffice, so he
wore himself out in the creative effort to evolve an entirely new
solution." In a nod to her subtitle, "A Prophet for Our
Time," she argues that as of Sept. 11, 2001, we have entered a new
historical era that requires an equally thorough re-evaluation.
(MORE)
-----
THE OTHER ISRAEL LOBBY -
TOP
A new alliance, including financier George Soros and former Bill Clinton
advisor Jeremy Ben-Ami, aims to take on the powerful lobbyist group AIPAC
-- and reshape U.S. policy.
Gregory Levey, Salon.com, 12/19/06
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/12/19/israellobby/
This past June, on my last day working as a speechwriter for the Israeli
government -- first at the United Nations and then in the prime
minister's office -- I met with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in his private
office at the Israeli parliament to discuss a speech he had just given to
the U.S. Congress. The speech, which I helped write, was largely about
the future of U.S.-Israeli relations, and we discussed how it had gone
over. Also at the meeting was a high-ranking official in the Israeli
Foreign Ministry, and when we left the building together, he told me that
the next day officials from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee,
the powerful lobbying group, would be visiting. He asked if I had any
suggestions about what to tell them about how they could more effectively
help Israel in Washington.
"Some people would say that maybe the best thing would be for them
not to be so reflexively pro-Israel on every issue," I
said.
He laughed. "Well, I don't think that's going to happen anytime
soon," he said. I suggested that such a rebalancing might be
beneficial for all who were interested in supporting Israel, and he
conceded that, yes, "just maybe" it would.
Many American Jews, it seems, have similar feelings. Eighty-seven percent
of them voted Democratic in the recent midterms -- the highest number
since 1994 -- belying the oft-repeated claim that the Bush
administration's staunch support for Israel would move the traditionally
Democratic Jewish vote toward the Republicans. The fact is that most
American Jews, and many other American supporters of Israel, do not see
eye-to-eye on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the most hawkish,
knee-jerk Israel supporters in the U.S. government -- even if their
presumed leadership, represented by AIPAC, often appears to do so.
Moreover, AIPAC's influence in Washington may soon begin to decline, as a
powerful new alliance of left-leaning friends of Israel has begun to
emerge, with the express aim of reshaping U.S. strategy on the region's
most intractable problem.
If the Bush administration decides to seriously reevaluate its strategy
in the Middle East in the wake of the Iraq Study Group's recent report --
and among its recommendations is prioritizing a solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- it will have to deal with a minefield of
interest groups. That will surely include AIPAC, a juggernaut that the
New York Times has called the "most important organization affecting
America's relationship with Israel."
In "The Israel Lobby," their highly controversial article
earlier this year, Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer argued that AIPAC,
along with a very wide array of allies, pushes American foreign policy
inflexibly in a pro-Israel direction. The article was criticized as
simplistic, sloppy and above all reductive, but in its core suggestion
that AIPAC often hinders the American government's ability to freely
maneuver in the Middle East, it is difficult to argue with.
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MUSLIMS QUESTION GOP SILENCE ON VA REP'S
ISLAMOPHOBIC REMARKS
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/21/06) - The Council on American-Islamic
Relations (
CAIR) today called on state
and national GOP leaders to repudiate anti-Muslim remarks made by a
Republican congressman in Virginia.
In a recent
letter to
constituents,
Rep. Virgil Goode slammed the planned use of a
Quran for the ceremonial swearing-in of Keith Ellison, the first Muslim
elected to Congress. (No religious texts of any kind are used for the
official swearing-in ceremony.) Goode also decried the growth of the
American Muslim community and expressed concern that "many more
Muslims" may be elected to public office.
SEE:
Va. Lawmaker's Remarks on Muslims Criticized (Washington
Post)
"We are deeply troubled by the failure of state and national GOP
leaders to clearly distance themselves from Representative Goode's
intolerant remarks," said
CAIR National Legislative Director
Corey Saylor. He said Republican leaders in Virginia should have
learned a lesson in tolerance from the controversy over Senator George
Allen's "macaca" episode.
Saylor said incoming House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi called Goode's
remarks "offensive." New Jersey Democrat
Rep. Bill Pascrell,
Jr. yesterday
urged Goode
to reach out to Muslims in Virginia and "to dispel misconceptions
instead of promoting them."
In a
statement
issued today,
Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) said: "The seven million
Muslim-Americans living in the U.S. are an integral part of American
society. Our country is a melting pot of different cultures and beliefs.
This diversity is a strength, not a weakness. . .Bringing more
Muslim-Americans into the political process is a goal, not something to
be avoided."
No similar statements have come from GOP leaders. CAIR has offered to
arrange a meeting between Goode and Virginia Muslims.
SEE:
Congressman
Criticizes Election of Muslim (New York Times)
The controversy over Representative-elect Ellison's use of the Quran for
the ceremonial oath began with a
recent commentary by Dennis Prager, a member of the United States
Holocaust Memorial Council, in which he wrote that swearing an oath on
the Quran "undermines American civilization." CAIR has asked
that Prager
be removed from the taxpayer-supported council.
SEE:
Prager's Views 'Antithetical to the Mission of the Museum'
(Forward)
Holocaust Board Distances Itself from Member Comments on Ellison
(AP)
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its
mission is to
enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil
liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote
justice and mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor,
571-278-4658, E-Mail:
csaylor@cair.com CAIR National
Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726,
E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/21/06
*
Verse:
Proclaim the Pilgrimage to All
People
-
CAIR-CAN:
The Universal Lessons
of Hajj (Arab News)
*
CAIR-FL:
Honk if
You Know Anything About Islam (Sun-Sent)
*
CAIR:
Prager Asked to
'Do the Right Thing and Resign'
-
CAIR:
Muslims Mark
Solidarity with Jews (Wash Post)
*
Rep. Honda 'Surprised and
Offended' by Goode's Anti-Muslim Remarks
-
Rep.
Menendez Statement on Goode's Anti-Muslim
Remarks
*
CAIR-CA:
Interfaith Leaders
Condemn 'JDL' Threat Against Peace Activist
*
CAIR-FL Meets with
Officials to Ensure Stress-Free Hajj Travels
*
Video:
CAIR Rep Challenges
Game that Glorifies Violence (Fox)
-
Video:
CAIR-LA
Banquet Covered by Arab Satellite Channel
*
CAIR-OH:
Muslim Woman
Reinstated in Medical Program
*
State Department
Weighs Plan for Palestinian
State (Forward)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: PROCLAIM THE PILGRIMAGE TO ALL
PEOPLE -
TOP
"Proclaim the pilgrimage to all people. They will come to you on
foot and on every lean (beast of burden). Let them come from every deep
ravine, to bear witness to the advantages they have, and to mention God's
name on appointed days."
The Holy Quran, 22:26-28
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CAN: THE UNIVERSAL LESSONS OF
HAJJ -
TOP
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=90253&d=21&m=12&y=2006
-----
CAIR-FL: HONK IF YOU
KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ISLAM -
TOP
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 12/21/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editnbmuslimcapdec21,0,2383961.story
For many Americans, the Muslim faith, defined by the war on terror, is
synonymous with violence, hatred and a callous disregard for human
suffering.
But the jihadists are called extremists for a reason. Islamic suicide
bombers do not personify their religion, just the depravity of its fringe
elements.
The only antidote for the prevailing ignorance, one that has some
Muslim-Americans feeling unfairly harassed and despised, is education.
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations is pursuing a novel and
eye-catching campaign toward that end with a series of highway billboards
that promote the real tenets of Islam: charity, peace and love for
mankind.
Speeding by a massive picture of grinning Muslims preaching, "Even a
smile is charity," may not instantly dissolve such pervasive
prejudice, but it could plant a seed. And that's how tolerance
blooms.
-----
PRAGER ASKED TO 'DO THE RIGHT
THING AND RESIGN' -
TOP
Holocaust Memorial: Dennis Prager's views 'antithetical' to
mission
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/21/06) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and advocacy group today called on Dennis Prager to resign from the
United States Holocaust Memorial Council after the executive committee of
that taxpayer-funded board issued a statement saying the radio talk show
host's views are "antithetical" to its mission.
SEE: Holocaust Board Chides Radio Host Member (AP)
http://www.newsnet5.com/politics/10583419/detail.html
SEE ALSO: U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council to Prager: Your Words Were
Intolerant, But You Get To Stay (Forward)
http://www.forward.com/blogs/campaign-confidential/us-holocaust-memorial-council-does-damage-control/
"Now that the Holocaust Memorial Council has stated that Mr.
Prager's views are in direct opposition to the mission of that
institution, we call on him to do the right thing and resign," said
Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Washington-based Council
on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). "Mr. Prager's resignation
would serve to mitigate the damage his divisive rhetoric has had on
interfaith relations."
Prager has written that Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to
Congress, should be prevented from taking his oath of office using the
Quran, Islam's revealed text. He also wrote that swearing an oath on the
Quran "undermines American civilization."
Two members of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, Rep. Henry
Waxman and former New York Mayor Ed Koch, have already spoken out against
Prager's intolerant remarks. Koch called Prager a
"bigot."
Groups such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the American Jewish
Committee have also condemned Prager's remarks.
CAIR had previously called on the Holocaust Memorial's governing board
and President Bush to remove Prager from his post. Since coming out
against Prager's appointment to the council, CAIR has received hundreds
of hate-filled e-mails from Prager's supporters.
In Virginia, a Republican congressman took up Prager's call to keep
Ellison from using the Quran in his ceremonial oath. Rep. Virgil Goode
also decried the growth of the American Muslim community and expressed
concern that "many more Muslims" may be elected to public
office. A number of Democratic leaders have repudiated Goode's
remarks.
SEE: Va. Lawmaker's Remarks on Muslims Criticized (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/20/AR2006122001318.html
SEE: Congressman Criticizes Election of Muslim (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/21/us/21koran.html
SEE: Rep Goode's Letter to Constituents
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/goode-letter/
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: MUSLIMS MARK SOLIDARITY
WITH JEWS -
TOP
Event Held Days After Iranian Meeting That Denied Genocide
Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 12/21/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/20/AR2006122001718.html
Local Muslim leaders lit candles yesterday at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial
Museum to commemorate Jewish suffering under the Nazis, in a ceremony
held just days after Iran had a conference denying the genocide.
American Muslims "believe we have to learn the lessons of history
and commit ourselves: Never again," said Imam Mohamed Magid of the
All Dulles Area Muslim Society, standing before the eternal flame
flickering from a black marble base that holds dirt from Nazi
concentration camps. . .
The idea for the ceremony originated with Magid, whose Sterling mosque
has been active in interfaith efforts. After hearing radio reports about
the Iranian meeting, "I said to myself, 'We have to, as Muslim
leaders . . . show solidarity with our fellow Jewish Americans,' "
Magid recalled after the speeches.
He contacted Akbar Ahmed, an American University professor active in
inter-religious dialogue, who asked the museum to hold the
ceremony.
"It's important that the world knows there are Muslims who don't
believe in this [Holocaust denial]," Ahmed said after the ceremony.
Also in the delegation were representatives of the
Council on
American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Public Affairs
Council.
-----
Rep. Honda's Letter to Rep. Goode -
TOP
12/21/06
Dear Congressman Goode:
I was surprised and offended to hear about a constituent letter you wrote
in response to Representative-elect Keith Ellison’s intention to use a
Koran during his ceremonial swearing in ceremony. In your letter, you
warned that “…if American citizens don’t wake up and adopt the Virgil
Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims
elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran.”
You know first hand that no religious text is used during the official
swearing in of Members of Congress. Moreover, the Constitution explicitly
demands that “…no religious test shall ever be required as a
qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” No
person should be labeled as un-American based upon his or her religion,
and it is outrageous to cast aspersions on Representative-elect Ellison
purely because of his religious background.
Following the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, Muslims have been
the subject of profoundly warped stereotypes in this country; stereotypes
that are largely derived from a small percentage of extremist
practitioners. An entire religious group has become scapegoats for the
actions of a few fanatics whose beliefs they do not subscribe to. As one
of the many Japanese Americans who were interned during World War II
because of war hysteria and racial prejudice, I find it particularly
offensive that you are equating Representative-elect Ellison’s beliefs
with those of radical extremists and condemning him based on their
actions.
In your letter, you suggested that all Muslims in this country are
immigrants and that immigration laws must be changed to “preserve the
values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America” by
stopping Muslims from entering. Representative-elect Ellison was born in
the United States, and his family has lived here since 1742. He was
raised Catholic before becoming a Moslem during college. The spread of
ideas and philosophies cannot be stopped by barricading our borders, nor
should it be.
Keith is a respected member of his community, and a personal friend of
mine. I’ve spent a lot of time with him, and I’ve grown to admire his
strong moral fiber and his commitment to tolerance and progressive
American values. He has said himself that he believes in “a value system
that invests in people and asks citizens to work for the common good.” In
my mind, those are the values and beliefs traditional to the United
States, and I believe that Keith will make a welcome addition to a
Congress that has lost its moral compass.
Instead of fearing our diversity, Americans, and Members of Congress in
particular, must embrace it. America became a great nation through the
collaboration of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and other
religious and ethnic groups working together to advance our culture and
economy. Following in that great American tradition, I would invite you
to meet with me to discuss these issues in greater depth. America’s
strength lies in its diversity, and together we can stand as a symbol of
that strength.
Sincerely,
Michael M. Honda
Member of Congress
SEE ALSO:
MENENDEZ STATEMENT ON REP. GOODE'S REMARKS -
TOP
For Immediate Release
Contact: Desiree Ramos, 201-803-4537
"America was founded by people seeking religious freedom.
Congressman Virgil H. Goode's statements against Congressman-elect Keith
Ellison are an attack on the sanctity of religious freedom that all
Americans are guaranteed under the Constitution.
"Rep. Goode should apologize to Mr. Ellison and to all Americans for
his intolerance of the diversity which makes our nation a beacon of hope
around the world. As elected officials, we are called to represent all
Americans, regardless of race, creed, or class. I sincerely hope Rep.
Goode will recognize the error of his words."
-----
CAIR-CA: SACRAMENTO
INTERFAITH LEADERS CONDEMNS THREAT AGAINST PEACE ACTIVIST -
TOP
(SACRAMENTO, CA, 12/21/2006) - Sacramento Valley interfaith leaders today
held a press conference in reaction to a threat against a local peace
activist.
Mary Bisharat, an 80-year-old Sacramento Valley resident, reportedly
received a threatening note after she wrote a letter to the Sacramento
Bee criticizing Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. The note
stated, "The JDL will visit you soon!"
"JDL" apparently refers to the Jewish Defense League, a group
that the FBI regards as extremist and violent. Top leaders of the JDL
were charged with conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism for plotting to
blow up a Mosque and a congressman's office in Southern
California.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's office is currently investigating the
threat.
CONTACT: CAIR-Sacramento Valley Executive Director Basim Elkarra at (916)
441-6269 or E-mail:
sacval@cair.com;
Interfaith Service Bureau Executive Director Rev. Dexter McNamara at
(916) 448-2212 or E-mail:
dexter@isbsacramento.org
-----
CAIR-ORLANDO MEETS WITH
SECURITY OFFICIALS TO ENSURE STRESS-FREE HAJJ TRAVELS -
TOP
(ORLANDO, FL, 12/21/06) - The Orlando, Fla., office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Orlando) today met with officials from
the Greater Orlando Airport Authority (GOAA), the Transportation Security
Agency (TSA) and the Orlando Airport Police Department (OAPD) to discuss
safety tips for passengers and to ensure safe and hassle-free traveling
for Hajj pilgrims. CAIR-Orlando has also reached out to the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI). CAIR recently called on Hajj pilgrims to
review their rights and responsibilities as airline passengers.
CONTACT: Sabiha Khan, 407-649-1660,
skhan@cair.com
-----
VIDEO: CAIR REP CHALLENGES GAME
THAT GLORIFIES VIOLENCE -
TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5IA3PkCbPk
SEE ALSO:
VIDEO: CAIR-LA
BANQUET COVERED BY ART ARAB SATELLITE CHANNEL -
TOP
http://www.tvipa.com/mosaic20_2.html
-----
GOOD NEWS:
CAIR-OHIO HELPS REINSTATE MUSLIM WOMAN EXPELLED FROM MEDICAL PROGRAM -
TOP
(COLUMBUS, OH, 12/21/06) - CAIR-Ohio announced today that it intervened
successfully to help a local Muslim woman be reinstated in a community
college medical technology program after she was expelled for allegedly
discriminatory reasons.
The woman, who had been a straight-A student, says she faced harassment
based on her Islamic head scarf and ethnicity when she did a clinical
rotation at an outlying hospital. The hospital gave her a failing grade,
resulting in her expulsion from the community college's program.
Her initial attempts to resolve the situation were unsuccessful. After
CAIR-Ohio's intervention, the college reinstated the Muslim student into
the program and agreed to pay her costs for retaking courses.
CONTACT: Romin Iqbal, 614-451-3232 E-Mail:
office@cair-ohio.com, Adnan
Mirza, 614-451-3232, E-Mail:
director@cair-ohio.com
-----
STATE DEPARTMENT WEIGHS
PLAN FOR PALESTINIAN STATE -
TOP
Nathan Guttman, Forward, 12/22/06
http://www.forward.com/articles/state-department-weighs-plan-for-palestinian-state/
The Bush administration is considering a plan to declare an independent
Palestinian state with provisional borders by the end of 2007.
The idea has been "kicked around" in the State Department for
several weeks, according to sources. It could be one element of a new
American Middle East peace plan, the sources added, if President Bush
decides to push forward with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process as
part of a fresh Middle East policy he is constructing.
At the same time, in an effort to bolster the regime of Mahmoud Abbas,
the administration also has begun lobbying Congress to provide $100
million to fund forces loyal to the Palestinian president.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/22/06
*
Hadith:
Be Always Busy with the
Remembrance of God
*
CAIR-LA:
American
Muslims Revere Jesus (Press-Enterprise)
*
CAIR-MI:
Univ. to Offer
Minor in Islamic Studies (Detroit News)
-
CAIR:
CT Store Taking
Closer Look at 'Eternal Forces' Game
*
Video:
CAIR
Rep Discusses Goode's Comments (NBC Nightly News)
-
Video:
CAIR Rep Discusses Goode's Comments (CNN-Paula Zahn)
*
Virginia Muslims Want Apology
from Goode (Register Bee)
*
A Bigot in Congress (Washington
Post)
-
ADL Letter to Representative Virgil
Goode, Jr.
-
Keep Faiths Attack-Free
(Journal-Constitution)
-
An Open House for All (Boston Globe)
*
Holocaust Museum Rebukes Prager for
Koran Comment (NY Times)
*
IL:
Muslim Frequent Flier
Wants Help from Judge (UPI)
*
WV:
Muslim Group Meeting in
New Islamic Center
-
More American Muslims Going on
Hajj
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: BE ALWAYS BUSY WITH THE
REMEMBRANCE OF GOD -
TOP
A man once said to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): "The
laws of Islam are too heavy for me, so tell me something that I can
easily follow." The Prophet replied: "Let your tongue be always
busy with the remembrance of God."
The Prophet also said: "No other act is a more effective means for
deliverance from the chastisement of God than the remembrance of
God.''
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 4, Number 99
-----
CAIR-LA: MUSLIM-AMERICANS SHARE
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT, REVERE JESUS, REJECT MATERIALISM -
TOP
HUSSAM AYLOUSH, Press-Enterprise, 12/21/06
http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/localviews/stories/PE_OpEd_Opinion_D_op_22_ayloush_loc.37212eb.html
A number of religious celebrations are converging yet again this month,
adding to the festive holiday atmosphere, and allowing Americans an
opportunity to ponder and change things for the better.
For the past five years, the fact that the end of Muslim religious
observances, Ramadan or the Hajj, coincided with Christmas made this
period more memorable for my family (this year, the Hajj season started
Thursday, and Hajj activities begin around Dec. 29). We immersed
ourselves in remembering God's blessings and mercy and will do the same
on the occasion of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Perhaps to the surprise of some Americans, Jesus holds a special place in
both the Christian and Islamic faiths. (MORE)
Hussam Ayloush is executive director of the Anaheim-based Council on
American-Islamic Relations, Southern California.
-----
CAIR-MI: OU TO OFFER MINOR IN
ISLAMIC STUDIES -
TOP
Shawn D. Lewis, Detroit News, 12/22/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061222/METRO02/612220323/1026/SCHOOLS
Oakland University students for the first time will be able to minor in
Islamic Studies beginning next semester.
The first class, Introduction to Islam, will begin Jan. 4.
The Islamic Studies program was approved by the university five years ago
but lacked funding. A group of Muslim professionals from throughout Metro
Detroit helped make it happen.
"They have families with children in the schools and would like to
make a contribution to increasing more knowledge about Islam and
decreasing the prejudice and misinformation surrounding the
religion," said Gary Shepherd, director of Religious Studies at the
university. "They approached the university this past summer and
donated about $250,000 -- generating pledges for $50,000 per year for
five years."
The minor will require students to complete 20 credits in courses such as
Introduction to Islam, Islamic Ethics, Islamic Law and Islamic
Literature, as well as participate in an internship within the Muslim
community. Shepherd said the goal is to add more classes to the
minor.
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council
on American-Islamic Relations based in Southfield, hopes the program
also attracts those outside the university.
"I would hope that law enforcement agencies would promote their
staff in taking these classes so they can understand more about dealing
with Muslims," he said.
That is also a goal for Imam Achmat Salie, recently hired as the
Coordinator for Islamic Studies, who will be teaching one of the classes.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: GROTON STORE IS TAKING A
CLOSER LOOK AT 'ETERNAL FORCES' GAME -
TOP
Bethe Dufresne, Day, 12/22/06
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=4adaf3d8-8389-48a6-bd07-41055ca442e7
Bestseller or no, "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" may wind up
coming off the shelves since Cornerstone store owners Liz McGee and her
husband, Dennis, learned Thursday that it has come under fire from the
national
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
The Washington, D.C.-based CAIR, whose only New England branch is based
in New London, has asked Wal-Mart to pull the game from its shelves
because some of the evil characters have Islamic-sounding names.
No one has complained to Cornerstone, but the McKees aren't taking any
chances.
"We want to take a serious look at this game," Dennis said.
"If it is in any way promoting religious intolerance or violence, we
would pull it in a minute."
"The message of Christ was love and forgiveness," he said,
"and that's what we try to promote in our store."
-----
VIDEO: CAIR REP DISCUSSES REP. GOODE'S COMMENTS ON 'NBC NIGHTLY NEWS' -
TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5CM3lYB7ak
SEE ALSO:
VIDEO: CAIR REP DISCUSSES REP. GOODE'S COMMENTS ON CNN'S 'PAULA ZAHN
NOW' -
TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV_R9iuP_SQ
-----
VA: AREA MUSLIMS WANT APOLOGY FROM
GOODE -
TOP
The Muslim community says it views the congressman's words as "seeds
of hatred."
Bernard Baker, Danville Register & Bee, 12/22/06
http://www.registerbee.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=DRB/MGArticle/DRB_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149192303957
A leader in Danville's Muslim community says U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode
should apologize for discriminating statements about Islam.
Goode, R-5th, responded to a series of constituent e-mails regarding
Rep.-elect Keith Ellison's decision to use the Quran at his ceremonial
swearing-in. In a letter sent to hundreds of constituents, the
congressman said more Muslims will get elected and demand the use of the
Quran if immigration is not restricted.
The Muslim community says it sees Goode's words as "seeds of
hatred."
"This is a country of immigrants," said Sarwat Ata, chairman of
the board for the Danville Masjid Islamic Center on Floyd Street. Ata
said he voted for Goode in the November election.
Ata said Goode should sit down with local Muslims and learn more about
them if he won't apologize.
Ata said Muslims are peaceful and law-abiding. They want to be free and
share many of the values Goode supports, such as the Ten Commandments, he
said.
"We implement these values in our everyday lives," Ata
said.
There are about 1.4 billion Muslims in the world. In the United States,
there are about 7 million Muslims.
"Imagine if all were terrorists," Ata said.
The criticism of Goode's letter has extended to Congress. The Council on
American-Islamic Relations said the congressman should
apologize.
Goode said Wednesday he has no intention of apologizing. A spokesman for
Goode could not say if the Rocky Mount Republican would meet with Muslims
from his area.
He has said too many illegal immigrants are getting into this country.
Goode's campaign focused on stopping illegal immigration and reducing the
number of immigrants who come to the U.S. to prevent a draining of
resources.
"I believe that illegal immigration of Islamists or others should be
completely stopped, and that continued mass immigration into this country
will tax our resources and weaken the country," Goode wrote in an
e-mail sent to the local newspaper.
Virginia's senior senator, John Warner, does not appear to support
Goode's view and said he doesn't object to using the Quran during
swearing-in ceremonies.
"As we continue to seek new strategies to protect our nation, I feel
strongly that America must continue its outreach to the majority of
moderate, peaceful members of the Islamic faith, as partners in combating
terrorism," Warner wrote in a prepared statement. "I respect
the Constitutional right of Members of Congress, indeed, of every U.S.
citizen, freely to exercise the religion of their choice, including those
of the Islamic faith utilizing the Koran in accordance with the tenets of
their religion." (MORE)
-----
A BIGOT IN CONGRESS -
TOP
One Muslim congressman is one too many for Virgil Goode.
Washington Post, 12/22/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/21/AR2006122101612.html
Bigotry comes in various guises -- some coded, some closeted, some
colossally stupid. The bigotry displayed recently by Rep. Virgil H. Goode
Jr., a Republican who represents a patch of south-central Virginia, falls
squarely in the third category. Mr. Goode, evidently in a state of
xenophobic delirium, went on a semi-public tirade against the looming
peril and corrupting threat posed by Muslim immigration to the United
States. "I fear that in the next century we will have many more
Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration
policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs
traditional to the United States of America," he wrote in a letter
to constituents.
The inspiration for Mr. Goode's rant is Keith Ellison, a Minnesota
Democrat who last month became the first Muslim elected to Congress. Mr.
Ellison, who was born in Detroit and converted to Islam in college, has
decided to use the Koran during a ceremonial swearing-in, as is his
constitutional right. This does not sit well with Mr. Goode, who,
obnoxiously referring to his congressional colleague-to-be as "the
Muslim Representative from Minnesota," warned ominously that current
immigration policy would lead to an outbreak of elected Muslims in this
country and unfettered use of the Koran.
Forget that Muslims represent a small fraction of immigrants to America.
And leave aside the obvious point that Mr. Goode was evidently napping in
class the day they taught the traditional American values of tolerance,
diversity and religious freedom. This country's history is rife with
instances of uncivil, hateful and violent behavior toward newcomers, be
they Jewish, Irish, Italian or plenty of others whose ethnicities did not
jibe with some pinched view of what it means to be American. Mr. Goode's
dimwitted outburst of nativism is nothing new.
No, the real worry for the nation is that the rest of the world might
take Mr. Goode seriously, interpreting his biased remarks about Muslims
as proof that America really has embarked on a civilizational war against
Islam. With 535 members, you'd think that Congress would welcome the
presence of a single Muslim representative. Whether it can afford a
lawmaker of Mr. Goode's caliber is another question.
SEE ALSO:
ADL LETTER TO REPRESENTATIVE VIRGIL GOODE,
JR -
TOP
12/21/06
http://www.adl.org/civil_rights/goode_ltr.asp
Representative Virgil Goode, Jr
U.S., House of Representatives
Washington, DC
Dear Representative Goode:
We are writing to express strong concerns about reports that you sent a
letter to constituents assailing immigration to the United States by
Muslims and the use of the Koran to swear in an elected Member of
Congress.
Your letter demonstrates a serious lack of understanding of the
fundamental religious guarantees enshrined in the US Constitution.
Article VI, Clause 3 states that, "no religious Test shall ever be
required" to hold public office in America. Members of Congress,
like all Americans, should be free to observe their own religious
practices without government interference or coercion.
As you must know from personal experience, no Member of Congress is
officially sworn in with a Bible. Under House rules, the official
swearing-in ceremony is done in the House chambers, with the Speaker of
the House administering the oath of office en masse. No Bibles or other
holy books are used at all.
You assert that only adoption of "the Virgil Goode position on
immigration" can "preserve the values and beliefs traditional
to the United States of America." While we would note that
Representative-elect Ellison is not an immigrant, we must take issue with
your view that immigration to the US by Muslims or members of any other
faith is somehow not in concert with American values and traditions.
Quite the contrary. A fundamental hallmark of America is in how we as a
nation have embraced immigrants of all faiths and national
origins.
Your letter states your "fear that in the next century we will have
many more Muslims in the United States." To suggest Muslims should
be viewed with fear, based solely on their faith, demonizes millions of
people living in our communities. This is of special concern at a time
when the stereotyping and disparate treatment of communities as part of
debates over immigration or counterterrorism policy impacts those people
in very tangible ways, including making them more vulnerable to
bias-motivated violence.
Reasonable people can and will disagree on the best course for our
nation's immigration policy. It is clear, however, that there is a direct
connection between the tone of the national policy debate and the
atmosphere surrounding the daily lives of immigrants - legal and illegal.
Politicians and civic leaders have a responsibility not to engage in
divisive appeals based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or
religion.
It is both ironic and troubling that the sentiments expressed come from
an elected leader from the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state that is
often referred to as the birthplace of religious freedom in America. Many
of the principles of religious freedom that were inscribed in our
Constitution were proposed, of course, by Virginia's own Thomas
Jefferson.
What truly unifies all Americans, Rep. Goode, is a value system built on
religious freedom, respect for differences, and democratic pluralism. We
urge you to rethink your ill-conceived remarks about Muslims in
America.
Sincerely,
David C. Friedman
ADL Washington DC Regional Director
---
KEEP FAITHS ATTACK-FREE -
TOP
Elected representative has right to use Quran after he takes oath;
Goode's outburst surely shows ignorance
David McNaughton,
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 12/22/06
U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.) claims to want to "preserve the
values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America," but
ranting about the election of the first Muslim-American to Congress was a
strange and troubling way to do so.
Goode apparently forgot - or conveniently chose to ignore - the U.S.
Constitution's guarantee of freedom of religion.
Goode's outburst was triggered by controversy about the plans of U.S.
Rep.-elect Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) to use the Quran during an unofficial
part of his oath-taking when he becomes a member of Congress next
month.
"I do not subscribe to using the Quran in any way," Goode wrote
in an e-mail to constituents who had expressed alarm about Ellison's
plan. "The Muslim representative from Minnesota was elected by the
voters of that district, and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt
the Virgil Goode position on immigration, there will likely be many more
Muslims elected to office and demanding the uses of the Quran.
"We need to stop illegal immigration totally and reduce legal
immigration and end the diversity visas policy pushed hard by President
Clinton and allowing many persons from the Middle East to come to this
country."
Sadly, Goode's immigration policy is as xenophobic as his faith is
intolerant. The real pity, however, is that his outlandish comments about
Muslims aren't the first to be uttered out of ignorance or misguided
fear.
This month, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich suggested that six Muslim
prayer leaders who were yanked off a plane in Minneapolis on questionable
grounds got off too easy. They were released after being quizzed by the
FBI.
"These six people should have been arrested and prosecuted for
pretending to be terrorists," Gingrich told the Manchester (N.H.)
Union Leader.
There's no evidence any such "pretending" occurred; Gingrich,
like too many others, chose to buy into the assumption that all Muslims
are likely terrorists or at least terrorism sympathizers.
In the November incident referred to by Gingrich, the six Muslims were
taken off a plane in handcuffs and questioned for several hours. Their
offense apparently involved saying evening prayers at the airport before
boarding the plane and being considered suspicious by other passengers.
(MORE)
---
AN OPEN HOUSE FOR ALL -
TOP
Boston Globe, 12/22/06
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2006/12/22/an_open_house_for_all?mode=PF
What part of "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" does
congressman Virgil Goode not understand?
Goode, a Virginia Republican, displayed his contempt for the US
Constitution in a letter he sent to constituents this month, criticizing
the first Muslim elected to Congress for planning to use a ceremonial
Koran instead of a Bible to swear his oath of office in January. In the
letter, Goode writes that the election of Keith Ellison , Democrat of
Minnesota, represents a threat to traditional American "values and
beliefs."
It's hard to know where to start with this intolerant rant. First of all,
135,000 voters in Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District cast ballots
for Ellison, most of them well aware he is Muslim. Are they, too, a
threat to traditional beliefs?
Goode favors strict immigration controls, including reductions in legal
immigration, and "troops, fences, and other measures to stop the
invasion from Mexico." He writes in the letter that such measures
are "necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the
United States of America and to prevent our resources from being
swamped." Never mind that Ellison is not an immigrant, but an
African-American who converted to Islam while in college, and who traces
his family's roots in the United States to the 18th century.
Goode, who posts the Ten Commandments on his office wall, frets that
"there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and
demanding the use of the Koran." But Goode should know, because he
has been sworn in to Congress five times, that members simply raise their
right hands for the official oath and do not use the Bible or any other
religious book. Those are reserved for private ceremonies at the
discretion of each member. (MORE)
-----
HOLOCAUST MUSEUM REBUKES MEMBER FOR KORAN COMMENT
-
TOP
Rachel L. Swarns, New York Times, 12/22/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/22/us/politics/22koran.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
The board that oversees the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum here
publicly distanced itself on Thursday from a member who recently
condemned the first Muslim elected to Congress for planning to use a
Koran during the private part of his swearing-in ceremony.
In November, the board member, Dennis Prager, a conservative commentator
and radio show host, said that Keith Ellison, the newly elected Muslim
member of Congress, should give up his post if he could not take his oath
on a Bible, which Mr. Prager said was the traditional religious text of
the United States.
In its resolution, the council's executive committee criticized Mr.
Prager's remarks as "antithetical to the mission of the museum as an
institution promoting tolerance and respect for all peoples regardless of
their race, religion or ethnicity."
Mr. Prager, one of 68 members of the board, known as the Holocaust
Memorial Council, was appointed to the unpaid post by President Bush, and
is serving a five-year term, which expires in 2011, said Andrew
Hollinger, a spokesman for the council.
Mr. Hollinger said Mr. Bush had the sole power to remove Mr.
Prager.
On Wednesday, Representative Virgil H. Goode Jr., Republican of Virginia,
was sharply criticized by Congressional Democrats and Muslim Americans
for warning that Mr. Ellison's election to the House posed a serious
threat to the traditional values.
Critics of Mr. Goode and Mr. Prager noted that the Constitution
specifically bars any religious screening of members of Congress and that
the actual swearing in of those lawmakers occurs without any religious
texts. The use of such texts occurs only in private ceremonies that take
place after lawmakers have officially sworn to uphold the Constitution.
(MORE)
-----
IL: FREQUENT FLIER WANTS HELP FROM
JUDGE -
TOP
United Press International, 12/22/06
http://www.sttammany.com/news-detail/article/780/frequent-fli.html
A Chicago-area Muslim businessman asked a U.S. judge to order Customs
agents to stop detaining him when he crosses the Canadian
border.
Akif Rahman filed a lawsuit last June but last weekend, when he flew home
from Toronto, he was detained for 90 minutes and questioned about his
relationship with his mosque, the American Civil Liberties Union said. As
a result, he missed his flight.
The ACLU has filed an emergency motion with a federal judge in Chicago
because Rahman plans to fly to Canada this weekend to drive his wife and
children to Wheaton, Ill. On a previous trip by car, Rahman and his
family were detained, and he was separated from his wife and children for
six hours.
"He does not want to put his family -- especially his young children
-- through the trauma of seeing their father again led off in
handcuffs," the ACLU said.
Rahman, an independent consultant, travels frequently on
business.
-----
WV: LOCAL MUSLIM GROUP MEETING IN
NEW ISLAMIC CENTER -
TOP
Bob Withers, Herald-Dispatch, 12/22/06
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061222/LIFE/612220311/1004
HUNTINGTON -- At long last, the new home of the Muslim Association of
Huntington is in use.
The 3,500-square-foot Islamic Center -- designed by McCoy Architects LLC
of Lexington, Ky., and constructed over the past year and a half by
John's Construction in Charleston -- is located at 944 20th St.
Although the congregation still has some landscaping to do and fencing
and gates to install, members have been using the building since the end
of Ramadan in late October.
"We wanted to stay somewhere near the (Cabell Huntington) Hospital
and Marshall (University)," says Dr. Jamil Chaudri, a professor of
computer science and software development at Marshall and a spokesman for
the association.
The Muslim congregation includes between 60 and 70 people, Chaudri says
-- mostly Marshall students and physicians qualifying for their
specialties at local hospitals.
Chaudri points out that the white brick-and-stone structure with its
three copper-colored domes is an "Islamic center," not a
mosque.
"Once land is dedicated for a mosque, it shouldn't be used for any
other purpose," he says. "But we have no concerns about moving
from an Islamic center should it become necessary."
The structure, which is oriented toward Mecca according to Islamic law,
includes a second-floor prayer room where five daily prayer services take
place. Most Muslims meet for prayer on Friday afternoons and come
individually at other times.
"It is more meritorious if we pray in the Islamic center,"
Chaudri says.
The structure also contains space downstairs for the instruction of
children and studies of the Quran.
"We come from different parts of the world," Chaudri says.
"Some of us don't have Arabic as a first language."
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
AMERICAN MUSLIMS GO ON HAJJ -
TOP
Larger numbers of pilgrims expected from United States in 2006 than in
2005
Lea Terhune, Washington File, 12/22/06
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=December&x=20061222104002mlenuhret0.876919
Washington -- More American Muslims are expected to perform the hajj in
2006 than in previous years, according to Muslim organizations. The
annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia is a religious obligation for
all Muslims who are able to make the journey.
"It is very special. There are 8 million Muslims in America, and if
you get to make it, it is really very special," Sa'ad, a State
Department employee about to leave for the hajj, told USINFO. Preparation
is essential. He said American mosques offer instructions for the hajj,
using PowerPoint presentations to explain the ritual steps of the
pilgrimage and the requirements for making a good hajj.
Tarik al-Lagany, information officer at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in
Washington, told USINFO that the number of American pilgrims has been
increasing. "Last year, about 15,000 went from the U.S.," he
said. He attributes this to the growth of Islam in the United States. He
said about 2.5 million people from around the world attend the hajj each
year. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/25/06
*
Hadith:
Be Kind to Animals
-
TX:
Quran Teaches
Importance of Honoring Animals
*
VA:
Muslims Show
Solidarity with Hispanic Laborers (Wash Post)
*
MI:
First Muslim Rep
Encourages Justice (Detroit Free Press)
*
Bush Is Urged to Act on
Criticism of Muslim Representative (NY Times)
-
Fear and Bigotry in Congress (New
York Times)
-
CAIR:
Goode Launches
Debate Over Muslims in Office (NPR)
-
CAIR:
Congressman's
Hateful Comments Demand Response (Fox)
-
CAIR:
Goode Has
Often Inspired Political Ire (Wash Post)
*
CAIR-LA:
Reject
Holocaust Denials (Press-Enterprise)
*
CA:
Students Celebrate
Scholars and Poets of Islam (Sac Bee)
-
FL:
Students Simulate
the Hajj (St. Pete Times)
-
OK:
State Muslims
Prepare for Hajj (Oklahoman)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: BE KIND TO ANIMALS -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "While a man was
walking, he felt very thirsty and went down a well, drank water from it
and climbed out. When he came out, he saw a dog panting and licking mud
because of excessive thirst. He said to himself: 'This dog is suffering
from thirst as I did.' So he went down the well again, filled his shoe
with water and (gave the water to the dog). God thanked him for that deed
and forgave him (his sins)." The people then asked the Prophet:
"Is there a reward for us in serving animals?" He replied:
"Yes, there is a reward for serving any (living
being)."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 646
The Prophet also said: "A woman was punished (by God) because of a
cat. She had neither provided her with food nor drink, nor set her free
so that she might eat the insects of the earth."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1047
SEE ALSO:
TX: 'FOR THE BENEFIT
OF ALL MANKIND' -
TOP
Local conference highlights Quran's teachings about the importance of
honoring animals
ANNE MARIE KILDAY, Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4423492.html
A red-tailed hawk and a large horned owl were brought on stage Saturday
morning as participants in the state's largest Islamic conference learned
about Muslim values and animal rights.
"Animals have been created by Allah for the benefit of all
mankind," said Sheik Yasir Qadhi. "This is a very fundamental
idea in Islam."
Because animal rights have become an issue in recent years, Qadhi, a
Ph.D. student of theology at Yale University, said he decided to study
the issue as it relates to Muslims.
Qadhi said the Quran teaches that one reason God created animals was to
worship God and to inspire people to do the same.
"One verse says, 'You will appreciate their beauty,' and that brings
you closer to God," Qadhi said. "It is a part of faith and
spirituality to contemplate nature around you. Believers are those who
contemplate the creation, and that brings them closer to God.". .
.
During his lecture, Qadhi cited specific verses from the Quran relating
to the treatment of animals.
The animal rights specifically noted in the Quran include the proper
feeding of animals; the merciful treatment of animals; using animals for
the purpose they were created; leaving animals in their "natural
state," without mutilation, and allowing animals to live, unless
they are a threat or a nuisance, Qadhi said. (MORE)
-----
VA: MUSLIMS SHOW SOLIDARITY
WITH DAY LABORERS AT HOLIDAY MEAL -
TOP
Chris L. Jenkins, Washington Post, 12/25/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/24/AR2006122400876.html
David Reyes came in the early chill yesterday to look for work at
Herndon's day-laborer center, an almost daily routine for the 35-year-old
immigrant from El Salvador. Instead of a Christmas Eve job, he found an
unexpected holiday dinner.
With several dozen other men who waited for the possibility of an
afternoon gig, he munched on richly seasoned chicken and vegetables,
salad and cake provided by a group of Muslim activists who wanted to
support Northern Virginia's less fortunate.
Yesterday, the Northern Virginia Muslim Council focused on the town's
largely Hispanic day laborers, who have been at the center of so much
political passion in recent months.
"It's nice to see that someone cares, that we're supported when we
look for work," Reyes said through an interpreter as he sipped on
eggnog and sat with a small group of men who laughed and joked as they
ate. He said he was aware of the heated rhetoric that has accompanied the
day laborers in the town. "We just come to work, to make a
living," he said, "and sometimes it feels like we are not
wanted."
The early dinner, complete with handshakes and hugs among volunteers and
workers, helped bring to a close a year of tensions over the trailer and
the green-and-white tent known as the Herndon Official Workers
Center.
In August 2005, after weeks of bitter community debate, the Town Council
voted to open a publicly funded center to help a burgeoning population of
immigrant day laborers find work. . .
Organizers of yesterday's dinner had two goals: to show solidarity with
the laborers and spread holiday cheer to those in need.
"These are people who are trying to put food on the table,"
said Mukit Hossain, who also founded Project Hope and Harmony, which runs
the hiring center and which the council wants to replace.
"There has been quite a brouhaha over these men, but at the end of
the day, we have a moral obligation to reach out and support them,"
Hossain said. (MORE)
-----
MI: FIRST
MUSLIM CONGRESSMAN ENCOURAGES CROWD TO PUSH FOR JUSTICE -
TOP
NIRAJ WARIKOO, Detroit Free Press, 12/25/06
http://www.startribune.com/587/story/897403.html
Speaking in Dearborn late Sunday night, the first Muslim elected to
Congress told a cheering crowd of Muslims they should remain steadfast in
their faith and push for justice.
"You can't back down, you can't chicken out, you can't be afraid,
you got to have faith in Allah, and you got to stand up and be a real
Muslim," Detroit native Keith Ellison said to loud
applause.
"Allahu akbar" - God is great - was the reply of many in the
crowd.
Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat elected to the U.S. House, has been the
center of a national debate in recent weeks over Islam and its role in
politics. Ellison has said he would take his oath of office on the Quran,
the Muslim holy book, igniting a storm of criticism from some
commentators. And U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, a Republican from Virginia,
said in a letter to constituents this month that the election of Ellison
and other Muslims poses a danger to the country.
But Ellison said in Dearborn that Muslims can help teach America about
justice and equal protection, suggesting that Muslim activists may be
part of God's plan. He spoke at the annual convention of two Muslim
groups, the Muslim American Society and the Islamic Circle of North
America. (MORE)
-----
BUSH IS URGED TO ACT ON CRITICISM OF
MUSLIM -
TOP
RACHEL L. SWARNS, 12/23/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/23/washington/23brfs-BUSHISURGEDT_BRF.html
White House officials said they were aware that some Democrats and
Muslims were urging President Bush to admonish Representative Virgil H.
Goode Jr., Republican of Virginia, and Dennis Prager, the conservative
commentator, for suggesting that the first Muslim elected to the House
had no place in Congress. "We're aware of the situation," said
Dana Perino, a spokeswoman for Mr. Bush, "but no judgments have been
made." Mr. Goode said the election of Keith Ellison, a Minnesota
lawyer who converted to Islam as a college student, posed a threat to
American values. Mr. Prager, a presidential appointee to the board that
oversees the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, said Mr. Ellison
should not serve if he could not swear on a Bible, though he has
apologized for those remarks. Mr. Ellison plans to use the Koran during a
private swearing-in ceremony next month.
SEE ALSO:
FEAR AND BIGOTRY IN CONGRESS -
TOP
New York Times, 12/23/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/23/opinion/23sat3.html
Besides Santa Claus, the Christmas season usually brings some reminder
that the worst way to acknowledge the importance of religious faith in
America is by demanding that the entire nation follow one particular
theology. Last year it was the war over the nonexistent "war on
Christmas." This year, it's the flap over whether one newly elected
member of Congress can use the Koran rather than the Bible next month in
a private ceremony.
Keith Ellison, who converted to Islam when he was in college, will be the
first Muslim member of the House of Representatives come January. He and
his new colleagues will take the oath of office as a group, and then
repeat it in private for the benefit of family and friends. It is only in
that second ceremony that the Bible comes into play, and to the extent
that it has a significance, we suspect Mr. Ellison's constituents in
Minnesota would like to see him using a book that best represents his
religious beliefs.
Not so for a radio talk host named Dennis Prager, who claimed that using
the Koran would "embolden Islamic extremists." Then
Representative Virgil Goode Jr. of Virginia announced that his concerns
went beyond the erosion of the Bible's exclusive rights to be sworn on.
Mr. Goode is bothered by Mr. Ellison's faith in general, and wrote a
letter to his constituents saying that this was a wake-up call about the
danger that there would be "many more Muslims elected to office and
demanding the use of the Koran" unless immigration laws were
tightened. (MORE)
---
CAIR: REP. GOODE LAUNCHES
DEBATE OVER MUSLIMS IN OFFICE -
TOP
ANDR�A SEABROOK, National Public Radio, 12/23/06
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6669964
ANDR�A SEABROOK, host: This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Andrea
Seabrook.
Republican Congressman Virgil Goode is standing by a letter he wrote to
constituents, warning of an influx of Muslims and Muslim-elected
officials if tighter immigration policies aren't put into place. Some
have called Goode's comments bigoted, since they attack the nation's
first Muslim congressman, who plans to use the Koran for his ceremonial
swearing-in next week.
NPR'S Allison Keyes has this report.
ALLISON KEYES: The drama started last week, when Virginia Rep. Virgil
Goode dashed off a letter to calm his constituents. Goode says that
Virginians were concerned because incoming Minnesota Congressman Keith
Ellison has said he'll use the Koran at his ceremonial swearing in
ceremony.
Representative VIRGIL GOODE (Republican, Virginia): Printed media and
other media indicated that Mr. Ellison was going to use the Koran, and
that generated scores and hundreds of emails to my office. And so I
thought it very important to state my view. And my view is that I don't
subscribe to the Koran, and I will now be using the Bible when I take the
oath. . .
KEYES: Several other Democrats, including New Jersey Congressman Bill
Pascrell, responded with outrage.
Representative BILL PASCRELL (Democrat, New Jersey): This is very
un-American. This is very un-patriotic.
KEYES: Pascrell dashed off a letter to Goode upon hearing about the
controversy, and says he urged his Virginia colleague to apologize to the
Muslim community for insulting them. Pascrell says there's nothing but
prejudice in Goode's missive.
Rep. PASCRELL: It is on the - almost on the edge of being a bigoted
letter.
KEYES: Pascrell says he's considering whether there's something more he
and his congressional colleagues can do to show their displeasure. The
House can take official action against members. Back in 1832, Ohio
Congressman William Stanberry was censured for insulting the speaker of
the House. Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank was reprimanded in 1990
for using his political influence to fix parking tickets. And three
members were expelled from the House in 1861 for taking up arms against
the United States.
The nation's largest Muslim advocacy group, the
Council on American
Islamic Relations, isn't calling on Congress to do anything. CAIR
national legislative director Corey Saylor.
Mr. COREY SAYLOR (CAIR): You know what I'd like to see is, I'd
like to see Representative-Elect Ellison take his oath, which is, you
know, you raise your right hand and you take your oath, and then be
allowed to go about the business of serving his district. His faith
really doesn't play any role in this, nor does the faith of any other
member of Congress.
KEYES: But that doesn't mean the group isn't annoyed with what Saylor
calls bigotry. Saylor says he can't believe Goode was surprised that
people were offended.
Mr. SAYLOR: I think this is a standard case of Islamophobia that we see
fairly frequently. What's particularly disturbing is this is a sitting
elected member of Congress.
KEYES: Saylor says his group is also disturbed that neither the Virginia
state Republican Party nor the Republican National Committee distanced
themselves from Goode's comments. Virginia GOP officials could not be
reached for comment, and the RNC did not return a call for comment.
(MORE)
---
NO GOODE: CONGRESSMAN'S
HATEFUL COMMENTS DEMAND RESPONSE -
TOP
Susan Estrich, Fox News, 12/24/06
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,238679,00.html
Here we go. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, has yet
to take office, and already the ugliness begins.
Mr. Ellison plans to bring his Koran with him on Jan. 4 when he takes the
oath of office. The Koran is the Muslim holy book. If Christians and Jews
can bring their Bibles, why shouldn't Mr. Ellison be able to bring his
Koran?
The answer given this week by Virginia Rep. Virgil Goode was simple
enough: Because Mr. Goode doesn't believe in the Koran, Mr. Ellison
doesn't have any right to either. I kid you not. . .
Where in the Bible does Mr. Goode find his basis for such hatred? And how
in the world does Mr. Goode think we will ever fight terrorism,
especially terrorism by Muslims, if we do not have the support,
cooperation and trust of leaders in the Muslim community?
If we are viewed, at the highest levels, as damning all those who believe
in the Koran, who will take our side? Don't we want to encourage Muslims
to believe in the political process and participate in it?
National Islamic groups have, understandably, condemned Goode's remarks
and called on Goode to apologize.
"Islamophobic remarks send a message of intolerance that is unworthy
of anyone elected to public office. There can be no reasonable defense
for such bigotry,"
Corey Saylor of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations told reporters this week.
"The Congressman is not apologizing," his press secretary,
Linwood Duncan has announced.
Apparently, he thinks he has nothing to apologize for.
Merry Christmas Mr. Goode. Perhaps you'll take some time to open that
Bible of yours, instead of using it as a weapon of hate. And when you do,
you might learn something about how to treat a new colleague who, like
you, is ready to pledge on all that is holy to him to uphold our
Constitution and laws.
In the meantime, it should not just be Islamic groups who are standing up
for the true spirit of Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
---
GOODE HAS OFTEN
INSPIRED POLITICAL IRE -
TOP
Michael D. Shear And Tim Craig, Washington Post, 12/23/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/22/AR2006122201351_pf.html
RICHMOND, Dec. 22 -- Virgil Goode is used to having people mad at
him.
His Democratic Party bosses pitched a fit when he challenged Chuck Robb
in the 1994 U.S. Senate primary. They steamed in 1996 when he forced his
party to share power with Republican lawmakers in the state legislature.
And they seethed in 1998 when he voted to impeach President Bill
Clinton.
Goode responded with a shrug, and by switching parties, becoming a
Republican member of Congress after decades as an independent-minded
Democratic state lawmaker and representative of Southside
Virginia.
Now, by taking aim at a newly elected Muslim member of Congress from
Minnesota, the Democrat-turned-Republican congressman has sparked the ire
of immigrant groups and invited unwanted attention from national TV
networks and newspapers.
"That's Virgil exactly," said state Del. Allen W. Dudley
(R-Franklin), who grew up with Goode and attended Franklin County High
School with him in the mid-1960s. "He's very strong in what he
believes and doesn't mind speaking what he believes."
What he believes now, according to a letter he wrote to a constituent, is
that Muslims should not be elected to Congress. He was responding to a
decision by Rep.-elect Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) to carry a Koran into his
swearing-in ceremony next month.
"If American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode
position on immigration, there will likely be many more Muslims elected
to office and demanding the use of the Koran," Goode wrote in the
letter dated Dec. 7 and reported this week. "I fear that in the next
century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not
adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are
necessary."
Ellison was born in Michigan and converted to Islam.
In a news conference Thursday, Goode said "the letter stands for
itself" and added, "I do not apologize, and I do not retract my
letter." In an interview on Fox News, he noted that one constituent
he talked to "thinks I'm doing the right thing on
this."
Goode did not return calls seeking an interview Friday.
His letter and subsequent refusal to apologize have infuriated and
energized advocates for immigrants and his political adversaries. Rep.
Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) called on President Bush yesterday to condemn
Goode's comments, which were characterized Thursday by the head of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations as "ignorant and
divisive."
-----
CAIR-LA: REJECT WICKED
DENIALS -
TOP
The Press-Enterprise, 12/23/06
http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/letters/stories/PE_OpEd_Opinion_H_op_23_letterbox.36d0ff0.html
No good can ever come out of denying one of the greatest human tragedies
of the 20th century, the Holocaust ("Denial wins this 'debate' in
Iran," Dec. 12). Organizing a conference to question or deny the
slaughter of millions of Jews, gypsies, homosexuals and other groups is
reprehensible and against the teachings of Islam.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said in his last sermon,
"All mankind is from Adam and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a
non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over an Arab. Also, a
white (person) has no superiority over a black (person), nor does a black
have any superiority over a white -- except by piety and good
action."
These immoral attempts also do not help advance any legitimate cause,
whether it be the peaceful resolution of the Middle East conflict or some
other issue. Those who forget or belittle human suffering are condemned
to repeat it.
As people of conscience, we must remember and learn the history of the
Holocaust. We must also be the first ones to stand up against hate and
racism, whether it is anti-Semitism or another form of bigotry.
SHARAF MOWJOOD
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Government relations coordinator
Upland
-----
CA: ISLAM'S GOLDEN AGE COMES TO LIFE
-
TOP
Students celebrate scholars and poets of a great empire
Stephen Magagnini, Sacramento Bee, 12/23/06
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/97269.html
Poets and philosophers, merchants and mathematicians, artisans and
astronomers re-enacted the Golden Age of Islam at the Al-Arqam Islamic
School in south Sacramento on Friday.
The artistry, story-telling and role-playing was a creation of 233
students from kindergarten through ninth grade who brought to life the
sights, tastes and smells of an Islamic empire that spanned three
continents from the eighth to the 13th centuries.
From incense to Turkish coffee, dates to oranges, minarets to miniature
mosques and castles -- you could find it all at The Islamic Civilization
Exhibit and Festival in the school's multipurpose room.
In the midst of this "village" teeming with children dressed in
Saudi, Afghan, Palestinian, Pakistani, Egyptian and Moroccan garments, a
large gold and blue tent set the stage for a debate among nine famous
Muslim scholars.
Ibn Battuta (12-year-old Abdurrahman Husnein)was considered the greatest
tourist of the 14th century. He followed the Prophet Muhammad's advice to
"seek knowledge even if it takes you to China."
Ibn Sina (10-year old Belal Ahmed) insisted that his Canon of Medicine
was a more important contribution because "My work saves
lives!" Sina lived from 980 to 1037.
The father of algebra, Muhammad Ibn Musa Al-Khawarizmi (11-year-old Javed
Maroon) responded, "I created the decimal system and the use of zero
... I educate the lives you save." The mathematician lived from 770
to 840.
Imam Malik (13-year-old Ossama Kamel), who compiled thousands of sayings
from the Prophet Muhammad, warned the others against arrogance. "No
one who has an atom's weight of pride in his heart will enter the
garden," he quoted the prophet as saying.
Kamel said the festival "gives us pride in our religion -- these
scholars are Islam, and people who are doing wrong today, that's not
really Islam."
Dozens of other Muslim scholars were represented, including
seventh-grader Nimra A. Syed's favorite, Al-Jazari, the first-known
mechanical engineer who invented water clocks, combination locks and
double-action water pumps.
She said that Al-Jazari, who lived from 1150 to 1220, was born in Iraq
and wrote "The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical
Devices." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
FL: STUDENTS SIMULATE THE
HAJJ -
TOP
SHERRI DAY, St. Petersburg Times, 12/23/06
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/23/Hillsborough/Recreating_a_holy_jou.shtml
TAMPA - More than 7,000 miles from Mecca, students at the American Youth
Academy Friday began a holy journey.
Tucked into a school pavilion, the children simulated the five-day hajj,
or pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam's holiest city. The ritual, which occurs
every year during the 12th month of the lunar calendar, begins Dec. 28.
Pilgrims, as the religious travelers are called, spend the journey
re-enacting significant events in the lives of Abraham, Hagar and
Ishmael.
The hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam and a Koranic requirement of every
able-bodied Muslim at least once in a lifetime.
As Tampa's pint-sized pilgrims began their hajj Friday, they chanted,
signaling they were ready to embark. The older children spoke in Arabic.
The youngest, at 3, sang "We Will Go to Mecca on the Hajj" to
the tune of If You're Happy and You Know It. (MORE)
---
OK: STATE MUSLIMS
PREPARE FOR HAJJ -
TOP
More pilgrims than ever before are expected to make journey of a lifetime
to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
Carla Hinton, Oklahoman, 12/25/06
http://www.newsok.com/article/2990417/
Passport. Check.
Meningitis shot. Check.
Hajj visa. Check.
Umbrella. Check.
Infinite patience. Check.
Strong faith. Check.
Oklahoma Muslims making the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca have been
prepared for the Islamic journey of a lifetime, a local religious leader
said this week. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
CAIR ACTION ALERT #505
VA MUSLIMS ASKED TO CONTACT DAVIS, WOLF ABOUT
ANTI-MUSLIM REMARKS
(WASHINGTON D.C., 12/26/06) - The Maryland and Virginia chapter of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MD/VA) today called on
Muslims and other people of conscience in Northern Virginia to contact
GOP Reps. Frank Wolf and Tom Davis and urge them to repudiate recent
anti-Muslim remarks by Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA).
CAIR-MD/VA says Northern Virginia has a large population of Muslim voters
who are concerned about a
recent
letter Goode sent to constituents slamming the planned use of a Quran
for the ceremonial swearing-in of Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected
to Congress. (No religious texts of any kind are used for the official
swearing-in ceremony.)
"I do not subscribe to using the Koran in any way," wrote
Goode. "The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the
voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt
the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more
Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the
Koran."
Goode also decried the growth of the American Muslim community. He wrote,
"I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in
the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that
I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to
the United States of America." (Keith Ellison has traced his
family's roots in America to the year 1742.)
A number of Democratic leaders have repudiated Goode's Islamophobic
remarks. But aside from mild rebukes from Sen. John W. Warner (R-VA) and
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), GOP officials have remained silent on the
issue. The White House said "no judgments have been made" as to
whether President Bush will condemn Goode's comments or those of Dennis
Prager, a presidential appointee to the governing board of the United
States Holocaust Memorial Museum who sparked the Quran oath
controversy.
SEE:
Bush is Urged to Act on Criticism of Muslim (New York Times)
SEE ALSO:
A Bigot in Congress (Washington Post)
Fear and
Bigotry in Congress (New York Times)
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be firm, but
POLITE.)
1.
CONTACT Reps. Frank Wolf and Tom Davis and urge them to
repudiate Rep. Goode's Islamophobic comments. (Phone calls are best,
followed by faxes and e-mail messages.)
The Honorable Frank Wolf
U.S. House of Representatives
241 Cannon Building
Washington, DC 20515
Tel: (202) 225-5136
Fax: (202) 225-0437
E-Mail:
http://www.house.gov/wolf/email/email.html
The Honorable Tom Davis
U.S. House of Representatives
2348 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-4611
Tel: (202) 225-1492
Fax: (202) 225-3071
E-Mail:
http://tomdavis.house.gov/davis_contents/center/feedback/
Sample Letter:
I urge you to publicly repudiate bigoted remarks by Rep. Virgil Goode,
who wrote to his constituents: "If American citizens don't wake up.
. .there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding
the use of the Koran." He also wrote: "I fear that in the next
century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not
adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are
necessary."
Such Islamophobic and un-American views are unworthy of anyone elected to
public office and should be condemned by all those who value religious
tolerance and diversity.
Since Rep. Goode has chosen not to apologize for his bigoted statements,
it is up to other Republican members of the Virginia delegation to
Congress to take a public stand in support of the American Muslim
community and its right to political participation.
Combined with the "macaca" incident during the recent election
season in Virginia, Goode's remarks reflect badly on our state and its
citizens' respect for other faiths.
As a constituent, I would respectfully request a written response to this
letter.
(Make sure to include your name address and ZIP Code in the
letter)
2.
CONTACT President Bush to ask that he condemn Rep. Goode's
remarks and
rescind Dennis Prager's appointment to the United States Holocaust
Memorial Council.
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Fax: 202-456-2461
E-Mail:
comments@whitehouse.gov
3. SEND COPIES of all correspondence to CAIR at:
info@cair.com
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE
-
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington , D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/26/06
*
Hadith:
Celebrate on Eid Days
-
FL:
Muslim Holiday is a
Joyous Occasion (Sun-Sent)
*
ISLAM-OPED:
Abraham's Devotion Inspires
Muslims, Christians, Jews
*
Anti-Muslim Remarks
Reflect Lack of
Faith in America
-
Warning on Muslim Rep
Gets It All Wrong
(Sun-Times)
-
Not Goode Enough (Baltimore Sun)
*
Uncle Sam Wants US Muslims
to Serve (Christian Science Monitor)
*
CAIR:
Feud
May Cast Texas Mosque Beside Swine (LA Times)
*
CAIR-CA:
Iran Disappoints
with Conference (Sacramento Bee)
-
NH:
Serving
at Shelter Brings Jews, Muslims Together
*
Anonymous Testimony of Israeli Agents
Pushes Limits (LA Times)
*
U.S. Muslims Celebrate Faith
Western-Style (AP)
*
Israel Breaks Promise to U.S.
Approves New Settlement
(AP)
-
Jimmy Carter's Book:
A Palestinian
View (WSJ)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: CELEBRATE ON EID DAYS -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) approved of celebrations on
religious holidays such as Eid ul-Adha when he said: "(Islam) is
spacious (and has room for relaxation), and I have been sent with an easy
and straightforward religion."
The Prophet also said: "The days of (Eid) are days of eating and
drinking (non-alcoholic drinks) and of remembering God, the
Exalted."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 2, Number 153
VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD GIVES EVERY COMMUNITY RITES OF SACRIFICE
"For every community We established rites (of sacrifice) so that
they may pronounce the name of God over the (animals) that He has given
them for food. But the object is one and the same: to remember that your
God is one God. So submit yourselves to Him and give good news to the
humble, whose hearts tremble (with awe) at the mention of God; who endure
adversity with patience, who establish prayer, and spend in charity out
of what we have given them. . .It is neither (the sacrificial animal's)
meat nor their blood that reaches God; it is your piety that reaches
Him."
The Holy Quran, 22:34-37
NOTE: Each year on the holiday of Eid ul-Adha, Muslims sacrifice an
animal in remembrance of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son
Ishmael at God's command. The meat is distributed to relatives and to the
needy.
SEE ALSO:
FL: MUSLIM HOLIDAY IS A
JOYOUS OCCASION -
TOP
Suhail Nanji, Sun-Sentinel, 12/25/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-25forum56dec25,0,7988595.story
As Christian and Jewish communities in South Florida and all over the
world join in celebration of the sacred traditions of Christmas and
Hanukkah this month, so will Muslims celebrate their most important and
respected holiday, Eid-Ul-Adha (EED-ul-ad-HAA). For most people, it may
be a once-in-a-lifetime event to witness these three great religions
celebrating something of great significance, not only to their respective
followers, but to the whole of mankind.
Eid-Ul-Adha commemorates the sacrifice of the prophet Abraham, who is
respected by the followers of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. It also
marks the end of the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. Hajj is called the
"largest peace gathering on Earth," with more than 2.5 million
pilgrims gathering each year.
Hence, this holiday is a very special and joyous occasion for all Muslims
as they exchange social visits and seek to strengthen bonds of
brotherhood and sisterhood. Muslims also greet each other by saying
"Eid mubarak" (EED-moo-BAR-ak), meaning "blessed
Eid." (MORE)
-----
ISLAM-OPED: ABRAHAM'S DEVOTION INSPIRES MUSLIMS,
CHRISTIANS, JEWS -
TOP
ISLAM-OPED is a national syndication service of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designed to offer an American Muslim
perspective on current political, social and religious issues. ISLAM-OPED
commentaries are offered free-of-charge to one media outlet in each
market area. Permission for publication will be granted on a
first-come-first-served basis.
CONTACT:
ihooper@cair.com
TEL: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726 (c)
Please consider the following commentary for publication
AFTER
DECEMBER 28, 2006. The Muslim holiday of Eid ul-Adha begins December
30th.
---
ABRAHAM'S DEVOTION INSPIRES MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS, JEWS
By Asma Mobin-Uddin
WORD COUNT: 641 words
[
Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin is a pediatrician and president of the Ohio
chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Her
upcoming children's book, The Best Eid Holiday Ever, is due to be
published in the fall of 2007 and is about the Eid al-Adha holiday. She
may be contacted at:
asma@cair-ohio.com]
In the current climate, I hesitate to tell people that the biggest
holiday of the Muslim year celebrates the Prophet Abraham's willingness
to sacrifice his son at God's command. I worry that people will associate
the observance with the political situations we are seeing and will miss
the profound beauty and strength of the story. Told in both the Bible and
the Quran, the episode is revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims, who
all honor Abraham's example of righteousness and faith.
God tested Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his only son. Out of
devotion and obedience, Abraham was willing to do so. Before the deed
could take place, a ram was substituted for sacrifice instead of the boy.
The lesson in this great trial of Abraham's is that people should love
and be faithful to God above everything else in their lives.
Some are uncomfortable with this story because of the reference to child
sacrifice. Others spend time arguing over which son it was. Both miss the
point. Of course God does not want us to kill our children. Both the
Bible and the Quran are clear that the purpose of the event was to test
Abraham's devotion to God, not to condone a human sacrifice. And which
son it was is irrelevant.
The prophets throughout the ages have taught this same message of
faithfulness as the most important imperative in worshipping God.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your might," Moses urged his followers (Deuteronomy
6:5). Jesus reaffirmed the same message, saying, "This is the first
and greatest commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38). A prayer from the
Quran reads, "Truly my prayer, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying
are all for God, the Cherisher of the worlds" (Qur'an
6:162).
The Prophet Muhammad taught that the most important belief in Islam is
that nothing is worthy of worship, nothing is deserving of one's complete
love, devotion and obedience, except for God.
Whatever we love of the gifts God has given us, these gifts should not be
more important to us than their source. If they are, then we have
strayed. And many such "idols" compete for our time and
attention. Our devotion to pursuing material wants, riches, fame,
desires, or even leisure activities can border on worship. But Abraham's
example reminds us what should be most important in our lives.
During the Hajj pilgrimage and the Eid al-Adha holiday, Muslims
commemorate the history of the Prophet Abraham and his family. This year,
these events take place during the last week of December.
Pilgrims in Mecca retrace Abraham's footsteps and rededicate themselves
to following his example. As part of the Eid celebrations, Muslims have a
sheep, camel or goat slaughtered, share part of the meat with family and
friends in holiday meals, and donate at least one third of the meat to
the poor. The symbolism of the sacrifice commemorates the trial of
Abraham.
Devotion to God is the purpose of the sacrifice, not the actual meat or
animal killed. Sharing holiday meals strengthens ties of family and
friends, and donating the meat helps remind Muslims of their
responsibilities to people in need. Food banks in America have reported
an increase in fresh meat donations as Muslims donate to the poor the
meat from this commemoration.
Muslims return from the Hajj with a renewed closeness and commitment to
God. They recommit to loving and serving God above all else, with all
their hearts, souls and minds, because nothing else is worthy of this
devotion.
The opportunities for reflection and rededication to one's priorities are
part of the many holidays celebrated this season. As we choose our paths,
we have a tremendous example in the firm and sure footsteps of the great
Prophet Abraham, the true in faith, the friend of God.
-----
CONGRESSMAN'S
ANTI-MUSLIM REMARKS REFLECT A LACK OF FAITH IN AMERICA -
TOP
Beaver County Times, 12/26/06
http://www.timesonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17632981&BRD=2305&PAG=461&dept_id=478566&rfi=6
We have nothing to fear but ourselves.
In the depths of the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt counseled Americans that they had nothing to fear but fear
itself.
Today, some Americans are letting their fears get the better of them when
it comes to Muslims, especially those living in the United
States.
In a jaw-dropping letter to constituents, U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va.,
played to the worst of some people's fears. The Associated Press reported
that Goode wrote that unless immigration is tightened, "many more
Muslims" will be elected and follow the lead of a recently elected
lawmaker who plans to use the Quran at his ceremonial
swearing-in.
He was referring to Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat and
the first Muslim elected to Congress. . .
Guess what? The nativists were wrong - and they will always be wrong. At
some basic level, they are the ones who are afraid of the American dream.
They fear change. They are frightened by anyone who is not like them.
They want to maintain the status quo in an ever-changing world.
Don't listen to them. Our nation is better than that. Have faith in the
future. Have faith in America.
SEE ALSO:
WARNING ON MUSLIM GETS
IT ALL WRONG -
TOP
Chicago Sun-Times, 12/26/06
http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/186024,CST-EDT-edits26b.article
It's hard to decide where to start when criticizing Rep. Virgil H. Goode
Jr. (R-Va.), who thinks Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to
Congress, poses a serious threat to American values. His complaint is
short on the facts and short on logic, not to mention being short on
tolerance. And it's disrespectful to the voters who elected Ellison.
(MORE)
---
NOT GOODE ENOUGH -
TOP
Baltimore Sun, 12/26/06
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-ed.goode26dec26,0,6224822.story
Shameful enough that in this season of peace on earth, good will toward
men arrived with an insult to the first Muslim member of Congress from
one of his new colleagues.
Even more disturbing was the ignorance reflected in Republican Rep.
Virgil H. Goode Jr.'s remarks: He asserted that Minnesota Democrat Keith
Ellison represents the first wave of a major Muslim migration into the
United States that threatens American values.
Americans sincerely trying to put aside their biases are not well-served
by elected officials who proudly espouse wrongheaded views fostering
distrust and hatred. (MORE)
-----
UNCLE SAM WANTS US MUSLIMS TO
SERVE -
TOP
The Pentagon builds Islamic prayer rooms and hires imams to make military
life more appealing.
Richard Whittle, Christian Science Monitor, 12/26/06
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1227/p03s01-usmi.html
WASHINGTON - As US troops battle Islamic extremists abroad, the Pentagon
and the armed forces are reaching out to Muslims at home.
An underlying goal is to interest more Muslims in the military, which
needs officers and troops who can speak Arabic and other relevant
languages and understand the culture of places like Iraq and Afghanistan.
The effort is also part of a larger outreach. Pentagon officials say they
are striving for mutual understanding with Muslims at home and abroad and
to win their support for US war aims. Among the efforts to attract and
retain Muslim cadets:
o West Point and the other service academies have opened Muslim prayer
rooms, as have military installations.
o Imams serve full- and part-time as chaplains at the academies and some
bases.
o Top non-Muslim officers and Pentagon officials have taken to
celebrating religious events with Muslims overseas and here in the
US.
"There is a message here, and that is that Muslims and the Islamic
religion are totally compatible with Western values," says Deputy
Defense Secretary Gordon England in an interview. (MORE)
-----
CAIR: FEUD MAY CAST
MOSQUE BESIDE SWINE -
TOP
A Texas man's response to a he said-he said dispute with Muslim
neighbors: pig races on Friday nights.
Lianne Hart, Los Angeles Times, 12/26/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-pigraces26dec26,1,3909504.story
KATY, TEXAS - While Kamel Fotouh makes plans to build a mosque on 11
acres of pasture here, neighbor Craig A. Baker is making plans of his own
- plans to hold pig races.
Baker figures he'll need a tent, souvenirs and a track for the pigs to
race on, all in full view of the Muslims next door, for whom pigs are
forbidden as food.
As a bonus, Baker will host the competition on Friday - a Muslim holy
day.
This is not meant as a slur on Islam, Baker said. It's a dispute between
two neighbors. "A lot of people are making this into a racist
situation, a redneck guy from Texas saying 'We're going to put on pig
races,' " he said. "But I'm standing up for property
rights."
The trouble started in October, shortly after the Katy Islamic Assn.
bought the land next to Baker's marble business. . .
Another resident's website, anonymously registered, features an
odometer-like counter that keeps track of attacks that "Islamic
terrorists have carried out" since Sept. 11; a link to the FBI; and
a link to a recording of the Muslim call to prayer. "Get used to
it," reads the tagline. "You will be hearing it 5 times a day
365 days a year." . . .
Recent polls show that residents here aren't alone in their fears. About
a quarter of respondents in a Gallup Poll in the summer said they would
not want to live next door to a Muslim. A third thought that Muslims in
the United States sympathized with Al Qaeda.
An independent poll released by the
Council on American-Islamic
Relations found in March that one in three Americans associated the
word "Islam" with "war," "hatred" or
"terrorist."
CAIR spokeswoman Rabiah Ahmed said it was not uncommon for people
to say that a mosque would bring down their property values. "In
order to stay away from being labeled racist, they try to come up with a
more sophisticated response to support their opposition," she said.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR-CA: IRAN DISAPPOINTS WITH
CONFERENCE -
TOP
Sacramento Bee, 12/22/06
http://www.sacbee.com/326/story/96428.html
Re "Defiling history: Iran showcases Holocaust deniers," Dec.
14: As a Muslim American and on behalf of the
Council on
American-Islamic Relations-Sacramento Valley, I'm terribly
disappointed that the government of Iran hosted a conference where many
of the invited guests were known Holocaust deniers.
Regardless of the attempt to provoke American and Israeli sentiments for
the minimization of Arab suffering in the Middle East, minimizing and
denying the suffering of Jews during World War II is not only painful,
but dangerous. It also goes against the Quran's injunction on Muslims to
stand up for justice, even if it is against themselves (4:135).
If Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to make a political statement about Iraq,
Palestine or even Zionism, let him do so without falling into something
that the Quran warned about "O you who believe! Be upright for
Allah, bearers of witness with justice, and let not hatred of a people
incite you not to act equitably; act equitably, that is nearer to piety,
and be careful of (your duty to) Allah; surely Allah is aware of what you
do" (5:8).
-- Dina El-Nakhal, Davis
SEE ALSO:
NH: SERVING AT
SHELTER BRINGS JEWS, MUSLIMS TOGETHER -
TOP
RILEY YATES,
Union Leader, 12/26/06
MANCHESTER - Preparing this Christmas meal were girls in Muslim head
scarves side by side with members of the local reform synagogue.
Christmas may be a Christian holiday, but two other faiths were building
their own tradition around it in the Queen City.
Inside the kitchen of New Horizon shelter bustled a group of volunteers
who, while Christmas isn't their holiday, recognize in their own ways
what in Hebrew is called a mitzvah, or good deed.
In the dining hall decorated with a tree and wreaths, a band played
carols.
Dozens of the less fortunate awaited a meal that would warm the heart of
Saint Nicholas himself: roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and sweet
potatoes.
For more than 25 years, members of Temple Adath Yeshurun, a Prospect
Street synagogue, have been volunteering during Christmas and Christmas
Eve, lending a hand at the soup kitchen, hospitals and Meals on Wheels to
allow Christians to spend time with their families.
Yesterday, they were joined by the Islamic Society of Greater Manchester,
in a partnership the two faiths hope will build cooperation and bridge
divides that extend far beyond their communities. (MORE)
-----
ANONYMOUS TESTIMONY PUSHES LIMITS -
TOP
Defense lawyers say justice isn't served if they can't know the
identities of the Israeli agents.
Greg Krikorian, Los Angeles Times, 12/26/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-na-witnesses26dec26,1,3694525.story
In three current high-profile criminal cases, federal prosecutors have
asked that the identities of Israeli government witnesses be withheld
from defendants and their attorneys - a move some legal scholars see as a
highly unusual end run around the 6th Amendment.
Defense attorneys in all three cases have argued, with mixed results,
that allowing U.S. prosecutors to keep the witnesses' identities secret -
as demanded by Israel to protect its agents - violates their clients'
constitutional right to confront their accusers.
Though courts have allowed witnesses to testify in secured courtrooms or
found other ways to protect their identities when they might be in
danger, experts say it is extraordinary to keep the identities secret
even from defense attorneys.
"It absolutely gives me pause," said Jeffrey L. Fisher, a
Stanford University law professor and 6th Amendment expert. "The
essence of cross-examination is often being able to do a background
investigation on the witness and use that as a lever for questioning
their testimony. And if you take that away from a defendant, he is not
left with very much."
Fisher added, "I can safely say the Supreme Court has never had a
case about testifying under a pseudonym."
In Chicago, a federal judge recently permitted two Israeli agents to
testify anonymously against two men accused of aiding the Palestinian
group Hamas, designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization since
1995. Judge Amy J. St. Eve said that the right to learn a witness'
identity was "not absolute" and that the use of pseudonyms for
the Israeli agents was justified because of their assignments.
(MORE)
-----
MUSLIMS CELEBRATE FAITH
WESTERN-STYLE -
TOP
Lubna Takruri, Associated Press, 12/26/06
http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20061225-095142-8394r.htm
At a recent prayer service in Sterling, there was talk of decorations,
gifts and the upcoming holiday, but the conversations at the All-Dulles
Area Muslim Society mosque were not about Christmas.
They were about Eid ul-Adha, the large Muslim festival that begins Dec.
31 and is celebrated in ways similar to the Christian holiday -- family
visits, toys for the youngsters, a large meal and commemoration of a
religious history.
During a month filled with holiday cheer, some of the estimated 6 million
Muslims living in the United States say Eid ul-Adha gives them a chance
to celebrate their faith with a nod to Western traditions.
Jean McTigue, 33, went home after a recent prayer service to hang
decorations with her family. She is American-born with Irish and German
roots, but she converted to Islam when she was 18. Instead of a Christmas
tree, she now puts up custom lettering that reads "Happy
Eid."
She, her husband and five children get together with family members who
are Christian for an inclusive "holiday party" that her mother
throws.
Farrukh Shahbaz, 41, who moved to Northern Virginia from Pakistan six
years ago with her husband and three daughters, said she embraces the
traditions of both countries.
"I tell my kids, Christmas is the American Eid," she said,
"and our Eid is coming in a few days."
While others were Christmas shopping this month, her daughters were at
the mall buying their Eid gifts. (MORE)
-----
ISRAEL APPROVES NEW WEST BANK
SETTLEMENT -
TOP
RAVI NESSMAN, Associated Press, 12/26/06
http://www.dailycomet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061226/API/612263354
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel has approved a new settlement in the West Bank to
house former Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, officials said Tuesday,
breaking a promise to the U.S. to halt home construction in the
Palestinian territories.
SEE ALSO:
JIMMY CARTER'S BOOK: A PALESTINIAN VIEW
-
TOP
ALI ABUNIMAH, Wall Street Journal, 12/26/06
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116709416381459276.html
President Carter has done what few American politicians have dared to do:
speak frankly about the Israel-Palestine conflict. He has done this
nation, and the cause of peace, an enormous service by focusing attention
on what he calls "the abominable oppression and persecution in the
occupied Palestinian territories, with a rigid system of required passes
and strict segregation between Palestine's citizens and Jewish settlers
in the West Bank."
The 39th president of the United States, the most successful Arab-Israeli
peace negotiator to date, has braved a storm of criticism, including the
insinuation from the pro-Israel Anti-Defamation League that his arguments
are anti-Semitic.
Mr. Carter has tried to mollify critics by suggesting that his is not a
commentary on Israeli policy inside Israel's own borders, as compared
with the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem -- territories Israel
occupied in 1967. He told NPR, "I know that Israel is a wonderful
democracy with equal treatment of all citizens whether Arab or Jew. And
so I very carefully avoided talking about anything inside
Israel."
Given the pressure he has faced, it may be understandable that Mr. Carter
says this, but he is wrong. In addition to nearly four million
Palestinians living under Israeli rule in the occupied territories,
another one million live inside Israel's pre-1967 borders. These
Palestinians are descendants of those who were not forced out or did not
flee when Israel was created in 1948.
They have nominal Israeli citizenship, and unlike blacks in apartheid
South Africa, they do vote for the country's parliament. Yet this is
where any sense of equality ends. In Israel's history, no Arab-led party
has ever been asked to join a coalition government. And, among scores of
Jewish ministers, there has only ever been one Arab minister, of junior
rank.
Discrimination against non-Jewish citizens both informal and legalized is
systematic. Non-Jewish children attend separate schools and live in areas
that receive a fraction of the funding of their Jewish counterparts. The
results can be seen in the much poorer educational attainment, economic,
health and life outcomes of Palestinian citizens of Israel. Much of the
land of the country, controlled by the quasi-governmental Jewish National
Fund, cannot be leased or sold to non-Jews. This is similar in effect to
the restrictive covenants that in many U.S. cities once kept nonwhites
out of certain neighborhoods.
A 2003 law stipulates that an Israeli citizen may bring a non-citizen
spouse to live in Israel from anywhere in the world, excluding a
Palestinian from the occupied territories. A civil rights leader in
Israel likened it to the American anti-miscegenation measures from the
1950s, when mixed race couples had to leave the state of Virginia to
marry legally.
For Palestinians, the most blatant form of discrimination is Israel's
"Law of Return," that allows a Jewish person from any country
to settle in Israel. Meanwhile, family members of Palestinian citizens of
Israel, living in exile, sometimes in refugee camps just a few miles
outside Israel's borders, are not permitted to set foot in the
country.
The rise of Avigdor Lieberman, the new deputy prime minister, who openly
advocates stripping Palestinians in Israel of citizenship and
transferring them outside the state, reflects increasingly extremist
politics. (MORE)
Mr. Abunimah is the author of "One Country: A Bold Proposal to End
the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse" (Metropolitan Books,
2006).
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/27/06
*
Hadith:
The Day of Arafah
*
CAIR Welcomes TSA Hajj Sensitivity
Training
*
CAIR-LA to Air Hajj and Eid Radio
Spots
-
CAIR-MI:
Eid Meat Giveaway
Expands (Detroit News)
*
CA:
Muslim Leader Hits
Remarks by VA Lawmaker (Daily News)
-
Incitement:
Tolerance for Islam
Doesn't Work
*
U.S. Backs Ethiopian
Attacks in Somalia (AP)
-
AU Says Ethiopia
Should Withdraw from Somalia (Reuters)
*
Do Israelis Practice
Apartheid? (Detroit News)
-
Israel and Apartheid:
In Defense
of Jimmy Carter
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE DAY OF ARAFAH -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "When the Day of
Arafah comes, God (says to the angels), 'Look at my servants who have
come to Me disheveled, dusty and crying out from every deep valley. I
call you to witness that I have forgiven them.' The angels say: 'My Lord,
so and so was suspected of sin, also so and so and such and such a
woman.' The Prophet said that God replied: 'I have forgiven them
(all).'"
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 817
The Prophet also said: "There is no day in which God sets free more
(people) from Hell than on the Day of Arafah."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 650
NOTE: The "Day of Arafah" falls on the 9th day of the Islamic
lunar month of Dhul-Hijjah (December 29). Arafah is the plain near the
city of Mecca. On this day, the climax of the Hajj season, pilgrims
assemble on the plain for supplication to God.
-----
CAIR WELCOMES TSA HAJJ SENSITIVITY
TRAINING -
TOP
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/27/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today welcomed an announcement by the U.S. Transportation Security
Administration (
TSA) that it has
provided special training about Islamic traditions related to the Hajj,
or pilgrimage to Mecca, to some 45,000 airport security
officers.
The TSA cultural sensitivity training includes details about the timing
of Hajj travel, about items pilgrims may be carrying and about Islamic
prayers that may be observed by security personnel.
SEE:
U.S. Airport Security Officers Briefed On Hajj Traditions
(USINFO)
Earlier this month, CAIR advised those going on Hajj to be aware of their
civil and legal rights as airline passengers. CAIR's
"
Your Rights and Responsibilities as an American Muslim" pocket
guide states: "As an airline passenger, you are entitled to
courteous, respectful and non-stigmatizing treatment by airline and
security personnel. You have the right to complain about treatment that
you believe is discriminatory."
SEE:
CAIR Establishes Hajj Profiling Hotline
"We welcome the fact that airport security officers nationwide will
now be better informed about Islamic traditions relating to Hajj,"
said
CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "This
proactive effort on the part of the Transportation Security
Administration demonstrates that there is no contradiction between the
need to maintain airline safety and security and the duty to protect the
religious and civil rights of airline passengers."
Hooper said representatives of CAIR chapters nationwide have met with
TSA, Department of Homeland Security
(
DHS) and Customs and Border
Protection (
CBP)
officials on issues related to cultural sensitivity and national
security.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com
-----
CAIR-LA TO AIR HAJJ AND EID RADIO SPOTS
-
TOP
Ads explain significance of Hajj, Eid ul-Adha holiday
(ANAHEIM, 12/27/2006) - The Southern California office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) has announced the launch of a radio
ad campaign designed to educate the public about Hajj and the Eid ul-Adha
("Festival of the Sacrifice") holiday.
The 60-second spots will air several times a day on 980 AM KFWB, one of
Southern California's largest AM radio stations, through December 31. The
ads will be heard by some 750,000 station listeners.
The campaign featuring 30 radio ads will focus on the spirit of Hajj, its
connection with Abraham and the commonalities Muslims share with
observers of other faiths.
CAIR-LA's ads are a continuation of similar spots aired during Hajj and
Ramadan in the past few years. They are one aspect of CAIR's efforts to
educate fellow Americans about Islam and Muslims. Other campaigns have
included placing ads in newspapers, providing a complimentary copy of the
Quran and a book or DVD on the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him), sending books and videotapes to libraries across the country and
placing educational messages on billboards.
The following is the excerpt of one of the ads. The other two are called
"Malcolm X" and "Mercy and Compassion."
CAIR-LA RADIO AD 'ABRAHAM'
"This week, Muslims in America and around the world conclude the
annual pilgrimage to Mecca, 'the Hajj,' with Islam's most important
holiday called Eid ul-Adha or 'festival of the sacrifice.'
"The central figure in this religious celebration is Prophet
Abraham. Muslims believe that Abraham built the first House of Worship to
God, known as the Kaaba. The Hajj commemorates Abraham's prayers at the
Kaaba. The Quran, Islam's holy book, states: 'Who can be better in faith
than one who submits his whole self to God, does good and follows the way
of Abraham, the true in faith?'
"This fact offers an excellent opportunity for all of Abraham's
children - Muslims, Christians and Jews - to recognize and cherish their
shared religious heritage and to promote a harmonious future as people of
faith."
LISTEN TO ALL THE CAIR-LA ADS:
*
Abraham
*
Malcolm
X
*
Mercy and Compassion
*
Transcript of all ads
CONTACT: CAIR-LA Communications Coordinator Munira Syeda, (714)
776-1847 or (714) 851-4851, E-Mail:
socal@cair.com
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MI: MEAT GIVEAWAY EXPANDS -
TOP
Detroit News, 12/27/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061227/METRO01/612270348/1006
Islamic Relief, an international emergency relief and development
organization, will expand its meat distribution project in Detroit. The
project, launched as a pilot program last year to distribute meat to
Metro Detroit families, will be at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 6 at Gleaners Food
Bank, 21313 Beaufait, and mosques in Hamtramck and Highland Park. The
project is coordinated in cooperation with the Islamic Shura Council of
Michigan and
Council on American-Islamic Relations. Last year,
12,000 pounds of meat were given to Metro Detroit families. For
information, visit
www.irw.org.
-----
CA: MUSLIM LEADER HITS
REMARKS BY LAWMAKER -
TOP
Republican's comments display of `Islamophobia'
GIDEON RUBIN, LA Daily News, 12/26/06
http://www.dailynews.com/antelopevalley/ci_4904996
PALMDALE - A Virginia Republican congressman's controversial comments
that triggered harsh criticism from national leaders across the political
spectrum has drawn condemnation from a local Islamic leader.
The remarks reflect "a wave of Islamophobia," said Abdul-Wahab
Omeira, vice president of the Islamic Institute of the Antelope Valley
who also sits on an Antelope Valley hate crime task force advisory
board.
"I feel sorry for people like that who want to divide our
country," Omeira said. "Unfortunately, I see a wave of
Islamophobia carried on by a minority who believe they have a monopoly on
righteousness.". . .
Corey Saylor, the Council on American-Islamic Relations' national
legislative director, said "... Goode's Islamophobic remarks
send a message of intolerance that is unworthy of anyone elected to
public office," and that "there can be no reasonable defense
for such bigotry." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
INCITEMENT WATCH: TOLERANCE DOESN'T WORK
FOR ALL RELIGIONS -
TOP
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 12/27/06
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/printedition/2006/12/27/edletts1227.html
I'm sorry, but the editorial board missed this pitch by a mile
("Keep faiths attack-free," @issue, Dec. 22.) We have been so
thoroughly inculcated with the concepts of freedom of religion and
religious tolerance that we miss the point entirely. So-called
"religions" can be socially destructive, advocate illegal acts
and intrinsically evil.
Islam, by its own holy book the Quran, is a
self-avowed enemy of Christianity and Judaism. Islam was born in
violence, propagated by violence and does not reciprocate toleration for
toleration extended to it. There is hardly an interface between Islam and
any other faith on the planet where violence is not perpetrated against
non-Muslim populations. Places such as Holland have had to learn this
lesson the hard way, as evidenced by the brutal murder of Theo Van Gogh
by hate-filled Muslim immigrants.
Come on, think about what you are printing. Freedom of religion is not
absolute, and toleration of those who would destroy you is insanity. As
has been said, the U.S. Constitution is not a suicide pact. Electing a
professional wrestler governor of the state is one thing,
but placing
a Muslim in the U.S. House of Representatives is enough to make one
wonder what is going on in the state of Minnesota.
RON SLADE SR., Covington
SEND POLITE COMMENTS TO:
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/letters/sendletter.html
COPY TO: info@cair.com
-----
U.S. BACKS ETHIOPIAN ATTACKS
IN SOMALIA -
TOP
GEORGE GEDDA, Associated Press, 12/26/06
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/12/26/national/w130749S85.DTL
The State Department signaled support Tuesday for Ethiopian military
operations against Somalia, noting that Ethiopia has had "genuine
security concerns" stemming from the rise of Islamist forces in its
eastern neighbor.
Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos also said that the Ethiopian
military acted at the request of Somalia's internationally backed secular
government, which has been resisting with little success the spreading
influence of the more powerful Islamist forces. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
AU SAYS ETHIOPIA SHOULD
WITHDRAW FROM SOMALIA -
TOP
Reuters, 12/27/06
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (Reuters) - Ethiopian troops waging war against
rival Islamists in Somalia should leave the country immediately, the
African Union (AU) chief said on Wednesday.
"We call for the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops without delay,"
AU chairman Alpha Omar Konare said in a statement. . .
Konare urged Somalia's interim government and the Somalia Islamic Courts
Union to end all hostilities and resume Arab League-sponsored peace talks
that collapsed in Sudan last month. (MORE)
-----
DO ISRAELIS PRACTICE
APARTHEID AGAINST PALESTINIANS? -
TOP
South Africans see the parallel with wall, other methods Carter
describes
Sherri Muzher, Detroit News, 12/27/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061227/OPINION01/612270319/1008
With "Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid," former President Jimmy
Carter, the statesman who oversaw the first Middle East peace agreement
between Egypt and Israel, has provoked a much-needed discussion that
rarely ever transpires in U.S. politics and media. . .
Yet, interestingly, South Africa's own Bishop Desmond Tutu and others
have referred to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Christians and
Muslims as "Israeli apartheid."
In a 2002 speech in the United States, Tutu said he saw "the
humiliation of the Palestinians at checkpoints and roadblocks, suffering
like us when young white police officers prevented us from moving
about." Back in 1999, former South African statesman Nelson Mandela
told the Palestinian Assembly: "The histories of our two peoples
correspond in such painful and poignant ways that I intensely feel myself
at home amongst my compatriots."
South African author Breyten Breytenbach, who spent nine years in prison
for resisting apartheid, wrote in 2002, "I recently visited the
occupied territories for the first time. And yes, I'm afraid they can
reasonably be described as resembling Bantustans, reminiscent of the
ghettoes and controlled camps of misery one knew in South
Africa."
And consider more examples:
More water is given to Jewish citizens than to Palestinians; non-Jewish
Israelis cannot buy or lease land in Israel; Israel's policies have
involved planning regulations prohibiting Palestinian building on 70
percent of the West Bank and 80 percent of East Jerusalem. While
restricting Palestinian development, Israel builds housing for its people
in the occupied territories.
A few years ago, the Israeli government was shown to have a 70:30 policy
in the city of Jerusalem which to maintain a 70 percent Jewish population
over 29 percent Muslim and 1 percent Christian minorities. This has been
accomplished through home demolitions, denial of building permits, ID
card confiscations and residency revocations. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
ISRAEL AND APARTHEID: IN DEFENSE OF
JIMMY CARTER -
TOP
Tony Karon, Rootless Cosmopolitan, 12/22/06
http://tonykaron.com/2006/12/22/israel-and-apartheid-in-defense-of-jimmy-carter/
Nothing makes liberal American supporters of Israel more uncomfortable
than the comparison between the circumstances it has imposed on the
Palestinians and those that the apartheid regime imposed on black South
Africans. That's precisely why it is so important and commendable that
Jimmy Carter has tempted the wrath of the Israel lobby and many
Jewish-American liberals-in-denial by making that comparison - as he
says, it's time Americans took a look at Palestinian life and history,
and as any good person of faith or basic humanity would, treat it as of
equal value. The point being that Jimmy Carter had to write this book
precisely because Palestinian life and history is not accorded equal
value in American discourse, far from it. And his use of the word
apartheid is not only morally valid; it is essential, because it shakes
the moral stupor that allows many liberals to rationalize away the daily,
grinding horror being inflicted Palestinians in the West Bank and
Gaza.
Or preferably, to avoid discussing it altogether. As Carter
notes:
For the past 30 years, I have witnessed and experienced the severe
restraints on any free and balanced discussion of the facts. This
reluctance to criticize policies of the Israeli government is due to the
extraordinary lobbying efforts of the American-Israel Political Action
Committee and the absence of any significant contrary voices. It would be
almost politically suicidal for members of Congress to espouse a balanced
position between Israel and Palestine, to suggest that Israel comply with
international law or to speak in defence of justice or human rights for
Palestinians… What is even more difficult to comprehend is why the
editorial pages of the major newspapers and magazines in the US exercise
similar self-restraint, quite contrary to private assessments expressed
forcefully by their correspondents in the Holy Land.
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/28/06
*
Hadith:
Praise God Often During Hajj and
Eid
*
Eid Mubarak from CAIR's Board and
Staff
*
CAIR Director to
Discuss Hajj Live on Al-Jazeera
-
CAIR:
Holocaust Denial Cannot be
an Islamic Cause
*
Incitement:
'I Advocate the Forced
Removal of All Muslims' (Miami Herald)
-
CAIR-FL Video:
Factors in Negative
Perceptions of Islam
*
CAIR-FL:
Muslim Traveler
Gets Apology for Strip Search (SP Times)
-
CAIR Guide Outlines Rights of
Airline Passenger (Wash Times)
*
CAIR-Chicago:
Spring 2007
Internship Opportunities
*
MN/MI:
Ellison Says Faith Won't Be
Exploited (Detroit Free Press)
-
VA:
Muslims are Americans,
Too (Roanoke Times)
*
MD:
Before Hajj,
Muslims Navigate the Spiritual, Practical (Wash Post)
-
AZ:
Muslims to Celebrate
Eid ul-Adha on Saturday (AZ Rep)
-
FL:
Muslims Extend
Invitation for Eid (Sun-Sentinel)
-
Eid al-Adha:
A Feast of Sharing
(Philadelphia Inquirer)
*
VA:
Students Will 'Live as
Muslims' for a Month
-
MD:
Reaction to Arabic Courses
Speaks to Need
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: PRAISE GOD OFTEN DURING HAJJ AND
EID -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "There is no day more
honorable in God's sight and no (good) deeds more beloved therein to God
than those in (the first ten days of the Month of Hajj). So say 'There is
no God but God,' 'God is the greatest' and 'All praise is due to God'
often (on those days)."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 2, Number 154
-----
EID MUBARAK FROM CAIR'S BOARD AND STAFF -
TOP
CAIR's board and staff wish everyone a blessed Eid ul-Adha. Eid
Mubarak.
-----
CAIR DIRECTOR TO DISCUSS
HAJJ LIVE ON AL-JAZEERA -
TOP
CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad will appear on Al-Jazeera
Direct live for two hours on Friday, December 29, to discuss issues
related to Hajj and the American Muslim community. (10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Eastern)
SEE:
http://www.aljazeera.net/
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: HOLOCAUST DENIAL CANNOT BE
ISLAMIC CAUSE -
TOP
Andrea Barron,
Washington Jewish Week, 12/28/06
Eight days after Iran held a two-day conference denying the Nazi
Holocaust, Washington-area Muslim leaders gathered at the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Museum to honor the memory of Jews murdered during the Shoah. .
.
Nihad Awad, CAIR's executive director of the Council on
Islamic-American Relations, said "misguided people" are
wrong to question whether the Holocaust took place. "Belittling the
suffering of any people contradicts Islamic teachings and the actions of
the prophet Muhammad. It's a red line that no one should cross."
(MORE)
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: 'I ADVOCATE THE
FORCED REMOVAL OF ALL MUSLIMS' -
TOP
MUSLIMS UNDER SIEGE IN THIS COUNTRY
Miami Herald, 12/28/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/16332144.htm
Re Virginia Rep. Virgil Goode's statement that Muslims are not welcome in
the United States:
I also believe that Muslims should not be allowed
to enter this country and that they should seek their political or
economic aspirations in other countries.
I advocate the forced removal
of all Muslims, moving toward a Muslimless society.
We should set a five-year timeline for all Muslims to leave the United
States. All those hundreds of thousands of Muslim engineers, doctors,
scientists, educators, business owners and other high-level professionals
will undoubtedly find jobs and peace in other countries or the country of
their origin.
According to U.S. Census, the Iranian community is a very educated and
wealthy Muslim community in this country, so they should be fine wherever
they go. Also, we would have to deport all those Muslim engineers and
doctors who were airlifted to the United States from Kosovo after we
bombed Serbia.
There will be no more wars to wipe out terrorists, and the entire
trillion-dollar budget assigned to kill terrorists and evil doers can be
diverted to improving our dilapidating infrastructure and eliminating
poverty and hunger in this great country.
FRANK ZEINALI, Miami
SEND POLITE COMMENTS TO:
HeraldEd@MiamiHerald.com
COPY TO: info@cair.com
(Letters must bear the writer's name, full address, and daytime phone
number.)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-FL VIDEO: FACTORS IN NEGATIVE
PERCEPTIONS OF ISLAM IN AMERICA -
TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDagea_9J5E
CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier delivers a speech, which
aired live, at the Annual meeting of the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club
(Florida) on the rise of anti-Muslim sentiments and the contributing
factors of misperception of Islam in the west.
-----
CAIR-FL: MUSLIM GETS APOLOGY
FOR APRIL STRIP SEARCH -
TOP
Sheela Raman, St. Petersburg Times, 12/28/06
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/28/Hillsborough/Muslim_gets_apology_f.shtml
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has apologized to a Muslim
traveler strip-searched at the Pinellas County Jail after being detained
at Tampa International Airport in April.
Federal agents said they denied Spanish citizen Safana Jawad entry to the
United States on April 11 because she was suspected of being associated
with someone they view as suspicious.
Jawad, 45, was taken to the jail, strip-searched according to protocol
and held in a maximum security cell for two days. She was never told the
identity of the suspicious person.
Jawad, who was born in Iraq, had flown to the United States to visit her
son, Hany Kubba, 16, who then lived in Clearwater with her ex-husband,
Ahmad Maki Kubba.
Jawad was deported to England on April 13 and has since filed a complaint
with the Homeland Security Department about being mistreated by customs
officials as well as staff at the Pinellas County Jail. . .
Ahmad Bedier, director of the Tampa branch of the Council for
American-Islamic Relations, spoke with Jawad at the jail after the
arrest. He has kept in touch with the family since then.
Bedier said the apology from the Homeland Security Department is a step
in the right direction, but there are still a lot of unanswered
questions.
In the next two weeks, Bedier said thousands of Muslims will be returning
to central Florida from their annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
Today Bedier plans to meet at Tampa International Airport with officials
from the FBI, airport, Customs and Border Protection, and the
Transportation Security Administration to discuss measures to prevent
unnecessary profiling of Muslim travelers as they return from Saudi
Arabia.
"I am concerned about their treatment when they return," Bedier
said.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: OBSERVING HAJJ -
TOP
John McCaslin, Washington Times, 12/28/06
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20061228-120232-4665r.htm
A pocket guide published by the
Council on American-Islamic
Relations, titled "Your Rights and Responsibilities as an
American Muslim," states: "As an airline passenger, you are
entitled to courteous, respectful and non-stigmatizing treatment by
airline and security personnel.
"You have the right to complain about treatment that you believe is
discriminatory," it says.
That said, the Washington-based council is applauding yesterday's
announcement by the Transportation Security Administration that it has
completed special training for 45,000 airport security personnel
surrounding Islamic traditions related to hajj, the annual pilgrimage to
Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
The "cultural sensitivity training," as one TSA official refers
to it, enables officers to recognize items that pilgrims might be
carrying, as well as Islamic prayers that might be overheard in airports
and aboard aircraft. (MORE)
-----
SPRING 2007 INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
AT CAIR-CHICAGO -
TOP
CAIR-Chicago is currently offering 18 new internship opportunities.
Internships last one semester and include a 12-hour/week commitment.
Applicants should email a resume and cover letter to Dina Rehab, Outreach
Coordinator, at:
internships@cairchicago.org. All internships are unpaid. Students
interested in receiving class credit, should indicate so in their cover
letters. Credit will be arranged during the first week of the academic
semester.
-----
ELLISON SAYS FAITH WON'T BE EXPLOITED -
TOP
But Islam is a guide, congressman says
NIRAJ WARIKOO, Detroit Free Press, 12/28/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061228/NEWS05/612280321
Rep.-elect Keith Ellison plans to use the Quran to be sworn in.
The first Muslim elected to Congress told a group of metro Detroiters on
Wednesday that he will use Islam to guide his politics, but he said he
won't impose his faith on others.
"I'm not a religious leader, I've never led religious services of
any kind. ..." Keith Ellison said. "I'm not here to be a
preacher, but in terms of political agenda items, my faith informs these
things."
Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat who grew up in Detroit, has faced a lot of
scrutiny since his election in November.
He has come under fire for saying he will use the Quran, Islam's holy
book, for his swearing-in ceremony Jan. 4. U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va.,
has said the election of Ellison, and possibly other Muslims, poses a
danger to America. . .
Ellison added that religion should be something that unites, rather than
divides.
"Many people see their religion as an identity thing, much in the
same way Crips or Bloods might say, 'I'm this, this is the set I'm
rolling with,' " Ellison said, referring to the infamous street
gangs.
"They've never actually tried to explore how religion should connect
us, they're into how religion divides us. ... They haven't really
explored ... how my faith connects me to you."
Ellison is in Michigan this week to meet with family and speak to various
groups.
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIMS ARE AMERICANS, TOO -
TOP
Shanna Flowers, Roanoke Times, 12/28/06
http://www.roanoke.com/columnists/flowers/wb/wb/xp-97680
Just in time for the season of good will toward men, U.S. Rep. Virgil
Goode caused a national furor with a controversial letter blasting
Muslims and immigration.
Mike Jawhar, a third-generation American and a Muslim, understandably
took umbrage.
Jawhar, a surgeon at Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital, is one of
Goode's 5th District constituents.
"To imply that by a certain religion, a certain set of values that
you're less of a citizen is offensive," said Jawhar, 36, who lives
in Rocky Mount and is of Palestinian descent. "As a Muslim, it
doesn't change the fact that I'm an American.
"It doesn't make it any more his country than mine. I was born in
Richmond, Virginia.". . .
Jawhar's great-grandfather entered this country at Ellis Island, N.Y. His
grandfather served in World War I. Jawhar attended Old Dominion
University and is a graduate of Eastern Virginia Medical School. His
brother is a professor at ODU and a sister is a schoolteacher.
It doesn't get any more all-American than that. And yes, Jawhar's
accomplished family members are Muslims, too.
"He doesn't realize. . .," the physician said of Goode, his
voice trailing off.
"What does it do to Muslims who are here? The last thing we need is
an elected official saying we don't want Muslims here. We value this
society.
"This Muslim is here providing a service in your community,"
Jawhar said.
-----
BEFORE THEIR PILGRIMAGE TO
MECCA, MUSLIMS NAVIGATE THE SPIRITUAL AND THE PRACTICAL -
TOP
Dina ElBoghdady, Washington Post, 12/28/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/27/AR2006122701623.html
Don't wander off because if you get lost, you may end up in prison for
days before someone even asks your name.
Don't try to sneak a camera into the sacred sites because the guards will
grab it and smash it in front of you.
Don't bend to pray when circling the holy Kaaba, revered by Muslims as
the first house of worship.
"Believe me, people will walk over you," Safi Khan warned a
group of Muslims at Dar-Us-Salaam mosque in College Park, where he is the
imam, one recent Saturday morning. "You'll look up at them and
they'll be smiling as if to ask for forgiveness, and of course you have
to forgive them."
Khan ticked off many more do's and don'ts during a series of workshops
about the hajj. The annual pilgrimage, required of every able-bodied and
financially able Muslim at least once in a lifetime, begins in Mecca
today. About 2 million Muslims -- roughly 12,000 of them from this
country -- will take part. Among them will be Khan, leading a group of
about 100 worshipers.
As a spiritual guide and interpreter of tradition, Khan's role with his
travelers transcends language, a barrier faced by most Muslims, who pray
and perform rituals in the original Arabic of the Koran even though they
are not native Arabic speakers. He works to mesh the emotional, cultural,
historical and practical elements of the sacred journey. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
AZ: MUSLIMS TO CELEBRATE EID
UL-ADHA ON SATURDAY -
TOP
Beth Duckett, Arizona Republic, 12/27/06
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1227phxrally-ON.html
PHOENIX - Thousands of Valley Muslims are expected to gather at the
Phoenix Convention Center on Saturday to celebrate Eid ul-Adha the
Islamic festival of sacrifice.
During the three-day festival people visit family, eat hearty meals and
make sacrifices for others.
Eid ul-Adha is a time for Muslims to reflect on the story of Abraham's
willingness to sacrifice his son to God, said Arif Kazmi, one of the
event's organizers. It also marks the end of hajj, or the Muslims' holy
pilgrimage to Mecca. It is a journey to the place where the prophet
Muhammad founded the Islam religion. (MORE)
---
FL: MUSLIMS EXTEND INVITATION
FOR EID -
TOP
Tal Abbady, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 12/28/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pceid28dec28,0,582047.story
Given 2,000 years of religious conflict, and current events, it's easy to
forget that Christians, Muslims and Jews come from the same biblical
stock.
As thousands of South Florida Muslims prepare for one of the holiest days
on the Islamic calendar, Maulana Shafayat Mohamed wants to bring that
point home.
"We all follow the same Abrahamic faith and we come from the same
Abrahamic family," said Mohamed, head of the Darul Uloom Islamic
Institute in Pembroke Pines.
About 3,000 worshippers are expected to attend a celebration at the
center's mosque Saturday to mark the Eid ul-Adha, or Festival of
Sacrifice. Local religious leaders of other faiths have been invited to
join the observance. (MORE)
---
A FEAST OF SHARING -
TOP
Here's Eid al-Adha, an important Muslim holiday, as one local family
celebrates it. It's a time to share a bounty divine with the poor.
Dianna Marder, Philadelphia Inquirer, 12/28/06
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/magazine/daily/16331014.htm
Suzan Aydin leafs through her favorite cookbook, Bereketli Olsun (May It
Be Prosperous) for ideas, not precise directions.
She knows most of these recipes by heart, not to mention scent, texture
and taste. So it's just a matter of selecting the right combination of
dishes to serve on Saturday for the second most significant holiday in
the Muslim calendar: Eid al-Adha.
(Ramadan, of course, is the most significant.)
Recognized by the U.S. Postal Service with a stamp - just like Christmas,
Hanukkah and Kwanzaa - Eid is the Feast of the Sacrifice.
It marks the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, and
commemorates the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim in the Koran) to
sacrifice his son to God - and God's grace in providing a ram for the
ritual instead. (Versions in Genesis and the Koran differ as to whether
that son was Ishmael or Isaac.)
It is a joyous festival, traditionally celebrated by eating
lamb.
In Turkey, the animal would be slaughtered according to the rituals of
halal, with the family keeping only one-third of the meat and giving the
major share to the poor.
But in Abington Township, where Suzan, a former ballerina, and her
husband, Nejat, a retired psychiatrist, have lived for 40 years, they
carry out the tradition figuratively. The couple shops locally for lamb
shoulder and donates to the poor.
Eid falls on a different date each year because Muslims use the lunar
calendar. Friends and family stop by to visit. They share sweets and
thick coffee and wishes for a Happy Bayram (Happy Holiday). It's
traditional to buy new clothes, but not gifts. (MORE)
-----
VA: LIVING AS MUSLIM -
TOP
Kelly Creswell, WHSV, 12/27/06
http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/5022016.html
The Spotswood High School students are researching the Muslim culture and
finding out how much no one really knows about this culture that is
sometimes is negatively stereotyped by the public.
"What's the first thing that comes to your mind when I say
Islam?" said Casey Morris.
"Iraq," a fellow student replied.
That's what Casey Morris hopes to eliminate through his research project,
the stereotypes the public has about Muslims. Not only will he learn
about the culture by wearing traditional Muslim clothing and praying five
times a day, but "Also going without pork for 30 days, that's going
to be rough but we'll make do," said Morris.
Morris says he is prepared for the criticism that comes along with
it.
"Yeah, we're probably going to get some funny looks as we go down
the hallway. I'm expecting comments maybe here and there. You know what,
I'll be honest, I'll be disappointed if we don't get some," said
Morris.
Members of the Muslim community here in the Valley say many people don't
understand the Muslim culture. . .
Morris says he and his classmate will start the actual project January 2
and go for the whole month. They will capture everything on video and put
together a documentary not only showing what they learned, but the local
attitudes toward Muslims as well.
SEE ALSO:
MD: REACTION TO ARABIC COURSES
SPEAKS TO NEED -
TOP
Lauren Taylor, Catonsville Times, 12/28/06
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=351&NewsID=772063&CategoryID=11091&on=1
The Community College of Baltimore County knew it had hit upon a good
idea two years ago when it launched two Arabic language courses.
Immediately, a waiting list was created for the course, which continues
to grow in popularity. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 12/29/06
*
Hadith:
Fasting Today May Atone for Many
Sins
*
Sample Eid Media Advisory
for Use by Local
Communities
-
MI:
Eid-al-Adha Expected to Attract Up
to 1,000
-
TX:
Fest Brings Families
Close (Star-Telegram)
-
OH:
More NE Ohio
Muslims Making Hajj (Plain Dealer)
*
CAIR-FL:
Airport Officials Get
Lesson in Hajj (St. Pete Times)
-
CAIR-Tampa:
Airports to
Accommodate Pilgrims (Tampa Trib)
-
CAIR-Orlando:
Muslims to
Celebrate Unity (Orlando Sent)
-
CAIR:
Hajj Spurs
Screeners' Training (NY Newsday)
*
NY:
I Witness the
Israel Lobby in Action (NY Observer)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: FASTING TODAY MAY ATONE FOR MANY
SINS -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The best
supplication (to God) is that made on the Day of Arafah, and the best
thing that I and other Prophets before me said is: 'There is no deity
worthy of worship but God Alone. He has no partners. To Him alone belongs
the Kingdom, and all praise. And He has power over all
things.'"
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 5, Number 96B
The Prophet also said: "Fasting on the Day of Arafah may atone for
the sins of the preceding and the coming years."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 564
NOTE: The "Day of Arafah" falls on the 9th day of the Islamic
lunar month of Dhul-Hijjah (December 29). Arafah is the plain near the
city of Mecca. On this day, the climax of the Hajj season, pilgrims
assemble on the plain for supplication to God.
-----
SAMPLE EID MEDIA ADVISORY FOR USE
BY LOCAL COMMUNITIES -
TOP
The following media advisory may be modified and used by local
communities to publicize Eid ul-Adha events. When modifying the advisory,
include references to local Eid activities and contact information for
local spokespeople. Send to the newspaper "city editor,"
television station "assignment editors" and radio station
"news directors." Just call each media outlet to get the
contact information. IMPORTANT: Also send to the "daybook
editor" at the nearest Associated Press bureau. See:
http://www.ap.org/pages/contact/contact.html
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
U.S. MUSLIMS TO MARK END OF HAJJ WITH COMMUNAL PRAYERS
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/29/06) - This weekend, American Muslims will mark
the end of the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, or Hajj, with communal prayers
and celebrations at locations around the country.
The prayers, and the holiday that follows, are called Eid ul-Adha
(EED-al-ODD-ha), or "festival of the sacrifice." Eid ul-Adha
commemorates the Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son
Ishmael at God's command. The holiday is celebrated with the prayers,
distribution of meat to the needy and social gatherings. During this
holiday, Muslims exchange the greeting "Eid Mubarak" or
"blessed Eid." This year, up to 15,000 American Muslims went on
Hajj.
Eid prayers are held in the early morning. Many communities also hold
day-long festivals for families. The Eid prayers and festivals are held
either in local mosques or in public facilities designed to accommodate
large gatherings. Call local Muslim organizations for details about Eid
prayers and celebrations.
Local mosques and Muslim groups may be located at:
http://www.islamicfinder.com/
Photo Opportunity: Each year, Muslims from America and many different
countries come to the prayers in colorful attire. The prayers themselves
are quite visual, with worshipers arranged in neat rows and bowing in
prayer in unison. Participants exchange embraces at the conclusion of the
prayers.
SEE ALSO:
MI: EID-AL-ADHA EXPECTED TO ATTRACT UP TO
1,000 -
TOP
Kathleen Lavey, Lansing State Journal, 12/29/06
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061229/NEWS01/612290326/1001/news
Mid-Michigan Muslims will observe the end of the annual pilgrimage to
Mecca with a gathering Saturday morning.
Because as many as 1,000 people are expected for the Eid-al-Adha, the
feast of the sacrifice, the event has been moved from the mosque on
Harrison Road to Michigan State University's IM West building.
(MORE)
---
TX: FEST BRINGS FAMILIES
CLOSE -
TOP
Noor Elashi, Star-Telegram, 12/29/06
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/16343602.htm
Iman Diabmarzouk shows a mirror that her sister made for her at her
pilgrimage to Mecca two years ago.
Iman Diabmarzouk's son and four daughters are really looking forward to
Saturday. They'll be wearing fancy new clothes, eating breakfast at La
Madeleine and getting lots of cash from their parents.
And they're looking forward to spending time with 60 or so
relatives.
"The most important thing is to know they have a family," said
Diabmarzouk, of Grand Prairie. (MORE)
---
OH: MORE NORTHEAST OHIO
MUSLIMS MAKING PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA -
TOP
Cleveland Plain Dealer, 12/29/06
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1167385085132270.xml&coll=2
A larger-than-usual muster of pilgrims left Northeast Ohio in recent days
on the trip of a lifetime. The Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca,
began Thursday in Saudi Arabia and climaxes Saturday, when Muslims
celebrate the Feast of Sacrifice, Eid-al-Adha.
Every able-bodied Muslim is expected to make the pilgrimage at least once
in his or her life. Because the Hajj this year coincides with winter
vacations and holiday breaks, more people than usual decided now was the
time, and Muslim spiritual leaders and travel agents scrambled to meet
demand.
Hajj travel packages, which range from $1,500 to $6,000, sold out quickly
here and across the nation, said Sam Aqsa, owner of Aqsa Travel in
Cleveland's Little Arabia neighborhood.
At Hajj workshops at the Islamic Center of Cleveland, more than 50 people
donned white robes to walk around a replica Kaaba and practice other Hajj
rituals. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-FL: AIRPORT
OFFICIALS GET LESSON IN HAJJ -
TOP
JUSTIN GEORGE, St. Petersburg Times, 12/29/06
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/29/Tampabay/AIRPORT_OFFICIALS_GET.shtml
The pilgrims might look different when they return to the United States.
They may be carrying vessels of holy water and religious souvenirs tucked
in their luggage.
"Just be a little sensitive," Maysi Hnin, 26, a Muslim
University of South Florida student, told Tampa International Airport
officials Thursday in a meeting designed to educate them about Muslims
returning from the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca.
Wearing a head scarf, Hnin served as a model for the
Council on
American-Islamic Relations, which arranged the roundtable with
airport security officials and federal agents.
Today marks the peak of the annual five-day hajj to Mecca, Islam's
holiest city, drawing about 20,000 U.S. Muslims and several hundred from
Central Florida. All physically and financially able Muslims must
undertake the hajj at least once.
CAIR officials gave airport police and FBI, Transportation Security
Administration, Homeland Security Department and customs officials a
lesson about the pilgrimage and what they can expect from returning
Muslims.
The meeting was part of CAIR's nationwide initiative following the
removal of six imams from a US Airways flight in Minneapolis in November
after their prayer, conversation and behavior worried flight attendants
and passengers. Federal officials questioned the men and released them
without charges. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-TAMPA:
AIRPORTS PREPARE TO ACCOMMODATE MUSLIMS' PILGRIMAGE -
TOP
ADAM EMERSON, Tampa Tribune
http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGB50HV4AWE.html
TAMPA - As nearly 3 million Muslims complete the annual hajj pilgrimage
in Mecca, several hundred will return to airports throughout Central
Florida in the next two weeks.
They may dress in traditional robes, carrying the Koran and uttering
prayers during their long waits in airport terminals.
On Thursday, advocates in Tampa met with airport, customs and FBI
officials to help ensure Muslims don't meet with problems as a result of
ignorance or insensitivity.
Ahmed Bedier, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations in Tampa, fears recent detentions of Muslims at U.S.
airports may continue unless authorities learn about those returning from
the holy city. . .
According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, about 15,000
pilgrims traveled to Mecca from the United States. Most of them will
return in early January. When they arrive in airports, they will be
carrying items marking their time in the holy city. Among them:
* The Koran and Muslim prayer books. Bedier urged authorities not to
manhandle the Koran and explained that Muslims will stand in airport
lines reading Koranic verses.
* Clothing that traditionally is worn during the hajj pilgrimage.
Pilgrims often will change into Western-style clothes in-flight to avoid
drawing attention. "They're not trying to hide anything,"
Bedier said.
* Holy water, or Zamzam, which often is contained in miniature plastic
jugs. In a flier to airport staff, the council explains that
"tossing a Zamzam water bottle in a trash bin will be deemed a
disrespectful act." . . .
Bedier says he also is talking with Muslims about how they can avoid
problems. For instance, they can locate any of the more than 40 chapels
found at U.S. airports, including one at Tampa International
Airport.
By finding a chapel, they can avoid any disturbances with fellow
passengers or security officials.
---
CAIR-ORLANDO: MUSLIMS GATHER
TO FEAST, PRAY, CELEBRATE UNITY -
TOP
Babita Persaud, Orlando Sentinel, 12/29/06
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-muslim2906dec29,0,2045604.story
The request is simple: "Please bring a prayer rug and sweets to
share."
On Saturday morning, thousands of local Muslims are expected to gather on
the soccer fields at the Central Florida Fairgrounds in Orlando for one
of the biggest holidays on the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Adha.
Imam Muhammad Musri, president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida,
plans to say a prayer. Guests are asked to bring desserts to share with
those around them.
Organizers describe the scene in past years as a mini-United Nations,
with Muslims of various heritages -- North African, Pakistani, Eastern
European, Latin American and West Indian -- wearing traditional clothes
and holding plates of national dishes.
"It is a time to come together," Musri said. "People feel
they can connect and celebrate together."
Eid al-Adha, also called the Festival of Sacrifice, commemorates
accomplishment, Musri said. It coincides with hajj, the pilgrimage to
Mecca, Saudi Arabia, that Muslims are required to make at least
once.
An estimated 10,000 people from the United States make the pilgrimage
annually, including several hundred from Central Florida, said
Sabiha
Khan, executive director of the Orlando chapter of CAIR, the Council on
American-Islamic Relations. (MORE)
---
CAIR:
MUSLIM PILGRIMAGE SPURS SCREENERS' TRAINING -
TOP
CAROL EISENBERG, Newsday Washington Bureau
http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/stories/ny-ushajj295032520dec29,0,3033188.story
WASHINGTON - A month after the removal of six imams from a U.S. Airways
flight spurred accusations of harassment, the federal government has
given airport security trainers cultural awareness training about the
Islamic pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
This year, an estimated 16,000 American Muslims are making the annual
pilgrimage, called the hajj - including several hundred from Long Island.
The grueling, five-day ritual, which began yesterday, is a religious duty
for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it.
"The cultural awareness training involved reminders about how to
screen people with head coverings, policies regarding transport of holy
water and the proper respect to show when handling a Quran," said
Amy Kudwa, a Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman.
Muslim leaders lauded the training of the nation's 45,000 screeners as a
positive first step, but said that much more was needed to protect
American Muslim travelers from profiling and what they called
inappropriate interrogations. . .
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, a Washington-based advocacy group, said he didn't expect
the training to be a cure-all but he likened it to "chicken
soup": "It can't hurt to have people better educated about
Muslims and Islamic traditions," he said.
CAIR has also opened a hajj profiling hotline and published a pocket
guide for travelers called, "Your Rights and Responsibilities as an
American Muslim," he said. (MORE)
-----
NY: I WITNESS THE ISRAEL
LOBBY IN ACTION -
TOP
Phil Weis, New York Observer, 12/26/06
http://mondoweiss.observer.com/2006/12/i-witness-the-israel-lobby-in-action.html
A few weeks back at Columbia, I watched with amazement as the former
Israeli soldier Yehuda Shaul, who started the group Breaking the Silence,
gave his presentation on the horrors of the occupation to about 75
students in a darkened hall. My amazement had to do with the fact that
Shaul's visit was sponsored by a largely-Jewish group at
Columbia-Pro-Israel Progressives-and was attended by members of the
Hillel chapter at the school. Kudos to them.
After Shaul's speech, representing "my comrades and not just
myself," he was bombarded by hostile questions from Israel
supporters in the audience. Shaul handled them with strength and ease.
(Q. "Do you know of a counterpart organization where Palestinians
question their moral decisions?" A. "I really don't care-I am
an Israeli who has to raise his children in Israel...")
Just as gripping to me was the discussion that took place after the event
between Rachel Glaser, the campus coordinator of the rightwing Zionist
Organization of America, and the students who had organized the
event.
"What did this accomplish? What did it accomplish?" Glaser
barked at the organizers. . .
It was one thing to have Yehuda Shaul give a talk inside Israel, Glaser
said. "Outside of Israel, you're playing with fire."
This chilling statement was a candid expression of the goals of the
Israel lobby. A member of a Jewish organization was saying that it's OK
to have a wide-open discussion of these issues in Israel, but it's
dangerous to have such a discussion here. Why? Because America is the
mainstay of support allowing Israel to continue its policies in the
Occupied Territories. The Israel lobby fears that Americans, if left to
their own devices, will abandon Israel, out of indifference, or
antisemitism. So Americans must be influenced-in this case by having the
information they get about Israel/Palestine vetted, and by pressuring
Jews on campus to toe the party line.
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God,
the Compassionate, the Merciful
Please post this message to your personal e-mail
lists, blogs and news groups.
*
Help CAIR Continue Its
Important Work
-----
TOP 10 CAIR HIGHLIGHTS OF 2006
1 -
CAIR Calls for Release of Kidnapped
Journalist in Iraq
2 -
CAIR Influences Public Debate
on Dubai Ports, Profiling
3 -
CAIR Educates About Islam,
Declares 2006 Year of the Prophet
4 -
CAIR Mobilizes Muslim Voters and
Gets out the Vote
5 -
CAIR Releases Pioneering Research
on American Muslims
6 -
CAIR Condemns Israeli Attacks,
Examines Israel Lobby
7 -
CAIR Addresses U.S.-Iran
Relations, Iraq, Pope's Comments
8 -
CAIR Defends Civil Rights by
Taking Legal Action
9 -
CAIR Challenges
Islamophobia
10 -
CAIR Empowers Muslims by
Training Students, Imams
*
Help CAIR Continue Its
Important Work
1 - CAIR CALLS FOR RELEASE OF KIDNAPPED
JOURNALIST IN IRAQ -
TOP
Jill Carroll, a freelance reporter for the Christian Science Monitor, was
abducted while on assignment in Iraq on January 7, 2006.
On behalf of dozens of American Muslim leaders, scholars and
organizations, CAIR issued a statement to demand her immediate and
unconditional release. CAIR's statement said in part: "We ask that
her captors show mercy and compassion by releasing her so that she may
return to her family. Certainly, no cause can be advanced by harming a
person who only sought to let the world know about the human suffering
caused by the conflict in Iraq."
CAIR offices held multiple press conferences and translated their
statements into Arabic. Through its worldwide credibility and access to
international television audiences, it was CAIR's hope that these efforts
could help convince Carroll's captors to release her.
CAIR even sent a delegation of its top officials to Iraq to personally
appeal for the reporter's release. Fortunately, through the combined
efforts of all involved, Carroll was released safely after 82 days in
captivity.
SEE:
Muslim
Americans Seek Reporter's Release (ABC)
2 - CAIR INFLUENCES PUBLIC DEBATE ON
PROFILING, DUBAI PORTS -
TOP
The Dubai Ports World controversy began in February and quickly rose to
become one of the most widely-covered debates in the media. At issue was
the sale of a port management business to a company based in the United
Arab Emirates, and whether such a sale would compromise America's
national security.
CAIR representatives were called on by national and international news
networks to debate the issue. While politicians on both sides of the
political aisle cited security concerns, CAIR officials were among the
few voices to point out that in reality, bigotry and fear were driving
the debates.
SEE:
CAIR Rep
Debates Port Controversy on CNN's Paula Zahn Now
Similarly, in the aftermath of the attempted UK terror attack, when many
political and news commentators argued in favor of profiling Muslims,
CAIR representatives were there to defend the civil rights of the
traveling public and to point out that profiling is never an effective
law enforcement tool.
SEE:
CAIR
Communications Director Debates Profiling on 'Kudlow &
Company'
3. CAIR EDUCATES ABOUT ISLAM, DECLARES
2006 YEAR OF THE PROPHET -
TOP
When a Danish newspaper printed offensive cartoons of the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) late last year, depicting him as a terrorist
with a bomb in his turban, many in the Muslim world expressed outrage and
threatened to boycotts Danish goods.
CAIR seized the opportunity to turn a negative incident into a teaching
moment by decrying the violence and encouraging education about the life
and legacy of Prophet Muhammad. CAIR declared 2006 the "Year of the
Prophet Muhammad" and launched the "Explore the Life of
Muhammad" campaign, a major educational effort that offered people
of all faiths a free book or DVD about the Prophet.
To date, more than 18,000 people have requested books and DVDs through
this campaign.
SEE: Explore the Life of
Muhammad
CAIR spokespeople across the country appeared on the airwaves and in
newspapers, urging a balance between the right to free speech and the
respect for religious sensitivities.
SEE:
CAIR-FL Video Commentary on Free Speech, Tolerance
4 - CAIR MOBILIZES MUSLIM VOTERS BY
GETTING OUT THE VOTE -
TOP
The American Muslim community witnessed an historic moment this year when
Democrat Keith Ellison was elected the nation's first Muslim in
Congress.
"Tonight, we made history," Mr Ellison said in a victory speech
to supporters. "We won a key election, but we did much more than
that. We showed that a candidate can run a 100 percent positive campaign
and prevail, even against tough opposition."
Many commentators believed that Ellison's election victory reflected a
larger trend: a greater turnout of the American Muslim voters to make
their voices heard.
CAIR's recently-acquired list of 400,000 registered Muslim voters helped
to get out the vote nationwide in the mid-term elections and encourage
increased political participation within the Muslim community.
CAIR chapters throughout the country organized massive voter registration
drives and issued voter education forums. It was CAIR's aim to empower
the American Muslim community by helping build a stronger political
presence as well as to encourage active civic participation.
CAIR also surveyed 1000 registered Muslim voters about their demographic
profiles, political views and levels of social integration. The results
of the survey indicated that Muslim voters are religiously diverse, well
integrated in American society, and are politically active.
The full results of CAIR's survey may be viewed at:
http://www.cair.com/pdf/American_Muslim_Voter_Survey_2006.pdf
5 - CAIR OFFERS PIONEERING RESEARCH ON
AMERICAN MUSLIMS -
TOP
Over the past decade, CAIR's research and civil rights departments
published studies of the American Muslim community not found elsewhere.
Public officials, researchers, students and journalists all rely on CAIR
reports as an important resource for their own work.
This year was no different.
CAIR's 2006 annual report on the status of Muslim civil rights, titled
"The Struggle for Equality," is a one-of-a-kind publication
that chronicles bias and discrimination against Muslims. This year's
report showed an almost 30 percent increase in complaints from the
previous year.
CAIR also received 153 reports of anti-Muslim hate crimes, an 8.6 percent
increase from the 141 complaints received in 2004. CAIR officials said
factors contributing to the sharp increase in reported incidents included
the lingering impact of post-9/11 fears, increased awareness of civil
rights issues in the Muslim community and a general increase in
anti-Muslim rhetoric in American society.
SEE:
Report: Anti-Muslim Bias Incidents Jump 29 Percent
In March, CAIR released the results of its second poll on American
attitudes toward Islam and Muslims. The survey confirmed the findings of
a similar CAIR poll taken in 2004 indicating that about one-fourth of
Americans consistently believe such stereotypes as: "Muslims value
life less than other people," and "The Muslim religion teaches
violence and hatred." Many also admitted they knew very little of
Islam.
SEE:
Two New Polls Show Negative Image of Islam in U.S.
6 - CAIR CONDEMNS ISRAELI ATTACKS,
EXAMINES ISRAEL LOBBY -
TOP
When Israel undertook its bombardment of southern Lebanon in July this
year, many in the worldwide community condemned the military action and
unanimously approved a UN Resolution to end the hostilities.
Similarly, CAIR called on the Bush administration to demand an end to
Israel's terror campaign and to protect the lives of American citizens
trapped in areas under Israeli attack. CAIR used polling data to show
that a cease-fire was supported by the majority of Americans of all
faiths.
SEE:
Poll: Americans Support Mideast Cease-Fire
On national television, CAIR representatives urged the U.S. government to
end American arms shipments to Israel and to actively support a
comprehensive and just resolution to the Middle East crisis.
CAIR chapters throughout the country also hosted news conferences to give
voice to those American Muslims whose families were directly affected by
Israel's aggression.
SEE:
Local Muslims Urge Bush to Declare a Cease-Fire (CAIR-Ohio)
SEE ALSO:
Family
Reunited After Escaping Mideast Violence (CAIR-Philly)
CAIR followed its media efforts with a panel discussion on "The
Israel Lobby and the U.S. Response to the War in Lebanon" at the
National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The panel, aired live nationwide
on C-SPAN, featured Professors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, authors
of a recent Harvard University paper, "The Israel
Lobby."
SEE: Video:
CAIR 'Israel
Lobby' Panel on C-SPAN
7 - CAIR ADDRESSES U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS,
IRAQ, POPE'S COMMENTS -
TOP
In September, CAIR hosted a dinner for former Iranian President Mohammad
Khatami to underscore the need for increased dialogue between the West
and the Muslim world. The theme of his address was "Dialogue of
Civilizations: Five Years After 9/11," in which he called for
respect and dialogue between followers of the three Abrahamic
faiths.
CAIR also hosted a panel discussion at the National Press Club in
Washington, D.C., to offer the Arab and Muslim perspective on the
findings of the Iraq Study Group report. The panel discussion included
remarks by the Syrian ambassador to the United States, as well as
comments from Middle East expert Shibley Telhami and CAIR officials. It
too was aired live on C-SPAN.
SEE:
CAIR Panel on Muslim Perspective & Iraq Study Group
Report
CAIR also urged restraint and called for interfaith outreach when Pope
Benedict XVI's controversial remarks on Islam and the Prophet caused
offense worldwide to Muslims.
CAIR national and chapter officials immediately called for increased
dialogue between Muslims and Catholics. CAIR representatives met with the
Vatican's representative in Washington, D.C., to discuss the remarks.
CAIR-Florida even raised money to pay for the rebuilding of churches
destroyed in response to the Pope's remarks.
SEE: Muslims
Pay to Repair Churches Damaged After Pope Comments
8 - CAIR DEFENDS CIVIL RIGHTS BY TAKING
LEGAL ACTION -
TOP
CAIR and other civil rights groups scored a major victory earlier this
year when a federal judge ruled that the U.S. government's domestic
eavesdropping program violated freedom of speech and privacy rights. The
judge also ruled that the wiretapping violated the separation of powers
doctrine mandated by the Constitution and ordered an immediate halt to
the program. CAIR had previously joined an ACLU lawsuit challenging the
constitutionality of the wiretapping program.
In May, CAIR also called for the appointment of a special counsel to
investigate revelations that the National Security Agency (NSA) had built
a giant database of Americans' phone records. The phone records
monitoring program, reportedly authorized by the president shortly after
the 9/11 terror attacks, authorizes the NSA to bypass a secret court set
up to provide warrants for such surveillance.
In November, when six Imams were taken off a flight at Minneapolis-St.
Paul International Airport because of "suspicious activity,"
the American Muslim community was reminded yet again that often times,
"flying while Muslim" in the post-9/11 era can become an
enforceable offense.
The Imams told CAIR, which is currently serving as their legal counsel,
that they were removed from the US Airways flight "for no
reason" and were "humiliated" by being handcuffed and
taken off the plane in the view of other passengers. They suspect the
"suspicious activity" cited by authorities was the performance
of normal evening prayers offered by members of the group.
SEE:
CAIR Rep Discusses 'Flying While Muslim' Incident on MSNBC
9 - CAIR CHALLENGES
ISLAMOPHOBIA -
TOP
When Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) slammed the planned use of a Quran for the
ceremonial swearing-in of Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to
Congress, CAIR called for an apology. The Washington Post and the New
York Times both published editorials supporting CAIR's condemnation of
Goode's bigotry.
SEE:
A Bigot in Congress (Washington Post)
SEE ALSO:
Fear and
Bigotry in Congress (New York Times)
CAIR also urged that talk show host and columnist Dennis Prager be
removed from the taxpayer-supported museum's council because of a
syndicated column in which he wrote that Keith Ellison, the first Muslim
elected to Congress, should be prevented from taking his oath of office
using the Quran.
In his column, headlined "America, Not Keith Ellison, Decides What
Book a Congressman Takes His Oath On," Prager wrote that swearing an
oath on the Quran "undermines American civilization."
"Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and
uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book,
the Bible," wrote Prager. "If you are incapable of taking an
oath on that book, don't serve in Congress."
Prager also wrote that Ellison's swearing on a Quran would "be doing
more damage to the unity of America and to the value system that has
formed this country than the terrorists of 9-11."
SEE:
U.S. Holocaust Museum Urged to Drop Islam-Basher
---
10 - CAIR EMPOWERS MUSLIMS BY TRAINING
STUDENTS, IMAMS -
TOP
Throughout 2006, CAIR continued to train the future leaders of the
American Muslim community by inviting students from across the country to
apply for its annual internship program, one of the most competitive and
sought-after internships in Washington, D.C. While at CAIR, college
students from a variety of backgrounds gain invaluable skills in advocacy
work that they take back to benefit their respective
communities.
CAIR interns receive practical training in the fields of law, civil
rights, public and media relations, research and leadership training,
community outreach and chapter development.
In December, CAIR also helped organize an Imams' media training
conference. More than 40 imams, community leaders and activists joined
the one-day conference, which was designed to teach them how to interact
effectively with media professionals.
HELP CAIR CONTINUE
ITS IMPORTANT WORK -
TOP
These are just a few of CAIR's achievements in 2006. We invite you to
read more about what CAIR accomplished this year by visiting our website
at:
www.cair.com.
And we also invite you to help CAIR continue its important
work!
You can do so in a number of ways:
1. Become a
CAIR
member.
2.
Donate to
CAIR.
3. Receive CAIR e-mails. Join
CAIR-NET.
4. Volunteer at CAIR. Contact Israa Rahman at
irahman@cair.com
5. Start a CAIR chapter in your area. Contact Khalid Iqbal at
kiqbal@cair.com
6. Support your local
CAIR chapter.
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list receive news releases and other
materials dealing with American Muslim positions on issues of importance
to our society.
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from CAIR-NET, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GERMAN MUSLIM DENIED ENTRY TO U.S., DETAINED IN
LAS VEGAS
CAIR calls for explanation of detention, probe into
treatment of detainee
(ANAHEIM, CA, 12/30/06) - The Southern California chapter of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today asked for an
explanation as to why a German Muslim was barred from entering the United
States and is now being detained in Nevada.
According to his family, 62-year-old Majed Shehadeh is being held after
arriving at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport on Thursday. Family
members say Shehadeh was interrogated for a total of more than 12 hours
by officials with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the FBI. He was
also allegedly placed in a cold cell with some 25 other people and a
single toilet, and prevented from taking prescribed heart medication for
20 hours.
Shehadeh, whose wife and three children are U.S. citizens, had planned to
visit his daughter in Bakersfield, Calif., to celebrate her passing of
the California Bar and her wedding anniversary. The family has reportedly
been barred from seeing Shehadeh, and were only able to communicate with
him late Friday morning. CBP officials report that he will be sent out of
the country on Sunday.
"We call on the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to
explain why Mr. Shehadeh was barred from entering the United States and
ask that his treatment in detention be reviewed to determine if proper
procedures are being followed," said CAIR-LA Executive Director
Hussam Ayloush. "These types of incidents have the potential to
further damage our nation's image in Europe and the Muslim
world."
Ayloush said German citizens are routinely granted visa wavers for entry
into the United States. Shehadeh's wife says she and her husband have
traveled to the United States almost once a year for the past 30
years.
SEE:
Visa Waiver Program (VWP)
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently apologized to a Muslim
traveler strip-searched at a Florida jail after being detained in
April.
SEE:
Muslim Gets Apology for April Strip Search (St. Petersburg
Times)
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-LA Civil Rights Coordinator Affad Shaikh, 714-305-3730,
E-Mail:
ashaikh@cair.com; CAIR-LA
Executive Director Hussam Ayloush, 714-814-4444
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS
BRIEFS - 1/1/07
*
Hadith:
The Faithful Support Each
Other
*
CAIR Director Discusses
Hussein's Execution on C-SPAN
-
CAIR-San Diego:
Execution on Holiday
Wrong (Union-Trib)
-
CAIR-Tampa:
Execution Celebrated,
Criticized
-
Rush to Hang Hussein Was
Questioned (New York Times)
*
CAIR-OH:
Abraham's
Devotion Inspires Muslims, Christians, Jews
-
CAIR-TX:
Holy Rituals in Mecca, New
Innocence in Lives
-
For Young Americans,
Hajj is an
Epic Adventure (AP)
*
CAIR:
MS Museum Touts
Muslim Culture in Bible Belt (AP)
*
CAIR:
'Fusion' Facilities
Raise Privacy Worries (Wash Post)
*
Framers of Constitution Would
Approve of Muslim in Congress
-
Letter:
'Can We Finally Lay the Lie
of Muslim Silence to Rest?'
*
Texas Man Races Pigs to Protest
Mosque Plans (AP)
-
CA:
Neighbors Ask FBI to Probe New
Mosque (Sac Bee)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE FAITHFUL SUPPORT EACH OTHER -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(The relationship
between one faithful believer and another) is like the bricks of a wall,
re-enforcing each other." While (saying that) the Prophet clasped
his hands (together) by interlacing his fingers.
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Hadith 468
-----
CAIR DIRECTOR DISCUSSES IMPACT OF
HUSSEIN'S EXECUTION ON C-SPAN -
TOP
http://www.cairfl.org/ViewArticle.asp?Code=CM&ArticleID=728
12/30/2006 -
CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad
appears on C-SPAN's Washington Journal to discuss the impact of the
execution of Saddam Hussein on the Muslim holy day of Eid
Al-Adha.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-SAN DIEGO: KILLING HUSSEIN ON HOLIDAY
WRONG, S.D. RESIDENTS SAY -
TOP
Joe Hughes, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12/31/06
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061231/news_1n31eid.html
Members of San Diego's Muslim community celebrating the Eid al-Adha
religious holiday at the Del Mar Fairgrounds yesterday expressed fear
that the observance forever will be linked to the execution of ousted
Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
Many Muslims who came for prayer and solemnity in the morning chill also
worried that the timing of the execution could fuel the sectarian
violence in Iraq.
"It's like executing a guy on Christmas; it doesn't fit well,"
said
Edgar Hopida, spokesman for the San Diego chapter of the Council
on American-Islamic Relations. (MORE)
---
CAIR-TAMPA: SADDAM HUSSEIN'S EXECUTION,
CELEBRATED AND CRITICIZED IN BAY AREA -
TOP
Tampa Bays 10 News, 12/30/06
http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=46307
But Saddam's execution comes as Muslims around the globe observe
Eid-al-Adha, or Festival of the Sacrifice, a four day holiday marking the
end of the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the holiest days of the
year in the religion.
"It's a time of forgiveness, a time of compassion a time of love and
mercy. Execution is completely opposite from that." said
Ahmed
Bedier, Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic
Relations.
During local festivities in Tampa, Bedier called Saddam's death
"just," but he likened its timing to executing a Christian on
Easter.
"I think that was an unwise move on the part of the Iraqi government
to do that which will make a bad problem way, way worse for the people in
the area." Bedier said. (MORE)
---
RUSH TO HANG HUSSEIN WAS QUESTIONED -
TOP
JOHN F. BURNS and MARC SANTORA, New York Times, 1/1/07
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/01/world/middleeast/01iraq.html
BAGHDAD, Dec. 31 - With his plain pine coffin strapped into an American
military helicopter for a predawn journey across the desert, Saddam
Hussein, the executed dictator who built a legend with his defiance of
America, completed a turbulent passage into history on Sunday.
Like the helicopter trip, just about everything in the 24 hours that
began with Mr. Hussein's being taken to his execution from his cell in an
American military detention center in the postmidnight chill of Saturday
had a surreal and even cinematic quality.
Part of it was that the Americans, who turned him into a pariah and drove
him from power, proved to be his unlikely benefactors in the face of
Iraq's new Shiite rulers who seemed bent on turning the execution and its
aftermath into a new nightmare for the Sunni minority privileged under
Mr. Hussein. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-OH: ABRAHAM'S DEVOTION TO
GOD INSPIRES MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS AND JEWS -
TOP
ASMA MOBIN-UDDIN, Columbus Dispatch, 12/29.06
http://www.dispatch.com/news/religion/faith-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/29/20061229-C2-00.html
[
Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin is a Columbus pediatrician and president of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations' Ohio Chapter. Her upcoming
children's book, The Best Eid Holiday Ever, is due to be published in the
fall of 2007 and is about the Eid al-Adha holiday. E-Mail:
mobin-uddin.4@osu.edu]
In the current climate, I hesitate to tell people that the biggest
holiday of the Muslim year celebrates the Prophet Abraham's willingness
to sacrifice his son at God's command. I worry that people will associate
the observance with the political situations we are seeing and will miss
the profound beauty and strength of the story. Told in both the Bible and
the Quran, the episode is revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims, who
all honor Abraham's example, righteousness and faith.
God tested Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his only son. Out of
devotion and obedience, Abraham was willing to do so. Before the deed
could take place, a ram was substituted for sacrifice. The lesson in this
great trial of Abraham's is that people should love and be faithful to
God above everything else. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-SAN ANTONIO: HOLY RITUALS IN MECCA,
NEW INNOCENCE IN LIVES -
TOP
Michelle M. Martinez, Express-News, 12/29/06
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/religion/stories/MYSA123006.01R.HAJJ.217ab8f.html
Salah Shamsi was one of about 2 million Muslims who gathered last year in
the Islamic holy city of Mecca for a pilgrimage.
The ritual was arduous at times, requiring the Pakistani native to walk
many miles and endure long hours of prayer. He and his wife, Rukhsana,
who now live in San Antonio, set aside money for nearly a dozen years to
pay for the trip. Yet the feeling of forgiveness they felt there was
worth every penny, Salah Shamsi said.
"I was literally shivering and asking for the forgiveness of Allah,
that I don't make any mistakes," he said. . .
Sarwat Husain, president of the Council on American Islamic Relations
in San Antonio, said the prayers she had been prepared to recite
froze in her head when she came face to face with the Ka'bah.
"I thought, 'My God, this is it,'" said Husain, who made the
pilgrimage last year. "I never thought I would get there. I just
don't have the words to explain what it did to me."
Before hajj is complete, pilgrims must walk seven times between the two
hills that Hagar ran between in search of water.
Husain said it took her more than two hours to circle the Ka'bah seven
times. That ritual, she said, is by far the most strenuous because
pilgrims are not allowed to rest before they are done. (MORE)
---
FOR YOUNG AMERICANS, HAJJ IS AN EPIC
ADVENTURE -
TOP
LEE KEATH, ASSOCIATED PRESS, 12.31/07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/31/AR2006123100438.html
MINA, Saudi Arabia - The 20-year-old American tells his hajj pilgrimage
stories a mile a minute, his hands moving in excitement - about how he
arrived in Mecca days ago, lost amid the huge crowds, and saw a man drop
dead while circling the Kaaba.
"Dude, I saw it, the guy had the most peaceful smile on his
face," Adil Muschelewicz, performing the pilgrimage for the first
time, said Sunday, his head shaved bald after a ritual a day
earlier.
The young man from Easley, S.C., had arrived alone in Mecca because of a
travel agent mistake that prevented his family from arriving for three
days. He was with hundreds of thousands of others circling the Kaaba, a
massive cube-shaped stone structure draped in black cloth that is Islam's
holiest site, when he saw the elderly man fall dead. The body was quickly
lifted out of the crowd.
Muschelewicz didn't know the cause of the man's death - exhaustion maybe,
he said - but it became one of the many powerful religious moments that
have shaken him during the trip.
"I looked at his face and I looked at the Kaaba, and it was like he
was happy, he'd gotten close to God. It just went boom, like this deep
bass line in my heart," he said. "It was so emotional. I was by
myself, in this wild place I'd never been before."
For young American Muslims far from home, the hajj pilgrimage is an
awesome adventure that they say deepens their faith and connects them
with the wide range of Muslim peoples. (MORE)
-----
MS: MUSEUM TOUTS MUSLIM
CULTURE IN BIBLE BELT MISSISSIPPI -
TOP
KATHY HANRAHAN, Associated Press, 1/1/07
JACKSON Miss. - This mid-sized Southern city with its thriving Baptist,
Methodist and Catholic churches may seem an unlikely home for one of the
only museums in the United States devoted entirely to Muslim
culture.
Still, the International Museum of Muslim Culture opened in April 2001,
an attempt by organizers to educate their churchgoing neighbors about a
faith that many viewed as mysterious, possibly violent.
The museum is right at home in Jackson's downtown art district, which
continues to host the international ballet competition every four years
and, for several years, was home to traveling exhibitions of culture and
art treasures from around the world.
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, museum executive director Okolo
Rashid said the project in Mississippi has taken on added significance,
particularly since many people have serious misconceptions about Muslims
and their culture.
"And, of course, after 9/11 and even prior to that, the whole thing
about terrorism that Muslims are terrorists and Muslims are violent and
really not understanding any of the contributions or the significant
influence that Muslims have had on the Western world," Rashid
said.
The museum was born of an idea to create a companion to the "Majesty
of Spain" exhibition featuring works from the Prado and other
prominent museums that was showing at the Mississippi Arts Pavilion,
Rashid said.
The Muslim museum opened near the Arts Pavilion with an exhibition titled
"Islamic Moorish Spain: Its Legacy to Europe and the West."
Rashid said the response to the show encouraged her and museum board
chairman Emad Al-Turk to keep the museum open past its scheduled closing
date at the end of September 2001.
"As we traveled and promoted the exhibit nationally, we found that
we were the only Islamic museum in the country," Rashid
said.
Rabiah Ahmed, communications coordinator for the Washington D.C.-based
Council on American-Islamic Relations, said most Muslim exhibitions are
relegated to portions of existing museums. She said she knows of no other
museum in the United States dedicated entirely to Muslim
culture.
"In this day and age when there are so many misconceptions about
Islam, establishing a museum about Islam's history in America and Muslims
in general is another way for Americans to learn about their neighbors
and the history of our country," Ahmed said.
Only one act of violence has occurred at the museum: A brick was thrown
into the front window, days after 9/11. . .
An estimated 30,000 people have visited the museum, which has become a
place to showcase the role Muslims have played in the history of the
state's development and foster an understanding of the culture's
worldwide impact.
The museum's first home, a small, one-story building, was razed to make
way for a new city convention center. Now, the museum is housed about a
block away, on the second floor of the Mississippi Arts Center.
The museum's current exhibit, "The Legacy of Timbuktu: Wonders of
the Written Word," opened in late November. The "Islamic
Moorish Spain" exhibition also is being reinstalled in the new
facility.
The Timbuktu show features handwritten manuscripts donated from the
city's Mama Haidara Manuscript Library. The documents, some dating back
more than 700 years, help establish the literate culture of Africa,
Rashid said.
Library general manager Abdel Kader Haidara traveled from Timbuktu, a
city in the Western Africa country of Mali, to attend the exhibition's
opening on Nov. 28. Speaking through an interpreter, Haidara said it was
important to reintroduce the manuscripts to the world. Haidara stressed a
message of peace, equality and tolerance that he feels the world needs to
understand about the Islamic culture. . .
An estimated 7 million Muslims live in the United States, according to
Ahmed. The Pluralism Project, a study done by Harvard University, said
about 4,000 Muslims live in Mississippi; the state's population is about
2.9 million.
Ahmed believes museums and exhibitions that focus on the history of the
Islamic culture can help society see that the religion is a part of the
"fabric of society."
"It's also a sign to show the maturity and the integration in
Muslims in the U.S.," Ahmed said.
On the Net:
International Museum of Muslim Cultures:
http://www.muslimmuseum.org
The Pluralism Project:
http://www.pluralism.org
-----
CAIR: 'FUSION' FACILITIES RAISE
PRIVACY WORRIES -
TOP
Mary Beth Sheridan and Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post, 12/31/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/30/AR2006123000238.html
Frustrated by poor federal cooperation, U.S. states and cities are
building their own network of intelligence centers led by police to help
detect and disrupt terrorist plots.
The new "fusion centers" are now operating in 37 states,
including Virginia and Maryland, and another covers the Washington area,
according to the Department of Homeland Security. The centers, which have
received $380 million in federal support since the 2001 terrorist
attacks, pool and analyze information from local, state and federal law
enforcement officials.
The emerging "network of networks" marks a new era of
opportunity for law enforcement, according to U.S. officials and homeland
security experts. Police are hungry for federal intelligence in an age of
homegrown terrorism and more sophisticated crime. For their part, federal
law enforcement officials could benefit from a potential army of tipsters
-- the 700,000 local and state police officers across the country, as
well as private security guards and others being courted by the
centers.
But the emerging model of "intelligence-led policing" faces
risks on all sides. . .
Officials say an incident on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in 2004 shows the
center's effectiveness. State transportation police stopped an SUV after
a veiled passenger was seen videotaping the bridge in a suspicious
manner. The officers called the fusion center, which discovered that the
driver was an unindicted co-conspirator in a Chicago case involving
Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group.
Eisenberg contacted a prosecutor in Chicago, who quickly obtained an
arrest warrant for the driver as a material witness in the Hamas
case.
"The 9/11 commission's major criticism was that people didn't talk
to each other," said Dennis R. Schrader, Maryland's director of
homeland security. "Well, this is an example of how you had state,
local and federal all working together. . . . It's really pretty
unbelievable."
To some, though, the incident raised questions about what constitutes
dangerous behavior.
The driver, Ismail Elbarasse, a U.S. citizen of Palestinian origin living
in Annandale, was quickly released on bond, and the material-witness
warrant eventually expired. He was not charged with a crime. His family
said the veiled woman, Elbarasse's wife, was simply taping the bay while
returning from the beach.
"It was regarded in the community as just a case of overreaction to
seeing somebody in a head scarf videotaping," said
Ibrahim Hooper
of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Civil liberties advocates worry that the fledgling fusion centers
could stray into monitoring people engaged in lawful activities, as some
members of new police homeland security units have done. A Georgia
homeland security officer, for example, was discovered photographing a
protest by vegans at a HoneyBaked Ham store in 2003. Privacy advocates
are also concerned about the vast amount of information some fusion
centers collect -- and the sometimes vague limits on its use and storage.
(MORE)
-----
MUSLIM IN CONGRESS? FRAMERS OF
CONSTITUTION WOULD APPROVE -
TOP
Sam Fleischacker, Philadelphia Inquirer, 1/1/07
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/opinion/16359671.htm
[Sam Fleischacker is a professor of philosophy at the University of
Illinois at Chicago.]
It is interesting to consider what the founders of our Constitution might
have said about the election of Keith Ellison to Congress, the first
Muslim to hold such a position.
Ellison, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, was elected in
November to fill the vacant seat for Minnesota's Fifth Congressional
District in the House of Representatives.
One might imagine that talk-show radio host Dennis Prager and outspoken
Rep. Virgil Goode (R., Va.), who have been waxing hysterical about the
prospect of Muslims in high office, might have the framers of our
Constitution on their side. Or one might imagine that the framers never
considered that possibility, never spoke one way or the other about
Muslim officeholders.
The truth is more interesting. It turns out that our constitutional
founders explicitly considered the possibility of Muslim officeholders -
and explicitly welcomed it.
Some early opponents of the Constitution attacked it for Article VI,
which prohibits religious tests for national office, precisely on the
ground that it made room for Muslims to become lawmakers. Defenders of
the Constitution, however, argued that this was a good thing, not
something to be feared. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
AGAINST TERRORISM -
TOP
The News & Observer, 1/1/07
http://www.newsobserver.com/580/story/527414.html
The Dec. 26 People's Forum letter "Muslims' silence" once again
trotted out the old canard that American Muslims have remained silent in
the face of violence in the name of Islam overseas. A review of the State
Department Web site will show that every Muslim organization in the
United States has condemned terrorism without equivocation or
reservation.
At a personal level, many Muslims proudly serve in law enforcement and
our armed serves. Can we finally lay the lie of Muslim silence to
rest?
Saeed Gil
Raleigh
-----
TEXAS MAN RACES PIGS TO PROTEST MOSQUE
PLANS -
TOP
Associated Press, 12/31/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061231/NEWS99/61231006
KATY, Texas -- A man unhappy with an Islamic association's plans to build
a mosque next to his property has staged pig races as a protest during
afternoon prayers.
Craig Baker, 46, sold merchandise and grilled sausages Friday for about
100 people who showed up in heavy rain. He insisted he wasn't trying to
offend anyone with the pigs, which are forbidden from the Muslim
diet.
"I am just defending my rights and my property," Baker said.
"They totally disrespected me and my family."
Muslims don't hate pigs, they just don't eat them, said engineer Kamel
Fotouh, president of the 500-member Katy Islamic Association in this
Houston suburb.
"I don't care if he races, roasts or slaughters pigs," said
Yousef Allam, a spokesman for the group. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CA: PLANS FOR MOSQUE IN FOLSOM ON
TRACK -
TOP
Cathy Locke, Sacramento Bee, 1/1/07
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/101243.html
Members of the Islamic Society of Folsom expect 2007 to be a landmark
year.
If all goes well, they will break ground for a mosque by the end of this
month, said Riaz Siddique, society president. . .
Some people voiced concerns about noise and increased traffic in the
neighborhood, while others raised national security issues and called for
an FBI investigation of the society's finances to find out whether it
received funds from overseas.
Siddique has said that the $2.3 million project is being funded by
members of the congregation and other private sources in the United
States.
In an effort to alleviate concerns, Siddique said, members of the society
have increased their outreach, particularly to Folsom's religious
community.
Over the past year, Siddique said, he has met with various church
leaders, and the society is routinely represented along with local
churches in community meetings sponsored by Folsom Police Chief Sam
Spiegel.
Siddique said he believes "the misunderstanding has been eliminated
and we're on track."
Greg Jones, an El Dorado Hills resident and Folsom Parks Department
employee who sought the FBI investigation, said he still thinks the
mosque will be detrimental to Folsom, but he has been unable to sway city
officials or generate active opposition in the community.
Jones said he doesn't object to local Muslims having a place to worship.
But the traditional mosque with a 70-foot minaret, he said, "looks
like it would be a magnet for get-togethers from all over
California."
Among those who don't share Jones' fears is the pastor of his church.
Kent Carlson, a senior pastor of Folsom's Oak Hills Church, said he has
met with Siddique and members of the Islamic Society of Folsom, including
the congregation's new imam.
"I've had wonderful conversations with Riaz and some others,"
Carlson said, noting that he participated in a feast at the end of
Ramadan.
"My big thing is, this is the United States of America, and we have
religious freedom," he said. "So I don't understand the
mentality that would want to do something other than that."
(MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/2/07
*
Hadith:
Do Not Use Religion
Deceptively
*
CA:
Muslim
Family Claims Profiling at Airport (KGET-TV)
-
CAIR:
German Muslim Detained
in Las Vegas
-
CAIR:
Muslim Family Upset
Over Vegas Airport Incident
*
CAIR-OH:
Investigations of
Arab Americans Draw Complaints
*
NJ:
Muslim Mayor Avoids
Mixing Politics, Religion (Record)
*
CAIR-Chicago:
Hate Breeds
Hate (Chicago Tribune)
-
Rep. Goode's
Words Can't Go
Unchallenged
-
Ugly Voices Tarnish Debut of
First Muslim Rep (USA Today)
-
CAIR:
VA Muslims
Asked to Contact Reps About Goode's Remarks
-
Rep. Goode:
Save
Judeo-Christian Values (USA Today)
*
Breaking a U.S. Taboo
of Criticizing
Israel (Philly Inquirer)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: DO NOT USE RELIGION DECEPTIVELY -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "A person who uses
religion deceptively is a bad servant (of God)."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1323
-----
CA: MUSLIM FAMILY
CLAIMS DISCRIMINATION BY RACIAL PROFILING AT AIRPORT -
TOP
KGET-TV, 1/1/07
http://www.kget.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=4153898d-6402-4f85-bb73-68088f320f9c
Watch the Video
http://www.kget.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=13953
BAKERSFIELD - It was supposed to be a fun family reunion, but instead a
Bakersfield family claims their Muslim father had a hard time getting to
Bakersfield from Germany because of airport security.
This is familiar territory to the Islamic community where someone is
allegedly subjected to discriminatory treatment while traveling.
Magidah Shehadeh was anticipating a warm and joyous holiday weekend with
the visit of her father- a German Muslim, but that did not happen. He was
allegedly detained by the customs and border protection agency and the
FBI at McCarron International Airport in Las Vegas, refused entry, and
sent back to Germany.
"You wonder about the state of civil liberties … about the whole
system," Shehadeh said. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: GERMAN MUSLIM DENIED ENTRY
TO U.S., DETAINED IN LAS VEGAS -
TOP
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/061230/nysa001.html?.v=77
---
MUSLIM BAKERSFIELD FAMILY UPSET
OVER VEGAS AIRPORT INCIDENT -
TOP
http://www.turnto23.com/news/10652347/detail.html
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- A Bakersfield woman hoping for a reunion with
her father visiting from Germany says he was the victim of anti-Muslim
discrimination.
Magiah Shehadeh said her father -- who is Muslim and lives in Germany --
was interrogated for more than 12 hours at the Las Vegas airport
Thursday. She said her father, Majed, was prevented from taking his heart
medication and sent back to Germany.
The
Southern California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations is asking Customs and Border Protection and the FBI for
answers.
-----
CAIR-OH:
INVESTIGATIONS OF ARAB AMERICANS DRAW COMPLAINTS -
TOP
MIKE TOBIN, Newhouse News Service
http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/tobin010207.html
CLEVELAND -- Federal agencies increasingly are fighting the war on terror
with tax laws and food stamp regulations.
Investigators from the FBI, IRS and other agencies have turned to tactics
similar to those that broke the Mafia to investigate people suspected of
funneling money to terrorists overseas.
Decades ago, FBI agents snagged mobsters in low-level crimes and then
persuaded them to testify against their bosses in return for lighter
prison sentences. These days, federal investigators recruit Arab
informants involved in crimes such as food stamp fraud, income tax
evasion and drug trafficking, to penetrate organizations that
investigators believe might be sending money to terrorists.
Critics in the Arab-American and Muslim communities complain that the
tactics are nothing more than ethnic and religious profiling. The
investigations target businesses started by recent immigrants and
alienate the community without making a dent in terrorism, the critics
say.
Law enforcement officials acknowledge that while there have been no
terror-related indictments in Cleveland, they investigate tips that come
in and then make the best case they can. A big part of their focus has
been trying to disrupt the money flow by giving greater scrutiny to
groups with access to large sums of cash.
A recent trial in U.S. District Court shed light on an investigation that
ensnared several Arab-owned businesses. In the case of Abrar Haque, the
FBI sent an undercover informant into Haque's Cleveland accounting firm
after getting tips that Haque was sending money abroad to
terrorists.
Agents used the informant, wiretapped phones and secret video recordings
but found no evidence that Haque was sending money to
terrorists.
They did learn, though, that he sold phony financial documents that his
clients -- almost exclusively small-business owners from the Middle East
-- used to obtain fraudulent bank loans or welfare benefits or free
health care coverage intended for the poor.
Altogether, at least 15 people have been charged in the Haque
investigation, and prosecutors expect more indictments.
Isam Zaiem, chair of the Council on American-Islamic Relations'
Cleveland office, said the Haque case is an example of law
enforcement agencies targeting Middle Eastern immigrants based on
assumptions and flawed information.
"Not only in Cleveland but across the country, there's a perception
that law enforcement, post-9/11, have been targeting Muslims and
Arabs," Zaiem said. "We feel there's been an intentional
targeting of the community."
In some ways, there has been. (MORE)
-----
NJ: MUSLIM MAYOR AVOIDS MIXING
POLITICS, RELIGION -
TOP
Maya Kremen,
The Record, 1/2/07
Mayor Mohamed Khairullah took office in Prospect Park Monday.
PROSPECT PARK -- The mayor's voicemail is full of pleas. Two residents
want handicapped parking permits. A man who's moved out of state is
trying to pay parking tickets. And there's a woman facing
eviction.
His cellphone buzzes. The office phone rings. He picks it up.
"Hey, what's up," Mayor Mohamed Khairullah says. "Assalam
alaikum. I got your e-mail."
Khairullah, 31, set a precedent in November by becoming the state's first
elected Arab-American Muslim mayor. Now he's all about proving that, like
any good politician, a Muslim can serve the public without mixing
religion into it.
You'll find the Quran in his office. But it's wedged between essential
reading for this job: a municipal manual and a flood insurance
study.
Deliver the goods to everyone, and then you can exert personal
perspective. It's a strategy he imparts to other Muslims and Arabs.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR-CHICAGO:
EXPRESSING FAITH SHOULD BE SEEN AS JUST THAT -
TOP
Sultan Muhammad, Chicago Tribune, 1/2/07
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_opinion_letters/2007/01/expressing_fait.html
[
Sultan Muhammad is the communications coordinator of the Chicago
chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.]
In "U.S. will survive one hand on Koran" (Commentary, Dec. 13),
columnist Kathleen Parker opted to endorse Dennis Prager, a popular
talk-show host and columnist, who has widely been identified from all
sides as intolerant and a bigot.
According to Parker, expressing your faith, if you are Muslim, is
"probable cause to infer" that you are out to make one
statement or another.
This, of course, is a most disingenuous argument.
For Muslims no less than for anyone else, expressing your faith should be
taken as no more than, well, expressing your faith. Her selectiveness and
aggressive hyperbole, framed in folksy phrases like "traditional
values" and "American solidarity," barely conceal her
ideological hostility.
It is hard to understand why there is a growing editorial tendency toward
willful ignorance and Islamophobic extremism. It is growing at the
expense of intellectual honesty and moral reason.
Not that a columnist should not have an opinion, but when opinion morphs
into overt hate-mongering and dualist propaganda, then editors have the
responsibility to prevent the incitement spewed by fringe
agitators.
Simply put: Hate breeds hate.
SEE ALSO:
REP. GOODE'S WORDS
CAN'T GO UNCHALLENGED -
TOP
Union-Bulletin, 1/1/07
http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2007/01/01/opinion/daily_editorial/edit01.txt
It can be hoped that only the rush of the holiday season prevented
Republicans and President Bush from repudiating the bigoted and
hate-mongering statements.
By the Editorial Board of the Union-Bulletin
We shudder when studies show that many citizens don't have a good
understanding of the basic principles on which this country was founded.
It's distressing to find that people are so ignorant of the
Constitution.
But when a congressman thumbs his nose at the sacred protections included
in the Bill of Rights and his own party members act as if nothing
important has happened, it has us fearing we are starting down the wrong
road. A road where those who look different, talk differently or worship
differently are relegated to second-class status.
It can be hoped that only the rush of the holiday season prevented
Republicans and President Bush from repudiating the bigoted and
hate-mongering statements from Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. (MORE)
---
UGLY VOICES TARNISH DEBUT OF
CONGRESS' FIRST MUSLIM -
TOP
Swearing-in of Minnesota's Ellison is chance to win hearts and
minds.
USA Today, 1/2/07
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/01/our_view_on_rel.html
Keith Ellison's election to the House, as the chamber's first Muslim,
provides the United States with a grand opportunity to showcase its
credentials as a nation of opportunity, equality and diversity.
What a great story to tell the Muslim world. Five years after 9/11,
voters in America's heartland elected Ellison, an African-American who
grew up in Detroit and converted to Islam in college, to one of the
nation's highest offices. The 43-year-old Democrat took 56% of the vote
in his Minneapolis-area district.
Ellison upped the chance to polish America's image for religious
tolerance, as well, when he said he'd use Islam's holy book, the Quran,
at his ceremonial swearing-in this week.
That's when the chance to shine was tarnished by a few ugly voices. The
loudest belongs to Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va., who used the occasion to
take a crude swipe not only at Ellison and the Quran, but at all Muslims.
(MORE)
---
VA MUSLIMS ASKED TO
CONTACT DAVIS, WOLF ABOUT GOODE'S REMARKS -
TOP
http://cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=473&theType=AA
---
REP. GOODE: SAVE
JUDEO-CHRISTIAN VALUES -
TOP
Immigration leaves USA vulnerable to Muslim extremists'
infiltration.
Virgil Goode, USA Today, 1/2/07
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/01/opposing_view_s.html
A letter I sent in early December was written in response to hundreds of
e-mails from constituents upset about Rep.-elect Keith Ellison's decision
to use the Quran in connection with his congressional swearing-in. Their
communications followed media reports that Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat,
had said that he would swear on the Quran. He repeated that at a
gathering of Muslims in Detroit on Dec. 26.
My letter did not call for a religious test for prospective members of
Congress, as some have charged. Americans have the right to elect any
person of their choosing to represent them. I indicated to my
constituents that I did not subscribe to the Quran in any way, and I
intended to use the Bible in connection with my swearing-in. I also
stated that the Ten Commandments and "In God We Trust" are on
the wall of my office, and I have no intention of displaying the Quran in
my office. That is my choice, and I stand by my position and do not
apologize for it.
My letter also stated, "If American citizens don't wake up and adopt
the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more
Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the
Quran."
Immigration is arguably the most important issue facing the country
today. At least 12 million immigrants are here illegally. And diversity
visas, a program initiated in 1990 to grant visas to people from
countries that had low U.S. immigration at that time, are bringing in
50,000 a year from various parts of the world, including the Middle
East.
Let us remember that we were not attacked by a nation on 9/11; we were
attacked by extremists who acted in the name of the Islamic religion. I
believe that if we do not stop illegal immigration totally, reduce legal
immigration and end diversity visas, we are leaving ourselves vulnerable
to infiltration by those who want to mold the United States into the
image of their religion, rather than working within the Judeo-Christian
principles that have made us a beacon for freedom-loving persons around
the world.
Rep. Virgil Goode is a Republican from Virginia's 5th congressional
district.
-----
TRUTH AT LAST,
WHILE BREAKING A U.S. TABOO OF CRITICIZING ISRAEL -
TOP
George Bisharat, Philadelphia Inquirer, 1/2/07
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/16363618.htm
Americans owe a debt to former President Jimmy Carter for speaking long
hidden but vital truths. His book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid breaks
the taboo barring criticism in the United States of Israel's
discriminatory treatment of Palestinians. Our government's tacit
acceptance of Israel's unfair policies causes global hostility against
us. . .
The word apartheid typically evokes images of former South Africa, but it
also refers to any institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and
domination by one racial group over another. Carter applies the term only
to Israel's rule of the occupied Palestinian territories, where it has
established more than 200 Jewish-only settlements and a network of roads
and other services to support them. These settlements violate
international law and the rights of Palestinian property owners. Carter
maintains that "greed for land," not racism, fuels Israel's
settlement drive. He is only partially right.
Israel is seizing land and water from Palestinians for Jews. Resources
are being transferred, under the guns of Israel's military occupation,
from one disempowered group - Palestinian Christians and Muslims - to
another, preferred group - Jews. That is racism, pure and
simple.
Moreover, there is abundant evidence that Israel discriminates against
Palestinians elsewhere. The "Israeli Arabs" - about 1.4 million
Palestinian Christian and Muslim citizens who live in Israel - vote in
elections. But they are a subordinated and marginalized minority. The
Star of David on Israel's flag symbolically tells Palestinian citizens:
"You do not belong." Israel's Law of Return grants rights of
automatic citizenship to Jews anywhere in the world, while those rights
are denied to 750,000 Palestinian refugees who were forced or fled in
fear from their homes in what became Israel in 1948.
Israel's Basic Law of Human Dignity and Liberty establishes the state as
a "Jewish democracy" although 24 percent of the population is
non-Jewish. Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel,
counted 20 laws that explicitly privilege Jews over non-Jews. .
.
Some say that Palestinian citizens in Israel enjoy better circumstances
than those in surrounding Arab countries. Ironically, white South
Africans made identical claims to defend their version of apartheid, as
is made clear in books such as Antjie Krog's Country of My
Skull.
Americans are awakening to the costs of our unconditional support of
Israel. We urgently need frank debate to chart policies that honor our
values, advance our interests, and promote a just and lasting peace in
the Middle East. It is telling that it took a former president, immune
from electoral pressures, to show the way.
The debate should now be extended. Are Israel's founding ideals truly
consistent with democracy? Can a state established in a multiethnic
milieu be simultaneously "Jewish" and "democratic"?
Isn't strife the predictable yield of preserving the dominance of Jews in
Israel over a native Palestinian population? Does our unconditional aid
merely enable Israel to continue abusing Palestinian rights with
impunity, deepening regional hostilities and distancing peace? Isn't it
time that Israel lived by rules observed in any democracy - including
equal rights for all?
[George Bisharat
(bisharat@uchastings.edu)
is a professor of law at University of California Hastings College of the
Law. He writes frequently on law and politics in the Middle
East.]
SEND COMMENTS TO:
Inquirer.Letters@phillynews.com
COPY TO:
info@cair.com
FOR LETTER REQUIREMENTS, GO TO:
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial//14362606.htm
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/3/07
*
Verse:
God Gave Books to Moses, Jesus and
Muhammad
*
CAIR-Orlando Director
Interviewed (Orlando Sentinel)
*
CAIR Rep Discusses 'Peace
in the Mideast' on CBS
-
CAIR-FL:
Hussein's
Execution Provokes Anger (Sun-Sent)
*
CAIR-CA:
Muslim with US
Family Detained, Denied Entry (AP)
-
German Muslim Denied Entry
to U.S. (Deutsche Welle)
*
MN:
First Muslim in
Congress to Use Historic Quran (Reuters)
-
But It's Thomas Jefferson's
Koran! (Wash Post)
-
The Newest Oafs of Office (Philly Daily
News)
*
MN:
Airport
Hesitant to Grant Muslim Prayer Room (Pioneer Press)
*
New Book:
Muslims in the Melting
Pot (NY Times)
*
FBI Details Possible
Guantanamo Bay Abuse (AP)
-
FBI Reports Abuse
of Koran at Guantanamo (Wash Post)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD GAVE BOOKS TO MOSES, JESUS AND
MUHAMMAD -
TOP
"We gave Moses the Book in fulfillment (of Our favor) upon those who
would do good (to others) and explaining all things in detail, a guide
and a mercy, so that they might have faith in the (ultimate) meeting with
their Lord. And We have revealed this Book (the Quran) as a blessing.
Therefore, follow it and be conscious of God, so that you may be graced
with His mercy."
The Holy Quran, 6:154-155
"And (in the footsteps of earlier Prophets) We sent Jesus, the son
of Mary, confirming the law that had come before him. And We sent him the
Gospel, therein was guidance and light and confirmation of the law that
had come before him: guidance and an admonition to those who are
conscious of God."
The Holy Quran, 5:46
-----
THIS WEEK'S SPOTLIGHT: SABIHA KHAN -
TOP
Babita Persaud, Orlando Sentinel, 1/3/07
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-spotlight0307jan03,0,3403555.story
Sabiha Khan is the new executive director of the Orlando chapter of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest
Muslim civil-liberties group. Born in Los Angeles to Pakistani
immigrants, Khan, 29, was CAIR's communications director in Los Angeles
before relocating to Orlando this summer to be with her new husband. She
spoke recently with Sentinel reporter Babita Persaud.
You say that bridge-building between the Muslim and non-Muslim community
is a goal for you in Orlando. What do you mean by that?
So much misinformation is out there. We want to clear it up. We've gotten
good feedback from the Muslim community in Orlando. They are hungry to
move forward. They want to let people know about themselves and see CAIR
as a vehicle to get the word out.
I'd like to get your thoughts on some recent news items: What about Keith
Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, taking the oath of office
soon on the Quran?
It is supposed to be a proud moment, to show that we are part and parcel
of the fabric of this country. There are other officials who swore on
nothing or swore on the Torah.
The six imams who were asked to leave a US Airways flight recently after
they prayed?
It was a lesson in not enough education. If someone knew the Muslim
prayer is five times a day and that Muslims try to make those prayers . .
. There is a rumor mill about these imams, that they were on the plane,
that they were shouting Allahu akbar, (God is great). They have denied
everything. They did it at the gate, before getting on the plane. Someone
reported it to the airline, and when they were on the plane, they were
escorted out. Not given another flight even after nothing was found.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR REP DISCUSSES 'PEACE IN THE
MIDEAST' ON CBS -
TOP
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2324864n
Nihad Awad, Executive Director of CAIR, discusses the
differences between Sunnis and Shia and what the U.S. needs to do to
bring about peace in the Middle East.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-FL: HUSSEIN'S EXECUTION
PROVOKES ANGER -
TOP
South Florida
Sun-Sentinel, 1/3/07
Saddam Hussein's execution came sooner than expected. Its repercussions
may last longer than expected. And it remains to be seen whether it will
have a positive or negative effect on Iraq's struggle to achieve
post-Hussein nationhood.
The hope, no doubt, was that removing Hussein from Iraq's political stage
would enable a healing process to begin. But the timing of the execution
and the actions of his executioners may serve only to worsen the
country's sectarian conflict.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday ordered an investigation into
the handling of the execution, during which some witnesses taunted
Hussein, and into the unauthorized release of a graphic cell phone video
showing Hussein dropping through the gallows floor to his death.
Such actions only inflame tensions, as proved by the widespread protests
in Sunni areas of Iraq this week. Additionally, A
ltaf Ali, executive
director of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, is right to criticize the timing of the execution, just
minutes before the start of a major Muslim holiday. As he points out,
it's the kind of thing that can provoke anger throughout the region,
playing into the hands of terrorists.
-----
CAIR-CA: GERMAN
MUSLIM WITH AMERICAN FAMILY DETAINED, DENIED U.S. ENTRY -
TOP
Garance Burke, Associated Press, 1/2/07
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20070102-1702-ca-fatherdetained.html
A German businessman of Syrian descent who wanted to surprise his
daughter with a holiday visit was detained for four days in a Las Vegas
holding cell before being sent back home without explanation.
A civil rights group called authorities' treatment of Majed Shehadeh a
case of anti-Muslim discrimination.
Shehadeh, 62, flew from Frankfurt to Las Vegas last Thursday, hoping to
meet with his wife and drive to Bakersfield, Calif., where his
American-born daughter had just gotten news she'd passed the California
bar exam. Instead, he wound up shivering in a holding cell without ever
being told why he couldn't enter the country, he said.
Roxanne Hercules, a spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
confirmed Tuesday that Shehadeh was denied entry, but would not discuss
specifics of his case. She said Shehadeh's visa waiver could have been
denied because "he could have a criminal record, or it could be a
terrorism issue."
The detention follows a series of similar incidents involving Muslim
passengers, according to the
Council on American-Islamic
Relations.
In October, an Islamic scholar from South Africa was denied entry at San
Francisco International Airport. A month later, six imams were taken off
a US Airways flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix after a passenger
reported overhearing them criticize the U.S. war in Iraq.
"Overall these cases send a message that Muslims are second-class
citizens who can be detained and kept from their families," said
Affad Shaikh, a civil rights coordinator for CAIR.
Shehadeh touched down Thursday afternoon on a direct Condor Airlines
flight to McCarran International Airport, where his American wife was
waiting to pick him up. The couple had planned to visit family in the Las
Vegas area, before surprising their daughter for the New Year and
celebrating her wedding anniversary in Central California.
"I gave them my German passport, and he looked to see which
countries I visited. He found I had stamps that looked like Arabic and
asked if they were fake," Shehadeh said Tuesday in a phone interview
from his home in Alzenau, a small Bavarian village.
"Nobody ever informed me why I was being questioned," he said.
"All that was ever told to me was this had to do with
Washington."
After being interrogated by Border Protection and FBI agents for more
than 12 hours at the airport, Shehadeh said he was handcuffed and
transported in the back of police car to a North Las Vegas jail.
Officials told family members they had denied Shehadeh's visa waiver,
which grants German citizens the right to enter the U.S. with no
additional paperwork, said his wife Joanne Mulligan. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
GERMAN MUSLIM DENIED ENTRY TO
UNITED STATES -
TOP
Deutsche Welle, 1/3/07
http://www.dw-world.de/
Muslim-Americans have called the detention of a German national of Syrian
descent discriminatory. The businessman, who was on a holiday visit, was
refused entry into the United States without explanation.
A German Muslim businessman of Syrian extraction, who wanted to join his
American wife and daughter in California for a holiday visit, was
detained for four days in a holding cell in Las Vegas and sent back home
to Germany without explanation.
Majed Shehadeh, 62, was interrogated for twelve hours by border officials
at McCarran International Airport last Thursday after arriving on a
flight from Frankfurt. He was then handcuffed and transported to a
detention cell, where he was locked in with 25 others, and stripped of
his shoes, jacket and prescription heart medication.
Shehadeh had planned to join his wife of thirty years Joanne Mulligan,
and pay a surprise visit to their American-born daughter who had recently
passed her bar exams in California.
US border official declines to discuss specifics
Roxanne Hercules, a spokeswoman for US Customs and Border Protection
confirmed on Tuesday that Shehadeh had been denied entry, but would not
discuss the specifics of the case.
Normally German nationals, as well as most other EU citizens, are granted
visa waivers to the United States for visits under 90 days, but Hercules
told the Associated Press that Shehadeh's visa could have been denied
because of "a criminal record or terrorism issue."
Last October, US border officials denied entry to an Islamic scholar from
South Africa and one month later, six imams were taken off a US Airways
domestic flight after one passenger reported overhearing the group
criticize the US war in Iraq.
Civil rights group cite anti-Muslim discrimination
Muslim-American activist groups have called the treatment of Shehadeh a
case of anti-Muslim discrimination.
"We call on the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to
explain why Mr. Shehadeh was barred from entering the United States and
ask that his treatment in detention be reviewed to determine if proper
procedures were followed," said
Hussam Ayloush, executive
director of a chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations.
"These type of incidents have the potential to further damage
our nation's image in Europe and the Muslim world," he added.
(MORE)
-----
FIRST MUSLIM
IN U.S. CONGRESS TO USE HISTORIC KORAN -
TOP
Reuters, 1/3/07
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2767827
The first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress, attacked for planning to
use the Koran at his swearing-in instead of a Bible, will use a copy of
the Muslim holy book once owned by Thomas Jefferson, an official said on
Wednesday.
Representative-elect Keith Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat, requested the
18th century copy of the Koran for the unofficial part of his swearing in
on Thursday, according to Mark Dimunation, chief of rare books and
special collections at the Library of Congress in Washington.
Ellison, a Muslim convert who traces his U.S. ancestry to 1741, wanted a
special copy of the book to use, Dimunation said, and approached the
library for one.
The third U.S. president, serving from 1801 to 1809, Jefferson was a
collector with wide-ranging interests. His 6,000-volume library, the
largest in North America at the time, became the basis for the Library of
Congress.
Ellison, elected in November, initially came under attack in the
blogosphere and by at least one conservative radio commentator after he
said he would use the Koran in his unofficial ceremony.
Members are sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives as a group with
no Bibles or other books involved; but in a country where three out of
every four people consider themselves Christians, the Bible has
traditionally been used in ensuing unofficial ceremonies.
These unofficial events among other things provide each member with a
photo opportunity for themselves and their constituents.
Rep. Virgil Goode, a Virginia Republican who represents the area where
Jefferson lived, was one of those who criticized Ellison for wanting to
use the Koran, calling for strict immigration policies specially crafted
to keep Muslims out of the United States.
The English translation of the Koran from Jefferson's collection dates to
the 1750s. Jefferson sold his collection to the U.S. Congress after its
library was lost when the British burned the Capitol during the War of
1812. Much of his collection was destroyed in an ensuing fire in 1851 but
the Koran that Ellison will use survived, Dimunation said.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
BUT IT'S THOMAS JEFFERSON'S
KORAN! -
TOP
Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts, Washington Post, 1/3/07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/03/AR2007010300075.html
Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, found
himself under attack last month when he announced he'd take his oath of
office on the Koran -- especially from Virginia Rep. Virgil Goode, who
called it a threat to American values.
Yet the holy book at tomorrow's ceremony has an unassailably all-American
provenance. We've learned that the new congressman -- in a savvy bit of
political symbolism -- will hold the personal copy once owned by Thomas
Jefferson.
"He wanted to use a Koran that was special," said Mark
Dimunation, chief of the rare book and special collections division at
the Library of Congress, who was contacted by the Minnesota Dem early in
December. Dimunation, who grew up in Ellison's 5th District, was happy to
help.
Jefferson's copy is an English translation by George Sale published in
the 1750s; it survived the 1851 fire that destroyed most of Jefferson's
collection and has his customary initialing on the pages. This isn't the
first historic book used for swearing-in ceremonies -- the Library has
allowed VIPs to use rare Bibles for inaugurations and other special
occasions.
Ellison will take the official oath of office along with the other
incoming members in the House chamber, then use the Koran in his
individual, ceremonial oath with new Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "Keith is
paying respect not only to the founding fathers' belief in religious
freedom but the Constitution itself," said Ellison spokesman Rick
Jauert.
One person unlikely to be swayed by the book's illustrious history is
Goode, who released a letter two weeks ago objecting to Ellison's use of
the Koran. "I believe that the overwhelming majority of voters in my
district would prefer the use of the Bible," the Virginia Republican
told Fox News, and then went on to warn about what he regards as the
dangers of Muslims immigrating to the United States and Muslims gaining
elective office.
Yeah, but what about a Koran that belonged to one of the greatest
Virginians in history? Goode, who represents Jefferson's birthplace of
Albemarle County, had no comment yesterday.
---
THE NEWEST OAFS OF OFFICE -
TOP
Carol Towarnicky, Philadelphia Daily News, 1/3/07
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/opinion/16371769.htm
So help me, God, I can't fathom the controversy over whether a
congressman should hold a Koran when he's sworn into office.
Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress,
reportedly will use a Koran at a private swearing-in/photo-op. (The
actual swearing-in today is done en masse, with no "holy
books.")
Recently, Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.) warned the nation that there'd be
Muslim hordes led by Muslim congressmen waving Korans - or something like
that - if America doesn't adopt stricter immigration laws. (Ellison, like
many U.S. Muslims, was born here.)
This isn't about immigration, though: It's about a strange but widely
held notion of America as a Christian nation.
Dennis Prager, a conservative talk-show host, wrote in a recent
error-ridden column online that letting Ellison hold a Koran would
"undermine American civilization." Anyone unwilling to swear on
a Christian Bible shouldn't serve in Congress, insisted Prager, who's
Jewish.
Almost immediately, the conservative American Family Association sent out
an "action alert" urging its members to ask Congress to pass a
law requiring that the Bible be used in congressional swearing-in
ceremonies. Maybe that was the catalyst for hundreds of letters
condemning Ellison that Goode said he received from
constituents.
Slight problem: A law requiring a Bible would run directly counter to
Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits a "religious
test" for office.
Prager was quickly rebuked by, among others, the Anti-Defamation League
and the executive committee of the U.S. Holocaust Commission, to which he
had been appointed by President Bush. Goode has also been criticized by
some Democrats, an occasional Republican and a few newspaper editorial
boards. (MORE)
-----
MN: AIRPORT HESITANT
TO GRANT MUSLIM PRAYER ROOM -
TOP
Somali immigrant leaders also ask directors for signs in native language,
exceptions for cabbies
Emily Gurnon, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 1/3/07
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/16370149.htm
Somali immigrants passing through Minneapolis-St. Paul International
Airport want a private place to say Muslim prayers. The airport suggests
they share a room with people of other religions.
Like a new couple learning to dance, immigrants and their adopted
countries often trip each other up, and the prayer-room issue is just one
of the latest tangles between Somali immigrants and other
Minnesotans.
"Where you have Christians and Muslims praying at the same time, it
will create a problem," said Fuad Ali, a Somali leader who spoke at
a meeting of community members and airport officials Tuesday in
Minneapolis.
The prayer debate was sparked Nov. 20 when six imams - Muslim religious
leaders - were removed from an airplane after they had been seen praying
in public. According to witnesses, the men also made anti-American
remarks, asked for seat-belt extenders they didn't need and spread out to
different areas of the plane.
The imams took another flight the next day.
But the incident drew worldwide attention. Muslims decried the treatment
of the men, saying it was discriminatory, embarrassing and fueled by
false rumors. Others praised the airline for taking the men off the
plane, saying safety must come first in the post-Sept. 11 age.
Ali said Tuesday that he and other Somalis want a prayer room so they
will not be faced with a similar incident. (MORE)
-----
MUSLIMS IN THE
MELTING POT: PORTRAITS OF A POST-9/11 WORLD -
TOP
Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times, 1/3/07
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/03/books/03macf.html
American Islam
The Struggle for the Soul of a Religion
By Paul M. Barrett
304 pages. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $25.
A few weeks ago a conference of accomplished Muslim women gathered at the
Westin Hotel near Times Square to debate how women might exert greater
influence on the interpretation of Islamic Scriptures. During a panel
discussion, an Iranian-born anthropologist from Britain said she seconded
the position taken by the Labor politician Jack Straw, that the full
facial veils worn by some Muslims have no place in Western society
because they erase a woman's humanity.
The conference room seemed to sunder in two. Half the roughly 200 women
present erupted in energetic applause, while many of the rest made
catcalls, heckling the speaker's opinion with lines like, ''Why doesn't
he take off his pants?!''
In the post-9/11 world Muslims have frequently been stereotyped as
monolithically murderous, all 1.3 billion worldwide lumped together as
extremists bent on destroying the West. The heated debates among Muslims
themselves about violence committed under the banner of Islam are often
drowned out in the fray.
Paul M. Barrett's timely and engaging new book, ''American Islam: The
Struggle for the Soul of a Religion,'' brings some of those voices in the
United States to life.
The book, a series of seven profiles, draws partly from Mr. Barrett's
reporting for The Wall Street Journal about Islam in America after the
2001 attacks. (He now works for Business Week.) He sketches a varied cast
-- with a pronounced skew toward outspoken moderates -- to try to
illustrate the diversity among American Muslims.
Khaled Abou El Fadl, an Egyptian-born law professor and Islamic scholar
at the University of California, Los Angeles, tries to live the
moderation he teaches: adopting stray dogs, for example, although many
Muslims believe that Scripture condemns dogs as unclean.
There is Osama Siblani, a secular Lebanese Shiite in his early 50s who
publishes a weekly newspaper in Dearborn, Mich. ''Since 9/11 I have felt
choked,'' he tells Mr. Barrett, a common sentiment among Muslims, who
often find themselves in the contradictory position of loving the freedom
offered by the United States while abhorring the way the federal
government treats Muslims here and abroad. (MORE)
-----
FBI DETAILS POSSIBLE
GUANTANAMO BAY ABUSE -
TOP
Newly released documents focus on harsh interrogation techniques
Associated Press, 1/3/07
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16444296/
FBI agents documented more than two dozen incidents of possible
mistreatment at the Guantanamo Bay military base, including one prisoner
whose head was wrapped in duct tape for chanting verses from the Quran,
and another who pulled out his hair after hours in a sweltering
room.
Documents released Tuesday by the FBI offered new details about the harsh
interrogation practices used by military officials and contractors when
questioning so-called enemy combatants.
The reports describe a female guard who detainees said handled their
genitals and wiped menstrual blood on their face. Another interrogator
reportedly bragged to an FBI agent about dressing as a Catholic priest
and "baptizing" a prisoner. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
FBI REPORTS
DUCT-TAPING, 'BAPTIZING' AT GUANTANAMO -
TOP
Dan Eggen, Washington Post, 1/4/07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/02/AR2007010201219.html
FBI agents witnessed mistreatment of the Koran at the military prison at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including at least one instance in which an
interrogator squatted over Islam's holy text in an attempt to offend a
prisoner.
In another incident in October 2002, interrogators wrapped a bearded
prisoner's head in duct tape "because he would not stop quoting the
Koran", newly released bureau documents say.
The reports amount to new and separate allegations of religiously
oriented tactics used against Muslim prisoners at the jail.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR CHAPTERS TO SPOT-CHECK TREATMENT OF
RETURNING HAJJ PILGRIMS
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/4/2007) - The Council on American-Islamic
Relations (
CAIR) said today that
several of its
chapters
around the nation will interview Muslims returning from the annual Hajj,
or pilgrimage to Mecca, to spot-check their treatment by airport security
personnel and border protection authorities.
In December, CAIR's national headquarters reminded the 10-15,000 American
Muslims going on Hajj to be aware of their civil and legal rights as
airline passengers. CAIR also established a
toll-free hotline (1-800-784-7526) for anyone who believes their
rights were violated.
Also in December, CAIR
welcomed an announcement by the U.S. Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) that the agency had provided special training about
Islamic traditions related to the Hajj to some 45,000 airport security
officers.
The Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy groups said it is
concerned about an increase in reports of alleged profiling of Muslims at
the nation's airports.
Just last week, a
German Muslim was barred from entering the United States,
interrogated for some 12 hours, detained in a local jail for four days,
and then sent out of the country, all without an explanation of the
government's actions.
"We hope that the recent training about the Hajj offered to airport
security officers will result in a hassle-free process for returning
pilgrims," said
CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
"American Muslims believe in protecting both our nation's security
and the freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution, including the freedom to
carry out the obligations of one's faith without fear of
discrimination."
Awad said CAIR offers a free
"
Your Rights and Responsibilities as an American Muslim" pocket
guide that deals with issues such as passenger rights, workplace
discrimination, reacting to anti-Muslim incidents, and communicating
effectively with elected officials.
Representatives of CAIR chapters nationwide have met with TSA, Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
officials on issues related to cultural sensitivity and national
security.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its
mission is to
enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil
liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote
justice and mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/4/07
*
Hadith:
Seek Reconciliation
*
CAIR-MD/VA:
Internship
Opportunities
*
CNN to Air Segment on Anti-Muslim
Bigotry
-
Incitement:
'The New Nazi Party, Also
Known as Islam'
*
Video:
Keith Ellison
Shakes Rep. Goode's Hand
-
Ellison:
Choose Generosity,
Not Exclusion (Wash Post)
-
CAIR-MI:
Ellison
Swears in with Jefferson's Quran (Free Press)
-
IN:
Religious Tolerance
Means Allowing Oath on Quran
-
Iranian Constitution Allows Oaths on
Bible, Torah (USA Today)
*
CAIR-CA:
Muslim's Trip
Turns Into Nightmare (Las Vegas Sun)
*
IL:
Fast-Food Giants Cater
to Muslims (Chicago Trib)
-
FL:
Muslim Inmates Sue State
Over Diet
*
CA:
Muslim West Point Cadet
Clear on Identity (OC Register)
-
NJ:
Muslims Seek
Stronger Connection with Community
-
MN:
Sharing Public Space,
Working It Out (Pioneer Press)
-
CA:
Woman Clears Up Hazy
Ideas about Islam (OC Register)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: SEEK RECONCILIATION -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The gates of
Paradise will be opened...and every servant (of His) who does not
associate anything with God will be forgiven, except for the man who has
a grudge against his brother. (About them) it will be said: 'Delay these
two until they are reconciled. Delay these two until they are
reconciled.'"
Hadith Qudsi, Number 20
VERSE OF THE DAY: ENJOIN RECONCILIATION AMONG PEOPLE
"There is no virtue in most of the secret counsels of the people,
except if someone secretly enjoins charity, kindness, and reconciliation
among people. The one who does this to please God, will soon be given a
mighty reward."
The Holy Quran, 4:114
-----
CAIR MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA
INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES -
TOP
CAIR-MD/VA is currently offering internship opportunities in civil
rights, media relations and community outreach.
CONTACT: 703.689.3100, Fax: 703.689.9858, or E-Mail:
sraheeml@aol.com
-----
CNN SEGMENT ON ANTI-MUSLIM BIGOTRY -
TOP
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/paula.zahn.now/
Paula Zahn NOW: What if they were going to build a mosque in your
neighborhood? We're bringing intolerance in America, Out in the
Open.
(8 p.m. Eastern Time)
Offer
FEEDBACK to
CNN.
SEE ALSO:
INCITEMENT WATCH: 'THE NEW NAZI PARTY,
ALSO KNOWN AS ISLAM' -
TOP
IL: WAKE-UP CALL ON TERROR
Belleville News-Democrat, 1/4/07
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/editorial/16380628.htm
People seem blind to the threat of the new Nazi Party, also known as
Islam.
Our government has kept wars off our soil and in other countries that
wish to destroy us. Maybe the U.S. should pull all troops from every
country and put them on our borders. All U.S. businesses had better do
the same for they will not have any protection abroad. Other countries
will have to fend for themselves, and that means Sudan, too, even though
actor George Clooney says we need to help it. Of course he is the expert
so we need to believe him.
Some serious armies will be assembled to come to fight us. I hope this
never happens, but it might wake up those who think the world is a utopia
and the U.S. is the bad guy. Maybe we need to fight for our lives on our
own soil to see why our government carries the fight overseas.
Maybe we need a good kicking from another country or religion to figure
out who we are again and what we need to value, such as our mainly
Christian beliefs. Those beliefs tend to be more gentile than the
Koran.
Don Voegele
Mascoutah
SEND POLITE COMMENTS TO:
letters@bnd.com
COPY TO:
info@cair.com
Mail: Letters: Belleville News-Democrat, 120 S. Illinois St., P.O. Box
427, Belleville, IL 62222-0427.
Lettters are 250 words maximum and are subject to editing. Include your
name, address and phone number. One-liners - a one-sentence letter - also
are encouraged.
-----
VIDEO: REP. ELLISON SHAKES
REP. GOODE'S HAND -
TOP
Best Friends Forever?
Paul Kiel, Muckraker, 1/4/07
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002278.php
Just now on MSNBC, I saw Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) make his way over to
introduce himself to Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA), whose back is to the
camera. And that's Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) looking on as the
Muslim-fearing Goode shakes hands with the House's first elected Muslim.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
ELLISON: CHOOSE GENEROSITY, NOT
EXCLUSION -
TOP
Keith Ellison, Washington Post, 1/4/07
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2007/01/choose_generosity_not_exclusio.html
Somewhere in Minneapolis or Jackson or Baltimore, somewhere in America
today, there is a young couple that is feeling vulnerable. Maybe one has
been laid off due to outsourcing, and maybe, the other is working for
something close to a minimum wage. They probably have no medical
benefits. Today real income is lower for the typical family than in 2000,
while the incomes of the wealthiest families have grown significantly.
Things are tough for working people, but in America, we often turn to our
faith in tough times.
When our couple shows up for worship service, probably on a Sunday, there
is no doubt that the preacher will tell them of God's unyielding love.
"God loves you." But the next thing the preacher tells them is
crucial - not only to the young couple, but to us all. The next message
from the preacher may help to shape, not only the next election results,
but the political landscape of the nation. (MORE)
The author was elected to the House of Representatives from Minnesota's
5th District in November. He is the first Muslim elected to serve in the
U.S. Congress.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MI: ELLISON TO SWEAR
IN WITH THOMAS JEFFERSON'S QURAN -
TOP
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 1/4/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070104/NEWS99/70104005
Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, praised Ellison's decision to use
Jefferson's Quran, saying that it was an example of how Islam helped
influence the founding fathers of the United States. (MORE)
---
IN: RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE MEANS
ALLOWING OATH ON QURAN -
TOP
Pierre M. Atlas, Indy Star, 1/4/07
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070104/OPINION/701040378/1002
History will be made today when the 110th Congress is sworn in and Keith
Ellison of Minnesota becomes the first Muslim member. But some Americans
have been outraged by the idea that he will take his oath on the Quran --
even if only in a private ceremony for family and friends.
Radio talk show host Dennis Prager wrote on townhall.com that Ellison
should not be allowed to swear on the Quran "because the act
undermines American civilization." Prager declared, "If you are
incapable of taking an oath on (the Bible), don't serve in
Congress."
Prager's column reflected not just bigoted ignorance but outright
hysteria. If Ellison were allowed to use the Quran, Prager wrote,
"he will be doing more damage to the unity of America and to the
value system that has formed this country than the terrorists of
9-11."
Bigotry and hysteria also characterized the words of Rep. Virgil Goode,
R-Va., in his widely publicized letter to a constituent. America is being
invaded by Muslim hordes, Goode intimated, and Ellison's use of the Quran
will be only the tip of the sword. Goode predicted there will be
"many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the
(Quran)." (MORE)
---
THE TRUTH ABOUT OATHS -
TOP
Use the Bible, the Quran, or nothing at all? The dust-up over the first
Muslim congressman sheds light on what it means to be an American.
Jonathan Turley, USA Today, 1/4/07
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/01/the_truth_about.html
The newest member of the Minnesota delegation, Keith Ellison, would
appear to be the very model of a god-fearing congressman whom
conservatives have longed for. Yet Ellison has been denounced as a
constitutional blasphemer after discussing his upcoming oath of office.
The problem was not with Ellison's oath, but with his god - Ellison is
Muslim (our nation's first in Congress) and intends to use the Quran
today to pledge to serve faithfully before Allah.
Judging from the outcry, one would think that Ellison wanted to use the
January edition of Penthouse. America's permanently angry class of
religious zealots has organized protests. Some have called for a law
requiring that all members use the Bible - regardless of whether they
believe a single word in it. They do not expect Ellison's conversion,
they just want him (and presumably the two new Buddhist members) to pay
tribute to their faith system.
President Bush has not addressed the controversy, even though it was
started by one of his appointees - a rabid talk show host named Dennis
Prager whom Bush appointed to the prestigious United States Holocaust
Museum Board.
"Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and
uphold its values is concerned," Prager wrote, "America is
interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are incapable of taking an
oath on that book, don't serve in Congress."
Bush's silence is curious given his tireless campaign against
"Islamofascists," extremists who seek to force people to
conform to their Islamic faith. In this age of hyphenated fascism, what
do we call Jews or Christians who want to force non-believers to swear to
the Bible? Judeo-Christofascists?
Even in Iran
Of course, the comparison with Islamofascists might not be fair - to
Islamofascists. Take the quintessential, Bush-certified Islamofascist
regime of Iran. Under Article 3 of the Iranian Constitution,
"members representing minority religious groups will take the oath
mentioning their own holy books." (MORE)
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George
Washington University and a member of USA TODAY's board of
contributors.
-----
CAIR-CA: MUSLIM
COUPLE'S TRIP TO CALIFORNIA, NEVADA TURNS INTO NIGHTMARE -
TOP
Undefined security precautions send husband home via NLV jail
Timothy Pratt, Las Vegas Sun, 1/3/07
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2007/jan/03/566645148.html
German national Majed Shehadeh and his wife, Joanne Mulligan, decided
that when they visited their daughter in California for the holidays,
they would fly through McCarran International Airport.
The Muslim couple wanted to avoid Los Angeles International Airport
because two years ago, federal authorities detained them for 4 1/2
hours.
Mulligan arrived from Germany first, on Dec. 17, and the U.S.-born
traveler cleared customs swiftly. She went on to her daughter's
Bakersfield, Calif., home, then returned to Henderson to visit her aunt,
Louise Langlois, before heading to the airport to pick up Shehadeh last
Thursday .
The Lufthansa charter aircraft her husband was flying on landed shortly
after 2 p.m. But her husband of 30 years wasn't to be found.
She waited and waited. She asked an official with Condor, the charter
company. Eventually, the official told her Shehadeh, who is of Syrian
descent, had been detained.
She said that as she waited for her husband she flashed on events of two
years earlier, when the two had flown over together for daughter Majida
Shehadeh's wedding. Now the occasion was her anniversary, and her
admission to the California State Bar.
Mulligan tried to calm herself, thinking that Shehadeh, 62, would be with
her again after a few hours, by 6 p.m. or so, a little inconvenienced,
but none the worse for the wear.
But 6 p.m. came and went. At 8:45, she said, "I was really concerned
for his health." Since a 2004 heart attack, he had to take medicine
every four hours. It had been nearly 24 hours since he left
Germany.
"I thought, 'Did he eat? Did he take his medicine?' "
She approached an official who identified himself as a senior agent with
the federal U.S. Customs and Border Protection and asked if she could
talk to her husband. Told no, she asked about the medicine and why her
husband was detained.
She said the agent told her, "I'm not here to answer your questions
about every procedure."
Roxanne Hercules, a spokeswoman for the Customs and Border Protection,
told the Associated Press on Tuesday that Shehadeh was denied entry, but
would not discuss specifics. She said Shehadeh's visa waiver normally
offered to Germans could have been denied because "he could have a
criminal record, or it could be a terrorism issue."
Sometime after 9 p.m., the official told Mulligan that her husband was
being taken to the North Las Vegas Detention Center.
"In his whole life, he hasn't gotten a parking ticket,"
Mulligan said. She called the detention center to leave her aunt's phone
number, but employees refused to take the message. (MORE)
-----
IL: FAST-FOOD GIANTS CATER TO
MUSLIMS -
TOP
On Devon, a debate over `halal' standards
Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Chicago Tribune, 1/4/07
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0701040286jan04,1,2511003.story
First, the new owner of a nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken began trying to
lure shoppers in the heart of South Asian Devon Avenue. Then a Brown's
Chicken and Pasta popped up a few blocks away.
It seemed a strange juxtaposition--all-American fast food, elbow-to-elbow
with pungent cuisine from the other side of the globe.
But the secret ingredient both outlets offered was halal, the Islamic
analog of kosher, a promise that the meat has been slaughtered and
prepared in accordance with Islamic teachings.
That, in turn, has sparked a neighborhood contest over whose fried
chicken is truly halal, or more halal--a 21st Century collision of
American marketing, immigrant tastes and age-old customs.
The fried chicken wars on Devon underscore the growing power of the
Muslim market. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
FL: MUSLIM INMATES SUE STATE OVER
DIET -
TOP
Jackelyn Barnard, First Coast News, 1/4/07
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=72629
There are specialty stores that sell the foods that make up a Muslim or
Halal meal.
The goat, chicken and lamb look about the same as the meat you'd find in
a grocery store, but it's not the same.
"The Halal meat is prayed over according to their religious beliefs
and their god Allah," said Safia Khalid, of the Shalimar Food
Store.
Meat that has specifically been prayed over is the only meat Muslims can
eat.
According to a lawsuit filed by a group of Muslim inmates, Muslim
convicts at New River Correctional in Raiford and other prisons across
Florida are not getting the proper meat or meals that go with their
faith.
"They are alleging that in violation of the First Amendment to the
Constitution, they are entitled to receive the tenets of their faith and
receive the Halal meal. Other inmates receive their dietary meal and they
(Muslims) do not," said Randall Berg of the Florida Justice
Institute.
Berg is the inmates attorney. He said the five Muslim inmates made
several requests for a Halal or Kosher diet and the requests were denied.
(MORE)
-----
CA: MUSLIM CADET CLEAR ON IDENTITY -
TOP
Yvette Cabrera, OC Register, 1/4/07
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/columns/article_1406504.php
When Zakaria E. Dafaallah left his home in Orange County to live in his
father's native Sudan for four years, he knew that his life as he knew it
would change radically.
He adjusted to the blackouts and lack of running water at his uncle's
house in Omdurman. But the loss of basic freedoms, like speaking frankly,
bothered Dafaallah to his core.
So much so, that when he returned in 2004 to his parent's house in
Mission Viejo he made a life-changing decision to apply to West Point's
military academy in New York.
"It was very important for me to go there because it shaped who I am
today, and it made me appreciate lots of things that people might take
for granted," says Dafaallah, 18. "Over there you can't
necessarily say what you want as freely as you would be able to here.
That's actually part of the reason why I wanted to serve because I wanted
to defend that freedom."
His four years in Sudan, however, also transformed Dafaallah in another
way. His father, Ahmed Zakaria Dafaallah, a Sunni Muslim, had always
tried to instill in Dafaallah a pride in his heritage by teaching him how
to speak Arabic, and taking him to Saturday Arabic school and their local
mosque for religious services.
But growing up, Dafaallah says, he resisted learning about his culture,
language and religion because he wanted to "fit in" with other
American children.
"Other people aren't speaking Arabic. Why am I speaking
Arabic?" he'd tell his dad and stepmom, Marisol Rexach. It's a
phase, Dafaallah says, that ended when he went to Sudan.
"I'm proud to be an American citizen. This is my country, but I'm
also proud to be of Sudanese heritage," says Dafaallah. "I mix
the two well. Not one or the other. Both." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
NJ: MONTCLAIR MUSLIMS
SEEK STRONGER CONNECTION WITH COMMUNITY -
TOP
Tanya Drobness, Montclair Times, 1/3/06
http://www.montclairtimes.com/page.php?page=13818
The Islamic call to prayer on the lips of Muslim men echoes, but the
wood-paneled walls soften their hale.
If not for the nearly 25 active members of the Masjid Ul Wadud mosque who
rush in and out of a meager room every day, the paint-chipped two-story
brick building on Bloomfield Avenue would be unrecognizable as a holy
dwelling.
The broken brick foundations on each side of the entrance steps that
enclose dried-out rose bushes are felled out of place. Only jacket hooks
and a traditional Azan prayer clock adorn the confining dark
walls.
It's no matter to local congregants.
The modest structure is no less a house of worship - the only mosque in
Montclair that serves its purpose for Muslims who pray five times a day
but live too far to visit the majestic mosques scattered throughout
surrounding areas such as Paterson and Newark, which cater to thriving
Muslim communities.
"Being modest and humble is the way a human should live," said
12-year member Hadid Sharif, 42, of Montclair. "Islam is the accent
to that lifestyle."
While Montclair has long embraced the groundswell of diverse immigrants
and religious orders rippling through the township over several decades
since its dawn as a Dutch and English municipality in 1868, the mosque
has accommodated a modest influx of Muslim congregants since it was
founded in 1994.
But now it's packed to capacity.
And with the conclusion of the annual hajj that took place last week in
the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where nearly 3 million Muslims
gathered from around the world, local worshipers are revitalized, ready
to look for a new home within the year.
"We needed one so that people don't have to go far. It fulfills a
need. But if we had more space, then we could grow. Now we're grown to
capacity and people have to go somewhere else," said Kevin Dawud
Amin, 50, of Montclair, who has been the imam/amir, or director, of the
mosque since it was established. "We want to stay in Montclair and
we are looking at buildings with parking." (MORE)
---
MN: SHARING PUBLIC SPACE, WORKING
IT OUT -
TOP
St. Paul Pioneer Press, 1/4/07
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/editorial/16377008.htm
A big and busy international airport is an exciting place, full of energy
and movement and great people-watching and quietly dramatic comings and
goings. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is also a hub of
immigrant employment, where cab drivers and restaurant workers are often
among our newest arrivals.
So it is no surprise that the airport continues to be the public space
where tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims are played out. Somehow,
our disputes, from Muslim cab drivers who refuse liquor-carrying fares to
the praying imams who were taken off an outbound flight and questioned,
have turned MSP into a religious battleground. Some ranters fear Islamic
fundamentalism is taking hold at the Lindbergh terminal.
Not us. We view these problems as the culture-clashing tensions that are
at the heart of the American experience. But with a difference: The
volume on this dispute is turned way up because of the Sept. 11 attacks -
committed by Muslim extremists - and the continuing war in Iraq, a Muslim
nation.
The latest issue concerns whether MSP officials should create a separate
prayer room for devout Muslims who are passing through the airport. This
arose after the visiting imams aroused suspicion by praying publicly near
the gate, asking for seat-belt extenders and spacing themselves
throughout the plane on Nov. 20. The religious leaders, bound for
Arizona, were questioned and released. Some Muslim leaders said this
shows the need for a separate prayer room for them.
Airport officials met this week with members of the Somali community.
They told the leaders they could take advantage of an existing quiet
room, with chairs but no religious symbols, that is used by people of a
variety of faiths for reflection and prayer. One Somali leader said
having Christians and Muslims praying in the same room "will create
a problem.''
At the same time, there has been a long discussion about cases of Muslim
cabbies who will not accept passengers who are visibly carrying alcohol.
Airport officials initially proposed a special top-light for such cabs to
direct liquor-carrying passengers away from them. That plan went out the
window after drawing the wrath of ranters who accused MSP of caving in to
Islamists. So cabbies who refuse are penalized by being sent to the end
of the hours-long airport queue.
Those are the specifics. But the larger issue is religious freedom. We
cherish it and fight to defend it. Somalia and most Islamic countries do
not allow it. (MORE)
---
CA: WOMAN CLEARS UP HAZY
IDEAS ABOUT RELIGION -
TOP
A volunteer sets the record straight on Muslim culture.
Sarah Tully, Orange County Register, 1/4/07
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/local/article_1406507.php
When Maria Khani speaks at schools wearing a head scarf and long
clothing, students often ask if she rides a camel or lives in a
tent.
The comments don't insult her. They motivate her to teach more about her
Muslim religion and culture.
Khani, who moved to the United States 18 years ago, makes volunteerism a
full-time job. Because her husband is a doctor, she can afford to work
free seven days a week.
Through the Council on Islamic Education, Khani speaks to schools and
groups that want to learn more about Islam.
Khani helps clients pay rent, get emergency financial help or find
housing as the family crisis coordinator at Access California Services, a
nonprofit organization that focuses on Arab Americans and Muslims. And
she teaches Islamic Studies and Arabic-language classes at the Islamic
Institute of Orange County.
As the daughter of a diplomat, Khani lived around the world and picked up
five languages, so she feels able to easily connect with different
people.
Q. What is your motivation?
A. I feel people, they trust me. When they ask me for help, I feel I earn
their trust. So I try to do my best, especially here at Access.
You have to have the skill of teaching, and I feel I have it. Whatever I
have is not for me. It's to share to my community. If I can teach, I have
to share with them. If I can help, I can share with them.
That's my motivation - to share whatever I have. Especially when it comes
to two things: education and Islam. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/5/07
*
Hadith:
Advice for Leaders
*
CA:
FBI Probes Death Threat
Against Muslim Activist
-
CAIR:
Islamophobes Mislead Senator
Boxer
-
Editor: CAIR's Work Reflects Past
Civil Rights Efforts (Sac Bee)
-
Action:
Contact Senator Boxer
*
CAIR Monitors Airport Treatment
of Muslims (UPI)
*
CAIR-St. Louis Seeks Executive
Director
*
Video:
Ellison Uses Quran for
Mock Swearing-In (C-SPAN)
-
A Jubilant Day of Firsts in Congress (Star
Trib)
-
CAIR-MI:
Muslim Rep
Embraces Critic (Free Press)
*
MI:
Muslims
Donate Meat to Homeless (Detroit News)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: ADVICE FOR LEADERS -
TOP
When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) sent two provincial
governors to Yemen, he told them: "Facilitate things for the people
(by treating them in the most agreeable way). Do not make things
difficult for them. Give them glad tidings and (do not make the people
hate doing good deeds). You should both work in cooperation and mutual
understanding."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 145
The Prophet also said: "Anyone who treats those under his authority
badly will not enter Paradise."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 977
-----
FBI PROBES DEATH THREAT AGAINST
CALIF. MUSLIM ACTIVIST -
TOP
Threat came after Sen. Boxer rescinded award to CAIR chapter
director
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/5/07) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and advocacy group said today that the FBI is investigating a death
threat against one of its chapter heads in California.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the threat was
contained in an e-mail message sent to Basim Elkarra, executive director
of the Washington-based group's Sacramento Valley chapter.
That threat came a day after a media report indicated that Sen. Barbara
Boxer (D-CA) had rescinded an award given to Elkarra because she read
attacks against CAIR on an anti-Muslim Internet hate site and after a
pressure campaign by Joe Kaufman, an anti-Muslim extremist in
Florida.
SEE: Boxer
Pulls Muslim Award (Sacramento Bee)
Kaufman has a long history of seeking to marginalize and disenfranchise
the American Muslim community and its institutions. He has in the past
promoted the terrorist organizations Kach and Kahane Chai and praised the
Kahane movement and its founder Mier Kahane on a forum of the radical
Jewish Defense League in Florida. In another article, Kaufman wrote that
"we should nuke Damascus" and "we should have nuked the
Afghanistan capital of Kabul."
Last year, Kaufman joined forces with an anti-Islam preacher in Florida
to block the expansion of a mosque in Boca Raton. "This mosque
should not exist on American shores," said Kaufman. (St. Petersburg
Times, 7/14/06)
SEE:
A Kahane Legacy Lost by Joe Kaufman (Jewish Defense League of
Florida)
SEE ALSO:
Making Friends with the Enemy. . .The Nuclear Way (Florida Jewish
Speakout)
The website Boxer consulted to form her opinions about CAIR,
www.frontpagemag.com, regularly
publishes Kaufman's writings and articles promoting conspiracy theories
about Islam and Muslims in America.
An editor with the Sacramento Bee in California today defended CAIR,
while describing Kaufman as "a right-wing blogger."
Ginger Rutland wrote: "For me, CAIR's efforts to reach out
are reminiscent of the efforts of other Americans falsely accused of
disloyalty: Japanese, German and Italian Americans during World War II,
civil rights activists and Vietnam War opponents casually smeared as
communists in the 1950s and '60s. . .she must understand what her casual
withdrawal of a casually awarded tribute means to a Muslim American at
this moment in American history. Shame on her."
SEE: The
CAIR Takeaway (Sacramento Bee)
CAIR Board Chairman Dr. Parvez Ahmed today outlined CAIR's
response to Boxer in a commentary published on his personal blog. In that
commentary, Ahmed wrote: "By acting on smears, distortions and guilt
by association, Sen. Boxer has failed her Muslim constituents and has
betrayed the progressive values of her party and state."
SEE:
Islamophobes Mislead Senator Boxer
"Terror threats of the kind sent to CAIR's Sacramento Valley
director must be repudiated by political and religious leaders in
California and nationwide," said
CAIR National Executive Director
Nihad Awad. "We thank the FBI for taking action in this case and
urge Senator Boxer to examine the agendas of those who seek to
marginalize and disenfranchise American Muslims."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Sacramento Valley Executive Director Basim Elkarra at
(916) 441-6269 or E-mail:
sacval@cair.com; CAIR National
Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726,
E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
SEE ALSO:
ISLAMOPHOBES MISLEAD SENATOR BOXER -
TOP
By Parvez Ahmed, 1/5/06
http://drparvezahmed.blogspot.com/2007/01/senator-boxer-misjudged-facts-in.html
[
Parvez Ahmed is board chairman of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy
group. He may be contacted at
pahmed@cair.com.]
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) recently rescinded an award to Basim
Elkarra, the executive director of the Sacramento Valley chapter of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
This disturbing news was met with a flurry of rhetorical high-fives by
anti-Muslim extremists in the blogosphere. After Boxer's decision to
rescind the award was made public, Elkarra received an e-mailed death
threat. That threat is being investigated by the FBI.
But what led Sen. Boxer to rescind the award? The justifications offered
range from the amazing to the bizarre.
According to Sen. Boxer's spokeswoman Natalie Ravitz, the senator became
"concerned" after she read negative things about CAIR on a
virulent anti-Muslim hate site. This despite the fact that the same
website describes Sen. Boxer as someone who is "thickheaded" on
national security and said, "The nation's dumbest Democrat, Barbara
Boxer, has a plan to lose in Iraq."
It is truly disappointing to see Sen. Boxer use such a hate-filled and
inflammatory site to form her opinions about CAIR, America's largest
Muslim civil liberties group.
Just days before Sen. Boxer announced her decision, a demand for just
such an action was issued by Joe Kaufman, an anti-Muslim extremist in
Florida who has a long history of seeking to marginalize the Muslim
community in that state.
Kaufman has in the past promoted terrorist organizations such as Kach and
Kahane Chai on his website. In an article published on the forum of the
radical Jewish Defense League in Florida, Kaufman praised the Kahane
movement and its founder Mier Kahane by stating, "It was perfectly
understandable, if he (Kahane) were to have hated Arabs."
Last year, Kaufman once again demonstrated his anti-Muslim bigotry by
joining the call of Rev. O'Neal Dozier (who was subsequently removed from
the campaign of Florida Governor Charlie Crist in part because of his
bigoted views about Muslims) seeking to block the expansion of a mosque
in Pompano Beach. "This mosque should not exist on American
shores," said Kaufman." (St. Petersburg Times,
7/14/06)
The senator said she also relied on information from Steven Emerson, a
"terrorism expert" with a history of defamatory attacks on CAIR
almost since its founding in 1994. Emerson was the commentator who first
blamed Muslims for the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in
Oklahoma.
Sen. Boxer's decision to rescind the award contradicted her previous
positive interactions with CAIR and was made without a single phone call
or e-mail seeking a rebuttal to the Internet smears. In the past, CAIR
received several letters of commendation from the senator.
Members of her staff also attended CAIR events.
While American Muslims have grown used to such behavior from the extreme
right, it was shocking to see a progressive politician like Sen. Boxer
get caught up in our nation's rising tide of Islamophobia.
Sen. Boxer has now signaled a willingness to meet with CAIR officials
both in California and in Washington, D.C. This is certainly welcome
news.
CAIR has always taken a principled stand against terrorism and religious
extremism.
From issuing a statement of condemnation immediately after the 9/11
attacks, to taking out a full-page ad in the Washington Post dissociating
Islam from terrorism, to launching the "Not in the Name of
Islam" online petition and public service announcement campaigns,
CAIR's initiatives all point to an organization unequivocally opposed to
terrorism in all its forms.
Representatives of the FBI are frequent participants at CAIR events
nationwide and CAIR regularly conducts sensitivity training for federal
and local law enforcement agencies.
In defending Boxer's position, Boxer's office has been using recycled
news stories about the convictions of two people who had past
associations with CAIR.
One of those people, a volunteer board member of a local CAIR chapter,
undertook his actions after terminating his association with CAIR. The
other person's activities came after he left his employment at CAIR.
Whatever they did or did not do in their private capacities has nothing
to do with CAIR. Holding CAIR responsible for the actions of former
associates is guilt by association.
CAIR has tens of thousands of members, hundreds of volunteer board
members and several dozen paid staff members nationwide. It would be
unfair and un-American to hold any organization responsible for the
actions of every individual, especially when such actions originate
outside the scope of their employment or association.
Unfortunately, the general public's ignorance of their American Muslim
neighbors is the oxygen that gives life to Islamophobia.
The reality is that American Muslims make up one of the most productive
and law-abiding segments of our society. Recent polls show that nearly
nine out of ten American Muslims vote regularly and nearly half volunteer
for institutions serving the public (compared to a national average of 29
percent). The same poll indicated that American Muslims have high regard
for CAIR.
By acting on smears, distortions and guilt by association, Sen. Boxer has
failed her Muslim constituents and has betrayed the progressive values of
her party and state.
Despite this disturbing episode, we remain committed to working with Sen.
Boxer and with any other public officials who seek to build a better and
more tolerant America.
---
THE CAIR TAKEAWAY -
TOP
Ginger Rutland, Sacramento Bee, 1/5/07
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/103179.html
Am I a terrorist? I asked myself this question after reading that U.S.
Sen. Barbara Boxer of California had rescinded an award she gave to
Basim Elkarra, executive director of the Sacramento Valley Chapter of
the Council on American Islamic Relations. Boxer said she "made
a bad mistake" -- that her staff presented the award without her
knowledge. (That admission, in itself, speaks volumes about the sincerity
of any Boxer endorsement.)
The initial source of Boxer's concern was the blogosphere, that sometimes
subterranean sewer of suspect journalism, where reputation-besmirching
rumor runs rampant. Joe Kaufman, a right-wing blogger, criticized Boxer
for honoring a CAIR leader.
Boxer said she hasn't heard anything negative about Elkarra himself but
has "concerns" about CAIR, which she claimed has been unwilling
to condemn Osama bin Laden.
Really? CAIR leaders strongly deny that and have produced news releases
they've issued denouncing the al-Qaida leader. Did Boxer check with CAIR
before rescinding her award?
I know Elkarra. I don't believe he supports terrorism. The personable
young University of California, Berkeley, graduate assumed the helm of
the local CAIR chapter at a perilous time for Muslims in this country. He
has gone to extraordinary lengths to reassure his fellow Americans while
defending fellow Muslims.
I am also familiar with CAIR, at least as it operates locally. I have
attended CAIR banquets, spoken to their youth groups and joined
CAIR-sponsored Iftars, the feast and prayer services that follow the
daily fasts observant Muslims practice during Ramadan.
For me, CAIR's efforts to reach out are reminiscent of the efforts of
other Americans falsely accused of disloyalty: Japanese, German and
Italian Americans during World War II, civil rights activists and Vietnam
War opponents casually smeared as communists in the 1950s and '60s. I
wonder; was Boxer's loyalty ever questioned when she opposed the Vietnam
War? If so, she must understand what her casual withdrawal of a casually
awarded tribute means to a Muslim American at this moment in American
history. Shame on her.
At the last Ramadan celebration I attended, CAIR presented Sacramento
Assemblyman Dave Jones with a beautiful Quran. Should Jones follow
Boxer's lead and return it? Should I stop attending CAIR-sponsored
events?
I pray not. Should either of us feel compelled to do so, I would fear for
my country, for its cherished traditions of religious tolerance, open
debate and fair play.
---
ACTION REQUESTED: CONTACT SENATOR BOXER -
TOP
Please contact Senator Boxer to express your concerns about her decision
to rescind the award to Basim Elkarra based on information supplied by
Islamophobes and without input from CAIR.
Personal letters sent by fax
are best, followed by calls and e-mails, in that order. Make sure to
include your name and full address and to ask for a response in
writing.
(As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL.)
WASHINGTON AND STATE OFFICES:
http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/offices/index.cfm
E-MAIL:
http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/email/policy.cfm
-----
CAIR MONITORS AIRPORT TREATMENT OF
MUSLIMS -
TOP
United Press International, 1/5/07
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20070105-113646-7226r
A U.S. Muslim organization said Thursday it was monitoring the treatment
of American Muslims returning from the hajj pilgrimage.
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations said it would be
organizing interviews with American Muslims who were coming home from the
annual pilgrimage to Mecca "to spot-check their treatment by airport
security personnel and border protection authorities."
CAIR said an estimated 10,000-15,000 American Muslims went on the hajj to
Mecca in Saudi Arabia this year. The group set up a toll-free hotline for
travelers who felt that their civil rights had been ignored or
over-riden.
The group noted that in December, the U.S. Transportation Security
Administration announced it was giving special training about
"Islamic traditions related to the hajj to some 45,000 airport
security officers."
CAIR said it was "concerned about an increase in reports of alleged
profiling of Muslims at the nation's airports."
"Just last week, a German Muslim was barred from entering the United
States, interrogated for some 12 hours, detained in a local jail for four
days, and then sent out of the country, all without an explanation of the
government's actions," the group said.
"We hope that the recent training about the Hajj offered to airport
security officers will result in a hassle-free process for returning
pilgrims," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "American
Muslims believe in protecting both our nation's security and the freedoms
guaranteed by our Constitution, including the freedom to carry out the
obligations of one's faith without fear of discrimination."
CAIR said its chapters across the United States had held discussions with
U.S. government officials from the TSA, the Department of Homeland
Security and Customs and Border Protection "on issues related to
cultural sensitivity and national security."
-----
CAIR-ST. LOUIS SEEKS EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR -
TOP
The St. Louis Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR-STL) is seeking candidates for the position of Executive
Director.
Please apply in confidence to:
Kamal Yassin, President, CAIR-STL
P.O. Box 739
Manchester, MO 63011
Phone: 636-207-8882, E-mail:
director@cair-stlouis.org
-----
VIDEO: REP. ELLISON USES KORAN ONCE
OWNED BY JEFFERSON FOR SWEARING-IN -
TOP
U.S. House of Representatives Mock Swearing-In Ceremony
C-SPAN, 1/4/07
rtsp://video.c-span.org/archive/c08/c08_010407_mock.rm?Start=00:03:50&End=00:05:35
SEE ALSO:
A JUBILANT DAY OF FIRSTS IN CONGRESS -
TOP
Fresh-faced Minnesotans Keith Ellison, Amy Klobuchar, Michele Bachmann
and Tim Walz celebrated Congress' opening day and the historic thresholds
that were crossed.
Kevin Diaz and Brady Averill, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1/4/07
http://www.startribune.com/587/story/915249.html
With eyes from around the world on him, a jubilant Keith Ellison took
office Thursday as a Minnesota representative, holding his left hand on a
Qur'an once owned by Thomas Jefferson.
It was a day of firsts. Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress,
was sworn in by Nancy Pelosi of California, the first female House
speaker. And just hours earlier, fellow Minnesotan Amy Klobuchar,
accompanied by former Vice President Walter Mondale, was sworn in as the
state's first elected female senator.
Two other fresh Minnesota faces were also sworn in: Rep. Tim Walz, a
Democrat, and Michele Bachmann, the state's first elected Republican
woman in Congress. But most eyes were fixed on Ellison, a 43-year-old
attorney and former state representative.
"It's a day of welcoming," said Ellison, accompanied by his
wife, Kim, and their four children, including 12-year-old Elijah, wearing
an African kenti cloth draped over his suit.
"You sure know how to attract a crowd," Pelosi said to Ellison
as they prepared for his ceremonial swearing-in before hundreds of
journalists from around the world, including Al Jazeera.
Replied Ellison: "Maybe they're here for you."
Ellison then held his right hand in the air and placed his left hand on
two brown leather-bound volumes of the Qur'an, which were held by his
wife, a teacher at an alternative school in St. Paul. (MORE)
---
CAIR-MI: MUSLIM CONGRESSMAN
EMBRACES STAUNCH CRITIC -
TOP
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 1/4/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070104/NEWS99/70104066&imw=Y
Amid intense scrutiny, Detroit native Keith Ellison became the first
Muslim to serve in the U.S. Congress and reached out to the Congressman
that only weeks ago lambasted him for choosing to use the Quran in his
swearing-in ceremony.
On the House floor, a smiling Ellison walked over to U.S. Rep. Virgil
Goode, a Virginia Republican who criticized Ellison in a sharp letter
last month that warned of Muslims being elected to office, and shook
Goode's hand, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
which saw the account on a MSNBC video clip posted on
www.tpmmuckraker.com.
Meanwhile, local leaders praised Ellison on Thursday.
"I would like to extend a warm welcome to Congressman Keith
Ellison," U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-Dearborn), whose district has
one of the biggest Muslim communities in the U.S., said in a statement.
"Being the first Muslim-American to serve is quite a distinction and
he will be a good addition to the House membership. The institution will
be stronger having him and his voice in the 110th
Congress."
Ellison, who converted to Islam while in college, swore today on a Quran
once owned by Thomas Jefferson in an individual ceremony. He had been
criticized by some for that.
But Jewish leaders in Michigan defended Ellison's religious
rights.
In a news release issued Thursday, the Jewish Community Council of
Metropolitan Detroit said it "strongly condemns the criticism of
congressman-elect Keith Ellison's decision to use the Koran as he takes
his oath to become a United States Representative."
The group said that "ours is a nation founded on the principle of
religious freedom. The U.S. Constitution prohibits religious tests for
office, and the First Amendment adds both a freedom from religious
establishment and a freedom of religious exercise... Denying Mr. Ellison
his right to choose which scripture to use would not only affront
Muslims, but undermine the rights of all Americans."
Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, praised Ellison for reaching out to
Goode.
"We hope that through their handshake, there can be greater
sensitivity to different races and religions within Congress," Walid
said.
-----
MI: METRO AREA MUSLIMS
GIVE HOMELESS A HEARTY DONATION -
TOP
As part of Eid al-Adha, 14,000-pound gift of mostly lamb to provide food
for local shelters.
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 1/5/07
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070105/LIFESTYLE04/701050358/1005/LIFESTYLE
Over the next several days, the hungry in Metro Detroit will be eating a
meat not often available at homeless shelters and soup kitchens -- ample
servings of lamb.
The donation of 14,000 pounds of mostly lamb comes from Muslims
throughout Metro Detroit as part of the celebration of one of two major
feasts on the Islamic calendar, the Festival of Sacrifice, or Eid
al-Adha.
The collection of meat, after the ceremony of sacrificing live animals,
was organized by various mosques in Metro Detroit and by the Muslim Shura
Council of Michigan, a coalition of mosques.
"It's a nice treat," said John Kastler of the Gleaners
Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan.
"It comes at a good time, too. After the holiday season, there is
almost a natural tendency to forget about hunger, and this makes a fine
gift for our community and we really welcome it."
Eid al-Adha began last weekend and ends this week, along with the
culmination of the Hajj and the return of the pilgrims from the holy
cities in Saudi Arabia.
The festival commemorates the story in the Quran of God, or Allah,
sparing Ishmael, the son of Ibrahim, after God commanded Ibrahim to
sacrifice his first-born.
The story is observed by Christians and Jews in their traditions as that
of Abraham and Isaac.
An animal, usually a sheep, but sometimes a cow or a goat, is sacrificed
by a local butcher, and the meat is eaten with family, shared with
friends and distributed to the poor.
The act is symbolic of the willingness of the faithful to give up
material goods in order to follow God's commands.
"This is an old ritual," said Mouheib Ayas, a doctor who
attends the Muslim Unity Center of Bloomfield Hills. "But in the
Detroit area, we never had an organized meat drive. We wanted to do it to
increase the awareness of people that there are a lot of people in this
country, this town, who need it. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/7/07
*
Verse:
True Believers Spend in
Charity
*
Incitement:
'If Muslims are Allowed
to Infiltrate Congress'
-
Religious Leaders Push Back Against
Rep. Goode
*
CAIR-CA:
FBI Probes
Death Threat Against Muslim Leader (CBS)
-
Watch the Video
*
CAIR-MI:
Church Forum Addresses
Violence and Religion
-
LA:
Jews, Muslims Sharing
Service Work (Times-Picayune)
*
OH:
Recently
Deported Ohio Imam Has Disappeared (AP)
*
WI:
Pilot's Suit Alleges
Muslim Bias (Capitol Times)
-
MI:
Muslim Suspect Says He was
Mistreated (Free Press)
*
KY:
Muslim-American
Prosecutor is Unique in His Profession (AP)
-
MI:
Dearborn
Heights' First Arab-American Judge
*
TX:
A Muslim Voice for a New
Generation (American-Statesman)
*
LA:
Qatar Gives Last
Installment of Katrina Aid to Area (AP)
*
Revealed:
Israel Plans Nuclear Strike on
Iran (Sunday Times)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: TRUE BELIEVERS SPEND IN CHARITY -
TOP
"The true believers are those whose hearts tremble with awe when the
name of God is mentioned, and whose faith grows stronger as they listen
to His revelations and they put their trust in their Lord, who establish
prayer and spend in charity out of the sustenance that We have given
them. They are the ones who are the true believers."
The Holy Quran, 8:2-4
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: WHAT ISLAM REALLY MEANS
-
TOP
The Merced Sun-Star, 1/6/07
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/opinion/story/13172085p-13815006c.html
Editor: If Don Davey had studied Islam history he'd have a far different
opinion about the Muslim religion. He can't name one Islam country
without oil or dope that's better off economically than the United
States, and that's
because they let a poorly written Koran, which is
nothing but a plagiarism of the Bible, rule their citizens. .
.
Muhammad even had to use terrorism to move into Mecca according to
history written at that time, and terrorism has been used endlessly since
to overthrow established governments, one after the other until most of
North Africa, the Middle East, and southern and mid-Asia have been
conquered by radical Muslims.
The last thing we need here is a country ruled by the Koran.
And, if
Muslims are allowed to infiltrate our Congress and local governments,
this country will wilt into the lifestyle of a Uzbekistan or a Kazakhstan
where only a few can read and write, and American sports and other
entertainment will disappear. There will be no elected government
representatives, because a Muslim cleric will be the dictator. .
.
SEND POLITE COMMENTS TO:
jkieta@mercedsun-star.com
COPY TO:
info@cair.com
SEE ALSO:
RELIGIOUS LEADERS PUSH BACK AGAINST REP.
GOODE -
TOP
William Fisher, Dissident Voice, 1/7/07
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Jan07/Fisher07.htm
More than 20 prominent religious leaders have launched an on-line
petition demanding that Rep. Vigil Goode (R-Va) reexamine his opposition
to newly-elected Rep. Keith Ellison, a Muslim from Minnesota, taking his
unofficial oath of office using the Qur'an, and to apologize for his
statement that, without punitive immigration reform, "there will be
many more Muslims elected to office demanding the use of the
Qur'an.". . .
Religious leaders and organizations backing the petition include Dr.
George Hunsinger of the Princeton Theological Seminary, Rev. Robert Edgar
of the National Council of Churches, Rabbi Steven B. Jacobs of the Rabbi
Steven B. Jacobs Progressive Faith Foundation, Rev. Dr. Larry L.
Greenfield of the American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago, Rev. Cedric
A. Harmon of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Joseph
C. Hough, Jr. of the Union Theological Seminary, Vincent Isner of
Faithful America, a program of the National Council of the Churches of
Christ USA, and Rev. Timothy F. Simpson of the Christian Alliance for
Progress.
Readers wishing to read the full petition and original signatories can do
so at:
http://ga3.org/campaign/reconcile. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-CA: FBI PROBES DEATH
THREAT AGAINST MUSLIM LEADER -
TOP
The Leader Is Accused Of Being Pro-Terrorist
http://cbs13.com/topstories/local_story_005235303.html
WATCH THE VIDEO -
TOP
http://www.cbs13.com/video/?id=15847
(CBS13) SACRAMENTO A Sacramento Muslim activist was given an award
then snubbed by the same senator. Now the FBI is investigating a death
threat against the activist.
The FBI said Friday that it is investigating a death threat sent to the
leader of a local Muslim group after U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer rescinded a
certificate her office had awarded to him.
Special Agent Karen Ernst said the bureau launched an investigation after
Basim Elkarra reported receiving a threatening email.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR-MI: CHURCH FORUM ADDRESSES
VIOLENCE AND RELIGION -
TOP
http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070107/NEWS22/701070561
A community forum titled, "Wrapping the Faith in the Flag: The
Roles of Religion and Violence in the Christian and Muslim
Traditions," is offered at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17, in
Fellowship Hall, First Presbyterian Church, 4328 Livernois,
Troy.
Monsignor John P. Zenz, Episcopal vicar of the Archdiocese of Detroit,
and
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan branch for the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, will lead the
program.
SEE ALSO:
LA: N.O. JEWS, MUSLIMS TO JOIN FOR
WEEKEND -
TOP
Congregations sharing meals, service work
Bruce Nolan, Times-Picayune, 1/6/07
http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/library-118/1168069250297680.xml?ZZLIBB&coll=1
For the second time in three years, Jews and Muslims from two New Orleans
congregations will spend a weekend together, sharing each other's places
of worship, and joining for meals and community work. Members of Touro
Synagogue and Masjidur-Rahim launched the first such "weekend of
peace" in 2005 and will do it again Friday and Saturday, according
to plans announced by Rabbi Andrew Busch and Imam Rafeeq Nu'Man. On
Friday, members of the synagogue will be at the masjid at 1238 N. Johnson
St. for the weekly congregational prayer at 12:45 p.m. They will
reconvene at Touro at 6 that evening for regular Sabbath worship,
followed by dinner together. On Saturday, Muslims and Jews will jointly
serve a community meal to residents of the masjid's neighborhood. In
addition, basic medical screening, mental health crisis counseling and
medical and social services referrals will be available. That will occur
at the vacant lot on North Claiborne Avenue between Ursuline and Gov.
Nicholls streets from 2 to 5 p.m.
-----
OH: FRIENDS SAY RECENTLY
DEPORTED OHIO IMAM HAS DISAPPEARED -
TOP
KRISTIN LONGLEY, Associated Press Writer
http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-40/1168207748167280.xml&storylist=newsmichigan
DETROIT (AP) - Friends and family say they didn't know Fawaz Damra had
been deported until his lawyer arrived for a meeting at the jail where he
was being held.
Federal authorities there confirmed their worst fears: Damra was
gone.
And now, days later, they say the prominent Ohio Muslim leader has
disappeared after the U.S. government reported deporting him to his
native Palestinian territories on the West Bank. . .
"Being Americans as we are, we expect a little fairness, to a
degree, to the extent they would let him call his wife and
children," said Haider Alawan, Damra's friend and member of the
Islamic Center of Cleveland's council of elders.
Alawan said Palestinian government officials said they didn't know where
Damra is. A spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister's office said Sunday
that it had no immediate knowledge of Damra's case, either.
"We want to know where the heck he is," said Don Bryant,
president of the Greater Cleveland Immigrant Support Network and another
of Damra's friends. "We are outraged with the way this was handled.
He was taken away on a witch hunt.". . .
Alawan said it is most likely that Israeli authorities are holding him.
The Allenby Bridge border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank is
under Israeli military control.
If that is the case, he could be held in jail, Alawan said.
"He was concerned about going back to Palestine" for just this
reason, Alawan said. "He had strong reservations about
it."
Alawan expressed bitterness about federal agencies' efforts to reach out
to the Muslim community while at the same time treating Damra in such a
callous manner.
"You want to have a good relations, based on what?" he said.
"You wouldn't let a man in custody say goodbye? And now, he's in a
black hole in the Mideast."
-----
WI: PILOT'S SUIT ALLEGES MUSLIM
BIAS -
TOP
Kevin Murphy, Capital Times, 1/6/07
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2007/01/06/0701060137.php
An Arab-American pilot based in Madison claims he was subjected to
racial, religious and ethnic discrimination while training at a company's
Memphis, Tenn., headquarters and fired after he complained about it,
according to a lawsuit filed recently in federal court.
According to the complaint: Nazeeh Younis, a Muslim, was hired in
September 2002 as a pilot and promoted to captain in July 2004 by
Pinnacle Airlines, which operates as Northwest Airlink at Dane County
Regional Airport and several other locations.
Beginning at a June 23, 2005, training session in Memphis, Pinnacle
employee Terry Harvel humiliated Younis in front of other pilots, while
other non-Arabs weren't subjected to similar verbal harassment.
Younis complained about the taunts and harassment to Pinnacle's head of
line standards and quality assurance but received no response. He then
went to Pinnacle's chief pilot, but no action was taken. . .
SEE ALSO:
MI: IMMIGRANT SAYS HE WAS MISTREATED
BECAUSE HE'S ARAB -
TOP
David Ashenfelter, Detroit Free Press, 1/7/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070107/NEWS05/701070570/1007/NEWS
A former Detroit terrorism suspect who says he was mistreated during his
confinement at the Wayne County Jail will get his day in court, a federal
judge has ruled.
U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman rejected the county's request to
dismiss a lawsuit filed by Karim Koubriti, 28, a Moroccan immigrant who
was locked up for three years as a federal terrorism suspect.
The judge dropped one count of the suit in his ruling Wednesday -- that
being served pork at the jail violated his Muslim faith and his
constitutional rights -- but would not toss three other counts, including
Koubriti's claim that he was excessively stripped-searched at the jail
because he is Arab.
"The decision means he'll get his day in court and his say at
trial," Koubriti's lawyer, Ben Gonek of Detroit, said
Saturday.
There was no immediate comment from the Wayne County Sheriff's
Department. (MORE)
-----
KY: MUSLIM-AMERICAN
PROSECUTOR IS UNIQUE IN HIS PROFESSION -
TOP
DYLAN T. LOVAN, Associated Press, 1/6/07
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/state/16399772.htm
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Khalid Kahloon admits he doesn't look like a typical
Kentucky lawyer.
He certainly has an atypical job for a former immigrant from
Pakistan.
Kahloon is perhaps the only criminal prosecutor of Muslim descent in the
state, and certainly one of a few in the country.
"I think when most jurors walk into the courtroom, and I get up and
speak to them, or I'm introduced and then they hear my accent, it
certainly makes it interesting," said Kahloon, seated at his desk at
the offices of the Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney, where he has
worked for nearly five years.
He came to the United States in 1989 as a student, and later attended the
Thomas Cooley Law School in Michigan, entering into private practice
shortly after. He began his law career in Louisville as an assistant
public defender, and started in the prosecutor's office just a few months
after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
His Muslim background has been a boon and a burden since he joined the
prosecutor's office.
"I remember my boss telling me that someone had called here saying
'Watch out, he could be a mole for al-Qaida,'" he said.
But the attacks were also a chance for American Muslims to renew their
devotion to this country, Kahloon said.
"I felt that there was a tremendous need after 9-11 for Muslims to
get involved and be seen in the public service arena," he said.
"I did my share by becoming a prosecutor because I felt that law
enforcement was an area where I could help my country the most as U.S.
waged war on terror." . . .
One of the country's highest-profile Muslims in law enforcement is Arif
Alikhan, a former adviser to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
Alikhan, whose parents were from Pakistan and India, was recently named
deputy mayor for Homeland Security and Public Safety in Los Angeles.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
MI: DEARBORN
HEIGHTS' FIRST ARAB-AMERICAN JUDGE -
TOP
Sean Delaney, Press & Guide, 1/7/07
http://www.pressandguide.com/stories/010707/loc_20070107001.shtml
Surrounded by family, friends and colleagues, attorney David Turfe was
sworn in Thursday at Crestwood High School as the next 20th District
Court judge - a position previously held for more than 34 years by
retiring Judge Leo Foran.
"I will never be able to fill Judge Foran's shoes - mainly because
he wears size 13 and I'm size 12," joked Turfe during his
inauguration.
"But I promise to work hard and to uphold the position of 20th
District Court judge with honor and integrity and be the best judge I can
be."
Turfe was elected to the judicial seat in November, defeating rival Don
Rivard by 386 votes, and holds the distinction of being the first Arab
American elected to serve on the bench in the city's history. .
.
Wayne County Circuit Court Judge David Allen served as master of
ceremonies during Thursday's investiture and said while Turfe has faced
many challenges throughout his life, he has continued to rely on his
family, friends and community for support.
"The road has been long and hard ... but he is a man determined to
rise," Allen said. "This is indeed a proud day."
It was a day Turfe said he was proud to share with his family - including
his father, Mohammed, his mother, Yusra, his wife, Fay, and their four
sons. (MORE)
-----
TX: A MUSLIM VOICE FOR A NEW GENERATION
-
TOP
Through Web site, Muslim man gives forum for unheard Muslim voices.
Eileen E. Flynn, American-Statesman, 1/8/06
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/01/08/8muslims.html
Shahed Amanullah wields a lot of influence from the South Austin coffee
shop where he spends most afternoons. Typing away on his laptop, the
recent transplant from California is shaping opinion about all things
Muslim.
Amanullah, a tall engineering consultant with a trim beard, runs several
Web sites in his spare time, including altmuslim.com, an increasingly
influential forum for Muslims to write about contemporary, often
controversial issues.
What fuels him is a desire to be heard and to offer a platform for people
like him - Muslims born and raised in America - to have reasoned,
balanced discussions about Islam, world events, culture and
politics.
He's encouraging the kind of internal debate he doesn't see reflected in
mainstream media or even in Muslim media, which he says is often tied
into established political organizations and not truly
independent.
Muslims in the United States "have no national newspapers . . . have
one national magazine that's not linked to a Muslim group," he said.
"You don't have any independent news Web sites with the possible
exception of myself."
That concerns Amanullah, 38, who was born in Hollywood, Calif., to Indian
parents and earned degrees from the University of California, Berkeley,
and Georgetown University.
Estimates of the number of Muslims living in the United States vary
widely from 2 million to 10 million, but there's no doubt they are a
sizable - and growing - religious minority, Amanullah said.
"For a community that large to be served by such few independent
voices, I mean, we are like lambs to the slaughter, because the world
talks about us; we're on the news every night," he said. "Every
pundit has an opinion about us. . . . Every blogger has an opinion about
us. And what is the response back?"
Through AltMuslim, friends say, Amanullah has cultivated young writers,
fostered relationships among Muslim leaders and offered non-Muslims an
opportunity to see a diversity of thought among Western Muslims.
Contributors move beyond the "Islam is peace" mantra that many
Muslims clung to after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and tackle weighty
topics such as the war in Iraq and genital mutilation.
They push the boundaries with columns on gay marriage and intra-Muslim
violence and also produce humorous articles and film and technology
reviews.
Where national Muslim groups such as the Council on American-Islamic
Relations take a more defensive line on Muslim controversies, writers on
AltMuslim are more likely to be critical.
After a group of imams was detained at a Minneapolis airport in November
after praying in the boarding area and allegedly behaving suspiciously,
an AltMuslim writer questioned the tactics used by the airline but
scolded the imams for being so conspicuous with their prayers. National
Muslim groups, on the other hand, demanded justice for the imams, saying
they were targeted simply for being Muslim.
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, said he welcomes constructive criticism from within the
Muslim community and appreciates Amanullah's efforts in "keeping
people honest." (MORE)
-----
QATAR GIVES LAST INSTALLMENT
OF KATRINA AID TO AREA -
TOP
Associated Press, 1/6/07
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070106/NEWS/70106011
NEW ORLEANS - The Persian Gulf nation of Qatar announced the final
installment of its $100 million fund to assist Gulf Coast victims of
Hurricane Katrina, awarding a total of $5.6 million to a New Orleans
university, an area housing agency and a worldwide disaster relief and
human development organization.
Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans received nearly $3.1 million
from the Qatar Katrina Fund to provide subsidies of up to $25,000 each
for the purchase of affordable housing in the New Orleans area for low-
and moderate-income Katrina victims.
Another $1.4 million went to Loyola University of New Orleans to fund 140
scholarships of $10,000 each over the next three years for financially
disadvantaged students from the Gulf Coast who were among those most
affected by the hurricane. (MORE)
-----
REVEALED: ISRAEL PLANS NUCLEAR STRIKE ON IRAN -
TOP
Uzi Mahnaimi and Sarah Baxter, Sunday Times, 1/7/07
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2535310,00.html
ISRAEL has drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment
facilities with tactical nuclear weapons.
Two Israeli air force squadrons are training to blow up an Iranian
facility using low-yield nuclear "bunker-busters", according to
several Israeli military sources. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
– 1/8/07
*
Hadith:
Love the Poor
*
CAIR-FL:
Muslim
Group Offers Hot Meal, Hope (Miami Herald)
*
CAIR-CA:
Letters
Praise CAIR, Criticize Boxer (Sacramento Bee)
-
Incitement Watch:
Expel Families of
ACLU, NAACP, CAIR
*
CAIR-OH:
Imam Not Heard
from Since Deportation (Plain Dealer)
*
Pitts:
Quran Debate a Reminder
of Intolerance (Miami Herald)
*
CA:
Interfaith Youth
Alliance Meets in Mosque (Fresno Bee)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: LOVE THE POOR -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would pray, saying: "O God!
I ask You for the means to do good, to avoid evil and to love the
poor.”
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 4, Number 13A
The Prophet also told his wife: “If you love the poor and bring them near
you. . .God will bring you near Him on the Day of
Resurrection."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1376
-----
CAIR-FL: MUSLIM GROUP
OFFERS HOT MEAL -- AND HOPE -
TOP
Every Friday afternoon, members of Project Downtown -- students from the
University of Miami -- feed some of Miami's homeless.
ERIKA BERAS, Miami Herald, 1/8/07
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/16407033.htm
Every Friday afternoon in the parking lot of the Stephen P. Clark county
government building, a group of about 100 homeless people gathers.
They're waiting for the members of Project Downtown.
When the group members arrive, carrying food and clothes, the crowd
descends upon them.
In the middle of it all is Wajiha Ahktar, 20, a Pakistani-American
engineering student at the University of Miami.
Ahktar is one of the founding members of Project Downtown, a Muslim
community service group based at UM.
After Jumu'ah, or Friday prayers, they've made it a tradition to go down
to the parking lot of the government building at 111 NW First St. to
distribute food and clothing.
“I love them,” said Mike Holloway, 39, one of the 5,015 homeless people
in Miami-Dade County, according to census estimates from July
2006.
Holloway recently migrated to Miami from North Carolina for the warmer
weather. Wearing a shirt he got from the students several months ago, he
said they have become like a family to him.
“To understand those less fortunate than you says a lot,” he
said.
Formed in March by six students, the group's membership has swelled to 50
in the past few months.
The students credit the growth to a strong Muslim Student Association on
campus and positive feedback and continual contributions from their
community.
The sandwiches they usually hand out come from a Subway restaurant owned
by a member of Ahktar's mosque. The clothes are unclaimed items from a
dry cleaning shop owned by a friend of Ahktar's parents. And the
toiletries come from members of the local chapter of
CAIR, the Council
of American-Islamic Relations. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-CA: THE MAKING OF A
BOXER REBELLION -
TOP
Sacramento Bee, 1/8/07
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/104347.html
As a lifelong Democrat, I am shocked and appalled with the recent actions
of Sen. Barbara Boxer in her attempts to rescind an award that she gave
to the
Sacramento chapter of the Council on American Islamic
Relations.
CAIR is a mainstream, nonpartisan Muslim organization that encourages
civic participation among Muslims such as voter registration and citizen
education. CAIR is following the path of many other mainstream political
empowerment groups, such as the League of Women Voters and the
NAACP.
However, Boxer has bowed to the pressure of the right-wing blogosphere
that has attacked CAIR, not on the basis of facts or evidence, but out of
malicious hatred and anti-Muslim bias. It is disappointing that our
Democratic representative has taken such an undemocratic stand.
This story is a discouraging lesson for others seeking political
empowerment. CAIR has done everything that we ask others to do in order
to gain acceptance, yet even now, it is not fully accepted. What lesson
does this teach other groups seeking recognition and acceptance?
- Mark Farouk, Sacramento
---
Israel lobby has too much clout
Re "Boxer pulls Muslim award," Jan. 4: As a Jewish American and
a supporter of Sen. Barbara Boxer, I say that it was wrong for her to
withdraw the award that she previously gave to the
Council on American
Islamic Relations, which works to build bridges between Christians,
Muslims, Jews and people of color. The article stated that
Nihad Awad,
CAIR's executive director in Washington, has condemned violence by
all sides and that he even appeared with President Bush.
I doubt that Boxer even believes in her decision to withdraw the award.
The problem is that the Israel lobby, consisting of the American Israel
Public Affairs Committee and other organizations, has far too much
influence on American policy in the Middle East. This policy of giving
unconditional support to Israel is detrimental to the security of our
country.
It is AIPAC that must be required to register as an agent of a foreign
government. We need a more evenhanded policy that will bring the two
sides together to obtain a peaceful settlement between the Israelis and
the Palestinians.
- Walter Ballin, Chico
---
Honorable people sullied
My response to Sen. Barbara Boxer's rescinding of the award given to
Sacramento CAIR Director Basim Elkarra was a mixture of disgust
and amusement. Certainly, it is unfair to punish an entire organization,
or even one person within it, based on the actions of certain individuals
in the group.
Imagine an organization established with honorable intentions by people
who truly sought the common good, an organization that was later
infiltrated by less noble and less altruistic members whose crimes ranged
from theft and bribery to murder and mayhem. Would it be fair, then, to
question the motives of the original organization and to penalize those
current members who genuinely attempt to do good? If so, what would
become of the U.S. government?
I would propose to Elkarra that there is far more honor to be found in
the endorsement by Rev. Dexter McNamara of his work than in any
certificate he might receive from the likes of Boxer.
- Elaine McCollom, Sacramento
SEE ALSO:
INCITEMENT WATCH: EXPEL FAMILIES OF ACLU,
NAACP, CAIR -
TOP
LET'S CLEAN HOUSE
Whittier Daily News, 1/8/07
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/opinions/ci_4968280
America needs to do some serious house cleaning if it plans on surviving
as a sovereign nation.
I have a few suggestions.
The U.S. should repeal diplomatic immunity; resign from the United
Nations and have it relocated in Fallujah; and expel all subversive
groups (American Civil Liberties Union, Chicano Student Movement of Aztl
n, La Raza, NAACP,
Council on American-Islamic Relations, etc.)
and their families to their choice of either Venezuela, Cuba, Fallujah,
France, North Korea, Somalia or Mexico. . .
Make it mandatory for all America haters to leave the country and reside
in any of the above-mentioned resorts. Finally, make Al Gore live in
Antarctica.
Michael Canzano
La Verne
SEND POLITE COMMENTS TO:
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/writealetter
COPY TO:
info@cair.com
-----
CAIR-OH: DAMRA NOT HEARD FROM
SINCE HIS DEPORTATION -
TOP
Monday, January 08, 2007
Leila Atassi, Plain Dealer, 1/8/07
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/116824883439720.xml&coll=2
Four days after Imam Fawaz Damra was deported to the Middle East, family
and friends still have not heard from the former leader of Ohio's largest
mosque.
And today, friends fear Damra might have been detained some time between
4 and 5 a.m. Thursday, when the imam likely faced officials at an Israeli
checkpoint while crossing the border to his Palestinian
homeland.
"This is a complete mystery," said
Isam Zaiem, chairman of
the Cleveland Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"Normally it takes about 24 hours to hear from someone after they've
been de ported. But it's as if the imam has vanished off the face of the
Earth." (MORE)
-----
KORAN DEBATE ANOTHER REMINDER OF
INTOLERANCE -
TOP
Leonard Pitts Jr., Miami Herald, 1/8/07
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16407032.htm
It is paradoxical that the same nation that speaks seriously of electing
Condoleezza Rice or Barack Obama to the presidency can also speak
seriously of denying Keith Ellison his office because he is a Muslim.
That's just the kind of country we are, I'm afraid. Not always
sufficiently brave. So Muslims -- doesn't matter whether we're talking
Middle East crazies or a Midwest politician -- become the latest brand
name of our fears. Some people claim to defend American values that
they're too faint-hearted to even understand.
And yet for all that, this week, a Muslim put his hand on Thomas
Jefferson's Koran and swore to serve all the people of his district. Then
he shook Virgil Goode's hand and invited him to have coffee.
Thank goodness we're that sort of country, too.
-----
CA: STUDENTS TRADE LESSONS ON
FAITH -
TOP
Valley high schoolers strive to learn others' religious traditions.
Marc Benjamin, The Fresno Bee, 1/8/07
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/22976.html
Valley high school students are banding together to gain a stronger
understanding of one another's religious faiths and traditions.
The Interfaith Youth Alliance held its initial meeting Sunday at the
Islamic Cultural Center in northeast Fresno. The event brought about 20
students together from about a half-dozen local high schools.
The group discussed formation of interfaith alliances at their schools.
The alliances would operate under a larger umbrella group and collaborate
on community projects.
In addition to the local projects, the group will examine each other's
differences to better understand their religious traditions and
values.
Said alliance chairwoman Sarah Akhtar, 16, who attends Fresno's Edison
High and is Muslim: "Even if we are different, it doesn't have to
make a difference." (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/9/07
*
Verse:
Reply with Words of
Peace
*
CAIR-MI:
Vandalism has
Sunni, Shia Working for Peace
*
CAIR-MI Condemns Vandalism
of Mosques, Muslim Businesses
-
CAIR-MI:
Vandalism Raises
Wider Fears (Free Press)
-
CAIR-MI:
Vandals Hit Shia
Stores (Detroit News)
*
Video:
CAIR Reps to
CNN - Boxer Misled by Muslim-Bashers
-
CAIR:
Islamophobes Mislead Senator
Boxer
-
Action Requested:
Contact Senator
Boxer
*
Action:
Glenn
Beck to Produce 'Islam in America' for ABC (AP)
-
Media Matters:
Beck's History of Anti-Muslim Smears
-
Action:
Contact ABC
*
Ohio Muslims Concerned About
Safety of Imam Damra
-
Israel Arrests Deported
Ohio Imam (AP)
*
CAIR-FL:
3 Men
Cleared in Port Scare 'Treated Like Animals'
-
CAIR:
Airport Screeners
Receive Training About Muslims
*
CAIR-FL Sponsors
Interfaith Program Honoring King
-
CAIR-CA Joins Multi-Faith MLK
Prayer Breakfast
*
CAIR-SC Joins
Discussions on Public Prayer (The State)
*
MD:
Muslims
Protest Shift by School Board (Baltimore Sun)
*
US Air Strike Kills Over 20 in
Somalia (Reuters)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: REPLY WITH WORDS OF PEACE
-
TOP
"The (true) servants of (God) the Most Gracious are those who walk
on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, reply with
(words of) peace."
The Holy Quran, 25:63
VERSE OF THE DAY: SPEAK FOR JUSTICE
"Show forgiveness, speak for justice and avoid the
ignorant."
The Holy Quran, 7:199
-----
CAIR-MI: VANDALISM IN DETROIT
HAS SUNNI, SHI'ITE LEADERS WORKING FOR PEACE -
TOP
NIRAJ WARIKOO, Free Press, 1/9/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/NEWS01/70109023/1011/NEWS09
Concerned about a possible outbreak of sectarian violence in Michigan,
Sunni and Shi'ite leaders worked today to repair their ties after
Shi'ite-run mosques and businesses in Detroit were targeted over the
weekend by men who may have been Sunni.
The Islamic Shura Council of Michigan, a Sunni coalition group based in
Bloomfield Hills, said in a statement today that the incidents may have
been hate crimes against Shi'ites.
"Islam does not condone vandalism or desecration of any house of
worship," said the council's president Mouhib Ayas.
The vandals broke thick windows at several Iraqi Shi'ite-owned
establishments along Warren Avenue in Detroit, close to the border with
Dearborn.
The attacks came a week after Shi'ites and others celebrated on the day
that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was executed. The celebrations,
broadcast often on TV, upset some Sunni Muslims in metro
Detroit.
The Iraqi Shi'ite owner of one restaurant said that he had received a
threatening phone call from a man who cussed at him in Arabic and English
before his establishment was vandalized, according to
Dawud Walid,
head of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations. . .
Walid spoke at a Shi'ite mosque late Monday to urge the two sects to be
united.
"It's important that Sunnis and Shi'ites come together," Walid
said. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-MI CONDEMNS VANDALISM OF
MOSQUES AND BUSINESSES -
TOP
Calls for federal investigation of possible hate crimes
(DETROIT, MI, 1/9/07) - The Michigan chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today called on the FBI to
investigate the vandalism of two mosques and five businesses this past
weekend in the Warrendale section of Detroit as possible hate crimes. The
incidents took place sometime between the evening of Saturday, January 6
and the morning of Sunday, January 7.
The Imam Ali Islamic Center and the Al-Kufa Cultural Forum, along with
five businesses including restaurants, a clothing store, and a barber
shop, had windows broken by bricks and rocks. Both centers and all of the
businesses are owned by Shia Muslims. One owner reported receiving
intimidating phone calls the night prior to the incident, in which the
caller was speaking Arabic and English. The caller mentioned the fact
that the business was Shia-owned.
"Violence against any house of worship is totally unacceptable and
should be condemned by people of all faiths," CAIR-MI Executive
Director Dawud Walid stated. "We call on the federal government to
probe these incidents as possible hate crimes and for the Wayne County
Prosecutor to prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the
law."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid at
dwalid@cair.com or
248-842-1418
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MI: DAMAGE TO BUSINESSES
AND MOSQUES IN DETROIT RAISES WIDER FEARS -
TOP
Was it Hussein-connected retaliation, local Shi'ites ask
Cecil Angel, Detroit Free Press, 1/9/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/NEWS01/701090400/1003/NEWS01
As they repaired the broken windows of at least a dozen businesses and
mosques along Warren Avenue in Detroit, many Iraqi Shi'ite Muslims
wondered Monday if the vandalism was retaliation by local supporters of
Saddam Hussein who resented that they celebrated the hanging of the Iraqi
dictator.
Sometime late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, someone vandalized
at least nine businesses and three mosques, all but one Shi'ite,
according to Ali Zwen, manager of the Kufa Cultural Forum, a mosque at
Warren and Archdale that sustained $4,000 in damage.
Detroit police have not made an arrest for the vandalism that occurred
between Greenfield and a few blocks west of the Southfield Freeway. Most
of the area's businesses with Arabic script on their signs were
undamaged.
Many of the spared businesses are owned by Iraqi-American Christians,
Lebanese Americans and others with Middle Eastern roots. The evidence is
largely circumstantial that Shi'ites were targeted, but some of the
victims say it is too coincidental. . .
If the motivation for vandalism proves to be what she suspects, it could
mark a turning point in metro Detroit's Middle Eastern
community.
"This is bad because this would be a situation where people are
bringing the tensions of the Middle East into metro Detroit," said
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan office of the Council
on American-Islamic Relations. (MORE)
---
CAIR-MI: VANDALS HIT SHI'A
STORES -
TOP
Muslim leaders cite Saddam's execution in Detroit damage
Darren A. Nichols and Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 1/9/07
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/METRO/701090330/1003
Muslim leaders say a spate of vandalism over the weekend involving stores
owned by local Iraqis could stem from brewing sectarian Islamic tension
over the execution of Saddam Hussein.
While Shi'a and Sunni Muslims are fighting in Iraq, the two groups
generally get along in Metro Detroit and the United States. But Muslim
and Arab leaders say the hanging of Saddam, and especially the timing of
the execution, spurred hard feelings.
They say the vandalized property was owned or operated by people of Iraqi
descent who are Shi'a.
"People are scared to come here. It's very dangerous, this
place," said Inaam Alkhafaji, referring to her Detroit business,
Dana Media, whose windows were broken.
"It's a war with the Iraqi people. Maybe next time they kill
us."
The tension that concerns Muslim leaders was spurred by the timing of the
execution, according to
Dawud Walid, the executive director of the
Council on American Islamic Relations and other community leaders.
(MORE)
-----
VIDEO: CAIR REPS SAY SEN.
BOXER MISLED BY MUSLIM-BASHERS -
TOP
CNN's "Paula Zahn Now, 1/8/07,
VIEW THE VIDEO
SEE ALSO:
ISLAMOPHOBES MISLEAD SENATOR BOXER -
TOP
By Parvez Ahmed, 1/5/06
http://drparvezahmed.blogspot.com/2007/01/senator-boxer-misjudged-facts-in.html
[
Parvez Ahmed is board chairman of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy
group. He may be contacted at
pahmed@cair.com.]
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) recently rescinded an award to Basim
Elkarra, the executive director of the Sacramento Valley chapter of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
This disturbing news was met with a flurry of rhetorical high-fives by
anti-Muslim extremists in the blogosphere. After Boxer's decision to
rescind the award was made public, Elkarra received an e-mailed death
threat. That threat is being investigated by the FBI.
But what led Sen. Boxer to rescind the award? The justifications offered
range from the amazing to the bizarre.
According to Sen. Boxer's spokeswoman Natalie Ravitz, the senator became
"concerned" after she read negative things about CAIR on a
virulent anti-Muslim hate site. This despite the fact that the same
website describes Sen. Boxer as someone who is "thickheaded" on
national security and said, "The nation's dumbest Democrat, Barbara
Boxer, has a plan to lose in Iraq."
It is truly disappointing to see Sen. Boxer use such a hate-filled and
inflammatory site to form her opinions about CAIR, America's largest
Muslim civil liberties group.
Just days before Sen. Boxer announced her decision, a demand for just
such an action was issued by Joe Kaufman, an anti-Muslim extremist in
Florida who has a long history of seeking to marginalize the Muslim
community in that state.
Kaufman has in the past promoted terrorist organizations such as Kach and
Kahane Chai on his website. In an article published on the forum of the
radical Jewish Defense League in Florida, Kaufman praised the Kahane
movement and its founder Mier Kahane by stating, "It was perfectly
understandable, if he (Kahane) were to have hated Arabs."
Last year, Kaufman once again demonstrated his anti-Muslim bigotry by
joining the call of Rev. O'Neal Dozier (who was subsequently removed from
the campaign of Florida Governor Charlie Crist in part because of his
bigoted views about Muslims) seeking to block the expansion of a mosque
in Pompano Beach. "This mosque should not exist on American
shores," said Kaufman." (St. Petersburg Times,
7/14/06)
The senator said she also relied on information from Steven Emerson, a
"terrorism expert" with a history of defamatory attacks on CAIR
almost since its founding in 1994. Emerson was the commentator who first
blamed Muslims for the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in
Oklahoma.
Sen. Boxer's decision to rescind the award contradicted her previous
positive interactions with CAIR and was made without a single phone call
or e-mail seeking a rebuttal to the Internet smears. In the past, CAIR
received several letters of commendation from the senator. Members of her
staff also attended CAIR events.
While American Muslims have grown used to such behavior from the extreme
right, it was shocking to see a progressive politician like Sen. Boxer
get caught up in our nation's rising tide of Islamophobia.
Sen. Boxer has now signaled a willingness to meet with CAIR officials
both in California and in Washington, D.C. This is certainly welcome
news.
CAIR has always taken a principled stand against terrorism and religious
extremism.
From issuing a statement of condemnation immediately after the 9/11
attacks, to taking out a full-page ad in the Washington Post dissociating
Islam from terrorism, to launching the "Not in the Name of
Islam" online petition and public service announcement campaigns,
CAIR's initiatives all point to an organization unequivocally opposed to
terrorism in all its forms.
Representatives of the FBI are frequent participants at CAIR events
nationwide and CAIR regularly conducts sensitivity training for federal
and local law enforcement agencies.
In defending Boxer's position, Boxer's office has been using recycled
news stories about the convictions of two people who had past
associations with CAIR.
One of those people, a volunteer board member of a local CAIR chapter,
undertook his actions after terminating his association with CAIR. The
other person's activities came after he left his employment at CAIR.
Whatever they did or did not do in their private capacities has nothing
to do with CAIR. Holding CAIR responsible for the actions of former
associates is guilt by association.
CAIR has tens of thousands of members, hundreds of volunteer board
members and several dozen paid staff members nationwide. It would be
unfair and un-American to hold any organization responsible for the
actions of every individual, especially when such actions originate
outside the scope of their employment or association.
Unfortunately, the general public's ignorance of their American Muslim
neighbors is the oxygen that gives life to Islamophobia.
The reality is that American Muslims make up one of the most productive
and law-abiding segments of our society. Recent polls show that nearly
nine out of ten American Muslims vote regularly and nearly half volunteer
for institutions serving the public (compared to a national average of 29
percent). The same poll indicated that American Muslims have high regard
for CAIR.
By acting on smears, distortions and guilt by association, Sen. Boxer has
failed her Muslim constituents and has betrayed the progressive values of
her party and state.
Despite this disturbing episode, we remain committed to working with Sen.
Boxer and with any other public officials who seek to build a better and
more tolerant America.
---
ACTION REQUESTED: CONTACT
SENATOR BOXER -
TOP
Please contact Senator Boxer to express your concerns about her decision
to rescind the award to Basim Elkarra based on information supplied by
Islamophobes and without input from CAIR. Personal letters sent by fax
are best, followed by calls and e-mails, in that order. Make sure to
include your name and full address and to ask for a response in
writing.
(As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL.)
WASHINGTON AND STATE OFFICES:
http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/offices/index.cfm
E-MAIL:
http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/email/policy.cfm
COPY TO:
info@cair.com
-----
ACTION: GLENN BECK TO
PRODUCE SPECIAL ON 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' FOR ABC -
TOP
Glenn Beck Becomes ABC Contributor
Associated Press, 1/9/07
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/1401AP_TV_ABC_Beck.html
CNN Headline News and radio talk-show host Glenn Beck will join ABC's
"Good Morning America" as a regular commentator, ABC News said
Tuesday.
Beck's radio show can be heard on 232 radio stations and XM satellite
radio, and his television offshoot has boosted the ratings for CNN
Headline News, where it airs twice each evening.
"Glenn is a leading cultural commentator with a distinct
voice," said Jim Murphy, senior executive producer of "Good
Morning America." "At times, he is the perfect guest for many
of the talk topics we cover on morning news programs."
CNN Headline News said Tuesday that Beck will make several single-topic
specials this year, after a previous one on Islamic extremism set a
ratings record for the network.
Beck will make specials on people who believe in the apocalypse, Islam in
America and the "myths of global warming," the network
said.
The first will air in late February or early March. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
GOOD MORNING AMERICA WELCOMED "TALK-RADIO HOST" GLENN BECK TO
DISCUSS ISLAM, DIDN'T MENTION BECK'S HISTORY OF SMEARS -
TOP
http://mediamatters.org/items/200611280014
Summary: Diane Sawyer hosted Glenn Beck on Good Morning America for a
discussion of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey and the pope's recent
comments on Islam. Sawyer identified Beck only as a "television and
talk-radio host ... who has said it's time for the world to stop buckling
to the pressure of radical Islam." She did not note that Beck is a
self-identified conservative who has a history of making derogatory
statements about Islam and Muslims.
---
CNN'S BECK TO
FIRST-EVER MUSLIM CONGRESSMAN: "[W]HAT I FEEL LIKE SAYING IS, 'SIR,
PROVE TO ME THAT YOU ARE NOT WORKING WITH OUR ENEMIES'" -
TOP
http://mediamatters.org/items/200611150004
On the November 14 edition of his CNN Headline News program, Glenn
Beck interviewed Rep.-elect Keith Ellison (D-MN), who became the first
Muslim ever elected to Congress on November 7, and asked Ellison if he
could "have five minutes here where we're just politically incorrect
and I play the cards up on the table." After Ellison agreed, Beck
said: "I have been nervous about this interview with you, because
what I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working
with our enemies.'" Beck added: "I'm not accusing you of being
an enemy, but that's the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will
feel that way."
As Media Matters for America has noted, Beck previously warned that if
"Muslims and Arabs" don't "act now" by
"step[ping] to the plate" to condemn terrorism, they "will
be looking through a razor wire fence at the West" and declared that
"Muslims who have sat on your frickin' hands the whole time"
rather than "lining up to shoot the bad Muslims in the head"
will face dire consequences.
ACTION
REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.) -
TOP
CONTACT ABC to express your concerns about the network's decision
to provide a platform for a person with a history of anti-Muslim
statements.
CONTACT:
Mr. Jim Murphy
Senior Executive Producer
ABC Good Morning America
147 Columbus Ave
New York, NY 10023-6503
Phone: (212) 456-0600
Fax: (212) 456-7290
E-Mail:
http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html?cat=Good%20Morning%20America
COPY TO:
info@cair.com,
nancy.han@abc.com,
james.bogdanoff@abc.com,
diane.masciale@abc.com,
patty.neger@abc.com
-----
OHIO MUSLIMS CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY
OF IMAM DAMRA -
TOP
ICE officials allegedly misled public about deported Imam's
whereabouts
(CLEVELAND, OHIO, 1/9/07) - The Ohio office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) today expressed concern over
misleading reports from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
officials about the whereabouts of deported Cleveland Imam Fawaz
Damra.
[
PRESS CONFERENCE: A press conference will be held at the Islamic
Center of Cleveland (6055 West 130th Street, Parma, Ohio) at 12 p.m. on
Tuesday, January 9.]
For five days, ICE officials told the media, Damra's family and his
attorney that the Imam had been transferred to custody of the Palestinian
Authority. They now admit that Damra was turned over to Israel on January
4.
Damra, the former Imam of Ohio's largest mosque, was taken from the
Monroe County Immigration Detention Center in the early hours of January
3rd and flown by charter plane to Amman, Jordan.
ICE officials initially claimed Damra was turned over to the Palestinian
Authority (PA), but Israeli and international human rights groups later
confirmed that Damra is being detained by Israel at an Israeli
interrogation center. Damra's family has not heard from him since January
1.
"This looks more like a 'rendition' than a deportation," said
CAIR-Ohio Board Member Dr. Ahmad Al-Akhras. "Given Israel's history
of prisoner mistreatment, we are concerned about Imam Damra's safety and
are very concerned that our own government apparently sought to mislead
the public about his whereabouts."
SEE: Supporters Fear Deported Damra Detained in Israel (Plain
Dealer)
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/116833585148420.xml&coll=2
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
-END-
CONTACT: CAIR-OHIO Cleveland Chapter Director, Julia A. Shearson,
216-830-2247 or 216-440-2247, E-mail:
julia@cair-ohio.com; CAIR Vice
President, Dr. Ahmad Al-Akhras, 614-989-5916, E-Mail:
ahmad@cair-ohio.com
SEE ALSO:
ISRAELI SECURITY SAYS
DEPORTED MUSLIM LEADER ARRESTED IN WEST BANK -
TOP
David N. Goodman, Associated Press, 1/9/07
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/UPDATE/701090406
DETROIT -- The former imam of Ohio's largest mosque, who was deported to
his native West Bank last week, was arrested by Israeli authorities after
crossing from Jordan, his brother says. Israeli authorities confirmed
Tuesday that he was in custody.
Fawaz Damra, 46, had been jailed in Monroe County, Mich., for a year
while awaiting deportation for concealing his aid to Islamic Jihad --
classified by the U.S. as a terrorist group -- when he applied for U.S.
citizenship in 1994. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced
his removal Friday.
His brother, Nabil Damra, said the Red Cross and the Center for the
Defense of the Individual, an Israeli advocacy group for Palestinians in
Israeli-occupied territories, told him that Fawaz Damra was in custody
and had been taken to Israel's Al Jalameh detention facility in Israel,
near Jenin, West Bank.
The Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, confirmed his arrest
Tuesday. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-FL: 3 MEN CLEARED
IN PORT SCARE 'TREATED LIKE ANIMALS' -
TOP
Men Say They Were Targeted Because Of Ethnicity, Creed
Local 10, 1/9/07
http://www.local10.com/news/10703815/detail.html
Three Middle Eastern men who were arrested and later had charges against
them dropped over a brief terrorism scare at the Port of Miami on Sunday
said they were unfairly targeted because of their ethnicity and
creed.
Amar Al-Hadad said he was "humiliated, disrespected (and) treated
real badly just because my name is an Arabic name and I'm a
Muslim."
The Iraqi-born Al-Hadad cried during the Monday news conference in which
he described the way he, his brother, Hussain Al Hadad, and friend,
Hassan El Sayed, were treated.
"We were treated like animals," El Sayed said.
Officials initially said the men, all permanent U.S. residents, had been
caught trying to slip past a checkpoint at the port's entrance. .
.
Amar and Hussain Al Hadad were both charged with resisting arrest;
Hussain Al Hadad was also charged with trespassing, as was El Sayed, a
Lebanese national. A judge dismissed the charges, citing a lack of
evidence.
Amar Al-Hadad said his driver's license hadn't been returned and wasn't
sure which law enforcement agency had it. The three men were detained by
the FBI and released before being charged by the Miami-Dade Police
Department.
"We demand the return of those IDs as soon as possible so that they
can go about their lives in a normal fashion," said
Areeb Naseer,
a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The three men said they were considering filing a lawsuit.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: FOR
AIRPORT SCREENERS, MORE TRAINING ABOUT MUSLIMS -
TOP
As pilgrims return from the hajj, the TSA gives its workers a refresher
on how to treat Muslims at US security checkpoints.
Alexandra Marks, Christian Science Monitor, 1/9/07
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0109/p02s01-ussc.html
Say you're a security screener at the airport. You notice a large group
of people wearing white robes, speaking a strange language. The women
have head scarves and the men long beards. They look nervous. One of them
is holding a Koran. Another appears to be praying. What do you
do?
According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), simply
assume they're devout Muslims returning from the annual hajj in
Mecca.
During the next few weeks, as many as 20,000 American Muslims will be
returning to the United States from their pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. The
TSA has ramped up cultural-awareness training for all 43,000 of its
screeners. The goal: to remind screeners what to expect from devout
Muslims and how to go about screening them so it's in concert with their
religious beliefs.
Arab-American and Muslim-American leaders are applauding the effort. But
they say it's part of a much-needed larger cultural and political
conversation about Islam and Arab culture that can help the nation as it
heals from the aftereffects of 9/11.
"Their efforts are a modest but important beginning," says Jack
Shaheen, professor emeritus of mass communications at Southern Illinois
University. "But until such time that we react to the vilification
of and discrimination against Arabs in the same way we react to the
vilification of others like Jews, blacks, and Hispanics, I'm not going to
go dancing in the streets." . . .
In its hajj training refresher, the TSA is reminding officers that devout
Muslims pray five times a day, and to expect it. The TSA also maintains
that it does not in any way target individuals based on their background
or religious affiliation. . .
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations applauds the special
attention. It says it will be checking airports around the country during
the next few weeks to ensure all goes smoothly.
Complaints about detentions
But at the same time, the civil rights organization says it's seen an
increase in reports about perceived discrimination against Muslims, or
people who look Muslim. Many of the complaints concern incidents such as
individuals being routinely detained for several hours at the airport and
being asked intimate questions about their beliefs - whether they pray
and at which mosque. "These are things that really aren't the
business of security personnel," says
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman
for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. (MORE)
---
CAIR-FL SPONSORS INTERFAITH
PROGRAM HONORING KING -
TOP
(ORLANDO, FL, 1/9/07) - The Orlando chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Orlando) is inviting members of the
local Muslim community and people of all faiths to participate in a
special program honoring the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.
WHAT: "In the Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."
WHEN: Wednesday, January 10, 2007, 7:30 - 9 p.m.
WHERE: Washington Shores Presbyterian Church, 3600 Rogers Dr., Orlando,
Florida
For more information, contact: Elder Rufus Brooks,
RufusBrooks7@aol.com; Reverend
Patricia Tomblin,
Patsybt545@aol.com,
407-834-1423
Presented in cooperation with the Faith Diversity Task Force, the
Interfaith Community Conversation, and
InterfaithMessenger@webtv.net
CONTACT: CAIR-Orlando at 407-649-1660 or
orlando@cairfl.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CA JOINS MULTI-FAITH PRAYER
BREAKFAST -
TOP
(ANAHEIM, CA, 1/9/07) - The Southern California Chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) encourages the Muslim community and
people of all faiths to attend the 30th Annual Martin Luther King Week
Celebration.
The event will feature various religious leaders, who will share the
impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy on their particular
faith.
WHAT: Multi-faith Prayer Breakfast
WHEN: Wednesday, January 10, 2007, at 8 a.m.
WHERE: FAME Renaissance Center, 1968 West Adams, Los Angeles
WHO: Keynote addresses will be delivered by the Reverend Dr. William Epps
and the Rev. Dr. John Hunter. CAIR-LA Community Relations Manager Sherrel
Johnson and other religious leaders will also speak.
CONTACT: For more information, please call Wendy Gladney Brooks at (626)
791-3847, or email her at
wendy@personalservicesplus.com
Presented by the Board of Directors of the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference of Greater Los Angeles (SCLC/LA), the Rev. Eric P. Lee, Sr.,
Executive Director and the SCLC Dream Foundation and the Martin Luther
King Legacy Association (MLKLA).
-----
CAIR-SC: DISCUSSIONS ON
PUBLIC PRAYER BEGIN THIS WEEK -
TOP
The State, 1/9/07
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/16414730.htm
A series of community interfaith discussions on public expressions of
faith will begin Thursday in the Palmetto Room of the Columbia Chamber of
Commerce, 930 Richland St.
The Greater Columbia Community Relations Council is teaming up with the
S.C. Christian Action Council and the
S.C. Council on American-Islamic
Relations to present the series, which is free and open to the
public.
The first session, focusing on Muslim prayer in public places, will be
5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday. For more information, call (803)
733-1130.
-----
MD: MUSLIMS PROTEST
SHIFT BY THE SCHOOL BOARD -
TOP
Gina Davis, Baltimore Sun, 1/9/07
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.co.board09jan09,0,6308888.story
Area Muslim leaders are protesting a change in the Baltimore County
school board's policy on public comments at board meetings, saying that
using a lottery system to determine who can address the panel stifles
their criticism of education policies.
Leaders of the Baltimore-based American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee have pressed the school system to close schools on certain
Muslim holidays as they do for Jewish observances, and have criticized
the makeup of a committee formed to study school calendar issues. They
have spoken frequently at board meetings in recent years - and are
sometimes the only speakers during the public comment session.
Last week, they reiterated their call for the resignation of board member
Joy Shillman, who, they say, has failed to pay attention to their
remarks.
"That is not true, but I don't want to talk about it," Shillman
said yesterday.
Under the new system, instituted in November to replace a first-come,
first-served process, 10 names are drawn from a box. Each speaker is
limited to three minutes at the end of the meeting and must avoid talking
about matters that are subject to an appeals process, such as personnel
issues.
The Muslim group's leaders maintain that the new system is directed at
them.
"Their motivation is to muzzle the public speakers," Dr. Bash
Pharoan, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee,
said yesterday. "We've had a large number of people at the meetings
to speak on our issues since 2004. Many times we've filled the hallways
and the meeting room." . . .
The board is scheduled to meet at 7:30 p.m. tonight.
-----
US AIR STRIKE KILLS OVER 20 IN SOUTH
SOMALIA-ELDER -
TOP
Reuters, 1/9/07
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L09125886.htm
U.S. warplanes killed between 22 and 27 people in southern Somalia on
Tuesday in what appeared to be a second air strike aimed at al Qaeda
suspects thought to be in the area, an elder from a neighbouring town
said.
"U.S. planes struck at Bankajirow this morning between 10 a.m. and
noon (0700-0900 GMT). I think the U.S. planes saw donkey carts crossing
the grazing land and thought it was the Islamists trying to flee,"
the elder told Reuters by telephone.
The elder from Afmadow town, who declined to be named for fear of
reprisals, spoke to Reuters by telephone from the Kenya-Somalia border
crossing at Liboi.
An unknown number of people also died when U.S. warplanes attacked the
village of Hayo on Monday in a hunt for three al Qaeda suspects thought
to be in Somalia, a government source said.
Hayo and Bankajirow are between Afmadow and Doble, areas near the Kenyan
border where the Somali government and allied Ethiopian forces believe
Islamists fled after being chased across south Somalia in a two-week war
last month.
The elder -- a traditional leader in Somali culture -- said the Islamists
were not in the area under attack but about 240 km (150 miles) further
south at Ras Kamboni, a suspected hideout for militants at the
southernmost tip of Somalia.
"People don't understand why the Americans have bombed the field.
The Islamists are not there, they are miles away," he said. Local
people have fled the area but are unable to cross the sealed Kenyan
border, he added.
The Pentagon has declined to comment on the air strikes. There have also
been reports of helicopter attacks. Somali officials have declined to say
whether the attacks were carried out by U.S. or Ethiopian
aircraft.
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
– 1/10/07
*
Verse:
Work to Inspire
*
CAIR-MI:
Muslims Call
for Federal Probe into Vandalism (AP)
-
CAIR-MI:
Imams to Meet
on Vandalisms (Detroit News)
-
CAIR-MI:
Muslims Seek
Peace (Free Press)
*
OH:
Imam’s Handover to Israel
Puzzles Muslims (Plain Dealer)
-
Video:
CAIR-OH Joins Press
Conference on Detained Imam
*
Congressman Ellison:
'End
the Occupation' in Iraq (AP)
*
DC Event:
‘Face to
Face with a Guantanamo Detainee’
*
CAIR-CAN:
Muslims Big on
‘Little Mosque’ (Ottawa Sun)
*
MI:
Muslim Record
Label Seeks to Make a Difference
-
IL:
Muslim Rapper ‘Walks’ to the Top
of the Charts
*
Somali Officials Accuse US of
Killing Civilians (Daily Star)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: WORK TO INSPIRE -
TOP
By the declining day, humankind is at a great disadvantage, save those
who do good works, admonish one another to be forthright, and inspire
each other to endure hardship.
Holy Quran, Chapter 103
-----
CAIR-MI:
ISLAMIC GROUP CALLS FOR FEDERAL PROBE INTO VANDALISM OF BUILDINGS -
TOP
Jeff Karoub, Associated Press, 1/10/07
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/NEWS02/701100352/1001/news
An Islamic coalition representing southeast Michigan Sunni groups and
centers said Tuesday that the vandalism of Shiite mosques and businesses
over the weekend could be hate crimes and called on the federal
government to investigate.
Late Saturday night or early Sunday, vandals broke windows of two mosques
and five businesses along Warren Avenue owned by Iraqi Shiites, the
second largest Islamic sect after the Sunnis.
The owner of a restaurant whose windows were broken said he had received
threatening phone calls before the vandalism that referred to his Shiite
creed, according to the Islamic Shura Council of Michigan, based in the
Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills.
Detroit Police Sgt. Eren Stephens Bell said the department is
investigating the vandalism and could not confirm if the incidents were
hate crimes. She said police will review security tapes to try to
identify the vandals.
The FBI said in a statement Tuesday that it has talked to the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations and leaders of other community groups.
If the Detroit police find information that links the vandalism to
federal civil-rights violations, the FBI would "pursue it
accordingly." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MI: IMAMS TO HOLD
SPECIAL MEETING ON VANDALISM INCIDENTS -
TOP
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 1/9/07
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/UPDATE/701090438
DETROIT -- Imams from across Metro Detroit will meet Wednesday in
Dearborn Heights to discuss a spate of vandalism in the Warrendale area.
Many local Muslims who are originally from Iraq believe they may have
been targeted.
While community leaders stress that until the perpetrators of the damage
are identified and interviewed, it is unclear whether divided opinions in
the Muslim and Arab communities over the execution of the Iraqi dictator
Saddam Hussein, or the war in Iraq generally, have led to the
vandalism.
But it is clear that many Shi'a Muslims, who emigrated from Iraq to Metro
Detroit in the early 1990s, during the Gulf War, believe they have been
targeted because some in their community celebrated Saddam's hanging,
despite criticism of the timing and conduct of the execution throughout
the wider Arab and Muslim worlds and even among Europeans, President Bush
and members of his administration.
Many Iraqi immigrants in Metro Detroit have been ardent supporters of the
overthrow, arrest and execution of Saddam, in part because many had
family members who were killed, tortured and imprisoned under his
regime.
Other Muslims and people of Arab descent have been less supportive of the
war, and many decried the scheduling of Saddam's execution on what some
considered the first day of Eid al-Adha, which is among the holiest
festivals on the Islamic calendar. As was the case throughout much of the
Arab world, no small number of people of Arab descent in Metro Detroit
said the trial of Saddam and the taunting of him by those intended to
guard his execution had made him appear a target of sectarian revenge --
rather than a brutal, criminal dictator.
The half-dozen businesses that were damaged over the weekend are owned by
Shi'a Muslims and the two mosques damaged are attended largely by the
Shi'a.
Dawud Walid, of the Council on American Islamic Relations, said
that 12 to 15 imams, Muslim clergymen, are expected to attend the closed
meeting at the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights on
Wednesday.
"We will discuss the issues, keep everyone in the community calm and
preach the message of unity to our congregations this Friday," Walid
said.
CAIR and the Muslim Shura Council of Southeastern Michigan have asked the
FBI to investigate the vandalism as possible hate crimes, directed at the
Shi'a Iraqi community. (MORE)
---
CAIR-MI: MUSLIMS SEEK PEACE -
TOP
Sunnis, Shi'ites to meet after Detroit spots vandalized
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 1/10/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/NEWS05/701100417/1001/BUSINESS05
Concerned about the possible spread of sectarian violence in metro
Detroit, Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims are set to meet today in a Dearborn
Heights mosque to hash out any tensions between the diverse Middle
Eastern and Muslim communities.
As Iraqi-American Shi'ites seethed over the trashing of several of their
businesses and mosques in Detroit over the weekend, leaders in the
Shi'ite and Sunni sects of Islam worked Tuesday to try to defuse
animosity between the two sides that has existed for years but was
amplified with the execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in
December.
There was some talk of reprisal attacks, but no more incidents were
reported Tuesday. Detroit police are investigating the vandalism and are
aware that Shi'ite-Sunni tensions may be involved, said Sgt. Eren
Stephens, Detroit police spokeswoman. The FBI also is monitoring the
situation, said Special Agent Dawn Clenney.
One Sunni leader, Dawud Walid, spent long hours late Monday in a Shi'ite
mosque, where he delivered a sermon urging unity.
"It's important that Sunnis and Shi'ites come together," said
Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations. (MORE)
-----
OH: DAMRA'S HANDOVER PUZZLES MUSLIMS -
TOP
Israel holds ex-leader of Parma mosque
Robert L. Smith, Cleveland Plain Dealer, 1/10/07
http://www.cleveland.com/damra/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1168422225322880.xml&coll=2
Local Muslims reacted with angry incredulity Tuesday to news that the
U.S. government sent their one-time spiritual leader into the hands of
Israeli security and that he was arrested before ever reaching
home.
While some called for help pinpointing Fawaz Damra's whereabouts and
condition, others accused the U.S. government of deception and possible
crimes in his disappearance.
"I didn't think we could deport people to where they'd be in harm's
way," said Bashar Hamdan, a member of the Islamic Center of
Cleveland, which Damra led for nearly 15 years. "We sent him to
prison in Israel. I thought that was against the rules?"
Maybe, maybe not, said David Leopold, a Cleveland immigration attorney
and law professor.
The law allows the government to deport people to nearly any nation that
agrees to accept them, provided they have some connection to that land,
they would not face torture and the deportation doesn't break any prior
legal agreements.
"I guess the question becomes, Was the proper procedure followed to
the letter here?'" Leopold said.
The answer seems to grow murkier by the day. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
VIDEO: CAIR-OH JOINS PRESS
CONFERENCE ON IMAM’S DEPORTATION -
TOP
Damra in Israeli Custody
Mark Urycki, WKYC–TV, 1/9/07
Statements by Rev. Werner Lange and
CAIR-OHIO Rep Julia Shearson
http://www.wkyc.com/video/player.aspx?aid=29697&sid=61514&bw=
-----
MUSLIM REP. ELLISON: 'END THE
OCCUPATION' IN IRAQ -
TOP
Associated Press, 1/10/07
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2007/1/10/94043.shtml?s=ic
The first Muslim member of Congress says the solution to Iraq lies in an
immediate withdrawal of military forces and focusing instead on political
and diplomatic efforts.
"We could describe it as a redeployment or withdrawal, but I think
we have run the course in terms of our ability to resolve this conflict
militarily," said Rep. Keith Ellison, a freshman Minnesota
Democrat.
"I think we need to have a political and economic and diplomatic
engagement, and we need to encourage the forces that are in Iraq to begin
to resolve the violence in Iraq," Ellison said Tuesday during an
interview with The Associated Press.
Ellison argued that President Bush's expected plan to send 20,000 more
troops to Iraq is "way too late, way too little" to make a
difference.
"So rather than do something small and ineffective, why not get
about the business of what we're going to have to do eventually, which is
to begin to end the occupation?" he said.
Bush is expected to ask Congress for $100 billion in additional funds for
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I want to see (the request) first, I want to actually look at it,
but I'm not inclined to continue to support a war or an occupation that
he has no plans to get us out of, and which is so costly in terms of
dollars and lives of American soldiers - but also Iraqis," Ellison
said. (MORE)
-----
DC: ‘FACE TO FACE WITH A
GUANTANAMO DETAINEE’ -
TOP
1/9/07
https://www.law.georgetown.edu/news/releases/January.10.2007.html
CONTACT: Kara Tershel, (202) 662-9500
WHAT: "Face to Face with a Guantanamo Detainee" (A
videoconference with former Guantanamo detainee, Moazzam Begg, followed
with remarks by Gitanjali Gutierrez, attorney, Guantanamo Global Justice
Initiative, Center for Constitutional Rights)
WHEN: Wednesday, January 17, 2007, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Georgetown University Law Center, Hart Auditorium, McDonough Hall,
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.
This event is sponsored by the Georgetown Law Muslim Law Students
Association and Georgetown Law's Human Rights Action.
A Web cast will be available at
https://www.law.georgetown.edu/webcast/
Media interested in attending should contact Kara Tershel at
kat5@law.georgetown.edu
-----
CAIR-CAN: LOCAL MUSLIMS BIG ON
LITTLE MOSQUE -
TOP
Megan Gillis, Ottawa Sun, 1/10/07
http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/OttawaAndRegion/2007/01/10/3276287-sun.html
Halal can be hilarious.
CBC's Little Mosque on the Prairie was already getting big laughs before
it debuted last night from an Ottawa-based Muslim group who called it
stereotype-busting and just plain funny.
A local comic behind a show dubbed We Ain't Terrorists expected it to be
full of yuks, too.
Karl Nickner, of the Canadian Council on American-Islamic
Relations, got an advance screening of the sitcom set in the
fictional Saskatchewan town of Mercy and called it a good attempt at
showing Canada's diversity.
Just as important, added Nickner, "I thought it was
funny."
He hopes non-Muslims won't miss some of the jokes, like when a denizen of
Mercy overhears the imam talk about washing bodies in the basement and
thinks it's a murder plot. It's traditional for Muslim families to wash
their loved ones before burial. (MORE)
-----
MICHIGAN-BASED MUSLIM
RECORD LABEL SEEKS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH ITS WORLD MUSIC RELEASES -
TOP
World Music Central, 1/10/07
http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/20070110065315266
Grand Blanc (Michigan), USA – Unity One Investments LLC, a Michigan-based
investments Company, announced yesterday the official launch of its new
World Music record label: Global One Records.
When the Muslim owned record label first emerged in the summer of 2006,
its founders made it their goal not just to oppose the acts of the
terrorists, but to open a new venue for the positive light of Islam to
shine forth through its music.
The label’s vision was to bring together unique musical styles from
around the world and to promote artists that are dedicated to making a
difference with their music. For instance, their newly signed artist Ani,
a Malaysian born Muslim female singer and Grammy certified songwriter
whose new album “One” speaks of the universality of faith and love for
God. Over a beautifully-produced, mid-tempo beat, she sings “there is no
difference in the God we pray to” seeking to weave an important link
between humanity.
Omar Marquis Khan, another one of the label’s artists dedicated his
record “A cry for Allah” to all the victims of the 2005 natural
disasters, especially the Tsunami and Katrina and Pakistan’s devastating
earthquake. Moved by the suffering of the victims, Khan decided to share
the revenues from the sales of his records with the relief organization
Helping Hands. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
IL: MUSLIM RAPPER ‘WALKS’ TO THE TOP OF
THE CHARTS -
TOP
A street-smart Muslim kid from Chicago finds himself skating to the top
of the charts - but not forgetting where he came from or who he is.
Zahir Janmohamed, Alt Muslim, 1/10/07
http://www.altmuslim.com/perm.php?id=P1853_0_24_0
One of the few places where Islam has found a place in modern Western
culture is in hip-hop music. Artists like Mos Def and Jurassic 5 have
shown that it is possible for Muslim identities and Islamic values to
find their place amid the bling of the hip-hop world. Now, a street-smart
Muslim kid from Chicago has attracted a lot of attention, proving that
the aforementioned artists aren't a fluke.
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, otherwise known as Lupe Fiasco, grew up in
Chicago's southside and began rapping while in high school. Raised in a
family of 9 children, Fiasco was immersed in global cultural influences
(thanks to his well-traveled mother) and grounded in the local Muslim
community.
After a few guest appearances on various rap singles, Fiasco attracted
the attention of Atlantic Records (founded by the late Muslim-American
Ahmet Ertegun) as well as Jay-Z, who assisted him with the production of
his debut album. The iconic style magazine GQ recently named Fiasco the
"Breakout Artist of the Year", and Fiasco was one of the first
hip-hop artists to secure a fashion endorsement before releasing an album
(an avid skateboarder, Fiasco was spotted by Reebok wearing one of their
caps and recruited him).
But it's not just his fashion sense that has been receiving accolades.
Rolling Stone magazine praised Fiasco's Grammy-nominated debut album,
Food and Liquor, observing that "Fiasco reflects on the personal and
the political, and reminds fans of everything hip-hop can be." The
Washington Post noted that when "the Muslim MC rhymes over
well-known hip-hop tracks and manages to outshine the artists who made
the beats famous - without mentioning sex or illegal substances - his
skill is undeniable."
That talent is apparent in Fiasco's "Muhammad Walks," a clever
remix of the famous Kanye West song "Jesus Walks", which can be
downloaded free because, as Fiasco raps in the song, "I ain't trying
to make profit of off the Prophet." (MORE)
-----
SOMALI OFFICIALS ACCUSE AMERICANS OF
KILLING UP TO 31 CIVILIANS IN AIR ATTACKS -
TOP
Daily Star staff, 1/10/07
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=78397
At least 31 people were killed in Somalia after the United States
launched air strikes Tuesday on suspected Al-Qaeda targets, amid
criticism that it risks further destabilizing the lawless Horn of Africa
Nation. A Somali Defense Ministry official said at least two helicopters
struck targets in southern Somalia, where a US Air Force AC-130 gunship
had pounded two villages Sunday.
A Somali lawmaker said 31 civilians, including two newlyweds, died in
Tuesday's assault by the helicopters near Afmadow, a town in an area of
forested hills close to the Kenyan border, 350 kilometers southwest of
Mogadishu.
The report could not be independently verified.
Local village elders said at least 19 civilians had been killed in the
gunship attack on the village of Hayo on Sunday.
But government spokesman Abdel-Rahman Dinari said it was not known how
many people were killed, "but we understand there were a lot of
casualties. Most were Islamic fighters."
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman confirmed Sunday's air strike, but would
not comment on reports of the helicopter attacks, although he indicated
US forces were not involved.
"We acknowledge the fact that the United States military did conduct
a strike in Somalia on Sunday," Whitman said. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/11/07
*
Verse:
Be Kind to Orphans and Feed the
Poor
*
Maryland's First Muslim Lawmaker
Takes Office (AP)
-
Incitement:
'Koran is a Document of
Hate, Death'
-
Ellison's Move on Quran Shows
Political Acumen (Roll Call)
*
CAIR-MI:
Islamic
Leaders Meet to Ease Tensions (AP)
-
CAIR-MI:
Leaders
Push Unity After Vandalism (Detroit News)
*
CAIR-MI Rep Appointed to Worker
Issues Board
*
CAIR-Chicago Rep to Speak at Gitmo
Protest
-
CAIR-Chicago Annual Event Set
for February 11
-
CAIR-NY Annual Banquet:
Empowering the Muslim Voice
*
CAIR:
Politicians Should Not
Cower Before Bigots (LA Times)
-
CAIR:
'Islamic Fascism' Rhetoric
Unhelpful (Post-Gazette)
*
CAIR:
US Trains Airport
Staff to Handle Haj Pilgrims (Arab News)
-
CA:
Pilgrimage a
Life-Changer for Local Muslims
*
ABC Turns Blind Eye to Glenn
Beck's Anti-Muslim Smears
-
Action:
Contact ABC
-
Beck:
Muslim Rep Got
'Poorest-Worded Question of All Time'
*
Resources:
Polls, Statistics Related to
Muslim 1995-2007
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: BE KIND TO ORPHANS AND FEED THE
POOR -
TOP
"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 Lord 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.
"Nay! You should know, when the earth will be pounded to powder,
your Lord will come, with angels standing in ranks, and hell shall be
brought in sight. On that Day man will remember his deeds, but how is
that remembrance going to profit him? He will say: 'Alas! Would that I
had sent forth (some good deeds) for my life (to come).'"
The Holy Quran, 89:15-24
-----
MARYLAND'S FIRST MUSLIM LAWMAKER
TAKES OFFICE -
TOP
KRISTEN WYATT, Associated Press, 1/11/07
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS/70111015
ANNAPOLIS - Maryland's first Muslim lawmaker took office Wednesday,
saying he was proud to make history but not interested in being known
only for his religion.
Nevertheless, the milestone was sweet for Democrat Saqib Ali of
Gaithersburg, who was targeted by an anti-Muslim protester during his
campaign. In August, a protester stood outside his house with an
"Islam sucks" poster and a T-shirt that said, "This mind
is an Allah-free zone."
The opinion wasn't widespread, though, and Ali defeated incumbent
Delegate Joan Stern for the Montgomery County seat in the Democratic
primary.
As Ali sat awaiting his first day in office Wednesday, holding his
snoozing 8-month-old daughter outside the House chamber, he said the
anti-Muslim protester was an exception to his experience on the
campaign.
"Occasionally people would ask if I was Muslim, but most of the time
it was a curiosity, not an obstacle," said Ali, a software engineer
who had never held elected office before.
About the protester, who was warned by police and didn't return, Ali
said, "It was disappointing that that kind of bigotry would still
rear its head, but I understand it was an isolated
incident."
There was no religious controversy as Ali took the oath of office with
his colleagues. Maryland lawmakers do not hold their hands on a religious
text while taking office. Earlier this month, Minnesota Democratic Rep.
Keith Ellison became the first Muslim in Congress, and swore his oath on
a Quran that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
INCITEMENT WATCH: 'KORAN IS A DOCUMENT OF
HATE, DEATH' -
TOP
MUSLIM CONGRESSMAN SWORE TO DEFEND U.S.
Tucson Citizen, 1/10/07
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/frontpage/38228.php
Keith Ellison, a Muslim, has been elected to Congress by the people of
Minnesota.
Before his swearing in, he alleged "knowledge and wisdom can be
gleaned from a number of sources, including the Koran." He uses as
justification what he interprets as a view of Thomas Jefferson. .
.
Following the Koran is about more than religion.
The Koran is a
document of hate, death and purpose of a world caliphate incompatible
with our laws. Its interest is dominance by Islam.
If Speaker Pelosi has an ounce of the ethics and honesty she has
espoused, she will carefully watch Ellison and, if he ever furthers
adoption of a caliphate, see that he is unhesitatingly removed from
Congress.
The camel's nose has now entered the tent. Muslims are on the move with
the intent of destroying America's economy, political system and culture.
(MORE)
SEND POLITE COMMENTS TO:
letters@tucsoncitizen.com
COPY TO:
info@cair.com
Letters must include the writer's name, address and a daytime telephone
number. Letters are limited to 250 words.
---
ELLISON'S MOVE ON QURAN SHOWS
POLITICAL ACUMEN -
TOP
Nicole Duran, Roll Call, 1/11/07
http://rollcall.com/issues/52_62/politics/16513-1.html
Freshman Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) endured a torrent of negative press
after he was endorsed by Minneapolis Democratic leaders to replace
then-retiring Rep. Martin Sabo (D-Minn.) last May.
But Ellison's recent handling of an unexpected run-in with Rep. Virgil
Goode (R-Va.) before he even took office may squelch any lingering doubts
about his ability to cope with trying circumstances. And it could
dissuade any potential 2008 Democratic primary challengers who might have
considered the tyro Congressman an inviting target.
Goode attacked Ellison's decision to use a Quran instead of a Bible
during his swearing-in ceremony - a completely optional bit of pomp and
circumstance intended to give new Members a chance to have a photo of
their big moment captured for posterity.
All Members are officially sworn-in en masse beforehand, sans Bible or
any other religious text.
In the view of many political observers, Ellison, the first Muslim to
enter Congress, responded to Goode with eloquence and grace. Then, as his
coup de grace, he used a Quran once owned by Thomas Jefferson for his
ceremonial swearing-in. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-MI: ISLAMIC LEADERS MEET
TO DISCUSS VANDALISM, EASE TENSIONS -
TOP
JEFF KAROUB,
Associated Press, 1/10/07
DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) - About 20 religious, community and academic
leaders met Wednesday to discuss the vandalism of Shiite mosques and
businesses in Detroit and help ease tensions between local followers of
the Shiite and Sunni sects of Islam.
The closed-door meeting was held at the Islamic House of Wisdom, near
where vandals broke the windows of two mosques and six businesses owned
by Iraqi Shiites, the second-largest Islamic sect after the
Sunnis.
Detroit police have not confirmed a motive for the vandalism. But some
local Muslims believe it is related to events in Iraq, particularly the
Dec. 29 execution of Saddam Hussein by that nation's Shiite-controlled
government and the resulting celebration by Shiites in the Detroit suburb
of Dearborn.
"We need to tell our communities not to rush to judgment on who the
perpetrators were. However, if they were Sunni it's not indicative of
what the Sunni leaders preach in the mosque," said
Dawud Walid,
executive director of the Michigan branch of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
"We were all reiterating the same point - our unity as Muslims
takes precedence over being Sunni or Shiite," said Walid, whose
group helped organize Wednesday's meeting. The others were the Islamic
Shura Council of Michigan and the Council of Islamic Organizations of
Michigan. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MI: MUSLIM LEADERS
PUSH UNITY AFTER VANDALISM -
TOP
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 1/11/07
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/LIFESTYLE04/701110356/1003/METRO
DEARBORN HEIGHTS -- Dozens of Muslim leaders from both major branches of
Islam called for unity Wednesday in the wake of several incidents of
vandalism last weekend, which many Iraqis who are Shi'a Muslims believe
was intended to intimidate them.
While the division between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims sometimes leads to
conflict in other places in the world, the American Muslim community is
generally unified. But concerns that the vandalism might threaten that
equanimity in Metro Detroit spurred calls for the meeting. . .
The most pointed discussion occurred when some leaders said they found
the unbridled exultation in the celebration of the execution of Saddam
Hussein disrespectful and not in keeping with Muslim traditions --
especially at the start of a major Muslim holiday. But people of Iraqi
descent who are Shi'a Muslims in Metro Detroit have long, personal
experiences with Saddam, and they had greeted his demise
jubilantly.
"It was an interesting conversation," said
Dawud Walid,
executive director of the Council of American Islamic
Relations-Michigan. "It was less to do about the actual
vandalism than Sunni and Shi'a relations in general."
(MORE)
-----
CAIR-MI REP APPOINTED TO BOARD OF
INTERFAITH COMMITTEE ON WORKER ISSUES -
TOP
(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 1/11/07) - CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid was
yesterday appointed to the executive board of the Detroit-Metropolitan
Interfaith Committee on Worker Issues. Walid was among five people to
receive the prestigious three-year appointment.
The Interfaith Committee on Worker Issues has 60 chapters nationwide, and
its Metro-Detroit office is based in Oak Park. The goal of the
organization is to advocate for the rights of workers, regardless of
their religious and ethnic affiliations.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid at
dwalid@cair.com or
248-842-1418.
-----
CAIR-CHICAGO REP TO SPEAK AT GITMO PROTEST
-
TOP
WHAT: International Day to Shut Down Guantanamo
Join Chicago-area peace groups to take a "Stand Against
Torture" and act in solidarity with others nationwide protesting the
five year anniversary of the first prisoners being brought to Guantanamo
Bay.
WHEN: Thursday, January 11, 2007, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Speakers Include: Christina Abraham, CAIR-Chicago Civil Rights
Coordinator
WHERE: Federal Plaza -- Downtown Chicago, (Dearborn between Jackson and
Adams)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CHICAGO ANNUAL EVENT SET FOR
FEBRUARY 11 -
TOP
CAIR-Chicago's Annual Event is set to take place on Sunday, February
11th, 2007 at Drury Lane in Oakbrook. Please mark your calendars and show
your support by attending that day. Reserve your ticket today by going
to:
http://www.cairchicago.org/rsvp2007.php.
Tickets are $65 bought in advance, or $90 at the door.
We are still recruiting volunteers to help with this event. If you are
interested in volunteering for this event, please contact Dina Rehab at
outreach@cairchicago.org.
Be part of helping a chapter of the largest Muslim civil rights and
advocacy group in the country.
--
CAIR-NY ANNUAL BANQUET: EMPOWERING
THE MUSLIM VOICE -
TOP
THEME: Freedom of Speech: Empowering the Muslim Voice
WHEN: Saturday, May 5, 2007, 6:30 to 9:30pm
WHERE: Manhattan Center Studios, 311 West 34th Street, New York, N.Y
CONTACT: 212-870-2002, E-Mail:
civilrights@cair-ny.org
-----
CAIR-CA: MUSLIM AWARD -
TOP
Los Angeles Times, 1/11/07
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-le-thursday11.4jan11,1,18689.story
Re "Boxer rescinds award to Islamic activist," Jan. 6
I was saddened when I read about Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) rescinding
her award to a Muslim activist.
Muslims across the nation are proud of the
Council on American-Islamic
Relations for being the ambassadors for Muslims in the United States.
I'm concerned that Boxer made her decision without meeting with the
council to hear its side of the story. She should return the award and
maintain the relationship she started with California Muslims.
For a liberal and progressive politician like Boxer, she should be better
than to cower to the right-wing, anti-Muslim and pro-Israeli elements on
which she based her facts.
MUNEER ADHAMI
Corona
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: SANTORUM TO THINK ABOUT U.S. ENEMIES -
TOP
Ann Rodgers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07010/752531-84.stm
Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum has joined a conservative Washington think
tank where he will found and direct a program called "America's
Enemies."
The program will study "threats posed to America and the West from a
growing array of anti-Western forces that are increasingly casting a
shadow over our future and violating religious liberty around the
world," according to a statement from the Ethics and Public Policy
Center, where Mr. Santorum will be a senior fellow. . .
Mr. Santorum is a good fit for the center, said its president, M. Edward
Whelan III.
"Our mission is to explore how the Judeo-Christian moral tradition
applies to public policy. And there is no issue more pressing than that
which radical Islam poses," he said.
Mr. Santorum has spoken frequently on what he calls "Islamic
fascism" as the primary threat to the United States. In an article
for Crisis magazine, he defined it as "a radical, perverted form of
Islam" that seeks world domination. . .
Corey Saylor, national legislative director for the Council on
American Islamic Relations, expressed concern about the program, and
criticized Mr. Santorum's prior discussion of radical Islam.
The term "Islamic fascism" is "a ridiculous attempt to
link Islam with one of the worst horrors of the 20th century. Islam had
nothing to do with fascism," he said.
"It's a rhetorical term that doesn't define any problems or solve
any problems."
Mr. Saylor said he hoped Mr. Santorum would engage with American Muslim
organizations and their constituencies.
"That way he can learn more about the faith from the people who are
practicing it and who represent large groups of Muslims," he
said.
"We think that might help reshape some of his ideas, particularly in
the viability of the term Islamic fascism."
-----
CAIR: US TRAINS AIRPORT STAFF
TO HANDLE HAJ PILGRIMS -
TOP
Barbara Ferguson, Arab News, 1/11/07
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=90831&d=11&m=1&y=2007
WASHINGTON, 11 January 2007 - A month after the removal of six imams from
a US Airways flight spurred accusations of harassment, the federal
government has given airport security trainers cultural awareness
training about the annual Haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
"The cultural awareness training involved reminders about how to
screen people with head coverings, policies regarding transport of Zamzam
water and the proper respect to show when handling a Qur'an," Amy
Kudwa, a transportation security administration spokeswoman, told
reporters.
Throughout January, as many as 20,000 American Muslims will be returning
to the United States from their Haj pilgrimage. . .
The
Council of American-Islamic Relations says its officials gave
airport police and FBI, the TSA, Homeland Security Department and customs
officials lessons about the pilgrimage and what they can expect from
returning Muslims.
The meeting was part of CAIR's nationwide initiative following the
removal of six imams from the US Airways flight. Federal officials
questioned the men and released them without charges. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CA: PILGRIMAGE A LIFE-CHANGER
FOR LOCAL MUSLIMS -
TOP
Christine Morente, San Mateo County Times, 1/11/07
http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/ci_4991517
Shoulder-to-shoulder with his wife, Yolla, they shuffled along as one,
saying their prayers and asking God for forgiveness.
"Allah is greatest," the Foster City residents said, each time
they made a complete revolution around the Kaa'ba, a black cube, believed
to be the holiest place in Islam.
There was no chaos among the bodies pressed closely together. No one
dared to shove, curse or yell, because all were carrying out hajj, the
fifth of Five Pillars in Islam, from Dec. 29 to Jan. 3.
Arslan, 41, and his family have returned after three weeks in Saudi
Arabia. He said the trip was life-changing and humbling, as everyone has
to shed their belongings and stations in life.
"You feel leveled with everyone else," said Arslan, who is
president of the Yaseen Foundation in Belmont. "You are reminded how
kind you're supposed to be. You are reminded how humble you're supposed
to be. The more good you do to others, the happier you'll be at the
end." (MORE)
-----
GOOD MORNING AMERICA TURNS BLIND EYE
TO BECK'S SMEARS, HIRES HIM AS REGULAR COMMENTATOR -
TOP
Media matters, 1/9/07
http://mediamatters.org/items/200701090010
On January 9, the Associated Press reported ABC News' announcement that
conservative talk show host Glenn Beck will soon join Good Morning
America as a "regular commentator." "Glenn is a leading
cultural commentator with a distinct voice," GMA senior executive
producer Jim Murphy told the AP. "At times, he is the perfect guest
for many of the talk topics we cover on morning news programs." But
as Media Matters for America has extensively documented, what often
distinguishes Beck's "voice" are his inflammatory and
controversial comments regarding Muslims, Arabs, Mexicans, and other
minorities. For instance, during a November 14, 2006, interview with Rep.
Keith Ellison (D-MN), who recently became the first Muslim ever elected
to Congress, Beck said: "I have been nervous about this interview
with you, because what I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you
are not working with our enemies.'" (MORE)
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.)
-
TOP
CONTACT ABC to express your concerns about the network's decision to
provide a platform for a person with a history of anti-Muslim
statements.
CONTACT:
Mr. Jim Murphy
Senior Executive Producer
ABC Good Morning America
147 Columbus Ave
New York, NY 10023-6503
Phone: (212) 456-0600
Fax: (212) 456-7290
E-Mail:
http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html?cat=Good%20Morning%20America
COPY TO:
info@cair.com,
nancy.han@abc.com,
james.bogdanoff@abc.com,
diane.masciale@abc.com,
patty.neger@abc.com
---
BECK IS IN A CATCH-22 -
TOP
Scott D. Pierce Deseret Morning News, 1/11/07
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650221878,00.html
PASADENA, Calif. -- Glenn Beck didn't exactly apologize for the way he
questioned the nation's first Muslim member of Congress, but he did admit
that he handled it poorly.
You may recall that, back in November, Beck said to Rep.-elect Keith
Ellison, "What I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are
not working with our enemies.' ... I'm not accusing you of being an
enemy, but that's the way I feel. And I think a lot of Americans will
feel that way."
Beck told TV critics he was really trying to make the point that not all
Muslims are anti-American.
"Well, first of all, let me just say (that was) quite possibly
the poorest-worded question of all time," he said. "And
that just comes from my lack of -- well, maybe quite possibly lack of
intelligence." (MORE)
-----
RESOURCES: POLLS, STATISTICS RELATED TO MUSLIM
1995-2007 -
TOP
http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/polls_surveys_and_statistics_relating_to_islam_and_muslims_1995_to_2007a/0012599
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/12/07
*
Hadith:
A Considerate Prophet
*
NY:
NYPD Appoints Imam for
Muslim Outreach (NY Post)
-
NY:
Police Commissioner
Meets with Imams (NY Sun)
-
Gonzales:
'Improve
Communication with Muslim Leaders'
*
MN:
9 Muslim Workers Sue Bus
Company (Pioneer Press)
-
MN:
African Immigrants Allege
Bias (Star Tribune)
-
NM:
Fourth Muslim Aggie Player
to Join Lawsuit (AP)
*
OH:
Imam's Jailing in Israel Upsets
Muslims (Plain Dealer)
*
NY:
Documentary on
Muslim Teens Gets Debut (Advance)
*
CA:
Blogger Forces Station to Address
Anti-Muslim Remarks
-
Resources:
Islamophobic Statements
1899-2007
*
CT:
A Portfolio Fit for a Prophet
(Stamford Advocate)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A CONSIDERATE PROPHET -
TOP
Ayesha, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), said:
"I never once saw the (Prophet) making voluntary (supplications to
God), without doing so myself. Sometimes the (Prophet) would refrain from
a practice that he loved to do, fearing that people would do the same and
(mistakenly believe) that it had become obligatory for
them."
Al-Muwatta, Volume 9, Hadith 32
To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to:
www.cair.com/Muhammad
-----
NY: NYPD BRIDGE TO MUSLIMS -
TOP
Perry Chiaramonte, New York Post, 1/12/07
http://www.nypost.com/seven/01122007/news/regionalnews/nypd_bridge_to_muslims_regionalnews_perry_chiaramonte.htm
The NYPD has appointed an imam as outreach coordinator to the city's
Muslim residents, Commissioner Ray Kelly said yesterday.
Erhan Yildirim, of the Fathi Mosque in Brooklyn, will work with the
department on a range of issues affecting West African and Muslim
communities.
"Our outreach to the growing Muslim community in New York is
unprecedented," Kelly said. "We are doing as much or more with
the Muslim community than any other community or faith in the city."
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
NY: TO GAIN IMMIGRANTS'
TRUST, POLICE REACH OUT TO AFRICAN IMAMS, REVIVE DORMANT UNIT -
TOP
Bradley Hope, New York Sun, 1/12/07
http://www.nysun.com/article/46562
As the number of immigrants entering the city rises, the police
department is reaching out to newly arrived communities to reduce any
friction in their relations with the police and gain their trust to
reduce crime and prevent terrorist attacks, officials said.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly met yesterday with a group of African
imams at the Masjid Aqsa in Harlem to address their concerns about the
police. It was one of many meetings the commissioner has had with
community leaders throughout the year, a spokesman said. (MORE)
---
SC: GONZALES TALKS TOUGH AGAINST
TERRORISTS -
TOP
Attorney general meets with U.S. attorneys in Columbia
Rick Brundrett, The State, 1/12/07
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/16440436.htm
U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales gave a pep talk in Columbia on
Thursday afternoon to U.S. attorneys from around the country attending a
conference on combating terrorism. . .
Gonzales also said the federal government is "not engaged in a
struggle against a faith or religion" and urged U.S. attorneys to
improve communication with Muslim leaders in their districts.
"We very much need the partnership of the Muslim community," he
said. "Discouraging radicalism is vital, and that cannot be done
effectively without Muslim community leadership."
-----
MN: 9 MUSLIM WORKERS SUE BUS
COMPANY -
TOP
East African immigrants say they were harassed, denied promotions
Maricella Miranda, Pioneer Press, 1/12/07
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/16441911.htm
A group of Muslim workers is suing a national company that provides
public bus service in the Twin Cities, alleging they were discriminated
against because of their religion and because they are East African
immigrants.
Nine employees filed the lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in
Minneapolis against MV Transportation Inc., based in Fairfield, Calif.
Workers said they were called offensive names, were told immigrants were
paid more than they deserved and had no rights, were harassed because of
their religion and were forbidden to speak in their native
languages.
Company representatives did not return messages seeking comment
Thursday.
The current or former employees say most of the discrimination happened
at the company's Burnsville office, said Meg Luger-Nikolai, who is
representing them. "These employees suffered for a year and a
half," said Luger-Nikolai, an attorney at the Minneapolis law firm
Miller-O'Brien.
The plaintiffs allege a company supervisor called them "stupid"
and "freak shows," confiscated their prayer rugs and forced
them to listen to Christian music. The employees said male Muslims were
addressed as "Mohammed." The lawsuit also states that the
plaintiffs were denied promotions and training opportunities and that
some were wrongfully terminated. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS SUE
TRANSPORTATION FIRM, ALLEGING BIAS -
TOP
Dan Browning, Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/928586.html
Nine current and former employees of a nationwide public transportation
company filed suit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis,
alleging they were harassed because they are immigrants from East Africa
or because of their Muslim faith. (MORE)
---
NM: FOURTH MUSLIM AGGIE PLAYER ASKS
TO JOIN LAWSUIT -
TOP
Associated Press, 1/11/07
http://www.abqjournal.com/sports/apaggies01-11-07.htm
LAS CRUCES - A Muslim who played for New Mexico State University's
football team has asked to join a lawsuit against the school by three
other Muslim former players.
The trio sued the university and coach Hal Mumme last August, alleging
they were dismissed from the team because of their religious beliefs.
(MORE)
-----
OH: DAMRA JAILING IN ISRAEL UPSETS MUSLIM
COMMUNITY HERE -
TOP
Plain Dealer, 1/12/07
You're not the only one who thought the Fawaz Damra saga would end with
his deportation. So did thousands of Muslims and Arab Americans in
Northeast Ohio.
That's why Damra's sudden appearance in an Israeli prison stings so
sharply.
While many non-Muslims are saying good riddance, many Muslims are asking,
"Israel?" They see something akin to unending persecution,
another turn of the screw. (MORE)
-----
NY: DOCUMENTARY ON MUSLIM
TEENS GETS ISLAND DEBUT -
TOP
Staten Island Advance, 1/12/07
http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/116860864014650.xml&coll=1
An award-winning documentary highlighting the post-9/11 struggles of
Muslim teen-agers living in New York will have its Staten Island premiere
tomorrow.
"Whose Children Are These?" directed by Theresa Thanjan, a
native Islander who attended St. Joseph Hill Academy, Arrochar, the
University of Rochester and Columbia University, will be shown from 3 to
6 p.m. in the auditorium of St. Mary's R.C. Church, Rosebank.
The film will focus on the lives of Navila, an honors student who fought
to have her father released from detention; Sarfaraz, a popular
basketball player who confronts pending deportation, and Hager, a young
woman who faces bias and is spurred into activism as a result.
(MORE)
-----
CA: KSFO REACTS TO BLOGGER'S ACTIONS -
TOP
TALK-SHOW RECORDINGS SENT TO ADVERTISERS
Brad Kava, Mercury News, 1/12/07
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/peninsula/16443983.htm
The local hosts of talk radio station KSFO-AM (560) will take phone calls
and answer questions today from noon to 3 p.m. in an extraordinary
response to a lone blogger who has been recording their at-times
offensive and violent diatribes and sending them to advertisers. .
.
Spocko, who claims to have only 19 regular readers on his blog, forwarded
links to statements by the radio hosts to advertisers including Visa,
Bank of America and the state of Michigan, which apparently dropped
ads.
The hosts' statements include disparaging remarks about Muslims and
African-Americans. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
RESOURCES: ISLAMOPHOBIC STATEMENTS 1899-2007 -
TOP
Islamophobia: Alarming Statements Part 1 - 2000 and Before
http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/islamophobia_alarming_statements_1_2000_and_before/0012634
Islamophobia - Alarming Statements 2 - 2001-2005
http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/islamophobia_alarming_statements_part_2_2001_to_2005a/0012642
Islamophobia - Alarming statements 3 - 2006 to 2007
http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/islamophobia_alarming_statements_3_2006_to_2007a/0012637
-----
CT: A PORTFOLIO FIT FOR A PROPHET -
TOP
Julie Fishman-Lapin
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/scn-sa-nor.portfolioprophetjan12,0,4671997.story
With close to a trillion dollars of liquidity in the oil-rich Persian
Gulf region, it's no wonder that Western hedge funds are looking to the
Middle East for capital.
But American fund managers often hit a roadblock in tapping wealthy
Muslim investors, who are prohibited by their beliefs from adding most
hedge funds to their portfolios.
So New Canaan-based Shariah Capital Inc. has charted a map that lets
funds and investors meet on the road to new riches - without violating
religious laws - and gone public on the AIM, the London Stock Exchange
market for smaller, growing companies.
"We are besieged with interest," said Eric Meyer, Shariah
Capital's president and chief executive officer.
The firm spent the past six years working with Islamic scholars, as well
as Western financial and legal experts, to develop risk management tools
that enable observant Islamic investors to participate in the alternative
investment world. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/14/07
*
Hadith:
The Best Jihad
*
CAIR-MI to Call for Probe
Into NW Airline's Treatment of Hajjis
-
CAIR Welcomes TSA Hajj Sensitivity
Training
-
CAIR-CAN:
Will the
No-Fly List Fly (Ottawa Citizen)
*
CAIR-MI:
Muslim
Leaders Respond to Acts of Violence
*
CAIR-KY Hosts
Interfaith Dinner Celebrating Abraham's Legacy
-
CA County Libraries
Use CAIR 'Library
Project' Books
*
CAIR-GA:
A Symbol of
Faith, a Chance to Teach (Atlanta Journal)
-
CAIR-CAN Asks Police to
Investigate Possible Hate Speech
*
CAIR:
Where are
All the Moderate Muslims? (Houston Chronicle)
-
CAIR-OH:
True Heroes Stay On the High
Road, Never Give Up
*
TN:
Muslims Promoting
Diversity (News Channel 5)
-
MA:
Islamic Society Plans
Move to Downtown Framingham
*
Pentagon Viewing Americans' Bank
Records (AP)
*
DC:
Screening of 'Glories of Islamic
Art' Film
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE BEST JIHAD -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The best (jihad) in
the path of God is (to speak) a word of justice to an oppressive
ruler."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 2040
-----
CAIR-MI TO CALL FOR PROBE INTO NW
AIRLINE'S TREATMENT OF MUSLIM PILGRIMS -
TOP
Islamic civil rights group questions denial of boarding for
40 Muslims returning from Hajj
(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 1/14/07) - On January 16, the Michigan office of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) will hold a press
conference in Dearborn to call for an investigation into the treatment of
40 American Muslim pilgrims who were allegedly denied passage on a
January 7th Northwest Airlines flight returning to Michigan.
The pilgrims, including two Imams (Islamic religious leaders), were
reportedly denied boarding on Northwest Airlines Flight #51 from Germany
to Detroit while returning from the recently-concluded annual Hajj, or
pilgrimage to Mecca. Northwest officials did not provide an explanation
for the denial of boarding. CAIR-MI has contacted both Northwest Airlines
and the FAA about the incident.
WHAT: CAIR-MI Press Conference to Call for Probe into Treatment of
Muslim Pilgrims
WHEN: Tuesday, January 16, 2007, 9:30 a.m.
WHERE: Islamic Center of America, 19500 Ford Road, Dearborn,
MI
CONTACT: CAIR-Michigan Executive Director Dawud Walid,
248-842-1418, E-MAIL:
dwalid@cair.com
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR WELCOMES TSA HAJJ SENSITIVITY
TRAINING -
TOP
http://cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=2482&theType=NR
---
CAIR-CAN: WILL THE
NO-FLY LIST FLY -
TOP
Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen, 1/14/07
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=86ca6f29-7486-4463-a878-e083bd54c40e&k=88089
Soon, this could happen to you:
You're flying to another Canadian city and despite a confirmed
reservation, the airport kiosk won't print your boarding pass. Instead,
you're directed to the airline counter, where an agent examines your
passport or driver's licence.
You wait while an agent checks something in her computer. If all is well,
she'll issue your boarding pass and you can proceed. If not, though, the
agent might disappear to make a call to a Transport Canada hotline. When
she returns, you learn Transport Canada has refused you permission to
board. Police might even appear and take you into custody.
You've just found out the hard way that your name is on Canada's new
"specified persons list" -- better known as the no-fly list. .
.
Faisal Kutty, vice-chair of the Canadian Council on American-Islamic
Relations, fears the same could happen here. "I have a feeling
this list can become another political tool where you have people who are
dissidents or people you don't agree with." (MORE)
-----
CAIR-MI: MUSLIM LEADERS
RESPOND TO ACTS OF VIOLENCE -
TOP
Sean Delaney, Press & Guide Newspapers, 1/14/07
http://www.pressandguide.com/stories/011407/loc_20070114002.shtml
Local religious leaders met Wednesday in Dearborn Heights to condemn
recent acts of vandalism against several Shi'a-owned businesses in Metro
Detroit while promoting the need for restraint and understanding
following the attacks.
"These kinds of acts of violence are unacceptable," said Imam
Mohammad Ali Elahi of the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights.
"We condemn any acts of violence or terrorism against others. We all
pray for peace and an end to the violence.". . .
"At this point, no one is certain of the religion of the
vandals," said
Dawud Walid, director of the Michigan chapter of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI). "We must be
patient - we cannot categorize an entire group based on the action of a
few of its members." (MORE)
-----
CAIR-KY HOSTS INTERFAITH
DINNER CELEBRATING ABRAHAM'S LEGACY -
TOP
The
Kentucky chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR-KY) recently held an interfaith dinner marking Eid ul-Adha, the
holiday at the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, in which members of
the Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities celebrated the life and
legacy of the Prophet Abraham.
CAIR-KY's dinner, with the theme "Abraham: Celebrating the Spirit of
Sacrifice," included speeches from leaders of the Kentucky Jewish
and Christian communities.
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Secretary-General Dr. Munir
Fareed spoke on behalf of the Muslim community. The event was just the
most recent of numerous interfaith gatherings sponsored by CAIR-KY.
CAIR-KY was established in 2004 and serves the growing Muslim population
of Kentucky.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: TALKS AIMED
AT INCREASING TOLERANCE -
TOP
Anna Kaplan, Stockton Record, 1/13/07
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070113/A_LIFE/701130313
A talk next Saturday at the Cesar Chavez Central Library in Stockton will
offer a glimpse into Islam in an effort to improve communication and
increase tolerance.
The event, "Understanding Islam," is part of an overall push to
get more information about the religion into the library system and, by
extension, the hands of San Joaquin County residents.
"If you're raised in the white middle class, you just don't know
very much about it," said Mary Jo Gohlke, librarian and program
coordinator for the Stockton San Joaquin County Public Library. "In
the last six years, there's been a lot of scrutiny of that
culture.
"You want to understand your fellow citizen, and these people are
our fellow citizens," she added. "These people have been
stereotyped, and I really hope we get away from that."
The program will begin with an explanation of Islam's belief system and
practices before continuing with a question-and-answer period. The event
will feature Tarek Mourad, a speaker and Islamic scholar from Santa
Clara.
There has been a marked increase in books about Islam on the shelves of
county libraries since 2001. Some of the literature has come through the
Council on American-Islamic Relations' Library Project, which
started in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001 attacks as Americans began asking
questions about Islam. The project works with community activists to
provide books and other materials to libraries. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-GA: A SYMBOL OF FAITH, A
CHANCE TO TEACH -
TOP
MONI BASU, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/14/07
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/01/14/0114metmuslim.html
Sept. 11th's stamp on Islam stared Khalid Siddiq in the face: two little
words - "Get out" - spray painted on a wooden board and thrown
on the construction site of a mosque rising on 14th Street.
The graffiti landed with a thud, but no one left. The refurbishing
efforts continued at al-Farooq Masjid, and a year later glistening copper
domes and a towering minaret vie for eye space with Midtown's modern
skyscrapers. . .
The
North Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations reported 18 incidents of discrimination and harassment
against Muslims in 2006, one a hate crime.
"It's a difficult environment," said
Yusof Burke, director
of the local CAIR chapter. "We feel we are under the
microscope."
Born in upstate New York, Burke grew up in a white, Irish Catholic
household and defies the stereotype of a Muslim. He converted to Islam in
1996 to marry a Muslim and worships at the Gwinnett County branch of the
al-Farooq mosque.
Burke said bias against Muslims in Georgia has taken on a new form since
2001. Immediately after Sept. 11, he heard accusations of racial
profiling involving law enforcement officers. Now, Burke said, the
complaints have more to do with employment discrimination or disparaging
comments. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CAN AND WINDSOR MUSLIMS
ASK POLICE TO INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE HATE SPEECH -
TOP
(OTTAWA, CANADA, JAN 13, 2007) - The
Canadian Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN), Muslim Association of Canada
(MAC), Windsor Islamic Association, Islamic Circle of North America
(ICNA), and Al Hijra Mosque and School, are asking the Windsor Police in
Ontario to investigate the lecture series, "The Deadly Threat of
Islam," as a possible forum for hate speech.
The talks, sponsored by Windsor's Theological Institute in association
with the Campbell Baptist Church, are taking place each Thursday until
February 1.
CAIR-CAN has received complaints based upon the first talk entitled
"Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Frightening Facts About Islam."
In response, CAIR-CAN yesterday asked the Windsor Police to investigate
the lecture series and be on the alert for any hate speech that may be
taking place at the talks.
Under Canadian law hate speech is prohibited. Investigations into hate
speech fall under local police departments.
"If hateful speech is indeed being propagated in Windsor, it must be
dealt with promptly under the law. We are asking the Windsor Police to
take the matter seriously and conduct an investigation.
"Freedom of speech is a cherished Canadian value, however it is not
an absolute. Hateful speech only succeeds in creating an atmosphere of
fear, where divisions within Canadian society are made," said Karl
Nickner Executive Director of CAIR-CAN.
"We are asking Canadians of conscience to speak out against hatred
and sensationalist campaigns. Groups that spread lies about a faith or
people simply act to harm innocent citizens.
"We are proud of the diversity exemplified in Windsor and the
thousands of Muslim Canadians, from doctors to auto-workers, that have
helped build our city and country," stated Dr. Nabil Asfour, MAC
Windsor Chapter Head.
For more information please contact:
CAIR-CAN: Sameer Zuberi, Communications and Human Rights Coordinator,
613.795.2012; or Karl Nickner, Executive Director, 613.853.4111
-----
CAIR: WHERE ARE ALL
MODERATE MUSLIMS? -
TOP
An answer to what has become a ubiquitous question
JILL CARROLL, Houston Chronicle, 1/13/07
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/4468083.html
I have given hundreds of talks and lectures throughout the Houston area
in the past few years on issues of world religion and religion in public
life. The question that always comes in the Q&A no matter what the
topic, no matter if the audience is liberal or conservative, is
"Where are all the moderate Muslims?"
The ubiquity of this question is deeply problematic. Not because the
desire for so-called "moderate Muslims" is bad. (It isn't.) Not
because the people who ask it are bad or bigoted. (They usually aren't.)
The question is problematic because of what it assumes: that Islam is
naturally predisposed to extremist interpretation; that most of the up to
10 million Muslims in the United States are not moderate, but radical;
that those who claim to be moderate aren't because they don't stand up
and denounce the extremists. None of these assumptions is supported by
evidence. In fact, evidence exists to the contrary.
Muslim condemnations of terror abound, as even the most rudimentary
Google search indicates. Plug in "Muslims condemn 9/11" and
take an hour or so to just get started. Or read the Fiqh Council of North
America's fatwa against terrorism declared in July 2005 and endorsed by
120 organizations and groups in the United States and Canada.
Or go to
the Council on American-Islamic Relations Web site to view the 30-second
TV public service
announcements they created and ran in English, Arabic and Urdu.
"Why haven't we seen these things before?" you ask. You might
direct that question to your local news outlets. And, given our access to
the Internet, maybe we all could take more responsibility for being
accurately informed citizens. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-OH: PRAYERS, TRIBUTES, SPEECHES AND
PERFORMANCES PRECEDE THE INAUGURAL BALL IN COLUMBUS -
TOP
Laura A. Bischoff, Dayton Daily News, 1/14/07
http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/01/13/ddn011407inaugcolor.html
COLUMBUS - Thousands of Ohioans helped Gov. Ted Strickland and Lt. Gov.
Lee Fisher ring in their administration with inaugural festivities
morning, noon and night Saturday.
"At this crossroads in history, our leaders in our community are
given the opportunity to stand and make a real difference. The true
heroes, those who make a difference, are the ones who stay on the high
road and never give up," said
Asma Mobin-Uddin, president of the
Council American Islamic Relations, Ohio. "We need your
leadership and example today." (MORE)
-----
TN: EDUCATING NON-MUSLIMS,
PROMOTING DIVERSITY -
TOP
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=5936541
NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Members of the Islamic Center of Nashville had an
open house Saturday.
Called "Diversity in Islam: A Fulfillment of Dr. Martin Luther
King's Dream," the open house featured dishes and displays
representing various countries and nationalities. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
MA; ISLAMIC SOCIETY PLANS MOVE TO
DOWNTOWN FRAMINGHAM -
TOP
D. Craig MacCormack, Daily News, 1/14/07
http://www.townonline.com/framingham/homepage/8999004267910004735
FRAMINGHAM - Officials from the Islamic Society of Framingham say the
size of their congregation has grown far too big for their rented space
on South Street, so they need to move to bigger digs to continue to
flourish. (MORE)
-----
PENTAGON VIEWING AMERICANS' BANK RECORDS -
TOP
LOLITA BALDOR, Associated press, 1/14/07
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070114/D8ML1VU01.html
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon and to a lesser extent the CIA have been
using a little-known power to look at the banking and credit records of
hundreds of Americans and others suspected of terrorism or espionage
within the United States, officials said Saturday. (MORE)
-----
DC: SCREENING OF 'GLORIES OF ISLAMIC ART'
FILM -
TOP
6 p.m. Arts - Film screening
SPONSOR: The Brookings Institution
TOPIC/SUBJECT: holds a film screening of "Glories of Islamic
Art," a documentary film that explains Islam's rich history,
customs, and beliefs.
PARTICIPANTS: Akbar Ahmed, director
DATE: January 17, 2007
LOCATION: Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, D.C.
CONTACT: 202-797-6105,
communications@brookings.edu;
http://www.brookings.edu
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/16/07
*
Hadith:
A Good Conscience
*
CAIR-CA:
Boxer Wrong to Rescind
Award (SF Chronicle)
-
'We Expect More from Sen.
Barbara Boxer' (Sac Bee)
*
CAIR-MI:
Muslims
Barred from Flight (Detroit News)
-
CAIR-MI:
Muslims Say They Were
Profiled (Free Press)
*
CAIR-FL Rep Speaks at MLK
Interfaith Memorial Service
*
CAIR:
Lawsuit over Quran
Oaths to Continue (AP)
-
CAIR-FL:
Ohio FBI
Chief Calls Terror a Priority
*
MI:
Muslims Must
Unite to Save Faith (Detroit News)
*
CAIR:
Man Wins Suit in
Airline Race-Profiling Case (Reuters)
*
IL:
Muslim
Models Interfaith Group on Peace Corps (VOA)
-
TX:
Pig Races at Mosque
Site Spark Mtg on Tolerance
*
Aloni:
There is Apartheid in
Israel (Counter Punch)
-
Jimmy Carter:
Revisiting
'Apartheid' (Newsweek)
*
UN:
34,452 Iraq Civilians Killed in
'06 (AP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A GOOD CONSCIENCE -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "When something
weighs on your conscience, give it up."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 8
-----
CA: BOXER AND CAIR -
TOP
Letters to the Editor, San Francisco Chronicle, 1/16/07
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/16/EDGC7N75201.DTL
Editor -- Regarding "Boxer cancels award for Muslim activist'' (Jan.
6):
As a Jewish American and a supporter of Sen. Barbara Boxer, I say that it
was wrong for her to withdraw the award that she gave to the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations, which works to build bridges between
Christians, Muslims, Jews and people of color.
CAIR has condemned violence by all sides and the organization's executive
director, Nihad Awad, has even appeared with President Bush. In the
article, it was stated "Boxer said she was influenced by reading a
conservative blogger, Joe Kaufman.'' The organization, Americans Against
Hate, that Kaufman heads, is a right-wing group that condemns the new
Muslim Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota on its Web site.
I doubt that Boxer even believes in her decision to withdraw the award.
The problem is that the Israel Lobby, consisting of AIPAC and other
organizations, has far too much influence on American policy in the
Middle East. We need a more evenhanded policy that will bring the two
sides together to obtain a peaceful settlement between the Israelis and
the Palestinians.
Walter Ballin
Chico
SEE ALSO:
LETTERS: MORE EVENHANDED
POLICY, PLEASE -
TOP
'We expect more from Sen. Barbara Boxer'
Sacramento Bee, 1/15/07
http://www.sacbee.com/326/story/107906-p2.html
We expect more from Sen. Barbara Boxer, a well-principled legislator with
a long track record of carrying an enlightened torch for her
constituents. Thus when she recently awarded a Certificate of
Appreciation to young
Basim Elkarra, executive director of the
Sacramento chapter of the distinguished national group Council on
American Islamic Relations, it was another example of her enlightened
leadership.
But she was swarmed by right-wing pro-Israelists in a manner Americans of
goodwill have come to identify as a nasty technique of threat and
harassment. These same elements viciously attacked President Carter
because his new book on Israeli apartheid in Palestine has broken the
taboo against holding Israel accountable for its illegal, unfortunate
acts. Polls of American voters solidly support policies like Carter's
middle ground. The Bee is to be thanked for Ginger Rutland's wise and
thoughtful reflections on Sen.
Boxer's "CAIR takeaway" (editorial notebook, Jan. 5). It set
the right tone, after Boxer's sour note.
Mary Bisharat, Carmichael
Special to The Bee / Molina
-----
CAIR-MI: MUSLIMS:
NORTHWEST BARRED US FROM FLIGHT -
TOP
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 1/16/07
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070116/UPDATE/701160415
DEARBORN -- About 40 Muslim Metro Detroiters say they were stranded at an
airport in Frankfurt, Germany, and given a series of differing
explanations about why they could not board their Northwest Airlines
flight to Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
A spokesman for Northwest Airlines said this morning that the travelers,
who were returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, reported to
the gate about 20 minutes before their connecting flight was to take off.
They were barred from making the trip by airline and international flight
rules, he said.
But the Muslim travelers, including two imams, and their advocates -- the
Council on American Islamic Relations -- adamantly rejected the
airline's statement at a press conference today, saying flight rules are
at least the third reason given for why the pilgrims could not board the
Jan. 7 flight. They say they believe Northwest discriminated against the
Muslims and left them on their own to find accommodations while trying to
book other flights.
"We arrived at the gate at least an hour and 30 minutes before the
departure," said Imam Sayed Hassan al-Qazwini of the Islamic Center
of America in Dearborn. "Others who came after us were allowed to
board the airplane." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MI: MUSLIMS
SAY THEY WERE PROFILED BY AIRLINE -
TOP
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 1/16/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070116/NEWS02/70116022
Claiming they were unfairly profiled, a group of Michigan Muslims said
today that they were not allowed to board a flight to Detroit while
returning home from a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
At a press conference this morning at a mosque in Dearborn, the group
said they were unfairly treated because of their religion and
background.
On Jan. 7, a group of Muslims who were largely Lebanese-American Shi'ites
had landed in Germany and were going to take a connecting flight to
Detroit. Northwest allowed some of them on the flight, but barred about
40 of them, the pilgrims said.
"Probably they were afraid of 40 Muslims on one flight," said
Imam Hassan Al-Qazwini, head of the Islamic Center of America, a Shi'ite
mosque in Dearborn.
Al-Qazwini, who was part of the group, said that he and other Muslims
have had profiling problems before with Northwest Airlines.
Northwest officials, though, maintain that the passengers were not
allowed on the flight because they were late.
The conference was organized by the
Council on American-Islamic
Relations, a Muslim group that said it will represent the group of
Muslims in any possible legal action against Northwest. The committee has
been active in recent months in fighting what they see as profiling of
Muslims by airlines.
Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the committee, said
the returning pilgrims were "denied passage for no legitimate
reason."
-----
CAIR-FL REP SPEAKS AT MLK
INTERFAITH MEMORIAL SERVICE -
TOP
(TAMPA, FL, 1/16/07) - The executive director of the Tampa chapter of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) spoke Monday in honor of
the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at an interfaith memorial service.
Representatives from other faiths, civic leaders and elected officials
also spoke at the event.
CLICK TO LISTEN:
http://www.ahmedbedier.com/audio/20071215-bedier-mlk-prayer.wma
CONTACT: Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506,
abedier@cairfl.org
-----
CAIR: LAWSUIT OVER QURAN OATHS TO
CONTINUE -
TOP
Gary D. Robertson, Associated Press, 1/16/07
http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/532956.html
RALEIGH -- A lawsuit filed by the ACLU and a Muslim woman over the use of
the Quran and other non-Christian texts for courtroom oaths in North
Carolina should be allowed to go forward, the state Court of Appeals
ruled today.
A three-judge panel voted unanimously to reverse a trial court decision
that had dismissed the challenge to state law and policy. Currently, only
the Bible can be used by witnesses when swearing or affirming truthful
testimony.
The lawsuit was filed in July 2005 and the trial judge determined it was
moot because there was no actual controversy at the time warranting
litigation. But the appeals court said that wasn't so, pointing to the
individual plaintiff, Syidah Matteen, who said her request to place her
hand on the Quran as a witness was denied in 2003.
And several Jewish members of the North Carolina chapter of the American
Civil Liberties Union have filed affidavits indicating they would prefer
to swear upon the Old Testament, one of the religious texts of their
faith, Chief Judge John Martin wrote.
"We conclude the complaint is sufficient to entitle both plaintiffs
to litigate their claims ... though we are careful to express no opinion
on the merits of those claims," Martin wrote. Judges Ron Elmore and
Barbara Jackson concurred.
The issue surfaced after Muslims from the Al-Ummil Ummat Islamic Center
in Greensboro tried to donate copies of the Quran to Guilford County's
two courthouses. Two Guilford judges declined to accept the texts, saying
an oath on the Quran is not a legal oath under state law.
State law allows witnesses preparing to testify in court to take their
oath either by laying a hand over a "Holy Scripture," by saying
"so help me God" without the use of a religious book or by
using no religious symbols.
The ACLU and the
Washington-based Council on American-Islamic
Relations called for a statewide policy permitting use of the Quran
and other religious texts in courtrooms. But the director of the state
court system said no, saying the General Assembly or the courts needed to
settle the issue. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-FL: CLEVELAND'S NEW
FBI CHIEF CALLS TERRORISM A PRIORITY -
TOP
Mike Tobin, Cleveland Plain Dealer, 1/16/07
http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/ister/1168950871133490.xml&coll=2
The new head of the Cleveland FBI just bought a house in Bay Village and
is moving his family here.
That might not sound like much, but it's a leap of faith for C. Frank
Figliuzzi, who last month became the fourth man in five years to head the
local FBI office.
"I'm here for as long as I can be," Figliuzzi said. "We
want to be here and plant roots in the community."
Figliuzzi, 44, will lead a field office for the first time after running
large FBI units in San Francisco, Miami and Washington, D.C.
Figliuzzi said he will follow the priorities outlined by the FBI's
leaders, which puts counter-terrorism at the top.
In 2001, Figliuzzi was running the FBI's white-collar crime squad in
Miami, investigating corrupt politicians and police. Then came the Sept.
11 terrorist attacks, and he was chosen to lead the counter-terrorism
squad in Miami. . .
Figliuzzi is proud that he was able to forge relationships with Arab and
Muslim groups in Florida while investigating terrorism there. He looks
forward to doing the same with groups here.
Altaf Ali, director of the Florida chapter of the Council on American
Islamic Relations, said Figliuzzi often visited and met with leaders
at mosques while working in Miami. Muslims will find him a good working
partner, Ali said.
"He was an individual who actually understood and recognized that
the Muslim community is the best tool in helping protect our
country," Ali said. (MORE)
-----
MI: METRO MUSLIMS MUST
STOP DISTRUST, UNITE TO SAVE FAITH -
TOP
Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi, Detroit News, 1/16/07
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070116/OPINION01/701160329/1008
The Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan met last week at the
Islamic House of Wisdom to discuss recent acts of vandalism against Iraqi
Shiite properties in Metro Detroit.
There is no basis for Shiite and Sunni animosity anywhere, certainly not
in the United States. While each school of thought in Islam has its
special qualities and reflects cultural diversity, Shiites and Sunnis
have a common belief system.
Unfortunately, the U.S. invasion of Iraq, not minor religious
differences, has raised tensions whose flames have already hit some other
homes worldwide.
President Bush decided to ignore months of hard work by James Baker's
Iraqi Study Group and opposed the group's recommendation of starting U.S.
troop withdrawal and engaging Iran and Syria in a broad dialogue with
other Iraq neighbors.
If Bush is interested in being a peace president, he could invite Iraq's
six close neighbors -- Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, Turkey and
Iran -- to talks that would save Iraq from its daily hell.
If oil, arms and Halliburton are more important than the lives of our
troops and innocent Iraqis, the civil war will escalate. Interestingly,
the president's main allies -- Saudi, Egypt and Jordan's rulers, who are
scared of al-Qaida terrorist attacks -- love to get rid of al-Qaida
operatives by exporting them to Iraq.
The Shiite and Sunnis of Iraq were united in state-building and ending
British colonial rule, although the Shiites led the independence movement
of 1920 and suffered the most from the brutalities and repression of
Saddam Hussein and his evil Baath Party in more than 30 years of rule.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR: MAN WINS SUIT IN
AIRLINE RACE-PROFILING CASE -
TOP
Scott Malone, Reuters, 1/16/07
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070116/us_nm/security_lawsuit_dc_1
BOSTON (Reuters) - A Florida man removed from an American Airlines flight
because he was considered a security threat has won a $400,000 jury award
in a case that accused the airline of racial profiling.
John Cerqueira, a U.S. citizen of Portuguese descent, charged that he was
removed from a 2003 flight at Boston's Logan International Airport
because he appeared Middle Eastern, and was denied service even after
police determined he did not pose a threat.
Cerqueira's attorneys said on Tuesday that the suit, which accused the
airline of violating his civil rights, was the first of its kind to go to
trial. The federal jury in Massachusetts made its decision on
Friday.
"It's part of this whole debate about security versus civil
rights," said Michael Kirkpatrick, an attorney with the Public
Citizen Litigation Group, which represented Cerqueira. "We don't
think there's any conflict between security and civil rights. And the
jury came down on our side in this."
Civil-liberties groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union say
racial profiling, or ethnic-based targeting, against Middle Easterners
has risen in the United States since the September 11 attacks. Two planes
out of Boston, including an American Airlines aircraft, were among the
four hijacked in the attacks. . .
"The message is clear, that airlines have to treat their passengers
fairly, without discrimination, based on religion or ethnicity or
perceived religion or ethnicity," said
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman
for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based
advocacy group. "Those airlines that fail to do that will pay a
financial price." (MORE)
-----
IL: AMERICAN MUSLIM
MODELS INTERFAITH GROUP ON PEACE CORPS -
TOP
Voice of America, 1/15/07
As a Muslim American, Eboo Patel takes to heart the line in Sura 49 of
the Koran, which says, "God made us different nations and tribes
that we may come to know one another." Through his Interfaith Youth
Core, which is based in Chicago, he seeks to counter the violent
religious strife that fills our daily newscasts with news instead of
young people of different faiths working side-by-side, building houses
for the homeless, or tutoring refugee children.
Patel was born in 1975 to Indian parents, and emigrated with them from
Bombay to Chicago when he was an infant. He grew up with friends of
different religious backgrounds, and at the age of 12 or 13 became more
aware of those differences. "I found myself asking 'What does it
mean to be a Muslim when your friends are a Hindu, a Jew, a Nigerian
evangelical, a Mormon, a Lutheran, a Catholic, what does that
mean?'"
As he and his friends became older, Patel says they began to have more
serious discussions regarding religion. But his idea for an Interfaith
Youth Core, which was inspired by other service organizations like the
Peace Corps, didn't develop until he was a graduate student at Oxford
University in England, where, as a Rhodes scholar, Patel received a
doctorate in sociology of religion.
Patel says the first service projects of the Interfaith Youth Core,
conducted while he was still a student, took place in South Africa,
Kenya, Sri Lanka and India. They were, he says, all great learning
experiences. "I studied the Sarvodaya Shramadana movement in Sri
Lanka. I learned about Ubuntu from African traditionalists in South
Africa. I helped run an interfaith service learning project with Habitat
for Humanity in Hyderabad, India."
In 2002, he returned to Chicago, and with a grant from the Ford
Foundation, established a permanent home base for the Interfaith Youth
Core. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
TX: KATY PIG RACES NEAR
MOSQUE SITE SPARKED MEETINGS -
TOP
HELEN ERIKSEN, Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/katy/news/4472857.html
A Katy man's decision to stage weekly pig races to protest a mosque
construction has prompted an alliance of local clergy to conduct a series
of forums aimed at what they characterize as preventing bigotry and
promoting religious acceptance. (MORE)
-----
THIS ROAD IS FOR JEWS ONLY -
TOP
Yes, There Is Apartheid in Israel
Shulamit Aloni, Counter Punch, 1/8/07
http://www.counterpunch.org/aloni01082007.html
Jewish self-righteousness is taken for granted among ourselves to such an
extent that we fail to see what's right in front of our eyes. It's simply
inconceivable that the ultimate victims, the Jews, can carry out evil
deeds. Nevertheless, the state of Israel practises its own, quite
violent, form of Apartheid with the native Palestinian
population.
The US Jewish Establishment's onslaught on former President Jimmy Carter
is based on him daring to tell the truth which is known to all: through
its army, the government of Israel practises a brutal form of Apartheid
in the territory it occupies. Its army has turned every Palestinian
village and town into a fenced-in, or blocked-in, detention camp. All
this is done in order to keep an eye on the population's movements and to
make its life difficult. Israel even imposes a total curfew whenever the
settlers, who have illegally usurped the Palestinians' land, celebrate
their holidays or conduct their parades.
If that were not enough, the generals commanding the region frequently
issue further orders, regulations, instructions and rules (let us not
forget: they are the lords of the land). By now they have requisitioned
further lands for the purpose of constructing "Jewish only"
roads. Wonderful roads, wide roads, well-paved roads, brightly lit at
night--all that on stolen land. When a Palestinian drives on such a road,
his vehicle is confiscated and he is sent on his way.
On one occasion I witnessed such an encounter between a driver and a
soldier who was taking down the details before confiscating the vehicle
and sending its owner away. "Why?" I asked the soldier.
"It's an order--this is a Jews-only road", he replied. I
inquired as to where was the sign indicating this fact and instructing
[other] drivers not to use it. His answer was nothing short of amazing.
"It is his responsibility to know it, and besides, what do you want
us to do, put up a sign here and let some antisemitic reporter or
journalist take a photo so he that can show the world that Apartheid
exists here?"
Indeed Apartheid does exist here. And our army is not "the most
moral army in the world" as we are told by its commanders.
Sufficient to mention that every town and every village has turned into a
detention centre and that every entry and every exit has been closed,
cutting it off from arterial traffic. If it were not enough that
Palestinians are not allowed to travel on the roads paved 'for Jews
only', on their land, the current GOC found it necessary to land an
additional blow on the natives in their own land with an "ingenious
proposal".
Humanitarian activists cannot transport Palestinians either.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
LAST WORD: JIMMY CARTER -
TOP
Revisiting 'Apartheid'
Newsweek International, 1/1/07
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16240761/site/newsweek/
Dec. 25, 2006 - Jan. 1, 2007 issue - Former president Jimmy Carter has
long been regarded as an elder statesman, using his political muscle to
address issues like democracy and human rights. But he's also been a
prolific author. Since leaving office in January 1981, he has written 23
books, on subjects ranging from American moral values to his childhood on
a Georgia farm. His latest-and perhaps most controversial-offering,
"Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," reflects his long interest in
the Middle East. (As president, he personally negotiated peace between
Israel and Egypt.)
But it has also drawn fire for its use of the word apartheid to describe
the current circumstances of the Palestinian people. While the book has
shot up the best-seller list, the former president has been denounced for
his criticism of Israel. He's also come under fire from former Carter
Center associate Kenneth Stein, a professor of Middle Eastern studies at
Emory University, who has raised questions about the book's
accuracy.
(Disclosure: NEWSWEEK's Christopher Dickey was one of the people asked to
comment on an early draft of the book.) President Carter spoke to
NEWSWEEK's Eleanor Clift. Excerpts:
Clift: You've created quite a stir. I suspect it was partly
intentional.
Carter: Well, it was. One of the purposes of the book was to provoke
discussion, which is very rarely heard in this country, and to open up
some possibility that we could rejuvenate or restart the peace talks in
Israel that have been absent for six years-so that was the purpose of the
book.
The word apartheid-did you agonize about that?
Not really, I didn't agonize because I knew that's an accurate
description of what's going on in Palestine. I would say that the plight
of the Palestinians now-the confiscation of their land, that they're
being suppressed completely against voicing their disapproval of what's
happening, the building of the wall that intrudes deep within their
territory, the complete separation of Israelis from the Palestinians-all
of those things in many ways are worse than some of the aspects of
apartheid in South Africa. There is no doubt about it, and no one can go
there and visit the different cities in Palestine without agreeing with
what I have said. (MORE)
-----
U.N.: 34,452 IRAQ CIVILIANS KILLED IN '06
-
TOP
Sameer N. Yacoub, Associated Press, 1/16/07
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070116/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_casualties
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Nearly 35,000 civilians were killed last year in Iraq,
the United Nations said Tuesday, a sharp increase from the numbers
reported previously by the Iraqi government.
Gianni Magazzeni, the chief of the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, said
34,452 civilians were killed and 36,685 were wounded last year.
Iraqi government figures in early January put last year's civilian death
toll at 12,357. When asked about the difference, Magazzeni said the U.N.
figures were compiled from information obtained through the Iraqi Health
Ministry, hospitals across the country and the Medico-Legal Institute in
Baghdad.
"Without significant progress in the rule of law sectarian violence
will continue indefinitely and eventually spiral out of control," he
warned.
The Iraqi Health Ministry could not immediately be reached for comment,
but the government has disputed previous figures released by the U.N. as
"inaccurate and exaggerated." (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MI MUSLIM PILGRIMS OFFERED APOLOGY, COMPENSATION
BY NW AIRLINES
(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 1/17/07) - The Michigan office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) announced today that Northwest
Airlines is offering an apology and limited financial compensation to a
group of 40 American Muslim pilgrims who were allegedly denied passage on
a January 7th flight returning to Michigan.
The pilgrims say they were denied boarding on a Northwest Airlines flight
from Germany to Detroit while returning from the recently-concluded
annual Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. Northwest Airlines says the Muslim
travelers arrived too late to make the connecting flight. That claim has
been refuted by the pilgrims who say they arrived at the gate with time
to spare and that they were mistreated by airline
representatives.
CAIR-MI
held a news conference in Dearborn, Mich., on Tuesday to demand an
investigation of the incident. Today, an official of Northwest Airlines
told CAIR that the Muslim travelers would receive an apology for the
inconvenience they suffered and would be compensated for any extra flight
or hotel costs they incurred.
SEE:
Northwest Apologizes, Vows to Reimburse Muslims Barred from Flight
(Detroit News)
"We welcome Northwest Airlines' apology and offer of limited
compensation as a positive step toward addressing the concerns of the
Muslim passengers," said
CAIR-Michigan Executive Director Dawud
Walid. Walid also said some of the travelers are considering legal
action against the airline.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Michigan Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418,
E-MAIL:
dwalid@cair.com
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/17/07
*
Hadith:
The Example of a Believer
*
Racial Slur Used During Assault on
NY Muslim
*
Video:
CAIR Rep Comments on
Impact of Muslim Sitcom (MSNBC)
*
CAIR-Chicago:
Rights
Groups to React to Salah/Ashqar Verdict
*
CAIR:
Muslims Concerned
About Fox's '24' Portrayal (Boston Herald)
-
Fox Says 'No Ethnic Group
Has Been Singled Out' on '24'
*
UT:
Resolution
Affirming Rights of Utah Muslims Introduced
*
CAIR-CAN Urges Bias Probe
of Muslim School Vandalism
-
CAIR-CAN:
'Gitmo North'
Detainees on 53-Day Hunger Strike
*
CAIR-CAN:
Pastor Regrets
Fiery Words (Windsor Star)
*
Bush Won't Reauthorize
Eavesdropping (Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE EXAMPLE OF A BELIEVER -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The example of a
believer is like a fresh tender plant. From whatever direction the wind
blows, it bends the plant. But when the wind dies down, (the plant)
straightens up again."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 4, Number 1
-----
RACIAL SLUR USED DURING ASSAULT ON NY
MUSLIM -
TOP
Victim allegedly called 'f**king Arab' during attack
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/17/07) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR)
today called on local, state and national law enforcement authorities to
investigate an attack on a New York Muslim as a possible hate
crime.
CAIR said the attack took place early Sunday morning outside a
Lackawanna, N.Y., restaurant. The victim, a 26-year-old man of Yemeni
heritage, said one of the white male assailants called him a
"f**king Arab" as the attack began. Another attacker allegedly
picked the victim up from behind and threw him to the ground, rendering
him unconscious.
The victim says he suffered a fractured nose and a fracture under one
eye. He also received staples on the back of his head and six stitches on
his face.
A representative of the local office of the FBI told CAIR that the case
is being evaluated.
"Given the circumstances of the attack, law enforcement authorities
should investigate a possible bias motive and apply all relevant hate
crime laws to the case," said CAIR National Communications Director
Ibrahim Hooper.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
VIDEO: CAIR REP COMMENTS ON IMPACT
OF MUSLIM SITCOM -
TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QJuCC7FCFE
-----
CHICAGO CIVIL-RIGHTS
COMMUNITY TO REACT TO SALAH/ASHQAR VERDICT -
TOP
(CHICAGO, IL, 1/17/2007) - The Chicago office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) said today that the Coalition
to Protect People's Rights, an alliance of more than 20 organizations and
individuals united to protect citizens from civil liberties and human
rights abuses, will hold a news conference 30 minutes after the
anticipated Salah/Ashqar verdict is read. The verdict is expected at any
time.
SEE: Jury Deliberation begins in Salah Case
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/news/207912,122NWS7.article
Selected Coalition members of those in attendance will speak on the
Constitutional and Human Rights violations of Mr. Salah and the verdict.
Speakers include the defense attorneys and members of the Arab,
Palestinian, Christian, Muslim, Human Rights and Civil Rights communities
of Chicago.
EXPECTED NEWS CONFERENCE ATTENDEES:
* Michael Deutsch, Attorney, Muhammad Salah Defense Team
* Bill Moffit, Attorney, Abdelhaleem Al-Ashqar Defense Team
* Dr. Zaher Sahloul, President, Mosque Foundation
*
Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director, Council on American Islamic
Relations - Chicago (CAIR)
* Abdul Malik Mujahid, Chairman, Council of Islamic Organization of
Greater Chicago (CIOGC)
* Dr. Shafic Budron, President, American Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee - Chicago
* Dori Dinsmore, Regional Director, Midwest Region Amnesty
International-USA
* Miryam Rashid, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
* Steven Saltzman, Attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights
* Jeff Frank, National Lawyer's Guild (NLG)
* Dorothy Pagosa, 8th Day Center for Justice
WHAT: Press Conference, Reaction to Anticipated Salah/Ashqar verdict
WHEN: 30 minutes after Verdict is Delivered (Expected anytime this
week)
WHERE: Lobby of the Dirksen Federal Building - Dearborn and
Adams
CAIR-Chicago will send a media alert 1.5 hours before the verdict is
delivered.
CONTACTS: Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago (847) 971-3963
director@cairchicago.org;
Dr. Zaher Sahloul, Mosque Foundation,
sahloul@hotmail.com
-----
UT: RESOLUTION AFFIRMING
RIGHTS OF UTAH MUSLIMS INTRODUCED -
TOP
Deseret Morning News, 1/17/07
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650223581,00.html
Sen. Peter Knudson, R-Brigham City, is asking the state Senate to send a
message of support to Utah's Muslim community.
That's why he's sponsoring SR2, a "Resolution Affirming Fundamental
Rights of the Muslim Community of Utah," to recognize the rights of
Muslims to freely practice their religion and to enjoy the same freedoms
as other ethnic and religious groups. The resolution references
"confusion and in many cases unfounded fear" of Islam.
"People may look at people of the Muslim faith and categorize them
in the same pot," Knudson said. "We have a lot of people of the
Muslim religion in our state. To the best of my knowledge they are
wonderful citizens."
Nadeem Ahmed, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake, said
the resolution would be welcome. While the post-9/11 climate in Utah has
been relatively calm, there are still instances of discrimination, he
said.
"We live here in America, we are part of the tapestry," he
said. "We shouldn't be considered any different, I wouldn't say
special, but we should be considered Americans."
-----
CAIR: FOX'S FACE OF TERROR:
MUSLIMS VOICE CONCERN OVER PORTRAYAL OF TERRORISTS ON '24' -
TOP
Lauren Beckham Falcone, Boston Herald, 1/16/07
http://theedge.bostonherald.com/tvNews/view.bg?articleid=177501
The plot of the hit Fox drama "24" may make for exciting
television, but Muslim groups fear their representation as terrorists
does more than entertain - it vilifies an entire religious
group.
"I think that TV has quite an effect on how people think," said
Nadeem Mazen, past president of the MIT Muslim Association. "So much
of what we hear on Muslims is hearsay - an expert opinion by people with
a personal agenda and not necessarily motivated by truth. And then a show
like this comes along that perpetuates the 'them' factor."
The plot of the sixth season of "24" takes place two years in
the future and is the most fear-mongering to date. America is being
bombarded by Islamic suicide bombers, the president's chief of staff sets
up Muslim internment camps, civil rights and privacy laws are more
flexible than Mary Lou Retton and the seemingly sweet Muslim teenager
next door happens to be a terrorist complicit in the first nuclear attack
on American soil.
Of course, it's a show. But TV not only reflects the zeitgeist - it also
influences it, some say, meaning the writers of "24" have to be
careful, said
Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
"I saw '24' (on Monday) and we do have concerns with the show,"
Ahmed said. "We are monitoring it and will be contacting our
contacts at Fox to discuss those concerns."
According to Ahmed, her organization and the creators of "24"
have a good relationship - in fact, two years ago, when a Muslim family
was depicted as terrorists, they listened to the concerns of the Muslim
community.
"After we met with them, they understood where we were coming from
and took measures to ameliorate and mitigate the damages of the (plot),
including running a public service announcement," she said.
"Like all Americans, we like a good show and a good drama. But as an
advocacy group, we have to consider the image and interest of our
community." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
FOX SAYS 'NO ETHNIC GROUP HAS
BEEN SINGLED OUT' ON '24' -
TOP
Fox Entertainment Group sent the following statement to CAIR:
24 is a heightened drama about anti-terrorism. After 5 seasons, the
audience clearly understands this, and realizes that any individual,
family, or group (ethnic or otherwise) that engages in violence is not
meant to be typical.
The show takes great pains to ensure that all characterizations are seen
in the overall context of the series. "Bad guys" may ultimately
be good and those that seem to be guardians may in fact be the worst kind
of criminals. Even the show's hero, Jack Bauer, is seriously flawed. It's
that acknowledgement of the diverse nature of the show's characters that
makes 24 such a compelling series.
Over the past several seasons, the villains have included shadowy Anglo
businessmen, Baltic Europeans, Germans, Russians, Islamic
fundamentalists, and even the (Anglo-American) president of the United
States. Over the course of the series, no ethnic group has been singled
out for persecution or blame. In fact, the show has made a concerted
effort to show ethnic, religious and political groups as
multi-dimensional, and political issues are debated from multiple
viewpoints.
-----
CAIR-CAN URGES BIAS PROBE OF
MUSLIM SCHOOL VANDALISM -
TOP
(OTTAWA, CANADA, 1/17/07) - The Canadian Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-CAN) today urged Montreal Police to investigate the acts
of vandalism at the school, "Les Jeunes Musulmans Canadiens,"
as a potential bias crime.
On Tuesday morning, 17 of the school's windows were found smashed by
rocks and bricks. Twenty classroom doors were discovered broken open and
the school bus' windows shattered.
The Montreal school has 500 registered students, ages six to 16. This
most recent attack is the latest of a disturbing trend emerging across
the country, whose sole aim is to intimidate the Muslim
community.
"Our school's mandate is to integrate students into Canadian and
Quebec Society. When the young students arrived Tuesday morning to see
their school vandalized, they were frightened and concerned for their
safety," says Leayla Sawaf, a founder of Les Jeunes Musulmans
Canadiens.
For a news report on Montreal attack visit:
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=f9a2cd8e-1955-4d90-a8fc-f8a9b893d63b
"We call on local politicians and police officials in Montreal to
demonstrate leadership by standing firm against all forms of hate,"
said Karl Nickner, Executive Director of CAIR-CAN.
"While we cannot say for certain the attack was a hate crime, the
extent of the damage suggests that this was not a random act of violence.
We call on the Montreal Police to seriously investigate this incident as
a possible hate crime. The criminals responsible must be apprehended and
brought to justice," he added.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-CAN: Sameer Zuberi, Communications and Human Rights
Coordinator, 613.795.2012; or Karl Nickner, Executive Director,
613.853.4111; Les Jeunes Musulmans Canadiens: Leayla Sawaf, founder,
514.894.4855
SEE ALSO:
ACTION ALERT: 53 DAY HUNGER
STRIKE AND COUNTING -
TOP
Urge Government Officials to Enter into Negotiations with Gitmo North
Detainees
(OTTAWA, CANADA, 1/17/17) - The Canadian Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-CAN) is asking all Canadians to urge government officials
to enter into negotiations with hunger strikers Mohammad Mahjoub, Mahmoud
Jaballah, and Hassan Almeri. The three have been on hunger strike for 53
days, 42 and 42 days respectively, so that their voices can be heard and
reasonable demands, outlined below, can be met.
The men are being held without charge, on secret evidence, under the
security certificate in the Kingston Immigration Holding Center, also
dubbed Guantanamo North.
In a January 8 open letter the three wrote:
We are writing to you because the government of Canada will not speak
with us. We are three Muslim men who have been detained under a security
certificate, without charge or bail, for between 5 and 6 and-a-half
years. We are not allowed to know the evidence against us.
Many groups such as Amnesty International have called security
certificates fundamentally flawed and unfair. The United Nations has
criticized Canada for this practice. Right now, the Supreme Court is
deciding what Canada should do about them.
We have been very patient and done our best to deal with a process where
it is impossible to defend yourself. And we will remain patient, because
we know that ultimately, we will be let out, because we are innocent
men.
But sometimes there is only so much human beings should be required to
accept before they raise their voice in peaceful protest.
Right now we are on a liquid-only hunger strike protesting the conditions
of our detention. For Mohammad Mahjoub, it is day 45, for Mahmoud
Jaballah and Hassan Almrei, it is day 34. We do not want to be on hunger
strike. It is hard on us and our families. But it is the only voice we
have.
When we were detained in Toronto, there were many hunger strikes
protesting our conditions of detention. Because of this, the new facility
at Millhaven was built, and now we are three hours away from our loved
ones. Many of the things promised to us, such as educational programs and
a library, have not happened.
We do not have the same rights as convicted criminals to trailer visits
with our families. And now we are faced with the denial of medical care.
In one case, shots for Hepatitis C have not been given since September 2,
2006. Surgery for a knee injury and a double hernia have not been
scheduled, even though we have been here since April, 2006.
Our demands are very simple (see below for link to full text)
Please contact your Member of Parliament, write a letter to the
newspaper, and call Stockwell Day, and ask him that he fix the problems
at KIHC. The pain we feel from a lengthy hunger strike is also felt by
our families and friends, who worry so much about us. Secret trials are a
wound to Canadian democracy. Justice for our situation can help heal that
wound.
Mahmoud Jaballah
Mohammad Mahjoub
Hassan Almrei
ACTION REQUESTED
Contact government officials and urge them to enter into negotiations
with the hunger strikers using a translator and neutral third
party.
Email:
day.s@parl.gc.ca,
communications@psepc.gc.ca
,
claudette.deschenes@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca,
finley.d@parl.gc.ca
Phone, Fax:
Stockwell Day
Minister of Public Safety
Tel: 613.995.1702
Fax: 613.995.1154
Claudette Deschenes
VP, Enforcement, Canadian Border Security Agency
Tel: 613.952.2531
Fax: 613.952.2622
Diane Finley
Minister of Immigration
Ph: 613.996.4974
Fax: 613.996.9749
Include your Minister of Parliament in any correspondence. You can find
their coordinates at:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/house/PostalCode.asp?Source=SM
-----
CAIR-CAN: PASTOR REGRETS FIERY
WORDS -
TOP
Despite public outcry, controversial lecture series will continue
Sonja Puzic,
Windsor Star,
1/17/07
The pastor of a Windsor Baptist church that held an anti-Islamic lecture
last week says he could have chosen his words more carefully when he
prepared promotional pamphlets for the series he titled The Deadly Threat
of Islam, which prompted hate crime allegations.
Pastor Donald McKay, who heads the 350-member Campbell Baptist Church on
Wyandotte Street West, said Tuesday he did not anticipate the lecture,
delivered by self-proclaimed former terrorist and Christian convert
Zachariah Anani, would generate so much controversy and media
scrutiny.
"(The pamphlets) absolutely could have been worded
differently," he said. "We're not interested ... in causing
unnecessary polarization. I did not think this would have the type of
media backlash that it has."
More than 120 people, including members of Windsor's Muslim community,
packed the church last Thursday to hear Lebanese-born Anani -- who is not
a member of the congregation -- say that Islam is a religion of war being
brought to Canadian soil. He also said that Islam teaches
"ambushing, seizing and slaying" of non-believers, especially
Christians and Jews. Many attendees challenged Anani's views in a heated
debate.
Members of the Windsor Islamic Association have filed a formal complaint
with the
Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR),
which has sent letters to Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant asking
for a prompt investigation into Anani's lectures under Canada's hate
crimes legislation. (MORE)
-----
BUSH WON'T REAUTHORIZE EAVESDROPPING
-
TOP
James Vicini, Reuters, 1/17/07
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2007-01-17T204435Z_01_N17341517_RTRUKOC_0_US-SURVEILLANCE-BUSH.xml
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush has decided not to renew a program
of domestic spying on terrorism suspects, Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales said on Wednesday, ending an law-enforcement tactic criticized
for infringing on civil liberties.
"The president has determined not to reauthorize the Terrorist
Surveillance Program when the current authorization expires,"
Gonzales wrote in a letter to congressional leaders.
Bush has reauthorized the program every 45 days, and the current
authorization is mid-cycle, a senior Justice Department official said.
Gonzales said a recent secret-court approval allowed the government to
act effectively without the program.
The program, adopted after the September 11 attacks, allowed the
government to eavesdrop on the international phone calls and e-mails of
U.S. citizens without a warrant, if those wiretaps were made to track
suspected al Qaeda operatives.
Critics have said the program violated the U.S. Constitution and a 1978
law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which made it illegal to
spy on U.S. citizens in the United States without the approval of the
special surveillance court.
"Any electronic surveillance that was occurring as part of the
Terrorist Surveillance Program will now be conducted subject to the
approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court," Gonzales
said. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/18/07
*
Hadith:
Feed the Hungry, Visit the Sick,
Ransom the Prisoner
*
CAIR-MI:
Michigan Imam, Mosque
Threatened
-
CAIR-OH:
Killing Heightens
Community's Fear (Dispatch)
*
VT:
IBM Worker Says He Was Fired for
Being a Muslim
*
CAIR-MI:
NWA Apologizes for
Barring Muslim Fliers (Detroit News)
-
Media Coverage:
Detroit Free Press,
Reuters,
Bloomberg
*
DHS to Launch Traveler
Redress Inquiry Program
*
CAIR-CA:
We Honor MLK By
Keeping His Legacy Alive (OC Register)
-
CA:
MPAC Meets with Senator
Boxer on Muslim Inclusion
*
CAIR Commentary:
Islam and
Religious Freedom
*
Carter:
A New Chance for
Peace? (Washington Post)
-
Arab Cabinet Pick Stirs
'Zionism-Racism' Debate (Forward)
-
U.S. Jewish Groups Head
to Emirates (Forward)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: FEED THE HUNGRY, VISIT THE SICK
AND RANSOM THE PRISONER -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Anyone who as enough
food for two (people), let him invite a third (person to share the food).
And anyone who has food for four (people), let him invite a fifth or a
sixth (to eat)."
The Prophet also said: "Anyone who has property that exceed his
needs, let him support someone whose property does not (meet his or her
needs), and anyone whose food exceeds his needs, let him share it with
someone who does not have food." A companion of the Prophet added:
"Then (the Prophet) mentioned so many kinds of property that we
thought no one of us had the right to have anything surplus with
us."
In another hadith, the Prophet said: "Feed the hungry, visit the
sick and ransom the prisoner."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 93C
-----
MICHIGAN IMAM, MOSQUE THREATENED -
TOP
Man sentenced to 21-days for 'disorderly conduct'
(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 1/18/07) - The Michigan chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) said today that an Imam, or Islamic
religious leader, was threatened by a man who was attempting to vandalize
a Warren mosque.
The Imam of the Islamic Organization of North America (IONA) in Warren
told CAIR-MI that on Wednesday evening he noticed a white male using a
stick to change the letters on a sign in front of the mosque.
When questioned, the man began to use anti-Muslim slurs and threatened to
vandalize the mosque. The man also allegedly waved his stick at the Imam
in a threatening manner, using more obscene and intimidating
language.
The Imam called the Warren Police Department and officers arrived at the
scene and arrested the man. He pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly
conduct and was sentenced today to 21-days in jail. The prosecutor in the
case reportedly rejected an initial charge of "ethnic
intimidation."
SEE:
Man Gets Jail Time for Drunken Tirade at Warren Mosque (Detroit
News)
"We are pleased that the Warren Police Department responded quickly
and that the perpetrator ended up behind bars," said CAIR-MI
Executive Director Dawud Walid. "We ask that political and religious
leaders in Michigan speak out against the kind of intolerance that can
lead to such incidents."
This time last year, the IONA mosque was at the center of a controversy
about zoning issues, as it is the first mosque in the city of
Warren.
SEE:
http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=39196&theType=NB
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid at
dwalid@cair.com or
248-842-1418
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-OH: KILLING HEIGHTENS
COMMUNITY'S FEAR -
TOP
Police looking for men who robbed, shot business owner
Mark Ferenchik, Columbus Dispatch, 1/18/07
http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/01/18/20070118-C1-01.html
Hours after shop owner Abdel Shalash was shot and killed during a
robbery, the nearby Bon-Aire Restaurant & Bar was open as
usual.
The Bon-Aire is in the same East Side strip shopping center as Shalash's
beauty-supply store. That night, with a handful of customers inside, the
bartender locked the front door around midnight.
"For the customers' safety and mine," said Mary, who didn't
want her last name published, fearing for her safety.
"It never used to be this bad," Mary said. She has tended bar
there for 20 years and has called the nearby fire station to send someone
to escort her to her car after closing time.
"It's terrible."
Several business owners and workers in the shopping plaza on S. Hamilton
Road are scared after Monday's afternoon robbery that took the life of a
48-year-old Palestinian-American and father of six. . .
Police haven't made any arrests in the death of Shalash. They said two
men were seen running from the store after the shooting. Family members
have said about $150 was stolen.
At Shalash's funeral on Tuesday, at least five Muslim and Arab merchants
questioned whether criminals are targeting them, said
Ahmad Al-Akhras,
president of the Islamic Foundation of Central Ohio and vice chairman of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Columbus.
"Perception is reality, and if the perception of shopkeepers is that
they're being targeted, the city needs to take a closer look at
that," Al-Akhras said.
But Columbus homicide detective Mike McCann said police don't see any
indication of that. (MORE)
-----
VT: IBM WORKER SAYS HE WAS FIRED FOR BEING A
MUSLIM -
TOP
A Muslim electronics engineer claims the computer maker fired him because
of his religion and that managers at the company mocked him.
Paul McDougall, InformationWeek, 1/18/07
http://www.optimizemag.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=196901337
A Muslim electronics engineer who developed five patents for IBM claims
the computer maker fired him because of his religion and that managers at
the company mocked him for refusing to eat during the Ramadan fast and
once told him to ignore Islamic law and clean a knife that had been used
to cut pork.
Mahmoud Mousa, who calls himself a "Jordanian Muslim American,"
was employed at IBM's microelectronics plant in Burlington, Vt., from
June 2003 to December 2005, when he was fired because of his religious
beliefs, according to a lawsuit Mousa filed last month in U.S. District
Court in New York.
Mousa says IBM's stated reason for the firing -- that he had failed to
show up for work -- "was a pretext to mask the motivating factor
behind his termination -- discrimination on the basis of his religion
and/or national origin," according the suit.
Mousa claims that he was subject to discrimination and anti-Islamic
comments and behavior from two different managers while working at IBM's
Burlington operations. On one occasion, a manager of non-Muslim, Indian
origin criticized Mousa for taking time out for Friday prayers, asking
him "Why are you doing this?", according to court
records.
He also claims colleagues mocked him for refusing to eat pizza during his
Ramadan fast and asked him to clean off a knife used to cut pork during a
company picnic. Strict Islamic law forbids Muslims from touching
pork.
Mousa also claims his $68,000 salary was considerably lower than salaries
paid to co-workers with similar accomplishments. Mousa obtained five
patents for IBM while at the company, including one for a means to create
connections between vertically stacked circuits on computer chips,
according to a search of a Web site that tracks patent filings.
He was fired in late December, 2005 for "abandoning his job,"
despite having received formal approval for a leave of absence from IBM's
human resources department, Mousa claims. He is seeking unspecified
damages from IBM. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-MI: NWA
APOLOGIZES FOR BARRING LOCAL MUSLIM FLIERS -
TOP
Airline to reimburse 40 pilgrims returning from Mecca after not allowing
them to board their flight.
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 1/18/07
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070118/METRO/701180378/1003
Reacting swiftly to allegations of discrimination, Northwest Airlines
apologized to 40 local Muslims on Wednesday for barring them from a plane
in Germany on their return trip from a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia earlier
this month.
The airline said it will reimburse the pilgrims for the additional costs
for flights and "reasonable" costs for accommodations.
"To our knowledge, there was no security issue and this was not a
profiling issue," said the official, Andrea Newman, the senior vice
president for government relations for Northwest Airlines, in Washington,
D.C. "We try very hard to make sure that everyone is treated the
same, and this is an important community to Northwest, as are all
communities."
The local residents who were affected, including Imam Sayed Hassan
al-Qazwini -- leader of the largest mosque in the country, the Islamic
Center of America in Dearborn -- expressed gratitude. Qazwini, many
passengers and a representative of a civil rights organization, the
Council on American Islamic Relations, had held a news conference
Tuesday to announce their complaints. . .
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American Islamic
Relations, said he was encouraged by the response from the airline.
"This is a very positive step in the right direction that Northwest
is willing to apologize and take some blame of the burden, instead of
shifting it all entirely on to their Muslim customers who did not make
their scheduled plane." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MI: NORTHWEST PLANS TO PAY MUSLIMS KEPT OFF
FLIGHT -
TOP
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 1/18/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070118/BUSINESS05/701180327/1018
Northwest Airlines apologized Wednesday to an Islamic group representing
about 40 Muslims who were denied entry to a plane, and said it would
reimburse the passengers.
But Northwest maintains that it did nothing improper Jan. 7 when it
prevented the group from boarding a connecting flight to Detroit in
Germany. It said that the mix-up could have happened because the group
was flying in on a charter carrier that did not have an agreement with
Northwest.
Members of the group, mostly Lebanese-American Shi'ites from metro
Detroit, had to pay about $150 each in penalty fees in order to catch
other flights back home. The group was returning from a pilgrimage to
Saudi Arabia. Most returned home a day late.
Northwest spokesman Dean Breest said that the company will reimburse the
extra costs and that a senior vice president, Andrea Newman, will meet
with officials from the
Council on American-Islamic Relations
today to discuss the incident.
"We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience," Breest said,
but added that "Northwest did not do anything wrong."
The council held a news conference Tuesday at the Islamic Center of
America in Dearborn, at which some of the travelers said they were denied
entry to the plane because they were Muslim.
Breest said the passengers who were denied entry had not checked in, had
no boarding passes and were late.
---
CAIR-MI: NORTHWEST AIRLINES APOLOGIZES TO HAJJ
PILGRIMS -
TOP
Reuters, 1/17/07
http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=comktnews&storyID=2007-01-18T015103Z_01_N17444716_RTRUKOC_0_US-AIRLINE-MUSLIMS-APOLOGY.xml
DETROIT (Reuters) - Northwest Airlines apologized on Wednesday to 40
American Muslims who were barred from a recent flight to Detroit, but
denied it discriminated against the group, which was returning from a
Hajj pilgrimage.
Northwest said the pilgrims failed to check in one hour before their
transatlantic flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Detroit was scheduled to
depart, as is required. The passengers arrived in Frankfurt via a charter
flight from Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and mistakenly believed they were
cleared to board the Northwest flight, but were not.
"The passengers were accommodated on the next available flights to
Detroit," Northwest said. "We sincerely apologize for any
inconvenience this may have caused the passengers."
A Northwest spokesman denied the airline discriminated against the
pilgrims, but said compensation would be discussed. He said some of the
Muslims got on the flight, while others could not board because they
lacked required luggage receipts.
The January 7 incident was taken up by the
Council on American-Islamic
Relations, which welcomed the airline's apology, but said the group
wanted clarification and compensation.
"Northwest has not taken full responsibility," said
Dawud
Walid, Michigan director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, who said he will meet this week with airline
representatives.
Walid said many in the group were bypassed in line by other passengers
who were allowed to board the flight.
He said as the stranded passengers left the gate, one reported that an
airline worker commented: "'My God, not only are these people
Muslims, but they're Americans too.'"
Since the 2001 terror attacks, there have been frequent allegations of
discrimination against Muslims, Arabs or people who appear to be Arabs by
U.S. airline workers, customs agents, or security agents.
-----
CAIR-MI: NWA TO PAY, OFFER APOLOGY TO MUSLIMS
DENIED BOARDING -
TOP
Northwest Airlines will offer an apology and compensation to a group of
40 Muslims who said they were turned away from a U.S.-bound plane in
Germany.
Bloomberg News, 1/17/07
http://www.startribune.com/535/story/943164.html
Northwest Airlines will offer an apology and compensation to a group of
40 Muslims who said they were turned away from a U.S.-bound plane in
Germany.
The payment will cover "extra flight and hotel costs" incurred
after the airline refused to let the group board a Jan. 7
Frankfurt-to-Detroit flight, the Michigan office of the
Council on
American-Islamic Relations said Wednesday in a prepared
statement.
"We welcome Northwest Airlines' apology and offer of limited
compensation as a positive step toward addressing the concerns of the
Muslim passengers," the group's
executive director, Dawud
Walid, said in the statement. . .
-----
DHS TO LAUNCH TRAVELER
REDRESS INQUIRY PROGRAM -
TOP
Media-Newswire.com, 1/17/07
http://media-newswire.com/release_1041546.html
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: (202) 282-8010
WASHINGTON - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today it
will launch the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP), an easy
to use, single point of inquiry for travel-related issues. DHS TRIP was
developed to provide a central gateway to address watch list
misidentification issues, situations where individuals believe they have
faced screening problems at immigration points of entry, or have been
unfairly or incorrectly delayed, denied boarding or identified for
additional screening at our nation's transportation hubs.
"A year ago today, Secretary Rice and I pledged to take significant
steps to renew the United States' reputation as a welcoming nation to
legitimate travelers while still securing our country from those who want
to do us harm," said Secretary of Homeland Security Michael
Chertoff. "DHS TRIP will offer the legitimate traveler a
clearly-defined process through which to report travel-related
discrepancies thus improving the traveler experience overall. Ensuring
that personal information is accurate and complete allows us to focus
fewer resources on legitimate travelers and more resources on national
security and law enforcement issues."
DHS TRIP is designed to provide an opportunity for individuals who have
been repeatedly identified for additional screening to file an inquiry
with DHS through a single process in order to have erroneous information
corrected in DHS systems. The program will improve customer interface,
facilitate information sharing among DHS agencies that receive traveler
redress requests and institute performance metrics to track progress.
Beginning Feb. 20, 2007, DHS TRIP will serve as the central processing
point for redress inquiries and route requests for redress to the
appropriate DHS components, where they will be reviewed to reach a
determination about a traveler's status. Individuals will have easy
access to information collected through the DHS TRIP online system. As
indicated in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), law enforcement
information that is already exempt, and could potentially allow a
terrorist to avoid detection, will remain inaccessible. Additional
details, including how to file and track the progress of an inquiry, will
be available at the program's launch. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-CA: CIVIL RIGHTS MARCH GOES ON -
TOP
Munira Syeda, Orange County Register, 1/18/07
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/opinion/abox/article_1547392.php
I was touched to read the article, "Remembering his dream"
[Jan. 16]. The legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. lives on as
Americans benefit from the immense struggles King went through to bring
unity, peace and justice to America. Although unpopular in his day, King
stayed true to those core values and worked for a country where people
would be judged by the content of their character rather than the color
of their skin.
In honoring King, we should remember to ask ourselves what we are doing
to further the great work of King. The struggle to protect and uphold
civil rights continues, and it is more important than ever to ensure that
we honor King by keeping his legacy of justice and equality alive and
well.
Munira Syeda
Anaheim
Communications Coordinator, Council on American-Islamic Relations,
Southern California
SEE ALSO:
MPAC FACILITATES INTERFAITH
MEETING WITH SENATOR BOXER ON MUSLIM INCLUSION -
TOP
http://www.mpac.org/article.php?id=466
(Los Angeles - 1/17/07) -- Three prominent religious leaders from
Southern California, who met with Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) during the
crisis in Lebanon last summer called on her yesterday to work toward
inclusion of Muslim America constituents. Reverend George Regas, Rabbi
Leonard Beerman and Dr. Maher Hathout reached out to Senator Boxer in
response to her recent decision to rescind an award which was to be given
to
Bassim Elkarra, Executive Director of the CAIR-Sacramento
office.
"We are calling you because we met with you and we experienced first
hand that you are open and inclusive and seek to forge a better
society," Hathout told Boxer. "There is a general environment
that Muslims perceive that they are being marginalized and viewed in an
unhealthy light. What we need is to deal with the conditions and events
that make this community feel marginalized."
Boxer assured the leaders that her office is in ongoing communication
with CAIR-CA representatives and that she remains committed to working
with broad and diverse interfaith constituencies to promote civil rights,
combat global warming and end the war in Iraq. She hoped to continue to
engage with faith-based communities on relevant issues pertaining to
domestic and international issues. . .
-----
CAIR COMMENTARY: ISLAM AND RELIGIOUS
FREEDOM -
TOP
Ibrahim Hooper, Risk of Freedom, January 2007
http://www.riskoffreedom.com/issue.php?issue=45&article=237
Islam advocates both freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. That
position is supported by the Quran, Islam's revealed text, the traditions
of the Prophet Muhammad and the opinions of Islamic scholars both past
and present.
Islam came to liberate mankind from all types of enslavement, whether
political, social or religious. One of the first leaders of the Muslim
community, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, once told the governor of Egypt: 'How
dare you enslave people when they were born free?' In the Quran, God
states 'Let there be no compulsion in religion.' (2:256) This verse is
the foundation for religious freedom in Islam. God also states that He
does not compel belief, and warns all of us against the temptation to
force faith on others: 'If it had been the will of your Lord that all the
people of the world should be believers, all the people of the earth
would have believed! Would you then compel mankind against their will to
believe?' (10:99)
God tells the Prophet Muhammad that the message he is bringing to the
people is the truth, but his duty is only to convey that message, not to
force compliance: 'If they turn away from thee (O Muhammad) they should
know that We have not sent you to be their keeper. Your only duty is to
convey My message.' (42:48)
Neither the Prophet Muhammad nor any of his companions, the models for
future Islamic behavior, ever forced anyone to embrace Islam. The Prophet
did not treat apostasy as an offense to be punished in this life. He
pardoned a number of people who embraced Islam, then left the faith, and
then embraced it again. Islam has no need to compel belief in its divine
truth. As the Quran states: 'Truth stands out clear from error.
Therefore, whoever rejects evil and believes in God has grasped the most
trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks.' (2:256)
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recently called
on the government of Afghanistan to release Abdul Rahman, a man facing
the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity. CAIR said
Rahman's conversion was a personal matter that should not be subject to
the intervention of the state. This conclusion was reached after
consultation with Islamic scholars of the Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence)
Council of North America.
Islamic scholars say the original rulings on apostasy were similar to
those for treasonous acts in legal systems worldwide and do not apply to
an individual's choice of religion. (MORE)
-----
CARTER: A NEW CHANCE FOR PEACE? -
TOP
Jimmy Carter, Washington Post, 1/18/07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/17/AR2007011701712.html
I am concerned that public discussion of my book "Palestine Peace
Not Apartheid" has been diverted from the book's basic proposals:
that peace talks be resumed after six years of delay and that the tragic
persecution of Palestinians be ended. Although most critics have not
seriously disputed or even mentioned the facts and suggestions about
these two issues, an apparently concerted campaign has been focused on
the book's title, combined with allegations that I am anti-Israel. This
is not good for any of us who are committed to Israel's status as a
peaceful nation living in harmony with its neighbors.
It is encouraging that President Bush has announced that peace in the
Holy Land will be a high priority for his administration during the next
two years. On her current trip to the region, Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice has called for an early U.S.-Israeli-Palestinian
meeting. She has recommended the 2002 offer of the 23 Arab nations as a
foundation for peace: full recognition of Israel based on a return to its
internationally recognized borders. This offer is compatible with
official U.S. policy, previous agreements approved by Israeli governments
in 1978 and 1993, and the "road map" for peace developed by the
"quartet" (the United States, Russia, the European Union and
the United Nations).
The clear fact is that Israel will never find peace until it is willing
to withdraw from its neighboring occupied territories and permit the
Palestinians to exercise their basic human and political rights. With
land swaps, this "green line" can be modified through
negotiations to let a substantial number of Israeli settlers remain in
their subsidized homes east of the internationally recognized border. The
premise of exchanging Arab territory for peace has been acceptable for
several decades to a majority of Israelis but not to a minority of the
more conservative leaders, who are unfortunately supported by most of the
vocal American Jewish community. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
ARAB CABINET PICK STIRS
'ZIONISM-RACISM' DEBATE -
TOP
Rice, on Mideast Tour, Makes Time for Hardliner Lieberman
Orly Halpern, Forward, 1/19/07
http://www.forward.com/articles/arab-cabinet-pick-stirs-zionism-racism-debat/
Jerusalem - When Knesset member Esterina Tartman opened her mouth on
Israel Radio last week to attack the Labor Party for naming Israel's
first-ever Muslim Arab Cabinet minister, she did more than just rattle
Ehud Olmert's shaky coalition. She opened up a raging national debate on
the taboo topic of where Zionism ends and racism begins.
"What [Labor leader] Amir Peretz did this morning is to swing an
enormous ax at the tree called Zionism," said Tartman, a member of
the right-wing Yisrael Beitenu party, referring to Peretz's January 11
designation of Labor lawmaker Ghaleb Majadleh as minister of science,
sports and culture. "We need to drive out and destroy this evil from
our environs…. The State of Israel is a Jewish state that is supposed to
be ruled by Jewish values, with a Jewish regime and Jewish
sovereignty."
Tartman's comments sparked outrage across the political spectrum from
politicians and commentators who called her views racist and compared
them to the outlawed doctrines of the late Meir Kahane. "The Zionism
of Herzl, Jabotinsky and Begin always advocated the integration of Arabs
who are loyal to the state in all of its institutions," said Knesset
member Michael Eitan of the opposition Likud party. Eitan demanded a
formal Knesset debate on Tartman's "racist comments." "No
believer in equality and democracy can accept them being on the
agenda," Eitan said. (MORE)
---
GROUPS HEAD TO EMIRATES, AS WORRIES
GROW OVER IRAN -
TOP
Forward, 1/19/07
http://www.forward.com/articles/groups-head-to-emirates-as-worries-grow-over-iran/
The main umbrella group of American Jewish organizations is set to visit
Dubai and Abu Dhabi next month in a sign of the growing concern among
Sunni regimes over Iran's nuclear and regional ambitions.
The trip, by a delegation from the Conference of Presidents of Major
American Jewish Organizations to the main power centers of the United
Arab Emirates, is notable because the Sunni-majority UAE does not have
formal diplomatic ties with Israel. The trip also comes amid a flurry of
consultations between Washington, its regional allies and Israel about
steps to counter Iran's influence in the region, first and foremost in
Iraq but also in Lebanon and in the Palestinian territories.
The UAE is a critically important place on the issue of terrorism, the
fight against extremism and Iran, said Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice
chairman of the Presidents Conference, a 51-member umbrella organization
that serves as the Jewish community's main collective voice on Middle
East affairs. We want to see improved relations with the U.S., of course,
but also hope that this can foster relations with Israel. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR CONCERNED ABOUT CIVIL LIBERTIES IMPACT OF
FOX'S '24'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/18/07) - A prominent national Islamic civil
rights and advocacy group today expressed concern that the new story line
on Fox's "
24" terror drama
may have a negative impact on the national debate over civil
liberties.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(
CAIR) said the
explosion of a nuclear device near Los Angeles at the end of the most
recent episode of "24" may also serve to increase anti-Muslim
prejudice in American society.
SEE:
Muslims Unhappy Over `24' Portrayal (AP)
In a statement, the Washington-based group said:
"The raw emotional impact of fictional scenes that include
widespread death and destruction in America may adversely affect the
public's attitude toward civil liberties, religious freedom and
interfaith relations. The program's repeated association of acts of
terrorism with Islam will only serve to increase anti-Muslim prejudice in
our society.
"We have communicated the American Muslim community's concerns about
this season's story line to Fox officials and will work with the network
to help viewers distinguish between televised fiction and actual world
events."
In response to similar concerns about a "24" story line two
years ago, Fox aired a
public service
announcement that featured Kiefer Sutherland urging viewers to avoid
stereotyping Muslims.
SEE:
Fox Airs '24' Disclaimer (CAIR)
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its
mission is to
enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil
liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote
justice and mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/19/07
*
Hadith:
No Racial Superiority
*
CAIR Rep to Discuss
Fox's '24' on 'O'Reilly Factor'
-
CAIR Rep Discusses Impact of
Muslim Sitcom (MSNBC)
*
CAIR-Chicago:
Muslim
Students Seek Prayer Space (Chicago Trib)
-
Understanding Muslim Prayers
Will Ease Fear (Tri-V
Herald)
*
CAIR-IL:
Muslim Students
Support Native-Americans (Daily Illini)
*
CAIR:
Muslims Fear '24'
Nuke-Plot Fallout (NY Daily News)
-
CAIR-MI:
Muslim Harassed
Over Mosque (Detroit Free Press)
-
Canada:
Anti-Muslim
Incidents On the Rise (Spectator)
-
Canada:
Anti-Islamic
Lecture Cancelled By Church
*
MA:
Imam May Be Forced Out of
Home (Patriot Ledger)
*
New Magazine Targets American Muslim
Girls
*
Muslim Representation
Vital for Congress (Badger
Herald)
-
It's Time to Stop 'Hatin'
On Muslims in Washington
*
CA:
Jewish,
Muslim Groups Encourage Dialogue (Jewish Journal)
-
Jews, Muslims Shared a
'Fertile Relationship' (Jewish Exp)
*
MD:
Baltimore Museum to
Exhibit Illuminated Quran
*
Pentagon Manual to Allow Executions
Based on Hearsay (AP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: NO RACIAL SUPERIORITY -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said to a companion: "You
are not better than people (of other races) unless you excel them in
piety."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1361
-----
CAIR REP TO DISCUSS FOX'S
'24' ON 'O'REILLY FACTOR' -
TOP
8 p.m. (Eastern) Tonight
http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly/
SEE ALSO:
CAIR REP DISCUSSES IMPACT OF
MUSLIM SITCOM -
TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me5H_YQiknM
-----
CAIR-CHICAGO: SEEKING TIMEOUT
FOR PRAYER -
TOP
Muslim students weary of huddling under bleachers to pray during sporting
events want Northwestern to come up with an alternative
Manya A. Brachear, Chicago Tribune, 1/19/07
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0701190254jan19,1,2459251.story
As the Ohio State Buckeyes pummeled the Northwestern Wildcats on Ryan
Field last November, senior Amir Siddiqui and his friends slipped below
the bleachers, removed their shoes and knelt on pieces of poster board to
pray.
As the sea of purple cheered and jeered above, Siddiqui tuned out the
world around him to perform salaat, the Islamic ritual prayer that
faithful Muslims recite five times daily.
Siddiqui will do the same in Welsh-Ryan Arena next week when the Buckeyes
basketball team goes up against the Wildcats. But rather than pray amid
raucous crowds, some Muslim students are pressing Northwestern's athletic
department to set aside a secluded space for the ritual, or grant them
permission to come and go from the arena before the buzzer. . .
Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Council for American-Islamic
Relations in Chicago, said the beauty of salaat is that it can be
performed just about anywhere. Prayer space is often set aside in
airports and hospitals, he said.
"If you don't have that option, you just close your eyes and
concentrate," he said.
Rehab understands the discomfort about praying among crowds, however. He
recalled that a group of Muslim fans were detained at a New York Giants
game in September 2005 after they left the stands to pray. Space was set
aside at the stadium after the incident.
Rehab said the quest for prayer space could be an opportunity to close
the knowledge gap about Islam and teach more Americans about the central
role of prayer in the Muslim faith. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
UNDERSTANDING MUSLIM PRAYERS
WILL EASE FEAR -
TOP
Riaz Hasan, Tri-Valley Herald, 1/19/07
http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_5043863
IN MY Dec. 15 column, the main portion of the Muslim prayers was
described. They are physical, consisting of postures, movements and
recitation. The worshippers try to have a sincere intention with physical
and mental purity.
The phrase "Allah-o-Akbar" (God is great) is repeated at least
18 times in the morning prayer and at least 108 times in the night
prayer. The phrase is to praise the greatness of God compared to our
smallness in front of him. As you can see, in this context, it is a call
for goodness and to show humility, quite the opposite of a call to
aggressive behavior.
The second part of the prayer is Supplication, giving our will to God in
true earnestness and humility.
After the physical prayer, it is customary to invoke blessings on prophet
Muhammad and to glorify God.
Muslims do a great deal of supplication that is informal, asking for
forgiveness, giving thanks for God's favors, praying for others, asking
for help. For God says, "Call me, I will respond to you."
(Quran 40:60). The response could be sooner or later, in God's time and
appropriateness.
God says, "When my servants ask you (O' Muhammad) about me, I am
surely near. I respond to the call of a supplication. So, let them
respond to me and let them believe in me, in order that they may be
righteously guided." (Quran 2:186)
Here are some typical supplications, derived from the prayers of the
Prophet Muhammad. . . (MORE)
-----
CAIR-IL: SIOUX COMMITTEE ASKS FOR
RETURN OF REGALIA -
TOP
Jenette Sturges, Daily Illini, 1/19/07
http://media.www.dailyillini.com/media/storage/paper736/news/2007/01/19/News/Undressing.The.Chief-2654639.shtml
The painted turkey feathers that adorn the headdress of Chief Illiniwek
were at one time eagle feathers. Now they, and the rest of the beaded
buckskin regalia, are the center of a new controversy surrounding the
University symbol.
The Executive Committee of the Oglala Sioux Tribal Nation submitted a
resolution to University President B. Joseph White, Chancellor Richard
Herman and the Board of Trustees on Wednesday demanding the return of
Chief Illiniwek's regalia and the original eagle feathers to Mel Lone
Hill, descendent of spiritual leader Frank Fools Crow. Fools Crow
presented the regalia to the University in September 1983 during a
football halftime show. . .
"There can be no misreading of the Oglala Sioux Resolution,"
said Debbie Reese, professor of American Indian studies, speaking on
behalf of the faculty during a press conference Thursday morning.
"Those to whom the Lakota regalia belongs, and whom the Board of
Trustees claims to be honoring, have clearly requested that the
performance and charade of Chief Illiniwek end."
Students groups on campus agree.
Reem Rahman, junior in LAS and
director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, UIUC chapter,
said the resolution is proof that American Indian tribes do not support
the Chief.
"The first thought that comes to me is 'try to prove the Chief is an
'honorable tradition' now," said Rahman. "The answer is
repeated and direct: it is not." (MORE)
-----
CAIR: MUSLIMS FEAR '24' NUKE-PLOT
FALLOUT -
TOP
Austin Fenner, NY Daily News, 1/19/07
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/ent_radio/story/490036p-412681c.html
Muslim groups are concerned the fictional dark hero of Fox television's
"24" will jeopardize their civil liberties by branding them as
sleeper-cell agents waiting for orders to strike.
The pulse-pounding drama starring Kiefer Sutherland as counterterrorism
agent Jack Bauer featured a group of Muslim terrorists this week
successfully detonating the first of five nuclear suitcase bombs near Los
Angeles.
"When people don't have access at work or have neighbors who are
Muslim, they rely on the images they see on television to shape their
perceptions," said
Rabiah Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the Council on
American-Islamic Relations. "The worst outcome would be that
they would act on their fears. They won't be able to distinguish
peaceful, law-abiding American Muslims and the minority who act against
our faith and commit acts of terror."
Muslims fear the show will foster hate against them and foster a climate
of Islamophobia in the country.
Future "24" episodes this season will depict American officials
rounding up Muslims and putting them in internment camps.
Just yesterday, the American-Islamic council said, cops in Michigan
arrested a white man in Warren County for threatening an imam and
attempting to vandalize a mosque. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MI: MUSLIM MAN HARASSED
OVER MOSQUE IN WARREN -
TOP
DAN CORTEZ, Detroit Free Press, 1/19/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070119/NEWS04/701190383/1006
Steve Elturk knows there could be some backlash when he opens Warren's
first mosque later this year. He learned Wednesday he may not have to
wait that long.
Elturk was at the mosque -- the Islamic Organization of North America, on
Ryan south of 12 Mile -- about 8:15 p.m. when a man started shouting
racial epithets at him.
"He was standing by the sign, and he said he was going to desecrate
the sign," Elturk of Troy said Thursday. "He said, 'I hate you.
I hate Muslims.'"
Elturk said the man took off a jacket and moved toward him in a
"threatening way."
The man, Terry E. Brown, 37, of Warren, was arrested and charged with
disorderly conduct. He pleaded guilty Thursday and was sentenced to 21
days in the Macomb County Jail, Warren police said.
Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, said he will ask the county Prosecutor's
Office to file an ethnic intimidation charge.
"In light of the circumstances. . .we're going to ask that the man
be charged with a hate crime," Walid said. (MORE)
---
CANADA: ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENTS
ON THE RISE -
TOP
McMaster battles racist attitudes
Rakshande Italia,
The Hamilton Spectator, 1/19/06
McMaster University's director of human rights and equity services is
worried that racism and Islamophobia are growing on campus.
Mark Walma said it is often subtle but it is affecting the environment
for the school's minorities, which include 1,500 students who are
Muslim.
He organized a seminar on campus yesterday to address the problem. It was
attended by about 100 students.
"We've been tracking an alarming number of racist incidents ranging
from derogatory comments and opinions expressed by students and faculty
to physical violence against Arab and Muslim students and it's not a
healthy climate for studying or working," says Walma.
(MORE)
---
CANADA: ANTI-ISLAMIC LECTURE
CANCELLED BY CHURCH -
TOP
Pastor defends actions to standing-room only audience
Jason Kryk, Windsor Star, 1/19/07
http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=1433fa89-6a7f-4c59-a984-4d8d0fbac50a&k=66722
A Windsor church that drew heated criticism last week for hosting the
anti-Islamic lecture of a purported former Muslim terrorist cancelled his
second speech Thursday night to give the church's embattled leader a
chance to defend himself. (MORE)
-----
MA: IMAM MAY BE FORCED OUT OF HOME -
TOP
LANE LAMBERT, The Patriot Ledger, 1/19/07
http://ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2007/01/19/news/news03.txt
With his visa status already in question, the spiritual leader of the
Islamic Center of New England's mosque in Sharon may soon be a man
without a home.
The directors of the Islamic Center have given the Imam Muhammed Masood
and his family notice to leave their residence on the grounds of the
Sharon mosque.
Brookline attorney George Garfinkle, representing the board, said last
night the Pakistani cleric has been asked to leave ''sometime soon,''
though not by a specific date.
"The government is leaning on them, and they're trying to do the
right thing legally," Garfinkle said. (MORE)
-----
MUSLIM GIRLS GET A VOICE IN MUSLIM GIRL
MAGAZINE -
TOP
New Glossy Contemporary Lifestyle Magazine Targets American Muslim
Girls
CHICAGO--(
BUSINESS WIRE)--American teen Muslim girls are much like teen girls
everywhere - so says a recent nationwide study of Muslim girls aged 14-18
years. The study was conducted on behalf of Muslim Girl Magazine, a new
bi-monthly glossy magazine launched this month to give 400,000 American
Muslim teen girls a lively and uniquely relevant perspective on
contemporary living.
"Our study showed that these girls go to public school, watch a
little too much television, read teen magazines, surf the Internet, use
Google, enjoy YouTube, play video games, shop a lot, talk on the
telephone and spend time just hanging out," says Faye Kennedy, VP at
execuGo Media, the publisher that commissioned the study. "In short,
they are pretty much like most other American teenagers." The study
also highlighted some likely differences: for example, they get news at
Al Jazeera, socialize at IslamiCity and count among their top hobbies,
Qur'an study. (MORE)
SEE:
www.muslimgirlmagazine.com
-----
MUSLIM REPRESENTATION VITAL FOR
CONGRESS -
TOP
Andy Granias, Badger herald, 1/19/07
http://badgerherald.com/oped/2007/01/18/muslim_representatio.php
When commenting on the use of Jefferson's Quran, Ellison accurately
relayed a fundamental truth -- not a fundamentalist truth -- that has so
often eluded a conservative faction of this country for far too long.
When swearing in with Jefferson's copy he said, "It demonstrates
that from the very beginning of our country, we had people who were
visionary, who were religiously tolerant, who believed that knowledge and
wisdom could be gleaned from any number of sources, including the
Quran."
SEE ALSO:
IT'S TIME TO STOP 'HATIN' ON
MUSLIMS IN WASHINGTON -
TOP
Askia Muhammad, Washington Informer, 1/18/07
http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=b15af77e979558c02bf66b39421abc68
I really thought things were going to be materially better for people
with "funny" names like mine when Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.)
came to Washington. And they have been.
Since he's been here I have noticed an appreciable mellowing of people on
the telephone. I've gone from typically hearing the indignant
"who!!?" whenever I would leave my name, to a curious
"will you spell that please?" nowadays.
So, as a Muslim, who has encountered my fair share of religious bigotry,
I thought things would be similarly better when the first Muslim was
elected to Congress - especially one with a "normal"
name.
No such luck. (MORE)
-----
JEWISH, MUSLIM
GROUPS' PROGRAM ENCOURAGES LEADERS TO SEE THE 'OTHER' AS FRIEND -
TOP
Marc Ballon, Jewish Journal, 1/19/07
http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=17100
Is it possible for Los Angeles Jews and Muslims to talk to one another,
to share peacefully at the table?
This is the question that some leaders of both groups locally are asking
themselves.
These are the ones who are willing to keep trying, despite the enmity in
the Middle East and despite a history of conflict among some leaders in
the Jewish and Muslim communities here. Early next month, a new effort
jointly organized by the Progressive Jewish Alliance (PJA) and the Muslim
Public Affairs Council (MPAC) will be unveiled.
It will not be the first attempt. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
A LOOK AT WHEN JEWS AND
MUSLIMS SHARED A 'FERTILE RELATIONSHIP' -
TOP
Rachel Silverman, Jewish Exponent, 1/18/07
http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/11886/
As the Muslim world, and now Iran, make increasingly hostile overtures
toward Israel, it's hard to imagine that relations between Jews and Arabs
were ever harmonious.
But as biblical scholar Elsie Stern pointed out, during the pinnacle of
Islamic power, Jews and Muslims often had a "really fertile"
relationship -- one based on shared religious convictions and
intellectual and cultural progress.
A new lecture series sponsored by the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
of the University of Pennsylvania aims to shed light on this formerly
symbiotic relationship.
Beginning this week, the five-month "Jewish Life Under Caliphs and
Sultans" program will bring leading Judaic scholars to synagogues in
Center City, Elkins Park and Montgomery County to give both a basic
primer on Muslim beliefs and practices, and to examine special topics in
Jewish-Muslim history.
The latter will illuminate issues such as Islam's effect on the Hebrew
Bible, and how Jewish-Muslim relations in the Middle Ages waxed and waned
between cooperation and conflict. (MORE)
-----
MD: ILLUMINATED KORANS FROM THE
WALTERS ART MUSEUM -
TOP
http://www.thewalters.org/eventscalendar/eventdetails.aspx?e=459
The Koran is considered by Muslims to be an exact record of the words
that God spoke to the prophet Muhammad (ca. 570-632). For this reason,
the Koran can only be written in Arabic. In Islamic culture, the creation
of a finely written copy of the Koran was considered the highest form of
religious devotion. Showcasing a stunning array of 22 manuscripts from
the collection of the Walters Art Museum, this exhibition will present
Korans from different regions of the Muslim world, following the
development of calligraphy from the ninth to the 19th century.
-----
Manual to allow executions based on hearsay
-
TOP
Pentagon plan for detainee trials could spark fresh bipartisan
debate
WASHINGTON - (AP) The Pentagon has drafted a manual for upcoming detainee
trials that would allow suspected terrorists to be convicted on hearsay
evidence and coerced testimony and imprisoned or put to death.
(
MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/21/07
*
Verse:
God's Message of Forgiveness is Not
New
*
CAIR Rep on O'Reilly Factor:
Is Fox's 24 Anti-Muslim?
*
CA:
Anti-Muslim
Hecklers Disrupt Talk on Islam (Record)
-
WA:
Islamic Center
Vandalized (Tri-City Herald)
-
Shameful U.S. Islamophobia
Spreading (Aberdeen News)
*
PA:
Muslims Seek
Equality in School Holidays (Morn Call)
*
CAIR-MI:
Northwest,
Muslims Settle Clash (Detroit News)
-
Muslims Settle Dispute
with Northwest (Free Press)
*
CA:
Journalists
Attend CAIR-San Diego Seminar on Islam
*
CAIR-FL:
Muslims,
Catholics Try to Mend (Post-Gazette)
-
CAIR-Philly:
A
Journey to Spiritual Growth (Inquirer)
-
NC:
Muslim Group
Donates Meat to Charity (AP)
-
CAIR-CA:
A Celebration of
Abraham (Davis Enterprise)
-
FL:
Muslims Honor Prophet
Abraham (Sun-Sentinel)
*
Canada:
Doubt Cast on
Islamophobes' Terror Claims (Windsor Star)
*
Muslims Bring Home
Zamzam Water (Religion
News Service)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD'S MESSAGE OF FORGIVENESS IS NOT
NEW -
TOP
"Nothing is said to you (O Muhammad) that was not said to the
messengers before you: That your Lord has at His command (all)
forgiveness, as well as a most grievous penalty."
The Holy Quran, 41:43
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) quoted God as saying: "O
son of Adam, were your sins (so great as) to reach the clouds of the sky
and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive
you."
Hadith Qudsi 34
-----
CAIR REP ON O'REILLY FACTOR: IS FOX'S
24 ANTI-MUSLIM? -
TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW2tujZISvc&eurl=
CAIR
National Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar discusses the impact
of this season's episodes of Fox's "24" on the American Muslim
community.
-----
CA: CRITICS INTERRUPT
SPEAKER'S TALK ON ISLAM -
TOP
One woman was ejected, another nearly arrested
Jeff Hood, Stockton Record, 1/21/07
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070121/A_NEWS/701210322
STOCKTON - A talk on the basic tenets of Islam was repeatedly interrupted
Saturday by a few anti-Muslim members of a crowd at the Cesar Chavez
Central Library.
One woman was forced to leave early in the two-hour program after she
accused guest speaker Tarek Mourad of lying, yelling that Islam's holy
book teaches Muslims to kill Jews and Christians and that Muslims are
trying to take over the Western world.
Another was nearly arrested by Stockton Police Chief Wayne Hose, who said
he came to the talk on his day off to learn more about Islam. The woman,
who would only give her name as Barbara, handed out photocopied pages
from a book critical of Islam and on numerous occasions interrupted
Mourad's talk to read passages about Islam that conflicted with her
Christian views. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
WA: ISLAMIC CENTER
TARGET OF VANDALS -
TOP
Pratik Joshi, Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, Wash.
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/story/8579343p-8472380c.html
Jan. 21--Mohammed Ahmed of Kennewick was shocked to find a broken window
at the Islamic Center of the Tri-Cities when he went there for
prayers.
On the ground, below the shattered window, was a rock. And Ahmed, a
former president of the center, said this wasn't the first time the
center has been targeted by vandals.
Several acts of vandalism took place at the center on his watch a few
years ago, Ahmed added.
"It's an ongoing problem," Ahmed said.
West Richland police are not excluding a potential hate-crime motive in
their investigation of Friday's vandalism, said Officer Clark Boyer.
(MORE)
---
SHAMEFUL U.S. ISLAMOPHOBIA
SPREADING -
TOP
Rick Riedel, Aberdeen News, 1/21/07
http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/local/16512114.htm
Imagine the scene: The year is 1492, two tribal leaders are standing on
the seashore as a ship drops anchor and several smaller boats make their
way toward land. One of the tribal leaders turns to the other and says:
"We need to overhaul immigration or before you know it there will be
hundreds of these people coming here."
My apologies to my Native American brothers and sisters for my tongue in
cheek introduction to a topic that is not actually funny, but one has to
laugh to keep from crying.
-----
PA: VALLEY MUSLIMS SEEK
EQUALITY IN SCHOOL HOLIDAYS -
TOP
As diversity increases, educators aim to balance fairness with a strict
schedule.
By Daniel Patrick Sheehan Of The Morning Call
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-a1_5muslimjan21,0,6392682.story
Kulsum Soonasra is one of perhaps 50 Muslims at Parkland High School but
1.5 billion in the world. And, while her argument for public school
recognition of Islam's holiest day isn't a statistical one, those numbers
mean something.
"We're a huge religion," the 17-year-old junior from Upper
Macungie said, offering an earnest distillation of her message: that Eid
al-Fitr, the prayerful family celebration that marks the end of the holy
month of Ramadan, is as important to Muslims as Christmas is to
Christians. And if schools are closed for Christmas, they ought to be
closed for Eid.
It's an argument being posed around the country as the Muslim population
grows, and it's become a challenge to school districts as they try to
balance cherished principles of inclusiveness and diversity against the
strict demands of the school calendar. The law requires a fixed number of
class days a year, so any time off must made up somewhere along the
line.
-----
CAIR-MI: NORTHWEST, MUSLIMS
SETTLE CLASH -
TOP
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 1/20/07
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070120/METRO/701200392/1003
DEARBORN -- Northwest Airlines officials met behind closed doors Friday
with some local Muslims who were banned a flight from Germany this month.
One of the advocates for the travelers said all issues had been
resolved.
Both sides agreed not to issue public statements, according to
Dawud
Walid, executive director of the Council on American Islamic
Relations. But earlier in the week, Northwest officials said they
apologized and would reimburse passengers' costs for arranging additional
flights and accommodations.
"We've reconciled the situation," Walid said. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MI: MUSLIMS SETTLE
DISPUTE WITH NORTHWEST -
TOP
Detroit Free Press, 1/20/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070120/NEWS02/701200323/1004
Local Muslim leaders met Friday with Northwest Airlines officials at the
Islamic Center of America in Dearborn to resolve concerns by Muslim
pilgrims who were denied entry onto a connecting flight to
Detroit.
Northwest agreed to reimburse the passengers for extra flight and hotel
costs.
"The people are satisfied," said
Dawud Walid, head of the
Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who was
at the meeting. "The situation has been resolved."
(MORE)
-----
JOURNALISTS ATTEND
CAIR-SAN DIEGO SEMINAR ON ISLAM -
TOP
(SAN DIEGO, CA, 1/21/07) - The San Diego chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-San Diego) yesterday held a media
seminar, entitled "The Image of Islam and Muslims in the
Media," at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
The event featured a presentation by
CAIR National Communications
Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed. An open forum for local Muslim community
leaders and media professionals followed Ahmed's presentation.
Attendees received a gift package that included a DVD of the documentary
"Legacy of a Prophet" and the Quran, Islam's revealed
text.
CONTACT:
Edgar Hopida
CAIR-San Diego Director of Public Relations
Phone: 858-278-4547
Fax: 858-278-8176
Cell: 619-913-0719
E-mail:
ehopida@cair.com
-----
CAIR-FL: MUSLIMS, CATHOLICS TRY
TO MEND AFTER POPE'S SPEECH -
TOP
Ann Rodgers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07021/755602-51.stm
At the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., last week
nuns' veils mingled with those of Muslim women as 300 Catholics and
Muslims gathered to hear an Islamic scholar discuss faith with a cardinal
who some day could be pope.
Cardinal Angelo Scola, of Venice, who publishes Oasis, a multilingual
journal of Catholic-Muslim dialogue, spoke of Muslims as "brothers
and sisters.". . .
The
Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
for example, raised money to repair six West Bank churches that were
fire-bombed after the pope's speech.
"While we were upset about the pope's comments, we were more upset
that individuals who may claim to be Muslim would use violence to try to
respond to the pope's remarks," said
Ahmed Bedier, executive
director of CAIR's Tampa chapter.
"We were helping those churches, but also helping to heal those
Catholic-Muslim tensions that existed," Mr. Bedier said.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-PHILLY: A JOURNEY
TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH -
TOP
Osama Al-Qasem and a neighbor took the annual pilgrimage to reconnect
with their Islamic faith.
Kristin E. Holmes, Philadelphia Inquirer, 1/21/07
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/counties/bucks_county/16494903.htm
The journey from being Muslim in name only to being a pilgrim in Islam's
holiest city was more than 40 years in the making for Osama
Al-Qasem.
The marketing manager at a Warminster manufacturing firm didn't practice
the religion of his birth until the wife he had known for only 11 days
before they became engaged began to influence him.
"He would see me pray and started to ask me questions," Manal
Al-Qasem said. "I started giving him books, and then one day he
surprised me and said he wanted to perform the pilgrimage."
Osama Al-Qasem, of Holland, and his neighbor and friend Kareem Ali
boarded a plane in New York on Dec. 24, beginning their pilgrimage to
Mecca in Saudi Arabia. They were one of more than three million Muslims
on the annual spiritual journey that the tenets of Islam say Muslims
should complete - if able.
Al-Qasem and Ali's pilgrimage began Dec. 29, during the sacred Islamic
month of Zul-Hijjah. . .
Traditionally, an animal is sacrificed, but today, pilgrims buy vouchers
and an animal is sacrificed in their name with the meat sent to the poor,
said A
l-Qasem, who serves as acting fund-raising chair for the
Philadelphia branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. A
farewell tawaf ends the pilgrimage.
"I feel quieter, more spiritual," Ali said. "I take my
problems one step at a time with ease." (MORE)
---
NC: MUSLIM GROUP
DONATES 300 POUNDS OF MEAT TO CHARITY FOR HOLIDAY -
TOP
Associated Press
http://www.hendersonvillenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070121/APN/701213688
The local chapter of the Muslim American Society donated 300 pounds of
beef to the North Carolina Food Bank as part of Eid al-Adha, one of the
most important holidays of the Islamic calendar.
"We need to be partners in this society," said Iyad Hindi, the
director of outreach for the society's Raleigh chapter. "This is one
way we share with others. We're extending a hand outside the Muslim
community."
Members of the Raleigh chapter delivered the meat Saturday in light of
Eid-al Adha, which was celebrated in December. The holiday calls on
Muslims to slaughter a goat, sheep or cow in remembrance of the patriarch
Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his son for God. (MORE)
---
CAIR-CA: COMMON GROUND -
TOP
4th Celebration of Abraham takes note of 'stranger in our midst'
Susan Cosio, Davis Enterprise, 1/19/07
http://davisenterprise.com/
For the fourth year in a row, Christians, Jews and Muslims will gather
together to recognize their common heritage. This year's
"Celebration of Abraham" will take place Sunday, Jan. 28, at
St. James Catholic Church in Davis. The goal of the interfaith
celebration is to explore the common roots of the three religions and
build relationships and understanding.
People of all faiths are invited to the event, which will run from 3 to 5
p.m. at the St. James Memorial Center, 1275 B St. Previous events have
drawn more than 400 people.
Hamza El-Nakhal is a Muslim leader and one of the organizers of the
event. A member of the board of trustees and a former president of the
Islamic Center of Davis, El-Nakhal is president of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, Sacramento Valley.
"This event," he says, "is a chance for us to
reconnect, learn more about each other and reflect upon our own beliefs
and how we relate to one another."
El-Nakhal is one of the founders of the local tradition, initiated after
the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Leaders from the three major monotheistic
religions met by invitation from Randy Rose, an attorney in
Lodi.
"We wanted to communicate our similarities and differences,"
El-Nakhal explains. "We wanted to find common ground for followers
of the three religions. We visited each other and developed friendships
over time." (MORE)
---
FL: MUSLIMS HONOR PROPHET AT
ULOOM INSTITUTE IN PINES -
TOP
Lisa Boliver, Sun-Sentinel, 1/21/07
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flmuslim0121jan21,0,606228.story
Muslims honored the Prophet Abraham during a recent celebration at Darul
Uloom Institute in Pembroke Pines.
Eid ul-Adha, or the feast of the sacrifice, commemorates an act by
Abraham of utmost devotion and servitude to God, said Imam Maulana
Shafayat Mohamed, spiritual leader at the institute where more than 2,000
gathered for a celebration. (MORE)
-----
CANADA: DOUBT CAST ON ANANI'S TERRORIST
CLAIMS -
TOP
Jihad adviser says story of holy war in Lebanon rings false
Trevor Wilhelm, Windsor Star, 1/20/07
http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=4a479502-4490-408e-bdb5-f2638619a62c
Zachariah Anani, a self-proclaimed former terrorist who now warns against
Islam's so-called teachings of terror against Canada and the West, is
imagining his past exploits as a mass murderer, according to a top jihad
expert.
Tom Quiggin, Canada's only court-qualified expert on global jihadism and
a former RCMP intelligence and national security expert, said Anani's
tales of terror and murder just don't jibe with the time and place he
claims to have been killing.
"Mr. Anani's not an individual who rates the slightest degree of
credibility, based on the stories that he has told," said Quiggin,
also a Senior Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for National Security in
Singapore. . .
One key point, he said, is Anani's claim that he killed 223
people.
Anani has said he's 49 years old, which would mean he was born in 1957 or
1958, said Quiggin. If he joined his first militant group when he was 13,
it would have been in 1970 or 1971. But the fighting in Lebanon did not
begin in earnest until 1975, Quiggin said.
"His story of having made kills shortly after he joined and having
made 223 kills overall is preposterous, given the lack of fighting during
most of the time period he claims to have been a fighter," Quiggin
said. "He also states he left Lebanon to go to Al-Azhar University
at the age of 18, which would mean he went to Egypt in 1976. In other
words, according to himself, he left Lebanon within a year of when the
fighting actually started."
He also pointed to a story on WorldNetDaily in which Walid Shoebat,
another ex-terrorist and friend of Anani, also claims to have killed 223
people, two-thirds of them with daggers.
"What a coincidence," Quiggin said. (MORE)
-----
MUSLIMS BRING HOME
REVERED ZAMZAM WATER AFTER ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE -
TOP
Kathleen O'Brien, Religion News Service
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/19/AR2007011901389.html
It makes perfect sense to carry water to the desert.
But why would anyone take the trouble to bring some back?
If it is Zamzam water, the answer is 1,400 years old: Muslims returning
from the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, value it as a liquid
memento from the holy city.
Once home, they drink it for its perceived curative powers and give small
amounts -- along with dates -- to friends and relatives as a means of
celebrating the completion of their journey.
They may even set aside some for their death, when it can be used as a
final ablution and to wash the burial shroud. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM
NEWS BRIEFS - 1/22/07
*
Hadith:
Leading the Blind is a Door to
Goodness
-
CAIR:
Muslim Cabbies Should Not Bar
Guide Dogs
*
CA Jewish Group Urged to Invite
Muslim to Balance Islamophobe
*
CAIR-Ohio Co-Sponsors Red
Cross Blood Drive
*
Letter:
Sen. Boxer Bowed
to 'Hate Group Pressure' (Sac Bee)
-
CAIR:
Terror Never Justified (San
Francisco Chronicle)
*
Islamic Banking Can Help
Foster Dialogue (Washington Post)
-
NY:
Muslim
Pilgrimage Teaches Charity (Dem and Chron)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: LEADING THE BLIND IS A DOOR TO
GOODNESS -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Giving in charity is
prescribed for each descendant of Adam every day the sun rises." The
people then asked the Prophet: "From what do we give (in) charity if
we do not possess property?"
He replied: "There are many doors to goodness. (Saying) 'glory to
God,' 'praise be to God,' 'there is no deity but God,' enjoining good,
forbidding evil, removing harm from the road, listening to the deaf
(until you understand them), 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 weak with the strength of
one's arms - all of these are (forms of) charity prescribed for
you."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 98
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIM TAXI DRIVERS SAY NO TO ALCOHOL
AND DOGS -
TOP
Religion News Service, 1/22/07
http://www.districtchronicles.com/news/2007/01/22/DivineIntervention/Muslim.Taxi.Drivers.Say.No.To.Alcohol.And.Dogs-2658089.shtml
"In the case of guide dogs, the need to accommodate handicapped
individuals should outweigh the discomfort Muslims might feel in having
dogs in their vehicles," said
(CAIR's Ibrahim] Hooper, who
urged local Muslim leaders and airport officials to work out a
compromise.
-----
CA JEWISH GROUP URGED TO INVITE
MUSLIM TO BALANCE ISLAMOPHOBE -
TOP
Yorba Linda Chabad Center to host speaker who opposed Muslim rep's Quran
oath
(ANAHEIM, CA, 1/22/07) - The Southern California office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA), the Islamic Shura Council of
Southern California and the Muslim Public Affairs Council today urged a
Los Angeles-area Jewish group that is hosting an Islamophobic speaker to
invite a Muslim representative who can offer a balancing perspective on
Islam.
The Muslim groups have learned that Dennis Prager, a radio talk show host
who opposed the first Muslim congressman's right to swear a ceremonial
oath on the Quran, has been invited to speak January 24th at the North
County Chabad Center in Yorba Linda, Calif. Prager will speak about the
Islamic world's "confrontation with the West."
SEE: An Evening with Dennis Prager
http://www.ocjewish.com/templates/articlecco.html?AID=458763
Prager was asked to resign from the United States Holocaust Memorial
Council after he wrote that Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to
Congress, should be prevented from taking his oath of office using the
Quran, Islam's revealed text. He also wrote that swearing an oath on the
Quran "undermines American civilization."
The Holocaust Memorial Council recently issued a statement saying
Prager's views are "antithetical" to its mission.
Two members of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, Rep. Henry
Waxman and former New York Mayor Ed Koch, spoke out against Prager's
intolerant remarks. Koch called Prager a "bigot." Groups such
as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the American Jewish Committee
have also condemned Prager's remarks.
Prager's comments prompted Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) to decry the growth
of the American Muslim community and express concern that "many more
Muslims" may be elected to public office.
"By not offering a balancing viewpoint to a speaker who seeks the
marginalization of American Muslims, the North County Chabad Center would
be making an implicit endorsement of that speaker's extremist and
intolerant views," said Shakeel Syed, Executive Director of the
Shura Council.
CONTACT: CAIR-LA Communications Coordinator Munira Syeda, 714-776-1847,
714-851-4851 or E-Mail:
socal@cair.com; Edina Lekovic,
Communications Director of MPAC at 213-383-3443; or Shakeel Syed,
Executive Director of Shura Council, at 310- 384-7791.
-----
CAIR-OHIO CO-SPONSORS RED CROSS
BLOOD DRIVE -
TOP
(COLUMBUS, OH, 1/22/07) - The
Columbus office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, Ohio (CAIR-Ohio) recently co-sponsored a
Red Cross blood donation drive with Sunrise Academy, Central Ohio's only
full-time Islamic School.
CAIR-Ohio's blood drive was part of CAIR's Muslims Care project, an
annual volunteerism campaign designed to encourage the Muslim community
to reach out to their neighbors and make a positive contribution to
society. Blood donations exceeded last years total by 10
percent.
"We are extremely pleased at the Muslim community's involvement
helped make this a successful event for the second year in a row,"
said CAIR-Ohio (Columbus) Director Adnan Mirza. "Events like these
not only offer a valuable service, they also educate members of the
Muslim community about the importance of volunteerism."
CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. The CAIR-Ohio Chapter has three
offices - Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. Its mission is to enhance
the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
CONTACT: Adnan Mirza, 614-451-3232, E-Mail:
director@cair-ohio.com; Romin
Iqbal, 614-451-3232 E-Mail:
office@cair-ohio.com
-----
CAIR: THE STRANGER AMONG US -
TOP
The Sacramento Bee, 1/21/07
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/110729.html
Re "More evenhanded policy, please," letter, Jan. 15: I write
to add my voice and others' to the citizens who object to the recent
actions of Sen. Barbara Boxer regarding the
Council on American
Islamic Relations and the executive director of its Sacramento chapter,
Basim Elkarra. Boxer, bowing to hate group pressure, rescinded an
award given to Elkarra.
Where has Boxer been these past five years? These times demand more
affirmation of the positive, more consistent consultation with people of
many faiths. The Muslim community's shock at this action is
understandable. It is highly commendable (and consistent with the
principles of CAIR and its individual members) that their response has
been to offer to stay in communication with Boxer.
Celebration of Abraham is a multi-faith group in Davis and Woodland that
has held three annual community gatherings, drawing together hundreds of
people for education, conversation and celebration. We have learned from
and about one another, enjoyed music, table fellowship and stories of
lives lived honoring differences and celebrating our common ancestors,
Abraham and Sarah. This year's is Sunday 3-5 p.m. at St. James Memorial
Hall, 14th and B streets, in Davis. Appropriately, the theme is "The
stranger among us." Boxer is most cordially invited.
- Sarah Motley, Davis
SEE ALSO:
CAIR RESPONDS -
TOP
San Francisco Chronicle, 1/22/07
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/22/EDGC7N729A1.DTL
Editor -- Regarding "CAIR's 'condemnations' '' (Letters, Jan. 17):
As the largest American Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in
the country, CAIR has repeatedly condemned acts of terrorism as being
completely antithetical to Islamic teachings. Acts of terror are criminal
and murderous acts; regardless of the race, religion or political cause
of the perpetrators.
Anyone is free to visit our Web site (
www.cair.com ) to read our
condemnations of terrorism in all its forms and to explore CAIR's
pro-active educational campaigns aimed at showing our fellow Americans
the societal contributions of millions of American Muslims.
ARSALAN T. IFTIKHAR
National Legal Director
Council on American-Islamic Relations
-----
PROMOTE ISLAMIC BANKING -
TOP
Rodney Wilson, Washington Post, 1/20/07
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/needtoknow/2007/01/west_should_promote_islamic_ba.html
Islamic banking has become a substantial industry over the last four
decades. It's central component: the avoidance of interest. Does its
emergence segregate Muslims from Western values and norms, creating a
financial ghetto?
I contend that as increasing numbers of people in the West become
dissatisfied or skeptical about the banking services they receive, and
see them as exploitative or even unethical, the emergence of Islamic
banking with its own distinctive morality could help project a much more
positive face to Islam. Islamic banking and finance can help foster
dialog between Westerners and Muslims. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
NY: MUSLIM PILGRIMAGE
TEACHES CHARITY -
TOP
Rauf Bawany, Democrat and Chronicle, 1/22/07
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070122/OPINION02/701220306/1039/OPINION
(January 22, 2007) - Now that I've returned from the ritual of hajj, at
the end of December and earlier this month, in Mecca, Saudia Arabia, I
decided to share my experiences with the community.
Unlike in previous years when stampedes during the hajj killed hundreds
of people, this pilgrimage did not make any screaming headlines. Though
the number of pilgrims this year was estimated at about 4 million, the
number of deaths was reduced to almost none. The pilgrims were of more
than 100 nationalities.
Hajj was an enlightening experience. It was amazing to see landmarks from
hundreds of years ago. We were entangled in a mass of people who were all
equals, signified by the unsown white cloth in which the men were
shrouded. This was to remind us of the day of resurrection and the day of
judgment, when we will stand in front of the greatest judge of all and
account for our deeds. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
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In the Name of God,
the Compassionate, the Merciful
MI MOSQUES ASKED TO BOOST SECURITY AFTER NEW ACT
OF VANDALISM
(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 1/22/07) - The Michigan chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today asked Detroit-area mosques to
increase security after another act of vandalism targeting an Islamic
house of worship.
CAIR-MI says several windows of the Karbala Islamic Educational Center in
Dearborn, Mich., were broken on Sunday morning. Dearborn police confirm
that an investigation of the incident is underway. Law enforcement
authorities say they are also investigating similar acts of vandalism at
six neighboring Muslim businesses.
Earlier this month, two nearby mosques and a number of other Muslim-owned
businesses were targeted by similar acts of vandalism. No arrests have
been made in any of the incidents.
SEE:
Damage to Businesses and Mosques in Detroit Raises Wider Fears (Free
Press)
Last week, a Detroit man was sentenced to 21-days in jail for threatening
to deface a local mosque and taunting the Imam (religious leader) of the
mosque with a stick.
SEE:
Muslim Man Harassed Over Mosque in Warren (Free Press)
"Whatever the motive is for these continuing acts of vandalism, we
need to pull together as a community to aid law enforcement authorities
in protecting houses of worship of all faiths," said
CAIR-MI
Executive Director Dawud Walid.
As a response to these and other incidents, CAIR is urging Muslim
institutions in Michigan and nationwide to review security procedures
using advice contained in CAIR's
"Muslim Community Safety
Kit." (
see below)
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418,
E-Mail:
dwalid@cair.com
-----
EXCERPTS FROM CAIR'S MUSLIM COMMUNITY
SAFETY KIT -
TOP
REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Muslims must do their part to ensure the safety and security of our
nation. If anyone notes suspicious persons or activities in their
community, they should report it immediately to the local Field Office of
the FBI. SEE:
http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm
DEVELOP A LEGAL CONTACT LIST
Develop a list of attorneys who are willing to be consulted by the Muslim
community in response to backlash incidents. Ask Muslim attorneys to
volunteer their services to community members during this time of
crisis.
DEVELOPING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES
Community leaders should immediately coordinate meetings between
representatives of the Muslim community and local, state and national law
enforcement agencies. These meetings should focus on ways in which the
community can help national security and on how authorities can protect
Muslims and Arab-Americans from harassment and discrimination.
MEET WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS COMMUNITY CONCERNS
Delegations of Muslim representatives should schedule meetings with
local, state and national elected representatives or their key staff to
discuss community concerns. To find out who represents your area on the
national level, go to:
http://www.capwiz.com/cair/home/
BUILD COALITIONS WITH INTERFAITH AND MINORITY GROUPS
Similar meetings should be coordinated with representatives of local
interfaith and minority groups. These meetings should focus on building
lines of communication and support, and hearing from these groups how
they deal with discrimination and bigotry.
MEET WITH LOCAL SCHOOL PRINCIPALS TO DISCUSS STUDENT SAFETY
Representatives of the Muslim community should meet with local school
administrators to discuss safety plans for students and to sensitize the
administrators to harassment of Muslim students.
BUILDING AN EMERGENCY CONTACT LIST
Community leaders should develop emergency e-mail and phone contact lists
to be used in case of an incident that threatens the community's safety.
Local imams, Islamic center board members, and Muslim activists should be
on the lists.
A second list should be developed containing contact information for all
local law enforcement agencies.
HOLD A COMMUNITY MEETING TO INFORM OTHERS OF SAFETY GUIDELINES
Call for a meeting of the local Muslim community to discuss the
information outlined in this kit. The meeting should take place at a
local mosque or Islamic center and should be advertised using the
emergency contact list.
ESTABLISH A COMMUNITY SUPPORT NETWORK
Establish a network of community members who can offer emotional and
material support to those who may be the victims of hate crimes or
discrimination. Victims should not be left alone to deal with the
negative impact of such incidents.
REACTING TO INCIDENTS OF ANTI-MUSLIM HATE
If you believe you have been the victim of an anti-Muslim hate crime or
discrimination, you should:
1. Report the incident to your local police station and FBI office
IMMEDIATELY. Ask that the incident be treated as a hate crime. Ask
witnesses to give you their name and contact information.
2. Inform CAIR even if you believe it is a "small" incident.
Incidents may be reported online at:
http://www.cair.com/ireport/ or TEL: 202-488-8787, FAX: 202-488-0833,
E-MAIL: info@cair.com
3. Document the incident. Write down exactly what was said and/or done by
the offender. Save evidence. Take photographs.
4. Act quickly. Each incident must be dealt with when it happens, not
when convenient.
5. Decide on the appropriate action to be taken. Consider issuing a
statement from community leaders, holding a news conference, organizing a
protest, meeting with officials, or starting a letter writing
campaign.
6. Mobilize community support. Contact CAIR and a local mosque or
organization.
7. Stay on top of the situation.
8. Announce results. When the incident is resolved, make an announcement
to the same people and organizations originally contacted.
CAIR MOSQUE SECURITY GUIDELINES
Areas of Vulnerability:
* Mosques located in isolated areas.
* Mosques left unattended for extended periods of time.
* Mosques with unsecured doors and/or windows.
* Absence of a burglar alarm system.
* Heavy exterior vegetation (shrubs, etc.) in which criminals may
hide.
* Absence of exterior lighting.
Take the following safety measures:
* Build good relationships with neighbors of the mosque. Invite them to
visit your center.
* Try to have people attend the mosque as much as possible. Activity
deters perpetrators.
* Make an appointment with the community relations officer of your local
police department to tour your center and make suggestions on improving
mosque security.
* Request additional police patrols in the vicinity of your center.
Special attention should be paid to times of darkness and during
prayers.
* Consider creating a security committee at your mosque.
* Post mosque members at entrances and parking areas during prayer
times.
* Report suspicious packages to police. Do not touch them.
* Install perimeter floodlights outside the mosque.
* Install fire and burglar alarm systems.
* Replace hollow core doors with more secure solid doors.
* Install burglarproof bars on screens and large vents. (Note - Research
local ordinances before beginning security renovations. For example,
window bars should not limit evacuation in case of fire.)
* Trim shrubs and vines to reduce areas of concealment.
* Participate in neighborhood watch programs.
* Document descriptions of suspicious people or vehicles.
* Make duplicates of all important papers, computer disks and
records.
* Remove potential fire hazards, such as trash and debris.
* Consider installing security cameras.
RESPONDING TO BOMB THREATS
1. Distribute written instructions on handling bomb threats.
2. Keep the caller on the line as long as possible. Ask that the message
be repeated. Record or write down everything that is said.
3. Ask for the location of the bomb.
4. Inform the caller that the detonation of a bomb could hurt many
innocent people.
5. Pay attention to background noises such as music, which may give a
clue to the caller's location.
6. Listen closely to the caller's voice. Make note of accents, voice
quality (calm, excited) or speech impediments.
7. Report the threat immediately to the local police, ATF and FBI.
Have appropriate phone numbers listed in written instructions.
8. If the threat comes in the form of a letter, save all materials,
including the envelope. Handle the letter as little as possible.
9. Search the interior and exterior of the mosque. Evacuate the building
if a suspicious package or device is found.
SUSPECT LETTERS AND PACKAGES
* What to look for:
* Name and title of addressee are not accurate.
* No return address, or the sender is not known to the addressee.
* Handwriting is distorted.
* Unprofessionally wrapped, uneven, bulky, lopsided.
* Contains bulges or soft spots.
* Poorly wrapped package is marked "Fragile-Handle With
Care,"
"Rush," or has unusual restrictions such as
"Personal" or "Private."
* Excess amount of postage.
* Protruding wires or tin foil.
* Package makes a buzzing or ticking noise, a sloshing sound, or emits an
odor.
What to do:
DON'T open the package or letter.
DON'T put it in water or in a confined space such as a drawer.
DO isolate the article and secure the immediate area.
DO open windows if possible to help vent potential explosive gases.
DO contact your local police department and Postal Inspector.
TOP
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FBI ASKED TO PROBE HATE GRAFFITI SPRAYED ON
MICHIGAN MOSQUE
(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 1/22/07) - The Michigan chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today called on local, state and
national law enforcement authorities to investigate hate
graffiti found on the old Islamic Center of America in
Detroit.
Vandals spray-painted, "(RAH) You idol worship" and "Go
home 911 murderers," across an entire wall of the building. The
graffiti was reported to CAIR-MI this afternoon by a passing
motorist.
Last week, members of the new Islamic Center of America, located in
Dearborn, Mich., were involved in a nationwide controversy with Northwest
Airlines over denial of boarding for a group of Muslim travelers
returning from the annual Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. The airline has
since apologized to the pilgrims.
SEE:
Northwest, Muslims Settle Clash (Detroit News)
Yesterday, a nearby mosque was targeted by vandals. Two other area
mosques were vandalized earlier this month. A number of Muslim-owned
businesses have also been targeted.
SEE:
Damage to Businesses and Mosques in Detroit Raises Wider Fears
(Detroit Free Press)
"Based on the recent rash of vandalism targeting area mosques, we
urge the FBI to add its resources to those of local law
enforcement," said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. "The
perpetrators of these acts, whoever they may be, should face the full
force of the law."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418 or
E-Mail:
dwalid@cair.com; CAIR
National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
BREAKING NEWS
FIRE AT NEW JERSEY MOSQUE
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/23/07) - The New Jersey chapter of the Council
on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) today called on law enforcement
authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for a small fire at a
state mosque.
The fire was discovered on Saturday, January 20, at the entrance of the
National Islamic Association mosque in Newark, N.J. Worshipers arriving
for early morning prayers were able to put out the fire. Mosque members
told CAIR-NJ that investigators on the scene said initially that they
suspected arson. When contacted by CAIR-NJ, fire officials said no cause
had yet been determined.
CONTACT: CAIR-NJ Communications Director Afsheen Shamsi,
908-938-5990, E-Mail:
afsheen@cair-nj.org
SEE ALSO:
DETROIT MOSQUE VANDALIZED
Niraj Warikoo,
Detroit Free Press, 1/23/07
A Detroit mosque was vandalized this week with anti-Muslim graffiti that
reads in large capital letters: "Go Home 911
Murderers."
-----
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RACIAL SLURS USED DURING NC ASSAULT ON
PALESTINIAN STUDENTS
Victims called 'sand n**gers,' 'terrorists,' three
charged with 'ethnic intimidation'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/23/07) - A prominent national Islamic civil
rights and advocacy group today called on the FBI to investigate a group
assault on three Palestinian students in North Carolina as a possible
hate crime.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations
(
CAIR) said the students were allegedly
assaulted by "at least 15 members" of the Guilford College
football team. During the attack, the assailants reportedly called the
students "terrorists" and "sand n**gers." Two of the
victims suffered severe injuries. Three Guilford College students were
arrested and charged with "ethnic intimidation."
SEE:
College Students Charged With Ethnic Intimidation in Attack
(News-Record)
SEE ALSO:
Beatings Reportedly Accompanied by Ethnic Slurs at Guilford (Yes!
Weekly)
Guilford College issued a
statement about the incident, which said in part:
"At approximately 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007, an
altercation took place in Bryan Hall on the Guilford College campus
involving physical violence and alleged verbal abuse. Such behaviors have
no place at Guilford and will not be tolerated in a community that values
the peaceful resolution of conflict."
"It is important that political and religious leaders in North
Carolina speak out against the kind of hate that apparently motivated
this attack," said
CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim
Hooper. "The alleged bias motive of the assailants clearly
warrants the intervention of the FBI in this case."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR, SENATOR BOXER RESOLVE AWARD
CONTROVERSY
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/24/2007) - The Council on American-Islamic
Relations (
CAIR) today issued a
statement indicating that the Muslim civil rights and advocacy group has
resolved all outstanding issues resulting from a recent controversy over
an award given to a CAIR chapter executive by Sen. Barbara Boxer
(
D-CA).
A CAIR delegation met yesterday in Washington, D.C., with Sen. Boxer and
her senior staff.
In its statement, CAIR said:
"Since this misunderstanding occurred, we have been in constant
contact with Senator Boxer and her staff to offer an accurate overview of
CAIR and its 13-year history of positive social and political
activism.
"We have addressed the issues related to this unfortunate and
unnecessary incident, and have agreed with Senator Boxer that we should
all move forward to build a nation in which people of all faiths work
together to promote respect and tolerance.
"CAIR offices in California and Senator Boxer will continue to work
together, along with the broader civil rights community, to encourage
dialogue, protect civil liberties and build coalitions that promote
justice and mutual understanding."
Sen. Boxer told the delegation that she looks forward to meeting with
CAIR and other civil rights groups during an upcoming trip to
California.
"We would like to thank all those who offered CAIR such tremendous
support," said
CAIR-Sacramento Valley Executive Director Basim
Elkarra.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has
32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush, 714-776-1847,
714-814-4444; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/24/07
*
Verse:
God Does Not Wrong Anyone
*
CAIR Rep Discusses '24' on
'Paula Zahn Now' (CNN)
*
CAIR-FL Rep Comments on State of
the Union Address
-
President's Portrayal of Enemy
Often Flawed (Wash Post)
*
CAIR-CA:
Controversy Follows
Dennis Prager (LA Times)
-
CAIR-MI:
Muslim Claims
Religious Conspiracy (Detroit News)
-
CAIR Hosts State
Department Visitors
*
NC:
Victim Calls Attack 'Hate
Crime' (News-Record)
-
Statement on Attack from NC
Islamic Center
*
NY:
Liaison Bridges
Police, Muslim Cultures (Wash Post)
*
CAIR:
Group Wants
Bias Probe of NJ Mosque Fire (AP)
-
CAIR-MI:
More
Vandalism at MI Mosque (USA Today)
*
MA:
Islamic Society's Turn
to Get Answers (Boston Globe)
-
FL:
Al-Arian Begins
Hunger Strike (AP)
-
WI:
E-mail to GI Sparks
Threats to Muslim Company (AP)
*
Muslims See
No Conflict
Between Islam, Democracy (AFP)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD DOES NOT WRONG ANYONE -
TOP
"Rest assured that God does not wrong anyone even by as much as an
atom's weight. If someone does a good deed, He increases it many fold and
will bestow out of His grace a mighty reward."
The Holy Quran, 4:40
-----
CAIR REP DISCUSSES '24' ON 'PAULA
ZAHN NOW' -
TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-0L2nqbItQ
-----
CAIR-FL REP COMMENTS ON STATE OF THE
UNION ADDRESS -
TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWdctZjzXdw
SEE ALSO:
PRESIDENT'S PORTRAYAL OF 'THE ENEMY'
OFTEN FLAWED -
TOP
Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, 1/24/07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/24/AR2007012400006.html
In his State of the Union address last night, President Bush presented an
arguably misleading and often flawed description of "the enemy"
that the United States faces overseas, lumping together disparate groups
with opposing ideologies to suggest that they have a single-minded focus
in attacking the United States.
Under Bush's rubric, a country such as Iran -- which enjoys diplomatic
representation and billions of dollars in trade with major European
countries -- is lumped together with al-Qaeda, the terrorist group
responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "The Shia and Sunni
extremists are different faces of the same totalitarian threat,"
Bush said, referring to the different branches of the Muslim
religion.
Similarly, Bush asserted that Shia Hezbollah, which has won seats in the
Lebanese government, is a terrorist group "second only to al-Qaeda
in the American lives it has taken." Bush is referring to attacks
nearly a quarter-century ago on a U.S. embassy and a Marine barracks when
the United States intervened in Lebanon's civil war by shelling Hezbollah
strongholds. Hezbollah has evolved into primarily an anti-Israeli
militant organization -- it fought a war with Israel last summer -- but
the European Union does not list it as a terrorist organization.
At one point, Bush catalogued what he described as advances in the quest
for freedom in the Middle East during 2005 -- such as the departure of
Syrian troops from Lebanon and elections in Iraq. Then, Bush asserted,
"a thinking enemy watched all of these scenes, adjusted their
tactics and in 2006 they struck back." But his description of the
actions of "the enemy" tried to tie together a series of
diplomatic and military setbacks that had virtually no connection to one
another, from an attack on a Sunni mosque in Iraq to the assassination of
Maronite Lebanese political figure. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-CA:
CONTROVERSY FOLLOWS DENNIS PRAGER TO YORBA LINDA -
TOP
Islamic councils say tonight's talk by the radio host -- who has been
criticized for saying a congressman shouldn't be able to take his oath on
the Koran -- should have a Muslim speaker for balance.
Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 1/24/07
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-islam24jan24,1,1700813.story
When talk-show host Dennis Prager wrote a column in November decrying a
congressman-elect's decision to take his oath of office on the Koran
rather than the Bible, he argued that it would "embolden Islamic
extremists and make new ones."
In a column for Townhall.com, Prager wrote that Keith Ellison (D-Minn.),
the first Muslim elected to Congress, "should not be allowed"
to swear on the Koran because "the act undermines American
civilization."
Soon, the Los Angeles radio host was at the center of the biggest
controversy he has faced during decades in public life. Op-ed pages
around the country rushed to pillory him. The Anti-Defamation League
condemned his remarks. Former New York Mayor Ed Koch characterized him as
a bigot and called for his ouster as a member of the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Council.
Now, the tumult is extending to Prager's scheduled appearance at the
North County Chabad Center in Yorba Linda, where he will speak tonight on
"Islam, Iran, the West and Israel."
The
Southern California office of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations is calling him an "Islamophobic speaker," while
the director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California has said
he "seeks the marginalization of American Muslims."
Those groups, along with the Muslim Public Affairs Council, has called
for the Chabad Center to invite a "Muslim representative" to
balance Prager's views. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MI: MUSLIM MAN CLAIMS
RELIGIOUS CONSPIRACY -
TOP
Dad sues Department of Human Services, says ex-wife was told to keep teen
daughter from him.
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 1/24/07
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/LIFESTYLE04/701240389/1041
DEARBORN -- A Muslim man says the state Department of Human Services and
a local church are conspiring as part of a custody battle to prohibit his
daughter from practicing Islam and visiting him.
Abraham Ben-Abbad, 38, of Dearborn alleges in a suit filed Monday in U.S.
District Court that the Department of Human Services and a caseworker,
William McDonald, advised Ben-Abbad's former wife that she need not allow
their daughter, Hend Almanasir, 13, to visit her father, including during
Ramadan and on other religious holidays, despite court orders mandating
the visitation.
Arab-American and Muslim organizations in Metro Detroit, which are
monitoring the case closely, say the state should not interfere in a
custody battle with the intent of participating in a decision about what
religion a child should pursue.
"To me, my kids are the most important things in my life,"
Ben-Abbad said, breaking into tears at a news conference Tuesday.
"Especially, Hend; she is the oldest. She grew up, and I cared for
her most of the time."
McDonald and the state also allowed a local church, the Dearborn Assembly
of God, on Tireman, to participate in meetings to plan his daughter's
future, according to Ben-Abbad, his lawyer, Shereef Akeel of Birmingham,
the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and the
Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
The lawsuit alleges that the pastor of the church, Trey Hancock, offers
an outreach program for American women married to Muslim men, and that
his ministry is intent on converting Muslims to Christianity. The purpose
of involving the church in planning for his daughter's future is to steer
her away from Islam, the faith in which she was raised, Ben-Abbad said
and the suit alleges. (MORE)
-----
CAIR HOSTS STATE DEPARTMENT
INTERNATIONAL VISITORS -
TOP
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/24/07) - CAIR's Washington, D.C., headquarters
recently hosted a delegation of international visitors sponsored by the
State Department/USAID program, Community Connections.
The group of 10 delegates from Kazakhstan were visiting the America for
the first time. The theme of their program is "Religion in Secular
Society." Four of the group are Christian ministers, three are imams
and three are with the Kazakhstan government's Department of Internal
Control, the department that governs all religious activities in that
nation.
-----
NC: VICTIM CALLS ATTACK 'HATE
CRIME' -
TOP
Joe Killian and Lanita Withers, Greensboro News-Record, 1/24/07
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/NEWSREC0101/70123018
Two of the three Palestinian students attacked over the weekend at
Guilford College spoke out Tuesday as school officials shed more light on
the incident police are treating as a racially motivated
assault.
In a statement and during an afternoon news conference, college officials
said:
-The attack occurred at 12:30 a.m. Saturday in the courtyard outside
Bryan Hall dormitory.
-At least some of the students involved were "under the influence of
alcohol."
-Some students involved were acquaintances and residence hall neighbors
with no history of conflict.
Criminal charges were filed the next day, which led to arrests
Monday.
"It was the most horrific experience of my life," N.C. State
student Omar Awartani, one of the Palestinians, said Tuesday during a
phone interview.
"This was a horrible, unprovoked hate crime."
Student accounts of the assault vary greatly, and the college stressed in
its statement Tuesday that the cause is not yet known. But court
documents say up to 15 members of Guilford's football team attacked the
students with fists, feet and brass knuckles while using racial
slurs.
Michael Bates, of Reidsville; Michael Robert Six, of Clemmons; and
Christopher Barnette, of Semora, were arrested in connection with the
attack.
Barnette is the second NCAA Division III All-America player in the
school's history and is considered an NFL prospect.
Six is the team's second leading tackler.
Bates and Six were charged with three counts of assault and battery each.
Barnette was charged with two counts of assault and battery. All three
were charged with ethnic intimidation, a misdemeanor that can carry a
sentence of up to 120 days in jail for each count. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
STATEMENT ON ATTACKS FROM THE ISLAMIC
CENTER OF THE TRIAD -
TOP
In regards to the beatings of the Palestinian students at Guilford
College, we do not have all the facts to make a final judgment. We do
have a strong relationship with the Quakers and with Guilford College,
and we share with them many similar values. There are many Muslims who
have studied at Guilford College and in Greensboro in the past, and we
have not experienced this kind of hatred and racism on such a scale. In
general, the community of Greensboro has accepted the Middle Eastern
population with a warm, receptive attitude.
We do not condone violence or aggressive behavior against anyone, no
matter their race, religion or country. We have every confidence that the
Guilford College Judicial system and the Greensboro City Police will
investigate this incident and take appropriate steps. We must all learn
from this, to help prevent hate crimes of this sort in the
future.
At the same time, I would like to express our outrage at this
unprecedented attack of over a dozen members of the GC football team -
large, physically fit, highly trained athletes - against three young men
who have spent the better parts of their lives in conditions of poverty
and oppression in Palestinian refugee camps, and who are here to try to
make a better life for themselves and to improve their
condition.
This was not just an attack on Palestinians. To too many Americans, the
words "Middle Eastern," "Muslim" and
"terrorist" are synonymous. One of the Palestinians was, in
fact, Christian. If there is to be peace of any kind, these
misconceptions must be addressed; and indeed, the best place to do that
is in our educational institutions, amongst our young people who will
lead us into a better future. The whole point of bringing foreign
students to American campuses is to encourage communication and
understanding between the peoples of the world.
These young Palestinians who were attacked are here as representatives of
their culture and their countrymen's hope for a better future for
themselves and for all the world. As aspiring professional athletes,
members of the Guilford College football team are no less representatives
of our own country, and rather than assaulting their fellow students,
should instead have been extending the hand of friendship and
acceptance.
Badi Ali, President
Islamic Center of the Triad
-----
NY: LIAISON STRIVES TO BRIDGE
POLICE, MUSLIM CULTURES -
TOP
Robin Shulman, Washington Post, 1/24/07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/23/AR2007012301330.html
At the headquarters of the New York Police Department, in a
high-ceilinged, wood-floored room, Erhan Yildirim is speaking to a group
of officers. As he lists facts about Islam, they crack their gum and tap
their feet. Yildirim is slighter, shorter and snazzier -- in a sleek
Turkish-made suit -- than most of his audience, and he speaks with a
Turkish accent to their Brooklynese.
Yildirim, as the part-time civilian liaison of the NYPD to Muslims
throughout the city, is a man assigned to bridge cultures.
"I'm the PR," says Yildirim, and the PR goes two ways: At once,
he is trying to redeem the name of the police department to Muslims and
the reputation of Islam to police officers.
Of course, the misunderstandings may also go every which way, even for
Yildirim, a funeral director by trade who may or may not have become
conversant in cop talk but who also doesn't speak the languages of the
majority of immigrant Muslims in New York.
Arabs and South Asians form the largest immigrant groups among the city's
600,000 Muslims, according to a Columbia University study -- and
Yildirim, born in Germany to Turkish parents and educated at an Islamic
high school in Istanbul -- knows only prayers and hellos in Arabic and no
Urdu at all.
He says that's no problem -- "For Muslim culture you know everything
about them because you believe in the same faith. I know the terminology,
I know the culture really well. I know the greetings."
When Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly holds meetings at mosques,
Yildirim is right there at his side, fussing with the microphone and
supplying the bottle of water. Yildirim briefs the commissioner biweekly
and has produced a video and cheat sheet on Islam for police.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR: MUSLIM GROUP
WANTS BIAS PROBE OF NEWARK MOSQUE FIRE -
TOP
Wayne Parry, Associated Press, 1/23/07
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--mosquefire-bias0123jan23,0,1787993.story
NEWARK, N.J. -- A national Muslim civil rights group wants authorities to
investigate a weekend fire that damaged a mosque as a potential bias
crime.
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations on Tuesday asked
authorities to launch a hate crimes investigation into the fire that
damaged a rear porch and wall at the National Islamic Association mosque
in Newark on Sunday.
The first worshippers arriving at the mosque before 6 a.m. prayers found
the back porch and part of a wall ablaze, said Ashraf Latif, the mosque's
president.
"They ran and got some mats and started beating the fire, and
someone else got some water and they put it out before the fire
department got there," he said.
Latif said the fire appeared to have begun in some coils of rope that
someone put on the back deck.
"An investigator with the fire department who came said he smelled
some accelerant on the ropes," Latif said.
John Brown, a spokesman for the Newark Fire Department, said the cause of
the fire will not be determined until Thursday at the earliest. He could
not comment on Latif's assertions that a flammable substance was
detected.
Latif said the mosque has received some anti-Islamic mailings in recent
years, but nothing that caused its members undue concern. There have been
no overt threats recently, he said.
"Historically, there has been no anti-Islam sentiment in
Newark," he said. "This is a great place. We just want a full
investigation to determine if this was set by someone outside the
community for whatever reason, or if it was some bum trying to get
warm."
The mosque, which has 140 registered families who worship there, was not
seriously damaged by the fire, Latif said.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MI: MORE 'HURTFUL'
VANDALISM AT MICHIGAN MOSQUE -
TOP
USA Today, 1/24/07
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/01/another_mosque_.html
A building in Detroit that previously housed a mosque was vandalized this
week with anti-Muslim graffiti that reads in large letters: "Go Home
911 Murderers." The Detroit Free Press reports that, on the front of
the Islamic Center of America building, someone also spray-painted in
green "You Idol Worship."
Last week, the Shi'ite mosque hosted a news conference at its new
location in Dearborn, criticizing Northwest Airlines for what it said was
biased treatment against a group of Muslims who were not allowed to board
a connecting flight in Germany to Detroit. The mosque and the council
received hate e-mail after the news conference. Muslim leaders did not
know if vandalism was related, but
Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan
branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called the
vandalism "hurtful for the entire Muslim community, to see such
enmity directed towards Muslims."
Vandalism has been a problem at Detroit area mosques for some time. Not
all of it has been blamed on non-Muslims -- conflicts between Shi'ite and
Sunni Muslims also have drawn concern.
-----
MA: ISLAMIC SOCIETY'S TURN TO
GET ANSWERS -
TOP
Jessica Masse, Boston Globe, 1/24/07
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/01/24/islamic_societys_turn_to_get_answers
It seems that the normal rules of civility and legal tradition no longer
apply to Muslims living in America. The mere mention of the words
"Muslim" and "Saudi Arabia" in the same breath
elicits accusations of "ties to terror" and charges of
extremism in a complete reversal of innocent until proven
guilty.
For example, in 2005, the Islamic Society of Boston was approved for a $1
million loan from the Islamic Development Bank, with headquarters in
Saudi Arabia, to partially fund its ISB Cultural Center in Roxbury.
According to the new logic of guilty-by-association, because the ISB is a
Muslim organization and the Islamic Development Bank is in the Middle
East, the public should be scared.
Yes, the ISB borrowed money from the Islamic Development Bank, which has
ties to Islamic countries of all types. But the institution's members are
Islamic countries that practice all sects and strains of Islam -- Sunni,
Shia, Sufi, Wahhabii, Salafi. The bank finances projects jointly with the
United Nations and the US government. The assertion that this enormous,
multilateral bank with 20-year ties to the UN promotes a Wahhabi strain
of Islam by means of its lending practices is absurd. This paranoid logic
argues that if you are Muslim and have any contact with Saudi Arabia you
must be a terrorist.
This game of guilt by association is a threat not only to Muslims, but to
anyone who is unfortunate enough to be politically unpopular in this
atmosphere of fear and insecurity. Such use of fear-mongering tactics
against Muslims is the same mean-spiritedness that led to the internment
of Japanese citizens during World War II.
Fifty years from now, people will look back on the stereotyping of
Muslims with equal shame. As David Cole, law professor at Georgetown
University, recently noted in the Washington Post, the administration
launched a post- 9/11 campaign of profiling Muslims and those from Arab
countries, "calling in 8,000 young men for FBI interviews and 80,000
more for registration, fingerprinting, and photographing by immigration
authorities. Not one of those 88,000 has been convicted of
terrorism." (MORE)
Jessica Masse is the interfaith coordinator of the Islamic Society of
Boston
SEE ALSO:
FL: AL-ARIAN BEGINS
HUNGER STRIKE TO PROTEST 'GOVERNMENT HARASSMENT' -
TOP
Associated Press, 1/24/07
http://www.tampabaylive.com/stories/2007/01/070124alarian.shtml
A former college professor who pleaded guilty to aiding a Palestinian
terrorist group has begun a hunger strike to protest "continued
government harassment," according to his supporters.
Sami Al-Arian begun the strike after being held in contempt for refusing
to testify before a grand jury in Virginia, the Tampa Bay Coalition for
Justice and Peace, said in a news release Tuesday.
Al-Arian claims he is surrounded by rats and cockroaches in prison, and
is forced to wear dirty and inadequate clothing.
Al-Arian, who has less than 18 months left on a 57-month sentence for
aiding the Palestinian Islamic Jihad with nonviolence activities, was
found guilty of contempt in November in federal court in Alexandria,
Va.
Attorneys for former University of South Florida professor contend that
the terms of his plea agreement freed him from further cooperation with
the government. But a federal judge disagreed. An appeal has been filed
with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
When called before the grand jury in Alexandria, Va., on Oct. 19,
Al-Arian refused to answer questions about the International Institute of
Islamic Thought in Herndon, Va., which funded Al-Arian's Palestinian
think tank in Tampa.
Al-Arian's status will be reviewed every six months, for up to 18 months.
Then, when the contempt sentence is completed, he will serve the
remaining sentence for the terrorism charge and be deported.
Al-Arian pleaded guilty in April to one count of aiding the PIJ.
Prosecutors had accused him of being an active member of the terrorist
group, but a six month trial last year failed to produce a guilty
verdict. (MORE)
-----
WI: E-MAIL TO GI SPARKS
THREATS TO MUSLIM COMPANY -
TOP
Associated Press, 1/24/07
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1169639802222950.xml&coll=2
Milwaukee - An American GI in Iraq who e-mailed a Wisconsin company to
ask for a shipment of some floor mats got a brusque reply:
"We would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your
troops would pull out of Iraq."
The two-line e-mail response quickly circulated on the Internet and has
led to threats against the Muslim-owned business and demands for a
boycott.
Bargain Suppliers, an online retailer based in the Milwaukee suburb of
West Allis, shut down its Web site Monday and fired the unidentified
employee who sent the e-mail, WTMJ-TV reported.
Co-owner Faisal Khetani, a Muslim from Pakistan, has received threatening
calls, the TV station said.
An answering machine at a number listed for the business said the mailbox
was full and would not accept a message Tuesday.
In an e-mail dated Jan. 16, Sgt. Jason Hess asked about getting floor
mats from the company.
"Do you ship to APO addresses? I'm in the 1st Cavalry Division
stationed in Iraq, and we are trying to order some mats, but we are
looking for who ships to APO first," the e-mail said.
A response e-mailed the same day said the company did not.
"And even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were
sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq," said the
e-mail, which was signed "Bargain Suppliers."
In an e-mail to the AP, Hess said Tuesday that the employee's firing did
not ease his anger over the original response. (MORE)
-----
MUSLIMS SEE NO
CONFLICT BETWEEN ISLAMIC LAW AND DEMOCRACY: POLL -
TOP
Jocelyne Zablit, Agence France Press, 1/23/07
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070123/lf_afp/usislamdemocracy_070123195529
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Muslims worldwide believe Islamic law is compatible
with democracy and most admire values championed by the US but doubt
Washington is serious about implementing them overseas, according to a
poll.
The Gallup poll, conducted in the Palestinian territories as well as nine
predominantly Muslim countries representing more than 80 percent of the
global Muslim population, showed that majorities believe Sharia law and
democracy can co-exist in a government and that Islamic law should be at
least a source of legislation.
In Egypt, for example, 66 percent of those polled said Sharia must be the
only source of legislation while in Pakistan 60 percent felt that way,
in
Iran 17 percent and in Turkey nine percent.
Interestingly, Gallup posed the same question to Americans, 55 percent of
whom felt that the Bible must play a role in legislation.
Dalia Mogahed, a senior analyst at Gallup and executive director of the
Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, said she was surprised at the findings
which send a message to the US administration that it should rethink its
policies when dealing with the Muslim world.
"This poll tells the United States that the rise of Islamic parties
and their wins in elections are something that is not going to go away
and that continuing to work on creating a secular alternative might not
necessarily result in the kinds of electoral wins that they expect,"
Mogahed told AFP. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/25/07
*
Hadith:
It is Better to Forgive
-
CA:
Lessons in Prophets' Stories
*
CAIR-PA Forms
'Run for Understanding' Team for NJ Marathon
-
Action:
CAIR-NJ
Seeks Reports of Citizenship Delays
*
MI:
Probation for
Assault on Arab-American (Detroit News)
-
Canada:
Muslim Students Shaky
After Attack
*
CAIR Hosts Reception
for Outgoing Saudi
Ambassador
*
OH:
Israel Releases Ohio Muslim
Cleric (AP)
-
AZ:
FBI Reaches Out to Local
Muslims
-
MN:
Islamic Center Opens its
Doors (Post-Bulletin)
-
IL:
Muslim Student Aims to
Dispel Misconceptions
-
American Muslim Woman Featured on
'Oprah'
-
NH:
Museum Founder
Discusses African Muslim Culture
*
White House Internship Program
Seeks Applicants
*
UK:
Muslims Get Angry at
'Bad Guy' Film Images (Guardian)
*
Carter:
'Apartheid' an Accurate
Description of West Bank (NPR)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: IT IS BETTER TO FORGIVE -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "It is better for a
leader to make a mistake in forgiving than to make a mistake in
punishing."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1011
To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to:
www.cair.com/Muhammad
SEE ALSO:
LESSONS IN PROPHETS' STORIES -
TOP
Tracy Press, 1/25/07
http://tracypress.com/content/view/7343/2/
This is the first in a series of columns about the stories of prophets,
according to Islamic tradition. - Riaz Hasan
"We relate to you, O' Muhammad, the most beautiful of stories
through our revelations in this Quran and you were among those who were
not aware of them." - Quran 12:3
God commands Prophet Muhammad, in the Quran, to narrate the stories of
the prophets and the messengers. And, in turn, we are encouraged to share
these stories with others. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-PA FORMS 'RUN
FOR UNDERSTANDING' TEAM FOR NJ MARATHON -
TOP
Team members will raise pledges to support CAIR-PA programs
(PHILADELPHIA, PA, 1/25/07) - The Philadelphia office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-PA) today announced that it is forming a
"Run for Understanding" team to take part in the New Jersey
Marathon on April 29, 2007. SEE:
http://www.njmarathon.org/
CAIR-PA is inviting people of all faiths to join the team by raising
pledges to support programs that promote mutual understanding and social
justice.
Programs supported by the pledges include:
* Sponsorship of sensitivity training about Islam for local police
departments, schools, hospitals, or other organizations
* Training of instructors to teach CAIR-PA's 12-part course,
"Understanding Islam and Muslims Through History"
* Sponsorship of a "Know Your Rights" workshop
Runners who raise at least $700 in pledges by March 25, 2007, will
receive:
* Paid entry fee for the New Jersey Full or Half Marathon
* A "Run for Understanding" team jersey to wear during the
race
* A training plan based on The Runner's level of physical
ability
All runners will also have access to a CAIR-PA blog about the race and to
a web-based sponsorship form for donors.
To join CAIR-PA's "Run for Understanding" team, go to:
http://www.cairphilly.org/index.php?Page=marathon&Side=marathon
For more information about the "Run for Understanding" team,
contact: 215-592-0509, E-Mail:
cairphilly@cairphilly.org
The "Run for Understanding" is part of CAIR's national
"Muslims Care" initiative to promote volunteerism in the
American Muslim community. SEE:
http://www.cair-net.org/muslimscare/
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
SEE ALSO:
ACTION ALERT: CAIR-NJ
SEEKS REPORTS OF CITIZENSHIP DELAYS -
TOP
(TOTOWA, N.J., 1/25/2007) - The New Jersey office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) is calling on Muslims who have
experienced a citizenship delay from the United States Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) to contact its office in Totowa.
The law, 8 USC 1447(b), states:
"If there is a failure to make a determination under section 1446 of
this title before the end of the 120-day period after the date on which
the examination is conducted under such section, the applicant may apply
to the United States district court for the district in which the
applicant resides for a hearing on the matter. Such court has
jurisdiction over the matter and may either determine the matter or
remand the matter, with appropriate instructions, to the Service to
determine the matter."
Under this law, if you have taken the citizenship examination, you are
entitled to a decision within 120 days from USCIS. CAIR-NJ is trying to
determine if citizenship delays are a widespread problem in New Jersey.
Once we know the extent of this problem in New Jersey, we will then
determine what action needs to be taken to provide relief to those
experiencing delays.
If you or someone you know has experienced a citizenship delay, please
contact CAIR-NJ Community Relations Director Afsheen Shamsi at
908-938-5990 or
afsheen@cair-nj.org
-----
MI: DETROITER GETS PROBATION
IN ASSAULT ON ARAB-AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN -
TOP
Edward L. Cardenas, Detroit News, 1/25/07
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070125/METRO03/701250310/1003/METRO
A 20-year-old Detroit man was placed on two years' probation Wednesday by
a Macomb Circuit judge for an assault on an Arab-American business
owner.
A contrite Antonieo Hardy had earlier pleaded guilty to an ethnic
intimidation charge in the assault, and stood with his head bowed before
Macomb Circuit Judge James Biernat to hear his sentence.
In addition to the two years of probation, he will be placed on a tether
for 90 days and will have 15 days of work release from the Macomb County
Jail. He also will have to obtain a GED or high school diploma.
"I want to apologize," Hardy told the judge. "I want to
pay off my debt to society."
Hardy was one of the three students from Clintondale Continuing Education
Center in Clinton Township who hurled slurs at an Arab-American business
owner on Oct. 23.
The students were standing at a bus stop on southbound Gratiot and
knocked down a sign for the 10 Minute Express Lube owned by Joe Khalil.
Khalil was also struck by one of the students. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CANADA: MUSLIM STUDENTS SHAKY AFTER
ATTACK -
TOP
Remo Zaccagna, Suburban, 1/25/07
http://thesuburban.com/content.jsp?sid=70643086717974574601302642535&ctid=1000029&cnid=1010279
Students at �cole Les Jeunes Musulmans Canadiens (JMC) in St. Laurent are
still feeling the effects almost a week after vandals caused $12,000 in
damage to bus and school windows at their school.
"It's not just about the windows that were broken or the material
costs. It's just shocking to see what impact this has had [on some
students]," said Nabiha El-Wafai, the assistant principal of the
elementary school.
"But the commander of the St. Laurent police station [Station 6] has
made some community relations officers available to speak to the kids to
reassure them that this is not something that will be repeated. It
reassured them and this has helped things get back to
normal."
According to Montreal police, rocks and bricks were thrown at school
windows sometime late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. The incident
is being called an act of vandalism and not a hate crime, and police have
not yet come up with any suspects.
Firas Maatouk, the school's bus driver, was the first to notice the
damage when he arrived at the school at 5:30 a.m. Three of the bus's
windows were smashed and the contents of the fire extinguisher was
sprayed on the seats. Garbage from the bus was strewn
everywhere.
"I was shocked," Maatouk said. He immediately called El-Wafai
to inform her of the damage.
Upon hearing of the incident, Maatouk's son Karim, 6, was reluctant to go
to school.
"He was scared. He was pretty anxious [about going] back to
school," said Maatouk's wife Monia. "He didn't want to go. I
had to bring him into the class because he saw all the windows and he's
thinking like 'is it going to be affecting us?' or 'is it going to be
dangerous for us?'
This is not the first time that the JMC has been the target of vandalism.
Three years ago a bus window was smashed with a repeat incident the
following year. The school has also received some bomb threats.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR HONORS PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL
-
TOP
Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies, 1/25/07
http://www.oananews.org/
Washington, Jan. 25, SPA -- The
Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) held at the council's headquarters in Washington last night a
reception party in honor of the Saudi Ambassador to the United States,
Prince Turki Al-Faisal.
At the beginning of the ceremony, Prince Turki delivered a speech in
which he stressed the great role played by the American Islamic
organizations to increase understanding and cooperation between the
American people and American Muslims in particular and the Islamic
peoples in general, noting their significant role in the defense of
Islam, Muslims and Islamic issues.
Prince Turki also underlined his readiness to support and maintain
contacts with the American Islamic and Arab American organizations to
facilitate continuation of their efforts and accomplish their
objectives.
On his part,
CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad welcomed Prince
Turki Al-Faisal and expressed his appreciation for the great efforts made
by the Saudi ambassador during his diplomatic tenure in Washington to
enhance the understanding of the American people on issues concerning
Islam and Muslims through his tours in various American States as well as
his support for American Islamic organizations.
Chairman of Board of Directors of CAIR Parvez Ahmed, then, handed
over Prince Turki CAIR's award of excellence for his efforts in serving
Islam and Muslims in the United States.
Following the reception party, Prince Turki graced a dinner party held by
CAIR on this occasion.
The dinner party was attended by members of CAIR board of directors,
heads of a number of American-Arab and American-Islamic organizations,
and those interested in American-Islamic Relations. (MORE)
-----
ISRAEL RELEASES MUSLIM CLERIC FROM OHIO -
TOP
Associated Press, 1/25/07
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/16543334.htm
JERUSALEM - Israel has released the deported former imam of Ohio's
biggest mosque after a military court ruled there wasn't enough evidence
to hold him on charges of ties to a Palestinian militant group, his
lawyer said Thursday.
Fawaz Damra, from the West Bank town of Nablus, had been held in Israel
for three weeks after American authorities deported him from the U.S.
Damra was freed after his relatives posted a $2,400 bond, said his
lawyer, Smadar Ben-Natan.
Damra, 46, served as imam at the Islamic Center of Cleveland, and has
three American-born daughters. He was deported by U.S. authorities
because he lied when applying for American citizenship in 1994 about his
links to Islamic Jihad, a group classified by Israel and the U.S. as a
terrorist organization.
The Iranian-backed organization has killed dozens of Israelis in suicide
bombings.
Footage from a 1991 speech showed Damra raising money for a Palestinian
holy war and saying Muslims should be "directing all the rifles at
the first and last enemy of the Islamic nation and that is the sons of
monkeys and pigs, the Jews."
Damra later apologized for the statements, but was deported in early
January. He was escorted by U.S. officials to Jordan and then to the West
Bank, where he was transferred to the custody of the Shin Bet, Israel's
internal security service.
Damra's wife and daughters remain in the U.S.
Some American Muslim leaders have been critical of U.S. authorities for
deporting the imam and for turning him over to Israel.
SEE ALSO:
AZ: FBI REACHES OUT TO LOCAL MUSLIMS -
TOP
Aaron Royster, Kingman Daily Miner, 1/25/07
http://www.kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=13&SubSectionID=18&ArticleID=11200&TM=43726.28
Local members of the Muslim community got the opportunity to voice their
concerns and have a dialogue with FBI officials at the Kingman mosque
Tuesday night.
Dr. Farid Farooqi, the imam of Masjid-E-Ibrahim, welcomed the head of all
FBI operations in Arizona, John E. Lewis, to help open communication
between the two groups.
"We highly appreciate their efforts," Farooqi said. "Now
the distance (between communication) is reduced."
Farooqi said he felt the night went well. He invited Lewis and two
accompanying agents to share a meal with Muslim community
members.
The evening began with Farooqi providing an explanation of Islam and the
beliefs of its members. He said the Islamic faith is based upon a total
submission to God and establishing a means of peace on earth.
"Islam is the religion of peace," Farooqi said. "Muslims
are the people of peace."
Lewis followed Farooqi, explaining the FBI to the more than 20 community
leaders present to help dispel misconceptions about his organization.
(MORE)
---
MN: ISLAMIC CENTER OPENS ITS DOORS -
TOP
Matt Russell, Post-Bulletin, 1/25/07
http://news.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?a=282187&z=2
Do you have questions about Islam, or about the Muslim community in
Rochester?
The Rochester Islamic Center will open its doors to give people
perspective on a range of issues from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday,
when it holds the first in a monthly series of open houses aimed at
tightening connections with the community.
"We won't be offended, so there is no need to be politically
correct," said event organizer Rashed Ferdous of Rochester.
"You can ask 'What about terrorists?' or 'What about
bombings?'"
The Saturday open house will likely include a presentation about the
basics of Islam, a question-and-answer period, and an opportunity to
watch Islamic Center members pray, said Ferdous, 27-year-old IBM software
engineer.
Rochester Islamic Center members at the open house will include Rashed
and Zaid Khalid, the longtime Islamic Center spokesman whom Ferdous
credits with the idea for the monthly open houses.
Elsayed Mahmoud, who is the Rochester Islamic Center's imam, or prayer
leader, will also be available to answer questions. (MORE)
---
IL: MUSLIM STUDENT AIMS TO DISPEL
MISCONCEPTIONS -
TOP
Anne Cook, News-Gazette, 1/25/07
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2007/01/25/muslim_student_aims_to_dispel
Yousif Radeef's mission at Parkland College and in the community is to
show by example how Muslims want to live in peace with their
neighbors.
Radeef, 19, who was born in Baghdad, said he has encountered
discrimination since he came to Champaign with his family in 2004, and he
said those experiences made him even more determined to give the Muslim
community a positive image.
"I meet people and when they say stuff, I ignore it," he said.
"I don't blame them. I want our people to have a peaceful
image."
He started a Muslim Student Association last year to unite other students
and get them involved in his campaign. The association will hold a
conference at 6 p.m. today in Parkland's Flag Lounge with three guest
speakers who will talk about Islam denouncing terrorism. Radeef, who is
president of the association, said non-Muslim students and others are
invited to the conference to ask questions about the topic.
In late April, the association will also hold a run on campus to raise
money for Habitat for Humanity.
"The only reason I got involved in so many things is to establish
credibility as a Muslim," Radeef said. "I want to convince
people that what they hear about Muslims isn't right. We want people to
see us involved in positive activities." (MORE)
---
AMERICAN MUSLIM WOMAN FEATURED ON
OPRAH -
TOP
http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200701/20070125/slide_20070125_284_106.jhtml
For devout Muslim Mubarakah, a 30-year-old mother of four, life in
her 30s is about family and career. Married for 14 years, Mubarakah never
had to worry about the dating scene. "Dating in Islam is
forbidden," she says. "When you meet someone and you're talking
to them, the purpose is for marriage. So you're getting to know someone
to know whether or not that's somebody you want to be married
to."
In her career as a certified personal trainer, Mubarakah's biggest
challenge is finding workout clothes in keeping with her faith. "As
Muslim women, we can only show our face and hands," she explains.
"Most workout outfits are either short sleeved or too tight."
She modifies her clothes by adding length to sleeves and hems, taking
care to look cute at the same time. "I try to at least look like I'm
matching and I have some kind of style," she says. "So
generally my headscarf will match my outfit."
Mubarakah says she encounters many myths about her religion, including
her heritage. "People automatically think I'm from another country,
but my mother's family is Cherokee and my father's African-American, so
I'm as American as it gets," she says. An open attitude helps
Mubarakah deal with misconceptions. "If people don't understand, I
just try to be very personable with it," she says. "I'm very
open as far as questions."
Commitment to her religion requires Mubarakah to pray five times daily,
whether she's working with a client, at the movies, or in her living
room. Still, she says that American Muslims are just like any other
Americans. "We're no longer immigrants or converts to Islam, but
rather American-born Muslims that lead regular American lives. [We]
incorporate our Islam beliefs and practices into our every day,"
Mubarakah says. "In the end, all our goals are the same. All of us
want to raise our kids to be contributing members of society, to be
healthy, to be happy. And no matter where you choose to worship, every
woman wants to know, 'How do you get rid of cellulite?'"
---
NH: RASHID DISCUSSES AFRICAN
MUSLIM CULTURE -
TOP
Astrid Bradley, Dartmouth, 1/25/07
http://www.thedartmouth.com/article.php?aid=2007012501040
Co-founder of the International Museum of Muslim Cultures Okolo Rashid
explained Wednesday how it is necessary to highlight a sophisticated West
African culture in order to validate current African-American
culture.
The event, which was hosted in Filene Auditorium and saw an attendance of
about 15, was hosted by the Muslim student organization Al-Nur.
The presentation, "Ties That Bind: The Civil Rights Movement and the
Legacy of the Timbuktu Exhibition Project," attempted to explain how
the museum's newest exhibit -- "Legacy of Timbuktu: Wonders of the
Written Word" -- can help restore self-respect to African Americans
today.
The exhibit showcases highly developed 13th- through 19th-century
manuscripts from Timbuktu, Mali.
Rashid said her museum's exhibit is important for African-Americans, as
it allows them to reclaim the human dignity the transatlantic slave trade
stole from them. She argued it legitimizes the existence of a highly
literate culture before the trade.
"This project's history and culture really is the missing
link," she said. "It will restore human dignity to the
African-American culture and movement."
In a question-and-answer session, women's studies professor Giavanna
Munafo took issue with Rashid's argument.
Munafo said that although she thinks the museum is doing important work,
she was worried that some of the connections Rashid made "can be
seen as a pathologizing of black people in America," connections she
though might serve to remove the burden from racist whites.
(MORE)
-----
WHITE HOUSE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM SEEKS
APPLICANTS -
TOP
The White House Internship Program offers an excellent opportunity to
serve our President and explore public service. We are seeking
exceptional candidates to apply for this highly competitive program. In
addition to typical office duties, interns attend weekly lectures, tours,
and complete an intern service project.
Interns may serve a term in the Fall, Spring or Summer. Every candidate
must be a United States citizen, enrolled in a college or university, and
at least 18 years of age.
An application and additional information about the program can be found
at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/wh-intern.html.
Strong applications exhibit:
* sound academic credentials
* a history of community involvement and leadership
* solid verbal/written communication skills
* a demonstrated interest in public service
Applications should be submitted to Karen Race, Deputy Director and
Intern Coordinator, White House Personnel, at
intern_application@whitehouse.gov on or before the following
deadlines:
* March 6, 2007 for SUMMER 2007 -- (May 22 to August 24, 2007)
* June 26, 2007 for FALL 2007 -- (September 4 to December 14,
2007)
If you have questions you may contact Karen Race at (202) 456-5979 or
intern_application@whitehouse.gov
-----
FROM ALADDIN TO LOST ARK, MUSLIMS
GET ANGRY AT 'BAD GUY' FILM IMAGES -
TOP
Crude and exaggerated stereotypes are fuelling Islamophobia, says
study
Lucy Ward, Guardian, 1/25/07
http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1997959,00.html
Popular films ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to children's cartoons
are depicting "crude and exaggerated" stereotypes of Muslims
and perpetuating Islamophobia, according to a study published
today.
A report by the Islamic Human Rights Commission argues that films as
diverse as The Siege, a portrayal of a terrorist attack on New York
starring Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis, the Disney film Aladdin and
the British comedy East is East have helped demonise Muslims as violent,
dangerous and threatening, and reinforce prejudices.
While The Siege is attacked for inter-cutting Islamic ritual and
terrorist violence, potentially linking the two in the minds of
audiences, Aladdin faces criticism for depicting Arabs as "ruthless
caricatures" with "exaggerated and ridiculous
accents".
The study, titled The British media and Muslim representation: the
ideology of demonisation, argues that Hollywood has a crucial role in
influencing how the public views Muslims.
A survey conducted as part of the research revealed that Muslims in
Britain felt negative images of their faith on the big and small screen
had consequences in their daily lives. Those interviewed "found a
direct correlation between media portrayal and their social experiences
of exclusion, hatred, discrimination and violence". (MORE)
-----
JIMMY CARTER DEFENDS 'PEACE NOT APARTHEID' -
TOP
National Public Radio, 1/25/07
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7004473
Apartheid is a word that is an accurate description of what has been
going on in the West Bank, and it's based on the desire or avarice of a
minority of Israelis for Palestinian land. It's not based on racism.
Those caveats are clearly made in the book. This is a word that's a very
accurate description of the forced separation within the West Bank of
Israelis from Palestinians and the total domination and oppression of
Palestinians by the dominant Israeli military. . .
Can you think of one event or series of events that has caused your view
to change so dramatically over those years?
Yes, the apparently permanent acquisition, confiscation and colonization
of choice sites throughout the West Bank. These, the Israelis have taken
away from the Palestinians. Apparently with ideas by some Israelis, to
keep those areas permanently. That's the root of the problem that
prevents peace coming to the Mideast.
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
– 1/26/07
*
Hadith:
Oppression
*
NC:
Campus Brawl Brings FBI
(News & Observer)
*
MI:
Religious Leaders
Decry Mosque Vandalism (Detroit
News)
-
MI:
Religious Leaders
Support Mosque (Free Press)
*
CAIR-CAN:
Government
Settles with Detained Muslim
*
Hidden Cost of Congressional
Trips to Israel (CS Monitor)
*
CAIR-LA:
Media and
Civil Rights Activism Workshop
*
CAIR:
Overblown Threats and
Islamophobia
-
Arab Groups Protest Beck's
Hiring (AP)
*
Guantanamo Inmates Said in
Worse Conditions (Reuters)
*
AFI/Discovery Channel
Call for Documentary Film
Entries
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: OPPRESSION -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once prayed to God to pardon his
people, and received this reply: “I have forgiven them all but acts of
oppression, for I shall exact recompense for he who is wronged, from his
oppressor.”
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 818
-----
NC: CAMPUS BRAWL BRINGS FBI -
TOP
5 Guilford football players charged
Kristin Collins, News & Observer, 1/26/07
http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/536409.html
Two more Guilford College football players were charged Thursday with
beating a group of Palestinian students during a drunken weekend brawl,
and the FBI is investigating whether a hate crime occurred on the small
Quaker campus.
Five members of the Greensboro school's football team now face charges of
assault and racial intimidation.
Three Palestinian students, one of whom attends N.C. State University,
told authorities that, early Saturday morning, the players pummeled them
with fists, feet and brass knuckles while calling them
"terrorists" and shouting racial slurs.
The incident is prompting concern among Muslims all over North Carolina
and drawing media attention from around the country.
However, details of the fight are still unclear.
Aaron Fetrow, Guilford College's dean for campus life, said his staff has
interviewed a dozen witnesses and several participants in the fight,
which occurred outside a dormitory. He said school officials have gotten
contradictory accounts, and still don't know what started the fight.
He said most witnesses agree on only two basic facts -- that there was a
large fight and that racial slurs were shouted.
"I have read every statement, and I have only a fuzzy picture of
what happened," Fetrow said.
Seth Cohen, a Greensboro lawyer representing the three Palestinians, said
his clients were the victims of an unprovoked attack.
"They were minding their own business," Cohen said. "There
is not one scintilla of evidence that they did anything wrong in this
incident."
He said two of the Guilford students, Osama Sabbah and Faris Khader, had
attended a Quaker school in the West Bank city of Ramallah and had
received scholarships to attend Guilford. Both suffered concussions and
Khader has a broken nose, Cohen said. (MORE)
-----
MI: CHRISTIANS, JEWS JOIN MUSLIMS -
TOP
Metro religious leaders decry mosque vandalism, attacks
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 1/26/07
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070126/LIFESTYLE04/701260382
DETROIT -- In a striking display of determination to stand against hatred
and bigotry, about 30 leaders of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim
communities in Metro Detroit gathered Thursday to say that vandalism and
other incidents at four mosques in the past month are attacks not only
against Islam, but against all faiths.
Religious, civic and law enforcement officials met at a former mosque,
the old Islamic Center of America, on Joy at Greenfield, to decry the
vandalism that occurred there sometime Sunday night, and at least four
other incidents in Dearborn, Detroit and Warren since late
December.
"We stand together with our Muslim sisters and brothers and point to
the antidote to this bigotry and vandalism: Our relationships and
learning to care about each other," said Steve Spreitzer, director
of the interfaith division of the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and
Inclusion, which helped to organize the event.
The religious leaders said they are concerned that the incidents may be a
sign that hatred directed at Muslims, especially since the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, may be taking a new, nasty turn in Metro
Detroit. The region, home to about 125,000 to 200,000 Muslims of mostly
Arab and South Asian descent, has been largely immune from the vandalism
against mosques that has plagued other areas of the country, particularly
in the two years after the attacks, civil rights leaders and observers
have said.
"I think it's important for all of us people of faith to stand
together in solidarity when we're attacked in physical ways like
this," said Michael Hovey, assistant adviser in the Department of
Education, Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs for the Archdiocese of
Detroit. "We had to stand together as friends and allies to say that
this is unacceptable to treat people of faith in this way."
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
MI: RELIGIOUS LEADERS JOIN IN
SUPPORT OF MOSQUE -
TOP
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 1/26/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070126/NEWS05/701260382/1001/BUSINESS05
In a show of unity, religious leaders linked arms Thursday in front of a
Detroit mosque that was vandalized this week with graffiti that read
"Go Home 9-11 Murderers."
Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Arab leaders joined together at the old
Islamic Center of America to condemn the attack, the latest in a string
of crimes directed against Islamic houses of worship in metro
Detroit.
The attack on the center is "unacceptable to people of faith,"
said Rabbi Josh Bennett, of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.
Earlier this month, someone smashed the windows of a couple of Iraqi
Shi'ite mosques along Warren Avenue in Detroit, an act that some local
Shi'ites say they believe was the work of Sunni extremists.
Then, over the weekend, the windows of another Iraqi Shi'ite mosque, the
Karbalaa Islamic Education Center, were broken. The vandalism at the
Islamic Center, a Shi'ite mosque, was found Monday.
Dearborn Police Chief Michael Celeski attended the gathering and said his
department is working closely with Detroit police to find out who's
behind the attacks. He urged the public to come forward with any
information.
The gathering was organized by the Detroit-based Interfaith Partners
program of the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion.
The attacks are "an expression of ignorance," said the Rev. Dan
Appleyard, of Christ Episcopal Church in Dearborn.
Imad Hamad, regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee, said Thursday's event "was an example of America at its
best."
-----
CAIR-CAN APPLAUDS GOVERNMENT
SETTLEMENT WITH MAHER ARAR -
TOP
(OTTAWA, CANADA, 1/26/07) - The Canadian Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-CAN) applauds the settlement reached today with Maher
Arar over his illegal detention and torture in Syria after the RCMP
wrongly labeled him an Islamic extremist.
The settlement comes after two reports were handed down by Justice Dennis
O'Connor. The first detailed how the RCMP passed false information to
American officials; the second outlined the urgent need for an RCMP
review body.
"Today's settlement is a victory for Maher Arar, his family and all
Canadians.
"By agreeing to settle with Mr. Arar, the government of Canada has
acknowledged it failed to protect the human rights and civil liberties of
a Canadian citizen.
"The government must fulfill its promise and continue to pursue all
diplomatic efforts to have Maher Arar's name removed from American
security lists. In addition, all Canadian officials involved in Mr.
Arar's deportation and torture must be held accountable," said
CAIR-CAN Executive Director Karl Nickner.
Since Justice O'Connor's second report, an inquiry has been struck into
the overseas detention and torture of three men: Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad
Abou-Elmaati and Muayyed Nureddin. All claim to have gone through
circumstances similar to that of Mr. Arar's.
"It is vital the recommendations of the Arar Report be implemented,
including the establishment of a review body for the RCMP, and that the
second inquiry proceed, so what happened to Maher Arar does not happen
again," added Nickner
- END -
CONTACT: Sameer Zuberi, Communications and Human Rights Coordinator,
613.795.2012 or Karl Nickner, Executive Director, 613.853.4111
-----
THE HIDDEN COST OF FREE
CONGRESSIONAL TRIPS TO ISRAEL -
TOP
Branded as 'educational,' these trips offer Israeli propagandists an
opportunity to expose members of Congress to only their side of the
story.
Jim Abourezk, Christian Science Monitor, 1/26/07
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0126/p09s01-coop.html
SIOUX FALL, S.D. - Democrats in Congress have moved quickly – and
commendably – to strengthen ethics rules. But truly groundbreaking reform
was prevented, in part, because of the efforts of the pro-Israel lobby to
preserve one of its most critical functions: taking members of Congress
on free "educational" trips to Israel.
The pro-Israel lobby does most of its work without publicity. But every
member of Congress and every would-be candidate for Congress comes to
quickly understand a basic lesson. Money needed to run for office can
come with great ease from supporters of Israel, provided that the
candidate makes certain promises, in writing, to vote favorably on issues
considered important to Israel. What drives much of congressional support
for Israel is fear – fear that the pro-Israel lobby will either withhold
campaign contributions or give money to one's opponent.
In my own experience as a US senator in the 1970s, I saw how the lobby
tries to humiliate or embarrass members who do not toe the line.
Pro-Israel groups worked vigorously to ensure that the new reforms would
allow them to keep hosting members of Congress on trips to Israel.
According to the Jewish Daily Forward newspaper, congressional filings
show Israel as the top foreign destination for privately sponsored trips.
Nearly 10 percent of overseas congressional trips taken between 2000 and
2005 were to Israel. Most are paid for by the American Israel Education
Foundation, a sister organization of the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee, the major pro-Israel lobby group.
New rules require all trips to be pre-approved by the House Ethics
Committee, but Rep. Barney Frank (D) of Massachusetts says this setup
will guarantee that tours of Israel continue. Ron Kampeas of the Jewish
Telegraphic Agency reported consensus among Jewish groups that "the
new legislation would be an inconvenience, but wouldn't seriously hamper
the trips to Israel that are considered a critical component of
congressional support for Israel."
These trips are defended as "educational." In reality, as I
know from my many colleagues in the House and Senate who participated in
them, they offer Israeli propagandists an opportunity to expose members
of Congress to only their side of the story. The Israeli narrative of how
the nation was created, and Israeli justifications for its brutal
policies omit important truths about the Israeli takeover and occupation
of the Palestinian territories. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-LA: MEDIA AND CIVIL
RIGHTS ACTIVISM WORKSHOP -
TOP
(ANAHEIM, CA, 1/26/07) - The Southern California office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) and the Islamic Institute of Orange
County will present a workshop called “Activism 101,” in which
participants will learn how to engage the media and to protect their
civil rights.
WHAT: Activism 101 Workshop.
WHEN: Friday, January 26, 2007 from 7 to 9 p.m.
WHERE: Islamic Institute of Orange County, 325 N. 3rd Street, 1220 N.
State College Blvd, Anaheim, CA
CONTACT: For more information about the event, contact CAIR-LA at (714)
776-1847 or IIOC at (714) 533-6271
-----
CAIR: OVERBLOWN THREATS AND
ISLAMOPHOBIA -
TOP
Abukar Arman, 1/26/07
http://baltimorechronicle.com/2007/012507ARMAN.shtml
Analysts both in the Muslim and the Western world by and large agree that
“fear” and lack of objective dialogue are the root cause of Islamophobia
and Anti-Americanism. And while the debate on which one of the two
ignited the other is still ongoing, one fact remains irrefutable: more
people were victimized as a result of Islamophobia than the other way
around.
A recent public opinion survey conducted by the
Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) indicates that Muslims are still
viewed negatively in the U.S. There are estimated 7 million Muslims in
America and over 50 thousand in Central Ohio alone- the majority being
Somalis.
Among a number of questions raised in the survey, the open-end question
“When you hear the word ‘Muslim,’ what is the first thought that comes to
your mind?” had the revealed the most daunting reality that Muslims still
carry the 9/11 burden. Six percent of those surveyed indicated positive
perception as they offered response such “good religion,” “good people,”
“faithful,” “devout,” “misunderstood.” On the other hand, twenty-six
percent of them indicated to espouse negative perceptions about Muslims
as they offered answers such as “violence,” “hatred,” “terrorists,”
“war,” “guns,” “towel-heads” and “rag-heads.”
The irony is that this came at a time when Muslims in the U.S. and in the
West were doing more outreach than ever before. Are the powerful engines
that propel the “war on terror” blowing smoke of fear and distrust that
ultimately hindered efforts toward building bridges of understanding?
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
ARAB GROUPS PROTEST BECK'S
HIRING -
TOP
Associated Press, 1/26/07
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070126/ap_en_tv/tv_beck_arabs
NEW YORK - Three groups are urging ABC News not to keep CNN Headline News
personality Glenn Beck on as a "Good Morning America"
commentator because they believe he's biased against Arabs.
The Arab American Institute, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
and the Muslim Public Affairs Council all said Thursday they had written
to ABC News President David Westin about Beck.
"Good Morning America" executive producer Jim Murphy has spoken
to a representative of the groups and has invited them on the air to talk
about their grievances, said ABC News spokeswoman Jeffrey Schneider. Beck
has appeared twice on the show, once together with a Muslim religious
leader.
The groups said that Beck _ who's drawing strong ratings with his evening
show on CNN Headline News _ has stated on his show that Arab and Muslim
Americans are apathetic to terrorism. During an interview in November
with Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison (news, bio, voting record), the first
Muslim member of Congress, Beck asked him to "prove to me that you
are not working with our enemies."
"That blatant anti-Arab, anti-Muslim bias has been given credibility
on a larger news show is something that concerns us," said Arab
American Institute spokeswoman Jennifer Kauffman.
Beck has said that his question to Ellison was poorly worded.
"My message is clear: Islam is a peaceful religion for over 90
percent of the world's Muslims," he said. "I have urged viewers
repeatedly to understand this, while asking all of the proud, peaceful
Muslims here in America to take a more visible role in our fight against
those who make a mockery of the Quran. I also make airtime available, at
any time, to any Muslim organization to help reinforce this realistic,
peaceful view of Islam."
-----
GUANTANAMO INMATES SAID IN WORSE
CONDITIONS -
TOP
Suleiman al-Khalidi, Reuters, 1/26/07
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-01-26T145750Z_01_L26364409_RTRUKOC_0_UK-PRISON-GUANTANAMO.xml
Some Guantanamo Bay prisoners have been moved to a new wing where they
face the worst conditions since their arrival, as interrogators make a
last attempt to extract confessions, a U.S. lawyer said on
Friday.
Zachary Katznelson, who represents 36 detainees, said that since he last
saw his clients there in December at least 160 of the 395 prisoners had
been moved to solitary confinement in "Camp 6", the latest
modern facility to be opened at the base.
"Since they were moved, every lawyer is reporting clients extremely
depressed, some becoming psychotic. The men say this is the harshest
treatment since they arrived five years ago," Katznelson said in an
interview with Reuters.
More than 770 people have been held at the U.S. military base in Cuba
since the prison camp opened there in January 2002, and only 10 have been
charged with crimes. About 395 remain, suspected of links to al Qaeda and
the Taliban and kept in modern maximum security cells.
Many people have called for the detainees to be charged with crimes or
released. U.S. officials say they are a threat to the United States and
could return to the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq if
released.
Inmates in the new camp were locked "in extreme isolation in
six-foot by eight-foot cells with lights on 24 hours and all they have
are an inch-thin mattress, a steel platform to sleep, a steel sink and
toilet and the Koran," Katznelson said.
"They are turning on air-conditioning up to a maximum, freezing the
prisoners," said the U.S. lawyer, a senior counsel with the
British-based rights group Reprieve. (MORE)
-----
SILVERDOCS CALLS FOR FILM
ENTRIES: DOCUMENTARY FEATURES AND SHORTS -
TOP
SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival is a six-day
international Festival held each June, just outside Washington,
DC.
Created through a unique alliance between the American Film Institute and
the Discovery Channel, SILVERDOCS honors the creativity and passion of
independent filmmakers and the power of the moving image to alter our
perspective and expand our world-view.
The Festival celebrates the diversity of the form, engaging audiences
with compelling real-life stories and inviting exploration of the
significant issues of our time.
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Deadlines 2007: Early: January 12 / Regular: February 16 / Late: March
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/28/07
*
Hadith/Verse:
Abraham, Jesus and
Muhammad
*
CAIR-CA Helps Organize
Interfaith Event to Honor Abraham
*
CA:
Shots Fired at Islamic
Center (Mercury News)
-
Islam-Basher to
Speak in Michigan (Grand Rapids Express)
*
CAIR-FL:
Anonymous
Anti-Muslim Flier Raises Ire (SP Times)
-
Read the Flier
*
Canadian Village Acts on Anti-Muslim
Stereotypes
-
Il est interdit de lapider les femmes! (La
Presse)
*
ME:
Feds Won't Charge Man Who
Rolled Pig's Head Into Mosque (AP)
*
CA:
Mosques Enlisted to Help
Fight Breast Cancer (Press-Enter)
-
U.S. Muslims' Beliefs Vary
Like Other Believers (Oregonian)
-
NY/NJ:
Imam Moves from
City Mosque to Suburbia (NY Times)
*
South African Muslims Seek
'Travel Treaty' with US (Cape Argus)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: ABRAHAM AND MUHAMMAD -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "On the night of my
Ascent (Mi'raj) I met Abraham and he said to me: 'Muhammad, convey my
(greetings) to your people and tell them that Paradise is a vast plain of
pure soil and sweet water, and that its trees cry: 'Glory be to God,'
Praise be to God,' 'There is no deity but God,' and 'God is most
great.'"
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 439
VERSE OF THE DAY: ABRAHAM, MOSES AND JESUS
"Say: 'We believe in God and that which is revealed to us; and what
was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants,
and that which was given to Moses, Jesus and other Prophets from their
Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to God we have
surrendered ourselves.'"
The Holy Quran, 2:136
-----
CAIR-SACRAMENTO VALLEY: RELIGIONS
MEET IN THE MIDDLE -
TOP
Major 3 faiths celebrate their common ties this weekend
Elizabeth Kalfsbeek, Daily Democrat, 1/27/07
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/news/ci_5101611
During a time of global religious divide, members of Christian, Islamic
and Jewish faiths are gathering together to find and explore commonalties
in their beliefs, rather than focusing on their differences.
"Strangers in Our Midst" is the theme for the fourth-annual
Celebration of Abraham, which will be held in St. James Catholic Church,
1275 B St., Davis from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admittance is free, and anyone
is welcome to attend.
"(The idea of) dealing with strangers came us as we realized that
all of us were strangers at one time or another," said
Dr. Hazma
El-Nakhal, president of the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
Sacramento Valley, and an organizer of the event. "We were ever
strangers to each other before we met in the Celebration of Abraham.
Eventually all of us will be friends or brothers and sisters. To know the
aim of our theme, you should attend our event." (MORE)
-----
CA: ISLAMIC CENTER ATTACKS TAKE
MORE VIOLENT TURN -
TOP
Bullets Pierce Windows, Raising Fear of Hate Motive
Cassandra Braun, Mercury News, 1/28/07
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/16566073.htm
Repeated vandalism at the Islamic Center of the East Bay over the past
two years has some local Muslims concerned.
The most recent and violent came last week, when clergy workers arrived
at the Antioch center Monday morning to discover that someone had shot up
the center on West 18th Street. Investigators counted seven bullets that
had pierced the windows and walls of the mosque. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
MI: SPEAKER
CHALLENGES ISLAMIC CULTURE -
TOP
Matt Vande Bunte, Grand Rapids Press, 1/27/07
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1169883726212910.xml&coll=6
WYOMING -- Nonie Darwish remembers being told as a child living in Gaza
never to take candy from a stranger because it might be a Jew trying to
poison her. Such was her education as the daughter of an Egyptian
military leader who terrorized Israel before his martyrdom in
1956.
"We grew up with a lot of hatred. We grew up with a lot of
fear," said Darwish, now a Christian living in the United States.
"When you fill the heart of a child with fear like that, terrorism
becomes acceptable. And not only acceptable, but heroic."
Darwish, 58, rejected the faith of her father, Lt. General Mustafa Hafez,
and now is an outspoken critic of an Islamic culture that she claims
fosters tyranny.
She is one of two featured speakers coming Tuesday to Grand Rapids for a
one-day conference on the dynamics of the Middle East.
A group of local Jews, Catholics and Protestants is organizing the event
at Resurrection Life Church with sponsorship from a trio of pro-Israel
organizations. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-FL: ANONYMOUS
ANTI-MUSLIM FLIER RAISES IRE -
TOP
Waveney Ann Moore, St. Petersburg Times, 1/28/07
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/01/28/Neighborhoodtimes/Anonymous_anti_Muslim.shtml
Joel Harper couldn't believe his eyes. The piece of paper that hung on
his front door didn't advertise the usual pizza deal or offer to trim his
trees. Rather, it was selling a message of hate in the name of
God.
It accused Muslims of stockpiling anthrax in America and smuggling
suitcase-sized nuclear bombs across the Mexican border. If the worst
happened, it asked, "Are you prepared for eternity? If this tragedy
happened today, do you know for sure that you would go to
heaven?"
Harper, a disabled Army veteran, said the vitriolic message upset him and
his wife. She jumped into their car to try to find the
20-something-year-old they had seen with a stack of the yellow fliers but
had no luck.
"We're having enough trouble around the world with hatred and
stuff," Harper said. "They're trying to scare people to Jesus,
to church, instead of doing it the right way."
The fliers that made their appearance in Harper's Seminole neighborhood,
in the 8400 block of 76th Avenue N, about two weeks ago, gave no clue
about their origin.
"You'd think they would be proud of what they're doing, but it just
seems strange that they wouldn't fess up to who they are," Harper
said.
The Seminole city manager's office said Friday it had received no calls
about the fliers.
Ahmed Bedier, executive director of the Tampa Chapter of the Council
on American-Islamic Relations, said he was concerned about the
"hateful content and the fact that somebody is actively going door
to door to circulate this bigotry in the name of Jesus."
Islamophobic propaganda has increased across the country, he
said.
"However, this is the first time we've learned about this type of
door-to-door propaganda," he said. "What if it was a Muslim
home? Will that cause a confrontation? ... How would the neighborhood
start looking at their Muslim neighbors when they get that type of
propaganda?"
Such messages are dividing America "along ethnic and religious
lines, which is contrary to the message of Jesus," Bedier said.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
READ THE FLIER -
TOP
http://www.ahmedbedier.com/images/hate/hateful-door-hanger1.jpg
-----
CANADIAN VILLAGE ADOPTS DOCUMENT BASED ON
ANTI-MUSLIM STEREOTYPES -
TOP
Quebec village bans stoning of women, veils, and excision
http://www.judeoscope.ca/breve.php3?id_breve=3120
The Quebec village of H�rouxville, 1300 inhabitants, has formally banned
this week the stoning of women, face veils, female genital mutilation, or
throwing acid at unveiled women's faces, reports Montreal daily La
Presse.
Andr� Drouin, a municipal counselor in H�rouxville, told La Presse, a
document detailing the bans and the cultural norms of the local
population was adopted in light of the stormy debate over the
"reasonable accomodation" of religious and cultural minorities
that has been raging in Quebec media over the last few months and has
principally focussed on Montreal's small ultra-orthodox Jewish
community.
The nature of the H�rouxville bans suggests however that local
politicians had Quebec Muslims in mind, though not a single Muslim or
member of any religious or ethnic minority calls H�rouxville home. But
referring to Quebec's policy of encouraging immigrants to settle outside
Montreal, Drouin says it was important to inform potential immigrants of
the villages cultural norms: "We must ensure that people who come
here want to live as we do", he told La Presse, "The Muslims
who wanted to impose Sharia, had they known that we do not stone women
here, maybe they would not have come".
Along with the bans, the H�rouxville document states that Christmas trees
are a Quebec tradition, that swimming pools are mixed, and that pork meat
and beef are displayed on the same shelves. Asked whether he fears being
labeled a racist, Drouin answers: "We are not racists, we are
explaining our culture". (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
IL EST INTERDIT DE LAPIDER LES FEMMES! (LA
PRESSE) -
TOP
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20070127/CPACTUALITES/70126280/5032/CPACTUALITES
FREE TRANSLATION
http://www.google.com/language_tools
-----
NO CHARGES AGAINST MAN WHO ROLLED
PIG'S HEAD INTO MOSQUE -
TOP
Associated press, 1/27/07
LEWISTON Maine - U.S. prosecutors are not pursuing charges against a man
who rolled a pig's head into a mosque.
Brent Matthews faces a state misdemeanor charge of desecration of a place
of worship. State prosecutors also won a court order requiring him to
stay away from the mosque.
Matthews, 33, has insisted the July 3 incident was intended as a joke.
The pig's head rolled into the mosque as about 40 people were praying.
Many Muslims consider pork and pork products unclean and offensive. .
.
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations had contended the act
was an insult upon Islam.
Lewiston is home to more than 2,000 Somali refugees, who began moving
there in 2001 for affordable housing.
Matthews could face up to a year in jail if he violates the court order
requiring him to stay away from the mosque.
-----
CA: MOSQUES ENLISTED TO BATTLE TABOO -
TOP
BETTYE WELLS MILLER, Press-Enterprise, 1/26/07
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_cancer27.23e2b83.html
Inland mosques and public health researchers in Los Angeles hope to
improve breast cancer awareness among Muslim women through local
educational programs and a broader study of attitudes about the
disease.
Muslim women get breast cancer less frequently than the general
population -- largely because of cultural and religious prohibitions on
smoking and drinking -- but more of them die of the disease because it is
diagnosed late, say physicians studying why certain ethnic groups within
the Islamic world don't get breast exams.
"It is a cultural taboo" for many women, said Dr. Sondos Islam,
assistant professor of public health at Charles R. Drew University of
Medicine and Science in Los Angeles.
"It has nothing to do with religion. It's the same thing with Coptic
Christians and Catholic Lebanese," Islam said. "It's the
culture." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
U.S. MUSLIMS' BELIEFS VARY LIKE
OTHER BELIEVERS, AUTHOR FINDS -
TOP
NANCY HAUGHT, Oregonian, 1/27/07
http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/living/116985211248530.xml&coll=7
Most Americans don't know many Muslims, familiar only with those whose
names evoke fear, hatred and defiance. But others are curious, even
concerned, about Islam, its American adherents and the creeping
fundamentalism we've heard so much about.
A new book by Paul M. Barrett, a Business Week editor and a former Wall
Street Journal writer and editor, introduces readers to a range of
Muslims who struggle to live their faith in a country that is often
ignorant, ill-informed and unwelcoming.
In "American Islam: The Struggle for the Soul of a Religion"
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $25, 304 pages), Barrett profiles several
Muslims: an imam, a scholar, an activist, a webmaster, a newspaper
publisher, a feminist and a pair of mystics. His subjects are as
different from each other as any handful of Muslims gathered from across
the United States. (MORE)
---
NY/NJ: A CLERIC'S JOURNEY
LEADS TO A SUBURBAN FRONTIER -
TOP
ANDREA ELLIOTT, New York Times, 1/28/07
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/nyregion/28imam.html
MIDDLETOWN, N.J. - Sheik Reda Shata pushed into Costco behind an empty
cart. He wore a black leather jacket over his long, rustling robe, a
pocket Koran tucked inside.
The imam, a 38-year-old Egyptian, seemed not to notice the stares from
other shoppers. He was hunting for a bargain, and soon found it in the
beverage aisle, where a 32-can pack of Coca-Cola sold for $8.29. For Mr.
Shata, this was a satisfying Islamic experience.
"The Prophet said, 'Whoever is frugal will never suffer
financially,' " said the imam, who shops weekly at the local store
and admits to praying for its owners. He smiled. "These are the
people who will go to heaven."
Seven months have passed since Mr. Shata moved to this New Jersey suburb
to lead a mosque of prosperous, settled immigrants. It is a world away
from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where he toiled for almost four years, serving
hundreds of struggling Muslims for whom America was still new.
His transition is a familiar one for foreign-born imams in the United
States, who often start out in city mosques before moving to more serene
settings. (MORE)
-----
WE NEED TRAVEL TREATY WITH US, SAY SA
MUSLIMS -
TOP
Christine Gallagher, Independent, 1/28/07
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20070128094949330C819040
South African Muslims claiming to have been discriminated against by
international authorities for their religious beliefs have demanded that
the government stand up for their rights.
This week eight Muslims and Islamic scholars sent a petition to several
South African cabinet ministers and President Thabo Mbeki.
They are asking that a United Nations investigation be initiated into the
treatment of Muslim travellers from South Africa, and that the necessary
steps be taken to implicate those at fault.
The men want the government to protect the rights of future travellers to
the US by securing a treaty to this effect. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AMERICAN MUSLIMS CALL AL-ARIAN IMPRISONMENT
'DOUBLE JEOPARDY'
National Islamic coalition seeks end to 'harassment' of
Florida professor
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/29/07) - The American Muslim Taskforce on
Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), a national coalition of major American
Muslim organizations, today said the new prison sentence given to former
Florida professor Sami Al-Arian amounted to unconstitutional "double
jeopardy."
Al-Arian recently began a hunger strike after being given a sentence of
up to 18 months for refusing to testify before a grand jury in Virginia.
He and his attorney say an early plea agreement freed him from further
cooperation with the government. Al-Arian's supporters say he is being
held in a rat and cockroach-infested prison and is being forced to wear
dirty and inadequate clothing as a form of harassment.
In 2005, a Florida jury rejected federal charges that Al-Arian operated a
cell for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Al-Arian later pleaded guilty to
a lesser charge and was scheduled for release and deportation in
April.
SEE: Al-Arian: I Was
Double-Crossed (NY Sun)
SEE ALSO: No
Guilty Verdicts in Al-Arian Trial (Tampa Tribune)
In a statement, the AMT said:
"It is becoming increasingly clear that the government is
seeking to impose legal and physical penalties on Dr. Al-Arian that it
could not obtain through the judicial process. The government's actions
amount to an unconstitutional 'double jeopardy' situation in which a
person who was cleared of all charges by a jury of his peers is
nonetheless being imprisoned in harsh conditions through administrative
means.
"We call on all fair-minded Americans who care about the
preservation of the integrity of our nation's legal system to speak out
about this apparent abuse of prosecutorial power. We also call on federal
authorities to cease their harassment of Dr. Al-Arian and to release him
as scheduled so that he and his family can resume their lives in another
country."
- END -
AMT members endorsing this statement include: American Muslim
Alliance (AMA), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic
Circle of North America (ICNA), Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA),
Muslim American Society (MAS), Muslim Student Association-National
(MSA-N), Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA), Project Islamic Hope
(PIH), and United Muslims of America (UMA)
CONTACT: Dr. Agha Saeed, Tel 510-299-9313, E-Mail:
aghaksaeed@yahoo.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/29/07
*
Hadith:
Righteousness and Sin
*
Action Alert:
Urge Senators to
Oppose Iraq Troop Escalation
*
Advocates Hopeful Congress Will Ban
Racial Profiling (AP)
*
CAIR:
Muslims Slam
TV Portrayals as Unfair (Atlanta Journal)
*
Video:
CAIR Director Comments on Arar
Settlement (CTV)
*
NC:
After 'Hate-Crime'
Melee, Calm Eludes School (CS Monitor)
*
CA:
Faithful Make Journey
to Mecca (Contra Costa Times)
-
OR:
Human Rights Awards Honors
Local Mosque
-
MN:
Open House
Lifts Veil of Mystery at Islamic Center
*
Israel 'Broke US Arms Deal
Terms' (BBC)
-
Israel to Buy US Bomb Kits for
$100 M (AP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: RIGHTEOUSNESS AND SIN -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), when asked about righteousness
and sin, told the questioner: "Ask yourself for a decision, ask your
heart for a decision. 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
The Prophet also said: "Leave what causes you doubt and turn to what
does not cause you doubt. Truth is tranquillity, but falsehood is
doubt."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 841
-----
CAIR ACTION ALERT #506 -
TOP
URGE SENATORS TO OPPOSE IRAQ TROOP ESCALATION
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/29/2007) - CAIR is asking members of the American
Muslim community and other people of conscience to urge their senators to
support a resolution (Senate Concurrent Resolution 2) in the U.S. Senate
opposing an escalation in our nation's military involvement in Iraq.
Debate on this and other Iraq resolutions is expected on the Senate floor
this week.
The non-binding resolution, introduced by Senate Foreign Relations
Committee Chair Joseph Biden, also expresses the sense of Congress that
"greater regional and international support would assist the Iraqis
in achieving a political solution and national reconciliation" and
"the United States should transfer, under an appropriately expedited
timeline, responsibility for internal security and halting sectarian
violence in Iraq to the government of Iraq and Iraqi security
forces."
This past weekend tens of thousands of anti-war protestors rallied in
Washington, D.C.
SEE:
Thousands Protest Bush Policy (Washington Post)
ACTION REQUESTED:
1. CONTACT both of your senators and ask them to support Senate
Concurrent Resolution 2 and any other Senate action that opposes
escalating American military involvement in Iraq.
Click here to contact your senators:
http://www.capwiz.com/cair/issues/bills/?bill=9300186
(Note: Research shows that a faxed personal letter gets the best results,
followed by phone calls or e-mails.
2. INFORM YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY by forwarding this release to at least
five other people. Tell them you took action and ask them to do the
same.
-----
ADVOCATES HOPEFUL CONGRESS WILL BAN
RACIAL PROFILING -
TOP
Frederic J. Frommer, Associated Press, 1/29/07
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/16569816.htm
WASHINGTON - The repercussions of an airline's decision to remove a group
of imams from a commercial flight in Minneapolis could be heard in
Congress this year, where newly dominant Democrats are ready to consider
a national ban on racial profiling.
The incident happened in November, made national news and reinvigorated
an old proposal that got little attention from the GOP. But now a
champion of the legislation, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., is chairman of
the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction on the issue. Sen.
Russ Feingold, D-Wis., who sponsored legislation to ban racial profiling
in the last Congress, now chairs the Judiciary subcommittee on the
Constitution.
"I'm convinced that once the body of evidence of racial profiling
occurring in our nation is presented before the U.S. Congress and the
American people, that indeed they'll be compelled to do something about
it," said Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP's Washington
Bureau.
Shelton said that the issue lost traction after the Sept. 11 attacks,
when the nation was focused on security.
"Many would argue that it's been exacerbated since 9/11, and we
thought it was a tremendous problem before that," Shelton said. He
said he's spoken about the issue with Conyers and is hopeful for action
on legislation soon - perhaps as early as next month. Conyers declined to
comment for this story.
Civil rights groups renewed their push for the legislation after last
November's incident, in which US Airways barred six imams from a
Minneapolis to Phoenix flight. The imams, returning from a religious
conference, had prayed on their prayer rugs in the airport before the
flight. After boarding, a passenger, who said she overheard anti-U.S.
statements, passed a note to a flight attendant. The men were taken off
the airplane, handcuffed and questioned. They were later
released.
Muslims now have representation in Congress for the first time, with the
election last November of Democrat Keith Ellison. Ellison, also the first
black member of Congress from Minnesota, has called for an end to racial
profiling.
"We should have an equal right to use the highways and byways and
the airlines without regard to color, race, religion, or anything like
that," said Ellison, who serves on the Judiciary Committee.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR: MUSLIMS SLAM TV
PORTRAYALS AS UNFAIR -
TOP
Stereotypes resented: Critics say all Islamic characters are painted as
terrorists.
Jill Vejnoska, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/29/07
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/printedition/2007/01/29/lvmuslim0129a.html
You can't be a devoted watcher of Fox TV's "24" and not have
questions --- about the suitcase nuke attack on Los Angeles, or the fatal
neck bite Jack Bauer puts on a terrorist, among other outrageous plot
twists.
Toqeer A. Chouhan, a 28-year-old Atlanta attorney and Muslim, is no
exception.
But his queries run deeper.
"Why is there not a Syrian bad guy or Lebanese bad guy being
mentioned?" asks Chouhan, who was born and raised here and who
describes himself as a "huge" fan of "24."
"Instead, they are just using the broad category of 'Islamic
terrorists' to talk about the events taking place. If many of these shows
were actually sensitive in trying to be fair in their depiction of
Muslims, there would be more of an effort made to try and disconnect the
terrorist actions from the actual religion of Islam."
For several years television shied away from story lines connected to
Sept. 11, 2001. Now, five years later, things have changed. Scripted
television programs no longer avoid terrorism-related story lines. Muslim
characters are increasingly commonplace, mostly in a negative
way.
From episodes of "The Unit" and "Without a Trace" to
the upcoming BBC America miniseries "The State Within," it
appears any Muslim who isn't a terrorist is suspected of being one. Or a
sympathizer.
"There really are no other images of Muslims in the media now,"
says
Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, which worked with Fox two years ago on a public service
announcement that aired during "24." But Ahmed says her group
was somewhat surprised by the intensity of this story line, featuring a
string of attacks on U.S. cities by Islamic militants.
"People frame it as a freedom of speech issue, and we support that.
But these portrayals have real consequences on how people view
Muslims." (MORE)
-----
CAIR DIRECTOR COMMENTS ON ARAR SETTLEMENT -
TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agjlNVl79Jw
-----
NC: AFTER 'HATE-CRIME' MELEE,
CALM ELUDES QUAKER SCHOOL -
TOP
Alexandra Marks, Christian Science Monitor, 1/29/07
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0129/p02s01-ussc.html
Like the banners condemning hate and the chalked peace signs on
sidewalks, the makeshift scarecrow that stands on the tree-lined Guilford
College campus is a testament to the trauma gripping this small Quaker
school, as well its determination to heal.
With a mop for hair and a cardboard-box face, the scarecrow wears a sign
inviting students to "Write the definition of community."
Pinned to the corkboard hanging around its neck are scraps of paper with
words like "Tolerance," "Accepting of all," and
"Well-being."
The community scarecrow, as it's called, was erected last week by
students after at least five members of the school's football team were
accused of attacking three Palestinian students. According to court
documents, the players allegedly beat the students with feet, fists, and
brass knuckles, while calling them "terrorists" and racial
epithets.
This coming week, the FBI and local prosecutors will begin interviewing
football players. They'll also interview the three alleged
victims.
Five of the football players have already been charged with assault and
battery, as well as "ethnic intimidation," North Carolina's
formal name for its hate-crimes law. The FBI is also investigating
whether the Palestinian students' civil rights were violated.
The altercation shocked the campus and the surrounding community - in no
small measure because Guilford is dedicated to core Quaker values like
diversity, integrity, and community. It also has a long history of
recruiting Palestinians from the Friends Schools in the West Bank,
offering them scholarships and paths to a new life.
National hate-crime experts contend the fact that such an alleged attack
could take place at a school like Guilford - voted by Newsweek as the
"hottest for social conscience" in 2006 - is a reflection of
how deeply distrust of Islam now permeates the United States. For data,
they point to polls, such as one done by CBS last April. It found that 45
percent of Americans now have a negative view of Islam - more than 9
percentage points higher than in the tense months following the 9/11
attacks. And a Washington Post poll found that the number of Americans
who believe Islam stokes violence has more than doubled - from 14 percent
in January 2002 to 33 percent in March 2006.
"What we have here is a climate where Islamaphobia is not only
considered mainstream, it's considered patriotic by some, and that's
something that makes these kinds of attacks even more despicable,"
says Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and
Extremism at the University of California at San Bernadino.
(MORE)
-----
CA: FAITHFUL MAKE JOURNEY TO
MECCA -
TOP
Pilgrimage of Hajj brings Muslims into contact with location they pray
toward every day
Rebecca Rosen Lum, Contra Costa Times, 1/29/07
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/16570894.htm
Two weeks later, Samia Ara still dreams about Mecca at night.
She sees a dark brown hill rendered white at twilight by thousands of
cloaked pilgrims, arms stretched heavenward.
"It was amazing," said the Pleasanton engineer. "You've
faced this way your whole life and here it is. You get very
emotional."
She journeyed to Mecca, the geographic and spiritual center of Islam,
which her faith requires her to visit at least once in a
lifetime.
Wherever they are in the world, faithful believers pray in the direction
of the holy city every day. The Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca and several
other holy sites, is one of the five pillars of the Islamic
faith.
Over five days, from Dec. 28 to Jan. 1, the pilgrims move from Minna,
where the murmured prayers of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims fill the
valley, to Arafat, where Adam and Eve are believed to have settled after
they fled Eden. They drink water from a wellspring celebrated in the Old
Testament.
Because the Muslim calendar is shorter than the western calendar, the
dates of the Hajj shift through the years. This year, it coincided with
Christmas holidays, freeing many more people to go. About 2.5 million
made the journey, according to Islamic News Agency.
Although a mahram, or male relative, must accompany each woman, men and
women both perform the various acts of faith, such as circling the
Ka'bah, the sacred black cube, seven times. They also pray side by side
in the grand mosque. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
OR: HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS CELEBRATE
BEAVERTON'S DIVERSITY -
TOP
High school drama teacher, local mosque honored by city
Christina Lent, Beaverton Valley Times, 1/25/07
http://www.beavertonvalleytimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=116975895287893400
Beaverton's four diversity awards presented Monday night honored citizens
working to encourage cultural understanding, diversity awareness,
tolerance and acceptance.
The Beaverton Human Rights Advisory Commission presented its annual
Individual Achievement Award to former Southridge High School theater
director Wade Willis. Its Business and Industry Award was given to IBM
Beaverton's Women in Technology Diversity Group.
For the first time, the commission also presented a Certificate of
Appreciation to Beaverton Police Sgt. Adam Spang. Mayor Rob Drake
recognized the Bilal Mosque Association with the Mayor's Diversity Award.
. .
Promoting cultural understanding and acceptance has also been a major
priority for the Mayor's Diversity Award recipients.
Since 2001, the Bilal Mosque Association in Beaverton has served as a
community leader and partner in an interfaith effort to embrace the
city's growing diversity and encourage efforts to support mutual
understanding among diverse groups and faith communities.
The Bilal Mosque has led and participated in 320 events, fostering a
dialogue to help clear public misconceptions about Islam and
Muslims.
"The Bilal Mosque is unfaltering in the community effort," said
Mayor Rob Drake.
Emily Gottfried, executive director of the American Jewish Committee,
agreed.
"They've been a power house in promoting understanding,"
Gottfried said. "They have been willing to share their story and
hear other people's stories. They are tirelessly working to make this a
better a community."
Being recognized meant a great deal to the Bilal Mosque
Association.
"This is a wonderful way of all of you telling us that we are
home," said Shahriar Ahmed, during a reception following the
presentation. "We are very proud and very thankful."
(MORE)
---
MN: OPEN HOUSE LIFTS
VEIL OF MYSTERY AT ISLAMIC CENTER -
TOP
Jeffrey Pieters, Post-Bulletin, 1/29/07
http://news.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?a=282619&z=2
Like many people in Rochester, Bill and Peggy Marshall have often
wondered about the downtown Islamic Center, the people who worship there
and what they believe.
On Saturday morning, at the first in a series of monthly open houses
sponsored by the mosque, they got to find out.
"It seemed like a nice, friendly gesture, and we wanted to do what
we could to reciprocate," Bill Marshall said. "What a nice way
to meet other members of our community."
World events have made Islam the most talked-about religion on the globe,
and perhaps the most misunderstood.
It's an attempt to clear that up -- to lift the veil of mystery, so to
speak -- that local Muslims decided to open their doors and beckon the
community in.
About 20 people, including the Marshalls, accepted the invitation. Mosque
members answered questions for more than an hour before inviting people
to stay to watch the 12:20 p.m. prayer service. No question, no matter
how sensitive or pointed, was discouraged.
"We have very thick skin," member Rashed Ferdous said.
"You can't offend us."
"My goal, when you leave this place today, you will at least be able
to see, 'This (terrorist) is a criminal, and he happens to be a Muslim,'
not, 'He's a Muslim and he's (automatically) a criminal.'" Ferdous
said. "That's the biggest problem, the biggest challenge we're
facing today, distinguishing that fact."
He explained why Islamic women pray separately from men (because
worshippers' bodies press close together during prayers; mixing sexes
could affect concentration) and behind men (because prostration is an
immodest posture, however religiously necessary it is). (MORE)
-----
ISRAEL 'BROKE US ARMS DEAL TERMS' -
TOP
Thousands of bomblets have been found across Lebanon
BBC News, 1/29/07
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6310945.stm
Israel probably violated the terms of its arms deals with Washington by
using US-made cluster bombs in Lebanon last year, a US government report
says.
The state department looked into Israel's use of cluster bombs in
civilian areas of southern Lebanon during its conflict with
Hezbollah.
US-made weapons are sold to the Israeli military with restriction on
their use.
Cluster bombs can scatter hundreds of small bomblets over a wide area,
and their use has been widely criticised.
The International Committee of the Red Cross called for a ban on the use
of cluster bombs in populated areas, because of the indiscriminate
civilian deaths they caused.
And Amnesty International has criticised Israel for its use of cluster
bombs in the final days of the conflict. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
ISRAEL TO BUY US BOMB KITS FOR $100M
-
TOP
Steve Weizman, Associated Press, 1/29/07
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8MV20IO0.htm
The Israeli air force has decided to buy smart munitions kits from the
Chicago-based Boeing aerospace company for an estimated $100 million,
Israeli defense officials said Monday.
The Jerusalem Post daily said the planned purchase was for the Joint
Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, which converts conventional 2,000 pound
bombs into satellite-guided, precision weapons.
Defense officials said the acquisition was meant to replenish stores used
up in last summer's monthlong war against the Hezbollah militia in
Lebanon and increase future stock levels.
The Jerusalem Post said the purchase would not require Congressional
approval, as it was the exercise of a previously approved purchase
option.
Congress is expected on Monday to receive a preliminary State Department
report on whether Israel misused American-made cluster bombs in civilian
areas of Lebanon.
The New York Times reported over the weekend that the report would say
Israel may have violated agreements with the United States by its use of
American-supplied cluster munitions during last year's war.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
SLURS USED DURING ASSAULT ON FLORIDA MUSLIM
Sam's Club employees, local police reportedly fail to help
victim
(CLEARWATER, FL, 1/29/07) - On
Tuesday, January 30, the
Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Tampa)
will hold a news conference in Clearwater, Fla., to call for an FBI
investigation of an alleged Islamophobic assault on a Muslim shopper at a
local Sam's Club.
The Muslim shopper, who is of Middle Eastern heritage, alleges he was the
victim of verbal abuse, threats and physical assault by another customer.
During the incident, the assailant allegedly shouted "f**k your
Allah," "f**k your Muhammad," and other anti-Muslim and
racist slurs. The victim also says Sam's Club employees failed to come to
his aid and local police refused to take a report of the
assault.
WHAT:
CAIR-Tampa News Conference About Islamophobic
Incident
WHEN: Tuesday, January 30, 2007, 2:30 p.m.
WHERE: Outside the Clearwater Sam's Club, 2575 Gulf-To-Bay Blvd.,
Clearwater, FL 33765
CAIR-Tampa says an anti-Muslim flier was distributed door-to-door
recently in the same county as the alleged Sam's Club assault.
SEE:
Anti-Muslim Fliers Handed Out in Pinellas County Neighborhood (Tampa
Bay's 10)
CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506,
E-Mail:
abedier@cairfl.org;
CAIR-Tampa Communications Coordinator Jamie Hammad, 813-486-2529
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/30/07
*
Hadith:
Supplicate to Your Lord for
Forgiveness
*
CAIR-Tampa Asks FBI to
Investigate Sam's Club Assault
-
CAIR-FL:
Anti-Muslim Fliers
Handed Out
-
CAIR-MI:
Muslim Leaders Speak
Out Against Violence
*
MI:
Event Billed as Speech by
Ex-Terrorists Draws Ire
-
Doubt Cast on Anani's Terrorist
Claims
*
Feb. 1:
Web Chat with American
Muslim Hip Hop Group
*
FBI Turns to Broad New Wiretap
Method
*
LA:
Class Survey Reveals Ignorance
of Basic Islam
*
DC Lecture:
Rights for Women with
Headscarves in Turkey
-
IL:
Islamic Art from the David
Collection
*
NY:
Muslim Halal Market Owner
Heeds the Call
*
CAIR-CAN:
Town Asked to Retract
Xenophobic 'Standards'
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: SUPPLICATE TO YOUR LORD FOR
FORGIVENESS -
TOP
A man came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and said: "O
Messenger of God, which is the best supplication (to God)?" The
Prophet replied: "Supplicate to your Lord for forgiveness and
security in this world and in the Hereafter." The man came to the
Prophet again the next day, and then again on the following day, and
asked him the same thing. The Prophet gave him the same answer, and then
said: "If you are given forgiveness and security in this world and
in the Hereafter, you have attained success."
Fiqh-us-Sinnah, Volume 4, Number 112C
-----
CAIR ASKS FBI TO INVESTIGATE
FL SAM'S CLUB ASSAULT -
TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZsUwG47d-o
The Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations today
called on the FBI to investigate an assault that involved ethnic slurs as
a hate crime.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-FL: ANTI-MUSLIM FLIERS
HANDED OUT IN PINELLAS COUNTY -
TOP
Dave Balut, WTSP-TV Tampa, 1/30/07
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/florida/news-article.aspx?storyid=74731
PINELLAS, FL -- A married couple in Pinellas County is raising concerns
about an anti-Muslim flier that was left on their front door. And now the
FBI is being asked to investigate.
The flier was left at Joel and Cheri Harper's home on 76th Avenue North
in unincorporated Pinellas County. The leaflet accuses Muslims of
stockpiling anthrax in America for years and smuggling suitcase-sized
nuclear bombs into the country.
The anonymous flier also encourages readers to find salvation by
believing in Jesus.
"I don't know what this person's up to, but it sounds mostly like
it's hate, and hate against Muslims. And there's already enough of that,
because of the world situation and the way things are going. We don't
need any more."
The Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is asking
religious leaders to repudiate the door-to-door distribution of
anti-Muslim hate fliers.
CAIR is also commending the Harpers for raising concerns about the
leaflet.
---
CAIR-MI: MUSLIM LEADERS, POLICE
SPEAK OUT AGAINST VIOLENCE -
TOP
Sean Delaney, Press & Guide, 1/31/07
http://www.pressandguide.com/stories/013107/loc_20070131004.shtml
With arms linked in solidarity, religious and government officials
gathered Thursday outside the original Islamic Center of America in
Detroit to condemn - in one voice - recent acts of vandalism against
Muslim businesses and religious centers throughout the Metro Detroit
area.
"As a community, we (gathered) to support in spirit the cleansing of
this site from brutality and to move ahead with our efforts to strengthen
interfaith understanding," said Steve Spreitzer, director of the
interfaith division of the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and
Inclusion, in a statement issued Thursday.
Located on Joy near Greenfield Road, the original Islamic Center of
America has served as a mosque for more than five decades in Metro
Detroit and remains a historical landmark for many in the
community.
Last week, the building became the target of vandals who left messages of
hate and intimidation - including anti-Muslim slurs "go home 911
murderers" and "you idol worship" - scrawled in paint on
the walls outside the building.
On Thursday, more than 30 local leaders joined together outside the
building to condemn the act, as well as those who committed it.
"The incident that occurred at this mosque is unacceptable to people
of faith - to people of all faiths," said Rabbi Josh Bennett of
Temple Beth Israel in West Bloomfield.
Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi of the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn
Heights agreed.
"These kinds of acts of violence are unacceptable," he said.
"We condemn any acts of violence or terrorism against others. We all
pray for peace and an end to the violence."
The Islamic House of Wisdom hosted a similar event earlier this month
after vandals targeted several Shi'a-owned businesses and religious
centers throughout the Metro Detroit area, including the Imam Ali Islamic
Center and the Al-Kifa Cultural Forum.
The motive behind the attacks remains under investigation, police said,
although some believe increasing tension between local Shi'a and Sunni
Muslims following the execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
may have played a role.
Locally, several Muslim groups celebrated the death of the Iraqi leader
in December, while others decried the scheduling of the execution on what
some consider the first day of Eid al-Adha, which is among the holiest
festivals on the Islamic calendar.
However, many local religious and community leaders were quick to dismiss
those claims, and have urged residents to avoid rushing to judgment
before the investigation is completed.
"At this point, no one is certain of the religion of the
vandals," said
Dawud Walid, director of the Michigan chapter of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI). "We must be
patient - we cannot categorize an entire group based on the action of a
few of its members." (MORE)
-----
MI: EVENT BILLED AS SPEECH BY
EX-TERRORISTS DRAWS IRE -
TOP
Daniel Trump,
Michigan Daily, 1/30/07
Although Zachariah Anani is being billed as one of three ex-terrorists
who will speak at 7 p.m. in Rackham Auditorium tonight, he said the label
doesn't apply to him.
"I wasn't a terrorist," he said. "I was only a militant
fighter in a civil war."
The University's chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, a right-wing
student group, is sponsoring the event. In promotional materials for
tonight's event, Anani, Walid Shoebat and Kamal Saleem are referred to as
former terrorists.
"They created this picture," Anani said.
The event has drawn allegations of hate speech from the Michigan office
of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, whose representatives
asked the University administration to block it.
Members of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee met with
University administrators to voice their concerns yesterday afternoon.
But the event will go on as scheduled.
Imad Hamad, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's state
director for Michigan, said he is worried about the effect this event
will have on the public impression of Islam.
"We can't take terrorists and put them through rehab and make them
role models," Hamad said. "We can't do extreme makeover on
terrorists." . . .
Hamad questioned Anani's claims.
"Where is the FBI? Where is the (Immigration and Naturalization
Service) to strip his citizenship, as they did with so many others with
so fewer allegations?" he asked. . . .
When asked if those radical clerics who advocate violence have an
incorrect interpretation of Islam, Anani said, "Unfortunately,
no."
Anani cited an incident in Ottawa during which he said a Jewish girl
stood up and defended the Quran at one of his speeches.
"I asked her if she had ever read it and she said no," Anani
said. "I told her, 'I'll give you a hundred dollars for every peace
sentence in the Quran, and you give me five dollars for every hate
sentence. You'll pay me a fortune.' "
That's the sort of message that students like Kamelya Youssef, co-founder
of a new University student group called the Arab Unity Movement,
oppose.
"It's not correct," she said. "They're giving terrorism a
religion. Terrorism is a concept, you can't put a face or a religion on
it."
Youssef is part of a coalition of student groups planning a walkout
during the event.
"We all agreed that this event won't improve the campus climate with
regard to Arab and Muslim students," she said.
The protesters are planning their own alternative event to take place
after the walkout.
Both sides of the issue claim to have the same purpose - to teach
people.
"We're here to educate," said Keith Davies, director of the
Walid Shoebat Foundation, a small Christian Zionist organization that
promotes the three speakers and their message. . . .
"They have nothing to say except to spread hatred, division,
animosity and hostility against Islam," he said. "This is a
show. They are acting."
SEE ALSO:
DOUBT CAST ON ANANI'S TERRORIST CLAIMS -
TOP
http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=4a479502-4490-408e-bdb5-f2638619a62c
Zachariah Anani, a self-proclaimed former terrorist who now warns
against Islam's so-called teachings of terror against Canada and the
West, is imagining his past exploits as a mass murderer, according to a
top jihad expert.
Tom Quiggin, Canada's only court-qualified expert on global jihadism and
a former RCMP intelligence and national security expert, said Anani's
tales of terror and murder just don't jibe with the time and place he
claims to have been killing.
"Mr. Anani's not an individual who rates the slightest degree of
credibility, based on the stories that he has told," said Quiggin,
also a Senior Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for National Security in
Singapore. (MORE)
-----
FEB. 1: WEB CHAT WITH AMERICAN MUSLIM HIP
HOP GROUP -
TOP
Native Deen: Celebrating Islam and Promoting Tolerance Through
Hip-Hop
http://usinfo.state.gov/usinfo/USINFO/Products/Webchats/native_deen_01_feb_2007.html
Date: Thursday, 1 February 2007
Time: 10:00 a.m. EST (1500 GMT)
Founded in 2000, the American hip-hop group Native Deen has become known
for its positive energy, traditional percussions, and lyrics focused on
the topics of tolerance and the teachings of Islam. The group is composed
of Muslim-American hip-hop artists Joshua Salaam, Abdul-Malik Ahmad and
Naeem Muhammad, who together have performed throughout North America,
Europe, Asia and Africa. In the fall of 2006, Native Deen traveled to
Turkey, Dubai, the Palestinian Territories and Israel on behalf of the
U.S. Department of State. The group's members say although they were
moved deeply by the holiness of Jerusalem when they took their music
there, even that experience did not come close to the connection they
felt to their faith during the Middle East tour. Join the members of
Native Deen for a webchat about their recent trip, and how they use their
talents to inspire others to maintain faith in Islam and to understand
and respect the faiths of others.
Guest Biography:
Joshua Salaam began performing rap songs at the age of 10, and was
performing at Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA) youth camps by the age
of 12 as a member of Muslims Steppin UP. Salaam has won several rap
competitions. His other interests include coaching youth basketball and
practicing martial arts.
Abdul-Malik Ahmad visited the Middle East while attending Georgetown
University and became fluent in the Arabic language. His writing talent
has put him in the top tier of Muslim song writers, but his passion for a
better society leads him to address issues that affect non-Muslims and
Muslims alike. Ahmad owns his own web development company, Kufic
Graphics, and has produced numerous songs and raps for the "MYNA
Raps" album series.
Naeem Muhammad has been working with Muslim youth organizations such as
the Muslim Youth Council of D.C., Muslim Kids Club of Baltimore and MYNA
since he was 13. Muhammad has written and performed several songs for the
"MYNA Raps" album series. His other interests include assisting
victims of natural disasters, and he has volunteered his time to assist
people affected by Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami that ravaged
Indonesia.
-----
FBI TURNS TO BROAD NEW WIRETAP METHOD -
TOP
Declan McCullagh, CNET News.com, 1/30/07
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6154457.html
The FBI appears to have adopted an invasive Internet surveillance
technique that collects far more data on innocent Americans than
previously has been disclosed.
Instead of recording only what a particular suspect is doing, agents
conducting investigations appear to be assembling the activities of
thousands of Internet users at a time into massive databases, according
to current and former officials. That database can subsequently be
queried for names, e-mail addresses or keywords.
Such a technique is broader and potentially more intrusive than the FBI's
Carnivore surveillance system, later renamed DCS1000. It raises concerns
similar to those stirred by widespread Internet monitoring that the
National Security Agency is said to have done, according to documents
that have surfaced in one federal lawsuit, and may stretch the bounds of
what's legally permissible.
Call it the vacuum-cleaner approach. It's employed when police have
obtained a court order and an Internet service provider can't
"isolate the particular person or IP address" because of
technical constraints, says Paul Ohm, a former trial attorney at the
Justice Department's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
(An Internet Protocol address is a series of digits that can identify an
individual computer.)
That kind of full-pipe surveillance can record all Internet traffic,
including Web browsing--or, optionally, only certain subsets such as all
e-mail messages flowing through the network. Interception typically takes
place inside an Internet provider's network at the junction point of a
router or network switch. (MORE)
-----
LA: CLASS SURVEY REVEALS IGNORANCE OF
BASIC ISLAM -
TOP
YOU THINK YOU KNOW
Shirien Elmasraya,
Daily Reveille, 1/30/07
I named my column "You think you know" not to be condescending
but to convey a message that everything you thought you knew about Islam
and the Middle East is probably wrong.
Last week I distributed a non-scientific survey to my Public Relations
and Geography classes about the basics of Islam. First of all, I would
like to thank the 200 students who participated and also my professors
for allowing me to distribute them.
The results were depressing to say the least. Since I primarily write
about Islam and things related to the Middle East I wanted to get a feel
for just how much people actually knew and what areas I need to
concentrate on.
You may think, "Ok, what's the big deal? Why is it important to
learn about Islam?" Learning about Islam is one of the most
beneficial things a person can do today. Why? Because Islam is at the
center of world affairs and media coverage. Understanding the religion
will open the door for peace making and appreciation, and shutting it out
of your knowledge will only lead to an increase in turmoil and hate in
the world.
I'd like to dedicate a number of my columns this semester to debunking
the myths surrounding Islam, so as to educate people on the basics and
relate them to the things they hear and see in the media. Because, as the
popular saying goes, "Everything is not as it seems."
The following were some of the questions I asked in my survey. I picked
the most important ones to talk about briefly now, and later I will
expand on some of the other issues, such as how Islam views women, Jihad
and the fundamentals of a Muslim's belief. (MORE)
-----
CSID LECTURE: HUMAN RIGHTS FOR WOMEN WITH
HEADSCARVES IN TURKEY -
TOP
The Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID) cordially
invites you to its upcoming Brown Bag Lecture Series: Human Rights for
Women with Headscarves in Turkey
Speakers: Fatma Benli and Ayse Basibyk
Introduction by Merve Kavakci, former Member of Turkish
Parliament
WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007, Noon-1 p.m.
WHERE: Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID), 1625
Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 601, Washington, DC
AKDER (
www.ak-der.org ) is
an organization in Turkey which was established in order to prevent any
type of discrimination and violation of human rights specifically
committed against womens personal rights, (education, working and to get
a career); and to promote social awareness regarding these
issues.
Space is limited, please RSVP ASAP, to:
Sherif@islam-democracy.org
This event will be available for viewing LIVE on the internet. If you
would like to watch the event online, please email:
Sherif@islam-democracy.org
SEE ALSO:
COSMOPHILIA: ISLAMIC ART FROM THE
DAVID COLLECTION, COPENHAGEN -
TOP
University of Chicago, 1/30/07
"Cosmophilia" - literally "love of ornament" -
examines one of the most characteristic, and attractive, features of
Islamic art. Covering a millennium of Islamic history in regions
extending from Spain to India, this comprehensive exhibition demonstrates
the extraordinary range and visual virtuosity of one of the world's great
artistic traditions. With works drawn from the David Collection in
Copenhagen, Denmark, it offers a rare opportunity for audiences in the
United States to study one of the finest collections of Islamic art in
the world.
WHAT: Cosmophilia: Islamic Art from the David Collection, Copenhagen
WHEN: 2/1/2007 - 5/20/2007, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
WHERE: Smart Museum of Art
CONTACT: C.J. Lind, Phone: 773.702.0200, Email:
cjlind@uchicago.edu
-----
NY: MUSLIM MARKET OWNER HEEDS THE
CALL -
TOP
Running a halal meat shop allows Yavuz Toklar to serve his community
Karen Miltner, Democrat and Chronicle, 1/30/07
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070130/LIVING/701300305/1032
Ask anyone who knows Yavuz Toklar well which day of his work week is the
hardest, and they'll tell you Wednesday.
That's when he drives from his Greece home to an Ontario, Wayne County,
abattoir. Several goats, lambs and beef cattle have arrived ahead of him,
courtesy of a livestock broker who procures the animals at regional
auctions.
Freshly showered and with his ritual prayer washing complete, he dons
knee-high rubber boots and a dark cap and picks up his 8-inch knife. He
recites a short prayer in Arabic. The translation:
"In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful. Allah
is great."
Then quickly, carefully and with intense concentration for the task at
hand, he cuts the animal's throat.
"The day after I kill, I feel bad. I can't do anything. It's not
easy," says the 46-year-old Turkish-born Muslim and owner of Halal
Market & Meats. "If God didn't give me permission to do it, I
wouldn't do it."
Halal Market & Meats, located at 311 E. Ridge Road in Rochester, is
the longest established retailer of fresh, certified halal beef, goat,
poultry and lamb in the area. Toklar slaughters all the meat himself, and
buys the chicken from a certified halal poultry producer in South
Fallsburg, Sullivan County.
By that she means the store's meats and other food products - including
its unique selection of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean groceries - are
all prepared according to Islamic dietary laws (see story, Page 6C). In
addition to religious code, Toklar's meat complies with U.S. Department
of Agriculture regulations, and a USDA inspector is on site to vet the
animals before and after slaughter. (MORE)
-----
RETRACT XENOPHOBIC 'STANDARDS,' QUEBEC
TOWN ASKED -
TOP
JILL MAHONEY, Globe and Mail, 1/31/07
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070130.wxtown31/BNStory/National/home
Organizations representing minorities are outraged by a Quebec town's
"standards" for newcomers, calling them insulting and
xenophobic.
The town council of H�rouxville issued a set of wide-ranging rules for
immigrants considering moving there, including bans on beating or burning
women alive, veiling one's face and children carrying symbolic weapons to
school.
"It is totally distasteful to see someone using this kind of writing
and putting it in a public domain, and this is not just an ordinary
someone, these are people in authority," said Salam Elmenyawi,
president of the Muslim Council of Montreal.
Critics urged Quebec Premier Jean Charest - who called the standards an
"isolated case" earlier this week - to strongly denounce the
town officials. They also want the mayor and councillors to apologize and
retract the document. . . .
While the standards largely target Muslims, they also refer to practices
of Sikhs, who carry kirpans, or ceremonial religious daggers; Jehovah's
Witnesses, who refuse blood transfusions; and Orthodox Jews, who obey
strict dietary laws. However, several of the town's standards, such as
not killing women, are already illegal under the Criminal Code and
others, such as the right to carry a kirpan or wear a head covering, are
protected by court rulings or human-rights legislation.
"It really seems like statements that are very far out there. It's
something that I feel that has already been covered and I feel almost as
if we're going back to a debate of 30 years ago," said
Sameer
Zuberi, human-rights co-ordinator at the Canadian Council on
American-Islamic Relations. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 1/31/07
*
Verse:
Invite to All That is Good
*
CAIR-MI:
Mosque Attacks
'Scary' for Muslims (Detroit News)
-
CAIR-FL:
Man: I Was Hate
Crime Victim (SP Times)
-
CAIR-San Diego:
Muslims Meet with
Philippine Senator
-
CAIR:
U.S.
Muslims Urged to Back Anti-War Move (UPI)
*
Incitement:
CO
Radio Host Can't Think of 'a Good Muslim'
*
NJ:
Group Denied Building
Permit for Mosque
-
IL Pastor:
'Enter Into Dialogue with
Muslims'
*
Iraq:
US 'Victory' Against Cult
Leader a 'Massacre'
*
How Jimmy Carter is Saving Israel
(Islamica)
-
Israeli Realism on Iran Belies Threat
Rhetoric
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: INVITE TO ALL THAT IS GOOD -
TOP
"Let there arise from among you a community (of people) inviting to
all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong;
they are the ones who will be successful."
The Holy Quran, 3:104
-----
CAIR-MI: LOCAL MOSQUE ATTACKS
'SCARY FOR US' -
TOP
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 1/31/07
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070131/METRO/701310338/1003
DETROIT -- Alice Alaouie is quite frightened by the fact that most people
seem to know little about her faith, Islam.
The spray painting of hateful graffiti on the side of the old site of her
mosque, the Islamic Center of America, and a spike of similar incidents
in Metro Detroit and around the country in recent weeks lead Alaouie and
other Muslims to believe that hate is escalating to a dangerous
peak.
"It's scary for us, it's scary for me personally," says
Alaouie, 23, who is active with youth groups at the mosque. "The
people are concerned. It's a little snowball that formed on 9/11, and it
rolled, and now it's really big. It's a phobia.
"Hopefully, more knowledge and the unity among religions will pull
us through."
As they celebrated this week the feast of Ashura, which commemorates the
sacrifices made on behalf of the faith, Muslims are anxious for their
safety and the safety of their mosques. In three weeks, there have been
five local incidents at mosques involving vandalism or a confrontation
with a leader.
There have been similar events across the country, including an assault
on a man in Lackawanna, N.Y., on Jan. 17; a window broken at a mosque in
West Richland, Wash., on Jan. 19; a fire allegedly set at a mosque in
Newark, N.J., on Jan. 20; shots fired at an empty mosque in Fremont,
Calif., on Jan. 22. All these incidents have persuaded Muslims that they
are struggling for Islam in America.
Incidents mainly target Islam
While two of the recent incidents of vandalism in Metro Detroit may be
Muslims acting against Muslims, the majority here and nationwide have
targeted Islam itself in what appears to be an escalating line of
attack.
"At work, I am told (by coworkers) that all Muslims should leave
this country," said Hassen Sobh of Sterling Heights, who works for
Ford Motor Co. "What can you do? You deal with ignorant people all
around the world.
"Who wanted 9/11? None of us! You can't judge 1.4 billion (Muslim)
people around the world by Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.
"These are Godless people, who do such hateful things," Sobh
said of the terrorists, dictators and the vandals. "God will deal
with them, either now or after their deaths."
Five months ago, many Muslims said their lives were more worrisome on the
fifth anniversary of Sept. 11 than in the immediate aftermath of the 2001
attacks. "It is disturbing because, in Metro Detroit, there never
has been this many vandalisms in such a short period of time," said
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American Islamic
Relations in Michigan. "I am bracing myself every morning,
hoping that I am not going to get another report."
Both the council and the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee have
asked local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate
the local and national incidents and to step up patrols of mosques.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-FL: MAN: I WAS HATE
CRIME VICTIM -
TOP
A Largo resident of Palestinian descent says a man yelled slurs at him at
Sam's Club in Clearwater.
Tamara El-Khoury, St. Petersburg Times, 1/31/07
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/01/31/Northpinellas/Man__I_was_hate_crime.shtml
A Muslim civil rights organization is asking for an investigation into
what they said was a hate crime at Sam's Club last week.
Ahmed Bedier, executive director of the Tampa Bay chapter of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Derar Ahmad, 30, a Largo
resident of Palestinian descent, was shopping at Sam's Club, 2575
Gulf-to-Bay Blvd., on Jan. 24 when he was verbally and physically
assaulted by another customer.
Bedier said he has asked the FBI to investigate.
Carol Michalik, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Tampa field office, said she
received the request and is assessing the situation to see what action to
take, if any.
Ahmad, a gas station manager, said he was speaking on his cell phone to
his wife in Arabic when he entered the store. A man whom Ahmad said he
had never seen before came running up to him and started yelling
anti-Islamic and anti-Arab slurs.
"F--- your Allah," Ahmad said the man shouted. "F--- your
Mohammed."
Ahmad said the man jabbed his finger at his head, forcing him to look
down and shouted that Ahmad needed to go back to his own
country.
Bedier and Ahmad said no Sam's Club employee intervened. When a security
guard approached the two, Ahmad said, the guard told the men to take care
of their business outside.
Another customer in the store, Deborah Butler, 45, witnessed the incident
and said she first thought the men knew each other and were joking. When
she realized the shouting was more serious, she called 911.
Butler and Ahmad said the security guard warned the unidentified man to
leave before police arrived.
The man ran to his car and left, they said, and Ahmad was stopped by the
security guard from following to write down the man's vehicle tag
number.
"They said words, didn't even make me feel like a human," Ahmad
said.
Butler, a St. Petersburg resident, said she will no longer shop at Sam's
Club.
Bedier is asking for Sam's Club to investigate and for disciplinary
action if it is determined that any employee violated company policy. He
wants company officials to preserve any surveillance tape that might
exist and to clarify the company's nondiscrimination policy and how it
relates to protecting customers.
Sam's Club is looking into the incident, corporate spokeswoman Susan
Koehler said.
Bedier is also asking the Clearwater Police Department to investigate the
actions of the officers who responded to the scene.
Ahmad said Cpl. Robert Fava refused to file a complaint or document the
incident. (MORE)
---
CAIR-SAN DIEGO: ISLAMIC COMMUNITY MEETS WITH
FORMER PHILIPPINE SENATOR -
TOP
(SAN DIEGO, CA, 1/31/07) - A delegation of Filipino American Muslims
attended a gathering yesterday for former Philippine Senator Santina
Tillah-Rasul. In 1987, Senator Rasul was the first Muslim woman to be
elected to the Philippine Senate. The gathering was sponsored by the
University of Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) of San
Diego.
Senator Rasul spoke about current socio-economic conditions of the Muslim
community in Southern Philippines and gave an overview of her program,
called Magbassa Kita Foundation. The foundation's activities include
literacy promotion, economic empowerment, and peace advocacy in the
island of Mindanao. A question and answer session followed her
presentation.
Among the Filipino American Muslims invited to attend were Muhammad Yahya
Orias, Coordinator of the Shura Council of San Diego, and Edgar Hopida,
public relations director for the San Diego chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR - San Diego).
Other guests included Aurora Cudal, associate editor of the Filipino
Press, Rita Buencamino-Andrews, president of the Council of Philippine
American Organizations of San Diego County (COPAO - San Diego), and other
prominent Filipino community leaders.
CONTACT: Edgar Hopida, Public Relations Director, 619-913-0719, Email:
ehopida@cair.com
---
CAIR: U.S.
MUSLIMS URGED TO BACK ANTI-WAR MOVE -
TOP
United Press International, 1/31/07
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20070129-044737-2656r
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. Muslims were urged Monday to take
action in support of a Senate resolution opposing the Iraq military build
up.
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations urged "members of
the American Muslim community and other people of conscience to urge
their senators to support a resolution (Senate Concurrent Resolution 2)
in the U.S. Senate opposing an escalation in our nation's military
involvement in Iraq. Debate on this and other Iraq resolutions is
expected on the Senate floor this week."
CAIR noted that the non-binding resolution, introduced by Senate Foreign
Relations Committee Chair Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., stated that
"greater regional and international support would assist the Iraqis
in achieving a political solution and national reconciliation" and
"the United States should transfer, under an appropriately expedited
timeline, responsibility for internal security and halting sectarian
violence in Iraq to the government of Iraq and Iraqi security
forces."
CAIR urged American Muslims to "contact both of your senators and
ask them to support Senate Concurrent Resolution 2 and any other Senate
action that opposes escalating American military involvement in
Iraq."
"Research shows that a faxed personal letter gets the best results,
followed by phone calls or e-mails," the group said.
The group also requested its supporters to "inform your friends and
family by forwarding this release to at least five other people. Tell
them you took action and ask them to do the same."
-----
INCITEMENT: GUNNY BOB
GUEST HOST: ISLAM 'A VIOLENT RELIGION" THAT "CONDONES THE
KILLING OF INNOCENTS' -
TOP
Media Matters, 1/30/07
http://colorado.mediamatters.org/items/200701310001
Summary: Subbing for "Gunny" Bob Newman on his Newsradio 850
KOA show, guest host Lou Pate repeatedly smeared Muslims, calling Islam
"a violent religion" and at one point asking listeners,
"Do you want to comment on a good Muslim? I can't think of
one."
While discussing a recent report by the Islamic Human Rights Commission
(IHRC) during the January 26 broadcast of Newsradio 850 KOA's The Gunny
Bob Show, guest host Lou Pate repeatedly denigrated Muslims while
claiming that Islam is "a violent religion" that "condones
the killing of innocents."
Pate's comments about Islam came in reference to the January 25 IHRC
report, which was critical of " 'crude and exaggerated' stereotypes
of Muslims" in popular entertainment. After noting that the report
criticized "Disney's cartoon, Aladdin ... for describing Aladdin's
homeland as 'barbaric,' " Pate asserted, "[I]t is! It's the way
these people are living. Kill anybody who does not agree with the Islamic
faith. That's what Muhammad taught." Pate further stated,
"Stereotypes are not made up. Stereotypes are based on how people
live," and later added, "I think the Muslim religion is a
violent religion, and the silence of those here living in America and
around the world speaks volumes in their support for all of the bombings
and the tens of thousands of murders."
Pate asked his listeners during the broadcast, "Do you want to
comment on a good Muslim? I can't think of one." After a caller
challenged Pate by saying, "[Y]ou said you cannot find a good
Muslim. That is not true, there's plenty of good Muslims ... in this
country," Pate told the caller to "[c]lean the potatoes out of
your ears ... [w]hat I said was, can you find a good-guy Muslim depicted
in movies?" Later in the broadcast, Pate claimed, "I'm not
stereotyping all Muslims." However, only minutes after making that
statement, Pate repeated his assertion that Islam is "a violent
religion" that "condones the killing of innocents."
(MORE)
-----
NJ: MOSQUE, NO. BUT A PARK? MAYBE -
TOP
Michael J. Feeney,
North Jersey Record, 1/31/07
An Albanian group's plan to build a mosque and community center has been
denied by the Planning Board, leading township officials to consider
public takeover of the property as open space.
Meanwhile, the Paterson-based Albanian Associated Fund is gearing up to
continue the battle in federal court.
The group has spent four years before the Planning Board seeking
approvals to build on 11 hilly acres it owns at Colfax Road and
Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike.
"We couldn't convince them because they set their minds to be
against us from the first day," said Sal Musa, vice president of the
group that represents nearly 200 families.
In July, Albanian group members filed a federal discrimination lawsuit
accusing township officials of stalling the 4,715-square-foot mosque and
7,957-square-foot recreation center by imposing unusually stringent
requirements and several delays.
"I don't think it's about us being Albanian. It's about us trying to
build a mosque," Musa said. "Only in Wayne. I don't know too
many places that can do something like this."
However, township officials have consistently said the issue is not
religion and that their sole concern is to preserve the wooded tract
because its rocky slopes make it unsuitable for building.
"It's the poster child for a property that should be preserved for
open space," Mayor Scott Rumana said. He said township officials
will look into condemnation procedures to acquire the property.
Rumana also said he will invite the group to look at four other sites.
Group leaders said they will look into that proposal. But they also would
consider omitting the recreation center if it helps them gain approval
for the original location, Musa said. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
IL PASTOR: ENTER INTO DIALOGUE WITH MUSLIMS -
TOP
A faith of peace
Belleville News Democrat, 1/31/07
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/editorial/16586225.htm
I was delighted to see the number of people who have written supporting
Muslims -- including letters from Saudi Arabia, Florida, Texas and New
York -- in response to the letter warning of Islam ("Wake-up call on
terror," Jan. 4).
As a pastor of Crossroads Christian Church and a member of the Metro-East
Interfaith Partnership, I have visited and worshiped at the mosque in
Swansea many times. I can affirm that they desire peace and are saddened
by the violence done in the name of Islam. They are willing to explain
their tradition and faith practices, and remain open to dialogue. The
prophet Mohammed came to bring peace to a violent portion of the world,
telling his followers not to provoke violence.
Rather than being suspicious of Muslims in our community, visit Masjid
Islamic Center on Old Collinsville Road in Swansea, ask questions, and
enter into dialogue with Muslims who live, worship and work in your
community to make the world a better place to live.
In response to shown interest and concerns about Islam, the
Metro-East
Interfaith Partnership has planned an event on "Getting to Know Our
Muslim Neighbors" from 7 to 8:30 p.m. March 12 at the conference
center at Our Lady of the Snows Shrine.
Although the many faith traditions in our community may practice faiths
in different ways, by talking with others you may discover that Muslims,
Jews, Christians, and Bahais worship the same God of Abraham and
Sarah.
Rev. Douglas Cripe
Belleville
-----
IRAQ: US 'VICTORY' AGAINST CULT LEADER
WAS 'MASSACRE' -
TOP
Patrick Cockburn, Independent, 1/31/07
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2201103.ece
There are growing suspicions in Iraq that the official story of the
battle outside Najaf between a messianic Iraqi cult and the Iraqi
security forces supported by the US, in which 263 people were killed and
210 wounded, is a fabrication. The heavy casualties may be evidence of an
unpremeditated massacre.
A picture is beginning to emerge of a clash between an Iraqi Shia tribe
on a pilgrimage to Najaf and an Iraqi army checkpoint that led the US to
intervene with devastating effect. The involvement of Ahmed al-Hassani
(also known as Abu Kamar), who believed himself to be the coming Mahdi,
or Messiah, appears to have been accidental.
The story emerging on independent Iraqi websites and in Arabic newspapers
is entirely different from the government's account of the battle with
the so-called "Soldiers of Heaven", planning a raid on Najaf to
kill Shia religious leaders.
The cult denied it was involved in the fighting, saying it was a peaceful
movement. The incident reportedly began when a procession of 200 pilgrims
was on its way, on foot, to celebrate Ashura in Najaf. They came from the
Hawatim tribe, which lives between Najaf and Diwaniyah to the south, and
arrived in the Zarga area, one mile from Najaf at about 6am on Sunday.
Heading the procession was the chief of the tribe, Hajj Sa'ad Sa'ad Nayif
al-Hatemi, and his wife driving in their 1982 Super Toyota sedan because
they could not walk. When they reached an Iraqi army checkpoint it opened
fire, killing Mr Hatemi, his wife and his driver, Jabar Ridha al-Hatemi.
The tribe, fully armed because they were travelling at night, then
assaulted the checkpoint to avenge their fallen chief.
Members of another tribe called Khaza'il living in Zarga tried to stop
the fighting but they themselves came under fire. Meanwhile, the soldiers
and police at the checkpoint called up their commanders saying they were
under attack from al-Qai'da with advanced weapons. Reinforcements poured
into the area and surrounded the Hawatim tribe in the nearby orchards.
The tribesmen tried - in vain - to get their attackers to cease
fire.
American helicopters then arrived and dropped leaflets saying: "To
the terrorists, surrender before we bomb the area." The tribesmen
went on firing and a US helicopter was hit and crashed killing two
crewmen. The tribesmen say they do not know if they hit it or if it was
brought down by friendly fire. The US aircraft launched an intense aerial
bombardment in which 120 tribesmen and local residents were killed by 4am
on Monday. (MORE)
-----
HOW JIMMY CARTER IS SAVING ISRAEL -
TOP
Firas Ahmad, Islamica Magazine
http://www.islamicamagazine.com/online-analysis/how-jimmy-carter-is-saving-israel.html
The January 13th issue of the Economist included an essay titled
"Diaspora Blues" with the following byline: "Jews around
the world should join the debate about Israel, not defend whatever it
does."
The significance of this statement, in what is the most respected
periodical of political analysis in the English speaking world, should
not go unnoticed. It represents a shift in the discourse on Israel and
the future of the Middle East, and could be a harbinger for tangible and
lasting peace in the region. The byline tacitly acknowledges the
proposition set forth in recent months that debate on Israel does not
exist in certain circles, and that this lack of discussion is as bad for
the Israelis as it is for the Palestinians. The fact that similar
sentiments are now discussed openly is a testament to the efforts of a
few high profile individuals.
The most prominent of them is Jimmy Carter, the former US president and
Nobel Peace Prize winner. His recent book, provocatively titled
Palestine, Peace not Apartheid, courted enough controversy to remain on
several bestseller lists since its release, recently reaching number four
on Amazon.
The book is an utter catastrophe for the Israel lobby in the US. To be
clear, it is not because of its content, but rather because of its
author. None of the observations Carter makes in the book are revelatory.
What is ground-breaking is the fact that people are actually listening.
Carter has brought his full weight to bear on the issue as a former
president and one of the most respected statesmen and advocates for peace
in the world. There are few individuals who can match Carter's
credentials and gravitas, so his book simply cannot be ignored or
casually dismissed. The Israel lobby did not ignore it, assigning its
chief pit bull, Alan Dershowitz, to a full force assault on Carter's
credibility and character. Based on book sales and the appearance of
public discussion, as exemplified by the recent Economist article, it
seems that assassinating Carter's character may not be the best strategy.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
ISRAELI REALISM ON IRAN BELIES THREAT
RHETORIC -
TOP
Gareth Porter, Inter Press Service, 1/30/07
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36369
WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (IPS) - When Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
declared last week at the Herzliya conference that Israel could not risk
another "existential threat" such as the Nazi holocaust, he was
repeating what has become the dominant theme in Israel's campaign against
Iran -- that it cannot tolerate an Iran with the technology that could be
used to make nuclear weapons, because Iran is fanatically committed to
the physical destruction of Israel.
The internal assessment by the Israeli national security apparatus of the
Iranian threat, however, is more realistic than the government's public
rhetoric would indicate.
Since Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in August 2005,
Israel has effectively exploited his image as someone who is particularly
fanatical about destroying Israel to develop the theme of Iran's threat
of a "second holocaust" by using nuclear weapons.
But such alarmist statements do not accurately reflect the strategic
thinking of the Israeli national security officials. In fact, Israelis
began in the early 1990s to use the argument that Iran is irrational
about Israel and could not be deterred from a nuclear attack if it ever
acquired nuclear weapons, according to an account by independent analyst
Trita Parsi on Iranian-Israeli strategic relations to be published in
March. Meanwhile, the internal Israeli view of Iran, Parsi told IPS in an
interview, "is completely different."
Parsi, who interviewed many Israeli national security officials for his
book, says, "The Israelis know that Iran is a rational regime, and
they have acted on that presumption." His primary evidence of such
an Israeli assessment is that the Israelis purchased Dolphin submarines
from Germany in 1999 and 2004 which have been reported to be capable of
carrying nuclear-armed cruise missiles.
It is generally recognised that the only purpose of such cruise-missile
equipped submarines would be to deter an enemy from a surprise attack by
having a reliable second strike capability. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 2/1/07
*
Hadith:
Control Your Anger
*
New Jersey Imams Receive Threatening
Letters
*
CAIR Hosts State
Department International Visitors
*
U.S. Muslims Look to
Athletes as Faith Ambassadors
*
MI:
Panel on
Terrorists Draws Protests (Detroit News)
-
MI:
Protesters Say
Event Promotes Intolerance
*
NC:
I'm Safer in Jordan
than a Palestinian in America
-
MI:
Unfair Detentions Rise
at US-Canada Border
-
VA:
Al-Arian on 11th Day of
Hunger Strike (TBCJP)
*
Iraq:
Official Lies
over Najaf Battle Exposed (IPS)
*
VA:
Goode Says He Would Go to
Muslim Gathering
*
NC:
Non-Muslim
Students Experience a Day in Hijab
*
Canadian Mayor:
Women May Not Work in Hijab at City Hall
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: CONTROL YOUR ANGER -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The strong person is
not the one who knocks others down, but the one who controls himself when
angry."
Al-Muwatta, Volume 47, Hadith 12
-----
NEW JERSEY IMAMS RECEIVE THREATENING
LETTERS -
TOP
(TOTOWA, N.J., 2/1/2007) - The New Jersey chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on state and federal law
enforcement authorities to treat threatening letters mailed recently to
Muslim leaders in that state as hate crimes. The threats targeted the
imams, or religious leaders, of at least two New Jersey mosques.
One of the letters, mailed in December of last year and forwarded to
CAIR-NJ, stated in part: "Because you worship the devil ALLAH, who
has brought death, destruction, and hatred upon my country, you must now
DIE!! DEATH TO ALL OF YOU!!!" The same mosque also received a phone
call expressing similar views near the time the threatening letter was
received.
"We call on the FBI and local law enforcement authorities to
classify these threats as hate crimes and to take every measure possible
to ensure the safety of those targeted," said CAIR-NJ Communications
Director Afsheen Shamsi.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
CONTACT: CAIR-NJ Communications Director Afsheen Shamsi, 908-938-5990,
E-Mail:
afsheen@cair-nj.org
-----
CAIR HOSTS STATE DEPARTMENT
INTERNATIONAL VISITORS -
TOP
(WASHINGTON, DC, 2/1/07) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) yesterday hosted a delegation of international visitors at its
Washington, D.C., headquarters.
The group of 13 delegates from 10 countries in the Near East and Northern
Africa are visiting the United States to discuss human rights, advocacy
and awareness. Their program is sponsored by the Department of State's
International Visitor Leadership Program and arranged by the Meridian
International Center.
-----
U.S. MUSLIMS LOOK TO ATHLETES
AS FAITH AMBASSADORS -
TOP
Omar Sacirbey, Religion News Service, 1/31/07
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-070131-muslimfans,1,4217581.story
Farrukh Saleem acknowledges he has a problem.
"I'm beyond a sports fanatic. I need help," said Saleem, who
will hunker down in his Potomac, Md., home this Super Bowl Sunday with
his six-year-old son and root for his beloved Chicago Bears.
Saleem, 36, attributes at least some of his sports fever to a youth spent
watching Muslim superstars like Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who
became heroes to countless Muslim-American children.
"It can be a struggle growing up Muslim in America," said
Saleem, whose family emigrated from Pakistan shortly before he was born.
"So when you see other Muslims doing and succeeding at the sports
you love, that can't help but give you a lift."
In their primes, Ali and Abdul-Jabbar gave the small population of Muslim
Americans, comprising mostly immigrants and their children, figures who
validated their identities and proved Muslims could succeed in
America.
Today, there are more Muslims in U.S. sports than ever. But despite calls
for better understanding between the Islamic and Western worlds, few
Muslim athletes have emerged as ambassadors of the faith like Ali and
Abdul-Jabbar. That leaves Saleem wondering about his children: "Who
are going to be the role models for them?"
Ali began an improbable comeback in 1970, five years after Congress
passed the Immigration Act of 1965, which opened the nation's doors to an
unprecedented number of Muslim immigrants.
Three years earlier, Ali had been stripped of his heavyweight boxing
title for declining to serve in Vietnam. The stand garnered Ali, who in
1975 left the Nation of Islam for mainstream Sunni Islam, admiration and
criticism. To many Muslim Americans, Ali was a source of pride and
hope.
Congress honored Ali with a resolution on Jan. 17, his 65th birthday,
noting his athletic and humanitarian accomplishments as well as his
faith. "Ali is a devout Sunni Muslim and travels the world over,
working for hunger and poverty relief, supporting education efforts of
all kinds, promoting adoption, and encouraging people to respect and
better understand one another," read one
"Whereas."
After Ali fought his last fight in 1981, basketball legends Abdul-Jabbar
and Hakeem Olajuwon succeeded him as Muslim-American sports heroes.
Abdul-Jabbar, who converted to Islam in 1972, retired in 1989 as the
NBA's all-time leading scorer. Olajuwon led the Houston Rockets to two
championships and won admiration for fasting during Ramadan, when the NBA
season and the Muslim holy month coincided. He retired in 2002.
(MORE)
-----
MI: PANEL ON TERRORISTS
DRAWS CROWD, PROTESTS -
TOP
Some have called three speakers at U-M fakes; organizers say they wanted
to improve cultural climate.
Marisa Schultz, Detroit News, 1/31/07
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070131/METRO/701310398/1003
ANN ARBOR -- Amid hecklers, an apparent death threat and a staged
walkout, a panel discussion by three self proclaimed
"ex-terrorists" managed to carry on at University of Michigan's
Rackham Auditorium on Tuesday night.
"Yes, we confess we were terrorists, but by confession we can begin
to heal," said Walid Shoebat, one of those who spoke at the event
marked by outbursts, protests and disappointed students turned away from
the auditorium crowded with more than 1,000 people.
The men, who say they committed acts of terror against Jews, were invited
to speak by the conservative student group Young Americans for Freedom,
which wanted to discuss differences between the extremist Muslims and the
vast majority of peaceful Muslims, according to group co-chairman Andrew
Boyd.
However, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and at least one
expert on jihad have called the men fakes.
"Without doubt, the threat from political extremism is serious, and
the threat of homegrown jihadism is growing, but this type of extremist
language is as much a threat to stability as a bomb attack itself,"
said Tom Quiggin, an expert on global jihadism who has researched one of
the ex-terrorist's stories.
Shoebat, who is American, was joined by Kamal Saleem, another U.S.
citizen, and Zachariah Anani, a Windsor resident. Anani was recently
targeted by Islamist groups, which threatened his life if he spoke at
U-M, according to his representative.
Shoebat and Saleem say they are former members of the Palestine
Liberation Organization, according to their Web site. Shoebat said he
participated in acts of terror against Israel and was later imprisoned in
Jerusalem.
Anani was a teen militia fighter, where he was trained to kill Jews,
according to
www.3xterrorists.com. He says he killed 223 people.
Students opposed to the speakers wearing maize walked out of the event
midway as a way to symbolically to protest the message. Once the 200
students left, scores waiting outside were refused entry.
U-M freshman Kamelya Youssef, who helped organize the symbolic protest,
said if the true intention of Young Americans for Freedom was to improve
the cultural climate on campus, then the group should have worked with
the Muslim and Arab groups.
"This is something that we feel will provoke discrimination, and
this is something that is not going to improve the campus climate,"
she said. One heckler was removed by police, which led to a standing
ovation by the crowd.
Young Americans for Freedom sparked controversy in October when it
sponsored "Catch an Illegal Immigrant." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
MI: PROTESTERS SAY EVENT
PROMOTES INTOLERANCE -
TOP
Lisa Haidostian and Daniel Trump, Michgan Daily, 1/31/07
http://media.www.michigandaily.com/media/storage/paper851/news/2007/01/31/CampusLife/A.Fury.Over.exTerrorists-2687776.shtml
More than 300 people - including both students and non-students -
protested an event last night organized by the University's chapter of
the Young Americans for Freedom called "Terrorism: The World's
Greatest Threat."
Billed as a lecture by three ex-terrorists, the event drew opposition
from several student groups and the Michigan office of the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee.
A large crowd gathered outside of the Rackham Building an hour before the
event's scheduled 7 p.m. start. Flashes of yellow shirts worn by the
protesters showed through the winter coats of many in the crowd.
A half hour before the event, YAF Chair Andrew Boyd shouted "We're
ready!" and the doors to the auditorium opened. The aisles filled
immediately with people in yellow shirts, who had gathered early for the
event.
As the protesters rushed to fill seats, already-seated YAF members stuck
their feet out into the aisles.
After the initial surge, seats continued to fill steadily.
By the time the event began, protesters make up about a quarter of the
audience.
Once the auditorium reached capacity, YAF Vice President Ryan Fantuzzi
took the microphone.
"I ask those who would like to disrupt this event to leave as soon
as possible," he said. "There are many who support peace and
freedom who would like your seat."
But the protesters didn't get up. (MORE)
-----
NC: I'M SAFER IN JORDAN THAN A
PALESTINIAN IN AMERICA -
TOP
David M. DeBartolo, News-Record, 1/31/07
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070131/NEWSREC010201/70131030
As I walked alone onto Salah Eddin Street in Palestinian East Jerusalem
for the first time, just over three years ago, I was afraid. A gangly,
white 22-year-old American, fresh out of college, I could barely speak a
word of Arabic. I had offered to volunteer for an American democracy
promotion organization in East Jerusalem, and now I was looking for the
Palestinian woman who was supposed to show me the way to the office. She
was late.
I frantically scanned the unfamiliar surroundings. I started to get
strange glances from Palestinian passersby. I looked in vain for an
Israeli police officer, just in case I started to attract unwanted
attention. In my mind I reviewed the self-defense tips an Air Force buddy
had given me before I left home.
The woman eventually appeared and showed me how to get to the office. The
next day, she suggested that we visit Ramallah. I wasn't so sure that was
wise. I went anyway. As we crossed the checkpoint into the West Bank, we
got into a minibus shared with several other Palestinian passengers. One
of them asked me, in badly accented English, where I was from. Against my
better judgment, I told the truth and said "America." He smiled
and replied, "Welcome to Palestine." . . .
After hearing about the recent alleged attack on three Palestinian
students at Guilford College, I sincerely believe that I am safer in
Amman and Ramallah than Palestinian students are in America. I am shocked
that my good friend Omar Awartani, the gentle, idealistic and bright
student with whom I played basketball and watched movies in Ramallah, and
two of his friends were allegedly kicked, punched and beaten with brass
knuckles while being called "terrorists" as well as racial
slurs. I am disgusted at the contrast between the way I have been
welcomed as an American in the Middle East, and the experience he had
last week as a Palestinian in America.
I vividly remember how scared I felt the first time I walked into East
Jerusalem and Ramallah. I imagine a Palestinian 18-year-old flying into
JFK alone, heading to a strange college to start a double major in
aerospace and mechanical engineering, might feel the same way I did. In
the current climate, I would not have relished that interview with
customs or trying to explain that particular choice of major to fellow
freshmen. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
MI: UNFAIR DETENTIONS RISE AT
US-CANADA BORDER -
TOP
New America Media, Rashida Tlaib, 2/1/07
http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=245877ee8d23f5a9abc2ed273038fe46
EDITOR'S NOTE: Males of Middle Eastern descent feel humiliated by
Homeland Security agents' practice of summarily detaining, handcuffing
and questioning at the Northern border, reports Rashida Tlaib, advocacy
coordinator of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services
in Detroit, Michigan. IMMIGRATION MATTERS regularly features the views of
the nation's leading immigrant rights advocates.
DETROIT -- Americans of Middle Eastern background are being stopped and
questioned more frequently by Homeland Security agents at the U.S./Canada
border.
Community advocates are noting that a familiar pattern has emerged at the
crossing.
American males of Middle Eastern background in their late 30s are removed
from their vehicles, handcuffed and interrogated for hours. Some report
being dragged out of their cars and handcuffed throughout the
interrogation period.
No reason or apology is given afterwards. Instead, a complaint form is
given out, to be filled and sent to the Department of Homeland Security.
Going through such an ordeal is most disturbing to those traveling with
their spouses and young children.
"My children saw their father being taken away like a
criminal," says Ibrahim Dabdoub, 38, of Maumee, Ohio. Dabdoub has
been detained more than three times as he returned from Canada after
visiting his parents and in-laws in
Windsor.
Most recently, the border patrol officers actually remembered his name
and yet continued to go through the same steps of detention and
interrogation.
"I have never been in trouble with the law," says Dabdoub,
"I have never been arrested. I have a reputation with my family,
close friends and business associates as being a stickler for following
rules and valuing the integrity of the law." (MORE)
---
SOURCE: TAMPA BAY COALITION FOR
JUSTICE AND PEACE -
TOP
Feb. 1, 2007
TAMPA -- Dr. Sami Al-Arian is now on his 11th day of a hunger strike to
protest his continued mistreatment by our government. During this time,
he has already lost 15 pounds. The Tampa-based Friends of Human Rights
began a rolling hunger strike on Monday, and now over 25 people are
participating.
We encourage Dr. Al-Arian's friends and supporters throughout the country
and around the world to join the rolling hunger strike. Those who would
like to participate are asked to please send an e-mail to
tampabayjustice@yahoo.com
with the day they will fast. For more information on why Dr. Al-Arian is
on a hunger strike, please visit:
www.freesamialarian.com
In Tampa, tomorrow, Feb. 2 at 12:30 p.m. Friends of Human Rights will
take the Hunger Strike for Justice to the Federal Courthouse:
Hunger Strike for Justice
Federal Courthouse
801 North Florida Ave., Tampa
Friday, February 2, 2007
12:30 p.m.
Those who would like to send Dr. Al-Arian letters, cards and books (which
must come directly from a publisher or a retailer such as Amazon.com),
can do so at:
Sami Al-Arian (#19638)
Northern Neck Regional Jail
P.O. Box 1060
Warsaw, VA 22572
-----
IRAQ: OFFICIAL LIES OVER
NAJAF BATTLE EXPOSED -
TOP
Dahr Jamail and Ali al-Fadhily, Inter Press Service, 2/1/07
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36391
NAJAF, Jan 31 (IPS) - Iraqi government lies over the killing of hundreds
of Shias in an attack on Sunday stand exposed by independent
investigations carried out by IPS in Iraq.
Conflicting reports had arisen earlier on how and why a huge battle broke
out around the small village Zarqa, located just a few kilometres
northeast of the Shia holy city Najaf, which is 90 km south of
Baghdad.
One thing certain is that when the smoke cleared, more than 200 people
lay dead after more than half a day of fighting Sunday Jan. 28. A U.S.
helicopter was shot down, killing two soldiers. Twenty-five members of
the Iraqi security force were also killed.
"We were going to conduct the usual ceremonies that we conduct every
year when we were attacked by Iraqi soldiers," Jabbar al-Hatami, a
leader of the al-Hatami Shia Arab tribe told IPS.
"We thought it was one of the usual mistakes of the Iraqi army
killing civilians, so we advanced to explain to the soldiers that they
killed five of us for no reason. But we were surprised by more gunfire
from the soldiers." . . .
The fighting took place on the Diwaniya-Najaf road and spread into nearby
date-palm plantations after pilgrims sought refuge there.
"American helicopters participated in the slaughter," Jassim
Abbas, a farmer from the area told IPS. "They were soon there to
kill those pilgrims without hesitation, but they were never there for
helping Iraqis in anything they need. We just watched them getting killed
group by group while trapped in those plantations."
Much of the killing was done by U.S. and British warplanes, eyewitnesses
said. (MORE)
(Ali al-Fadhily is our Baghdad correspondent. Dahr Jamail is our
specialist writer who spent eight months reporting from inside Iraq and
has been covering the Middle East for several years.) (END/2007)
-----
VA: GOODE SAYS HE WOULD GO TO
MUSLIM GATHERING -
TOP
Peter Hardin, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 2/1/07
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149192960711&path=!news&s=1045855934842
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., after meeting with an interfaith
group, has indicated he would accept an invitation to attend a Muslim
gathering.
"I said I would go to a gathering sometime if we could work out the
time. That's nothing new. I've been to Hindu gatherings, I think a
Buddhist gathering; I go to anything that's in my district, and even
outside," Goode, R-5th, said yesterday. He also has met with Muslim
students in a university area, he said.
"We are working on setting up" a chance for Goode to attend a
Muslim gathering or service, said Vince Isner of Charlottesville,
director of FaithfulAmerica, an online program sponsored by the National
Council of Churches.
A delegation of religious leaders, including three Muslims and Isner, met
with Goode recently in his Washington office, Isner said yesterday.
"We . . . felt it would be helpful for Mr. Goode to meet Muslims and
people who understand the importance of all religions in our
country," Isner said.
Goode, in a letter to constituents that caused an uproar late last year,
lamented the influx of Muslims to America and the planned use of the
Quran in a congressional swearing-in re-enactment.
Goode said yesterday that on the day he met with the interfaith
delegation, waiting elsewhere in his office was another group of
citizens, concerned about radical Islam and "the threat it poses to
the world."
-----
NC: NON-MUSLIM STUDENTS
EXPERIENCE A DAY 'BEHIND THE VEIL' -
TOP
Female students participating in social experiment discuss experiences
with a panel of Muslim females
Maggie Luckadoo, Technician Online, 2/1/07
http://media.www.technicianonline.com/media/storage/paper848/news/2007/02/01/News/NonMuslim.Students.Experience.A.Day.behind.The.Veil-2690330.shtml
As participants in "Behind the Veil," 28 non-Muslim female
students learned about life as Muslim women as they wore head dresses, or
hijabs, on Wednesday.
"Behind the Veil," an event Sara Yasin, a junior in textile and
apparel management, said she thought up last summer, invited students to
experience firsthand the life of Muslim women by mirroring their attire
for a day, which includes covering their hair and entire bodies minus
their faces and hands.
Yasin encouraged participants to abide by Muslim guidelines, such as not
eating pork or drinking alcohol when wearing the hijab.
Wednesday evening, the organizers of the event along with a panel of
female Muslim students sat to talk to the participants about past
experiences and impressions from the day.
While one student said she participated "out of sheer
curiosity," Meghan Witzke, a junior in graphic design, said she
participated because she thought it was an interesting concept.
"I didn't get any kind of weird looks [while wearing the
hijab]," she said.
Witzke said she sensed people were looking at her less than when her hair
is uncovered, which she guessed was out of respect.
She said understanding the lives of Muslim women wearing hijabs on a
daily basis could not be achieved without experiencing it
firsthand.
"It doesn't feel like you're hiding yourself," she said.
"It doesn't feel like you're ashamed. It feels like you're
proud." (MORE)
-----
IL NE FAUT PAS "RAMPER" DIT LA MAIRESSE DE QU�BEC -
TOP
Le Journal de Qu�bec, 1/16/2007
http://www2.canoe.com/infos/quebeccanada/archives/2007/01/20070116-064906.html
["People can put a handkerchief on their head. I do not have a
problem with that. But women will not work veiled at the city hall of
Quebec (City) as long as I am there," said Andr�e Boucher.]
Mme Andr�e Boucher, la mairesse de Qu�bec, estime que c'est aux minorit�s
de faire le plus d'efforts.
"Les gens qui viennent ici avec des croyances diff�rentes des n�tres
doivent s'ajuster. Il va falloir faire attention � ce qu'avec les
accommodements raisonnables, on n'en vienne pas � ramper purement et
simplement", a soulign� la mairesse. . .
"Les gens peuvent se mettre un mouchoir sur la t�te. Je n'ai pas de
probl�me avec �a. Mais les femmes ne travailleront pas voil�es � l'h�tel
de ville de Qu�bec tant que j'y serai", a soutenu Andr�e
Boucher.
FREE TRANSLATION
http://www.google.com/language_tools
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OK OFFICER FIRED AFTER INCIDENT INVOLVING MUSLIM
WOMAN
Arkansas woman questioned about decision to become a
Muslim
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/1/07) - The Council on American-Islamic
Relations (
CAIR) announced today that
one Oklahoma police officer has been relieved of his duties and another
has been demoted after an incident involving a Muslim woman.
The woman, who lives in Arkansas and wears a religiously-mandated
headscarf, reported that she was inappropriately interrogated about her
faith after being stopped for a minor traffic violation in Webbers Falls,
Okla., in November 2006. She was allegedly asked if she had any
connection to the "guy who flew the plane into the building"
and was questioned extensively about her decision to become a Muslim.
(The woman is of European heritage and is a convert to Islam.)
According to the Muslim woman, she was asked twice whether she had a
Quran, Islam's revealed text, in her car. When one of the officers
searched the trunk of the woman's car, he allegedly shouted, "Look
what I found," when he discovered a book with Arabic
script.
Following the intervention of CAIR's Civil Rights Department, city
officials sent a letter of apology to the Muslim woman stating:
"(One officer) has been terminated for his actions, and the Board
has demoted (the other officer), until further notice." (CAIR is
withholding the names of the officers due to privacy concerns.)
"We thank city officials for taking appropriate actions to resolve
this disturbing incident," said
CAIR Civil Rights Manager Khadija
Athman. "Police officers have a duty to protect the public, but
they do not have the right to go beyond their constitutional authority in
questioning a suspect."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 2/2/07
*
Hadith:
Fairness and Justice
*
CAIR Position Announcement Ad:
Chief Operating Officer
*
CAIR-CA:
Muslims and
Jews Build Bridges of Understanding
-
CAIR-Orlando:
'Know Your Rights'
Workshop
*
CAIR-MI Rep Discusses
Islam's Position on Terrorism
-
Video: CAIR-FL Rep Speaks
about Islam at Church
*
NJ:
Rep. Pascrell's
Statement on Threats to Muslim Leaders
*
NY:
Five Charged in
Beating of NY Muslim (Newsday)
-
CAIR-CA:
Mosque Burned in
Saturday Morning Fires
*
GA:
US Mayor Converts to Islam
(AP)
-
GA:
Mayor Converts to
Islam, Wants Name Change
*
IL:
Two Men
Acquitted of Conspiracy to Fund Hamas (Wash Post)
-
CAIR-Chicago:
Mosque Cheers Salah
Verdict (Chicago Trib)
*
TX:
Detention of Palestinian
Children Draws Criticism (Dallas MN)
*
NJ:
Corrections Officer Fired for
Being Muslim?
-
CAIR:
Police Officers
Punished for Alleged Harassment (AP)
*
NJ:
Mental Care
Providers Learn to Understand Muslim Patients
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The just and fair
will be seated on chairs of light before God. Such people are those who
decide with justice and deal justly in matters relating to their families
and other affairs entrusted to them."
Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 650
VERSE OF THE DAY: MUTUAL CONSULTATION
"And (remember that) whatever you are given (now) is but for the
(passing) enjoyment of life in this world - whereas that which is with
God is far better and more enduring. (It shall be given) to those who
believe and put trust in their Lord…and whose rule (in all matters of
common concern) is by mutual consultation.
The Holy Quran, 42:36-38
-----
CAIR POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT AD -
TOP
Chief Operating Officer
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is seeking applicants
for the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO). In this highly
empowered position, you will have comprehensive organization-wide
management responsibilities. You will manage and oversee the work of all
departments at the Washington, DC office of CAIR. You will build,
organize and manage a staff-team working to realize the mission of CAIR.
Your responsibilities will include but not be limited to:
1. Developing and implementing CAIR's annual strategic and action plans
in various areas of activism such as civil rights, media, education,
government relations.
2. Streamlining the operational relationships between CAIR National and
its affiliates across the country.
3. Reporting periodically to the Board of Directors and the Executive
Director on progress on the action plan, the strategic plan and on the
state of the organization.
Qualifications: Candidates should possess a bachelor's degree or a
master's degree with background in social or management sciences. Three
to five years of relevant experience is required, preferably with a
non-profit and/or an advocacy type organization. Additional
qualifications include:
1. Demonstrated ability to manage a diverse group of people.
2. Excellent communication, presentation and interpersonal skills
3. Willingness to travel.
Compensation and Benefits: Compensation commensurate with qualifications
and experience. CAIR offers competitive compensation for well qualified
candidates. CAIR also offers an excellent benefits package which includes
health, dental and life insurance and an employer-matched 401(k)
plan.
To apply: Please submit resume and cover letter to:
jobs@cair.com
CAIR is a non-profit grassroots civil rights and advocacy group. CAIR is
the largest Islamic civil liberties group with offices across U.S. and
Canada. CAIR's mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage
dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build
coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
-----
CAIR-SAN DIEGO: MUSLIMS, JEWS
BUILD BRIDGES OF UNDERSTANDING -
TOP
(SAN DIEGO, CA, 2/2/07) - Local Muslims recently visited Congregation
Beth El in La Jolla, Calif., as part of a series of dialogue meetings
between Jewish and Muslim groups designed to explore each other's
religious traditions.
CAIR-San Diego Public Relations Director Edgar Hopida was among the
delegation of Muslims invited to dialogue with Senior Rabbi Philip
Graubart and members of his congregation.
"We welcome the continued dialogue between the Muslim and Jewish
communities and hope this effort helps build bridges of understanding and
respect between to the two faith groups," said Hopida.
CONTACT: Edgar Hopida, Tel: 858-278-4547 or 619-913-0719, E-mail:
ehopida@cair.com
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-ORLANDO: 'KNOW YOUR RIGHTS'
WORKSHOP -
TOP
The Islamic Society of Brevard County (Melbourne Masjid) and the Council
on American-Islamic Relations-Orlando Present:
WHAT: Know Your Rights Workshop. Learn ways to be proactive in protecting
civil rights and empowering the community.
WHO: Atif Fareed, chairman of CAIR-Florida and Sabiha Khan, executive
director of CAIR-Orlando
WHEN: Friday, February 2, 2007, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Melbourne Masjid, 550 E. Florida Ave, Melbourne, FL
CONTACT: CAIR-Orlando, Tel: (407) 649-1660
-----
CAIR-MI: ISLAM'S POSITION ON
TERRORISM -
TOP
(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 2/2/07) - The Michigan chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) yesterday gave a presentation about
Islam's position on terrorism at the Michigan State University Law
College in East Lansing.
The hour-long presentation included clarification of meaning of
"jihad" as well as providing textual basis for Islam's
prohibition of torture, attacks on civilians and suicide
bombings.
Some 50 people, including Michigan State University faculty, professors
and students took part in the event.
"We welcome opportunities such as this to promote diversity and to
clarify misconceptions about our faith," said CAIR-MI Executive
Director Dawud Walid.
CONTACT: Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, E-mail:
dwalid@cair.com
SEE ALSO:
VIDEO: CAIR-FL REP SPEAKS ABOUT
ISLAM AT CHURCH -
TOP
(TAMPA, FL, 2/2/07) - CAIR Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier spoke
about the true nature of Islam at a United Methodist Church in Tampa,
Fla. Bedier outlined an introduction to Islam while explaining selected
verses in the Quran. Bedier also discussed misconceptions about jihad and
other stereotypes.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
http://www.cairfl.org/ViewArticle.asp?Code=PR&ArticleID=745
-----
REP. PASCRELL'S STATEMENT ON
THREATENING MESSAGES SENT TO MUSLIM LEADERS IN NJ -
TOP
For Immediate Release
February 1, 2007
For Information Contact: Caley Gray (973) 523-5152
U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) today released the following
statement in response to threatening messages sent to Muslim leaders
throughout the state;
"The reprehensible threats made to Muslim leaders throughout our
state must be handled by federal and local law enforcement with the
utmost seriousness. There is no doubt in my mind that the threats were
acts of hate intended to instill fear in the Muslim community. I join my
friends in the Muslim community as we call for the highest level of
security for the victims of these dangerous messages. Together we stand
in unity against the perpetrators of such awful crimes."
SEE: NEW JERSEY IMAMS RECEIVE THREATENING LETTERS
http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=2556&theType=NR
-----
NY: FIVE CHARGED IN BEATING -
TOP
Bill Mason, Newsday, 2/2/07
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nybeat025076844feb02,0,7248145.story
Five Orthodox Jewish teens were indicted for an October hate crime attack
in Brooklyn against a Muslim immigrant from Pakistan, the district
attorney's office said yesterday.
Shulomi Bitton, Yossi Friedman, Benjamin Wasserman and two juveniles are
charged with second-degree gang assault and third-degree menacing, Kings
County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes said in a prepared
statement.
Muslim leaders around the country characterized the attack against Shahid
Amber, 24, in the Midwood section of Brooklyn on Oct. 29, as an example
of growing anti-Muslim sentiment in America. The attack against Amber
came 10 days after Alia Ansari, 38, an Afghan-born mother of six, was
shot and killed while walking down a Fremont, Calif., street wearing a
traditional Muslim head scarf. There were no arrests in that incident,
but some Muslim leaders believe she was targeted because of her
nationality or faith.
Amber was outside a Dunkin' Donuts shop eating ice cream when he was
approached by a group of teens who began taunting him, using profanity
and calling him a terrorist, published reports said. He was thrown
against a wall, punched and kicked, suffering a broken nose, black eyes
and other injuries.
The district attorney's office's Civil Rights Bureau will prosecute the
cases against Bitton, Friedman and Wasserman. If convicted, they face a
maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The two juveniles' cases will be
handled in Family Court.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CA: MOSQUE BURNED IN SATURDAY
MORNING FIRES -
TOP
Aaron Aupperlee, Desert Dispatch, 2/2/07
http://www.desertdispatch.com/2006/117042864929267.html
On Saturday morning, the sheriff's department and fire crews from the
area responded multiple fires in Yermo, one at the Beanery, an old Union
Pacific building, and one on property owned by Ali Mohammed. The fire
destroyed buildings, one of which the local Muslim community used as a
mosque.
"I don't know if it's a hate crime or not," Mohammed said.
"I hope it's not a hate crime."
The fire on Mohammed's property destroyed three buildings, a two-bedroom
unit, a fourbedroom unit and a garage. The garage served as a temporary
mosque until renovations finished on one of the other units, Mohammed
said. During holidays, Mohammed said 150 to 200 people would come to the
mosque to worship. Worshipers prayed at the mosque on Friday evening, he
said, the day before the fire destroyed it.
Deputies arrested two men in connection with the fires. Loren Jesse
Clark, 18, of Yermo, was arraigned on Tuesday on two counts of felony
arson. He pleaded not guilty to both counts. The sheriff's department has
identified the other suspect as a 16-year-old male. He was cited for
arson and released to his mother, according to the sheriff's report. His
name was not released. . .
Munira Syeda, the communications coordinator for the Southern
California Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
previously lived in the High Desert and worked as a reporter for the
Desert Dispatch. She described the Barstow and Yermo communities as
communities welcoming of people from everywhere. This incident does not
reflect the broader community, she said.
"We hope that this is just a case of random arson and it's not a
targeted case of arson," Syeda said. "Our response as a
community at large should be to continue to show unity and to completely
reject those elements who try to spread discord by inciting bigotry and
Islamophobia."
Syeda cited a recent Gallop poll that reported that 39 percent of
respondents held some prejudice against Muslims, and the same percentage
thought Muslims should carry identification cards to prevent further
terrorists attacks in the United States. She added that 22 percent of the
respondents would not want Muslims as neighbors.
She said looking at these statistics is a concern for Muslim-Americans.
There are between 6 and 7 million Muslims in America, she said.
"To an extent, there is still prejudice out there against
Muslims," she said. "We hope that we can overcome that."
(MORE)
-----
US MAYOR CONVERTS TO ISLAM -
TOP
Associated Press, 2/2/07
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/02/america/NA-GEN-US-Mayor-Islam.php
MACON, Ga. - Macon Mayor Jack Ellis has converted to Islam and is now
working to legally change his name to Hakim Mansour Ellis.
Ellis, who was raised Christian, said Thursday that he became a Sunni
Muslim during a December ceremony in the west African nation of
Senegal.
Ellis said he has been studying the Quran for years and that his new
religion was originally practiced by his ancestors before they were
brought to North America as slaves.
[
SEE:
The Founding
Fathers and Islam]
"Why does one become a Christian?" Ellis said. "You do it
because it feels right. It's the right thing for you to do. ... To me
it's no big deal. But people like to know what you believe in. And this
is what I believe in."
At the request of his two of his daughters, Ellis said he will keep his
last name the same.
Ellis has not ruled out future runs for elected office after his term
expires this year. But he said he had not made any calculations for how
his religious conversion might affect him politically. He said he is an
American first and is proud to live in a country founded on religious
freedom.
Muslims should not be painted with a broad brush simply because of a few
radicals, he said.
"If anybody wants to know about Islam, I can hold an intelligent
conversation," Ellis said. "What I've found is how little we
know about the religion."
SEE ALSO:
GA: ELLIS SAYS HE'S CONVERTED
TO ISLAM AND WANTS NAME CHANGE -
TOP
Matt Barnwell, Macon Telegraph, 2/1/07
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/16600441.htm
Macon Mayor Jack Ellis has converted to Islam and is working to legally
change his name to Hakim Mansour Ellis.
The mayor, raised as a Christian, said Thursday that he has been studying
the Koran for years and made the religious switch at a December ceremony
in the country of Senegal on the western African coast. Ellis is now a
Sunni Muslim, having chosen a religion he said was originally practiced
by his west African ancestors before they were brought to America by
slave traders.
Ellis said his decision was a personal one, though he understands his
elected position breeds public interest in his choice. It was not
something he decided overnight to do, he said.
"Why does one become a Christian? ... You do it because it feels
right. It's the right thing for you to do. ... To me it's no big deal.
But people like to know what you believe in. And this is what I believe
in."
-----
IL: TWO MEN ACQUITTED
OF CONSPIRACY TO FUND HAMAS ACTIVITIES IN ISRAEL -
TOP
Dan Eggen, Washington Post, 2/2/07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/01/AR2007020101377.html
A federal jury in Chicago acquitted two men yesterday of charges that
they were part of a long-running conspiracy to finance Hamas activities
in Israel -- marking the latest defeat for the Justice Department in
cases involving support for radical Palestinian groups.
Abdelhaleem Ashqar, 48, a former Howard University professor who lives in
Springfield, and Muhammad Salah, 53, a former grocer from suburban
Chicago, were found not guilty of racketeering conspiracy. The charge was
the most serious allegation against them and could have drawn life
sentences for each.
But the two men were found guilty of lesser charges: Ashqar was convicted
of obstruction of justice and criminal contempt for refusing to testify
in front of a grand jury, while Salah was convicted of obstruction for
providing false answers in a civil lawsuit.
The case provides the latest example of the serious difficulties faced by
the Justice Department in its attempts to prosecute supporters of radical
Palestinian organizations. In the Chicago case, prosecutors faced the
additional challenge of trying to punish activities that occurred before
Hamas was declared a terrorist organization by the U.S. government in
1995.
Salah, a U.S. citizen, was accused of helping funnel hundreds of
thousands of dollars to militant groups in the West Bank and Gaza. He was
captured by the Israelis with $100,000 in cash in 1993 and allegedly
confessed to being a military commander in Hamas. Ashqar was alleged to
have helped launder money and facilitate communications for
Hamas.
Neither man denied that he helped move money for Palestinian causes. But
both said what they did was aimed at helping the Palestinian people and
not to promote terrorism. In addition, Salah said his confession was the
result of torture by Israeli officials.
In Chicago yesterday, the defendants and their attorneys immediately
characterized the verdicts as a victory and said they showed that the
government had overreached by trying to punish legitimate opposition to
Israeli policies. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CHICAGO: BRIDGEVIEW MOSQUE CHEERS SALAH
VERDICT -
TOP
Lolly Bowean and Gerry Doyle, Chicago Tribune, 2/2/07
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0702020186feb02,1,4364373.story
Moments after learning that Muhammad Salah was cleared Thursday afternoon
of federal charges of helping to fund terrorism, Abubakr Meah rushed out
of the Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview grinning and waving a thumbs-up to
a passing vehicle.
The driver honked his horn and waved in approval. Standing next to Meah,
Allaa Daoud sent out text messages to friends and family from his mobile
phone.
"Verdict is out: he's innocent. Alhamdulillah," read the
message, which ended with the Arabic phrase for "thank
God."
"After 9/11, there has been a lot of looking at us Muslims,"
Meah said. "This verdict gives us hope. It means our voices can be
heard. We can have justice."
That evening, Salah came to a celebration in the mosque, which was
attended by at least 300 people. . .
The
Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
issued a statement Thursday evening in support of the Salah
family.
"We hope that the suffering of the Salah family is over. We also
hope that the `terrorism' label be reserved in the future for those found
guilty of that charge in an open and fair trail administered in a
respected court of law," the group said. (MORE)
-----
TX: FAMILY CAN'T STAY, CAN'T GO -
TOP
U.S. detention of local Palestinians' children draws criticism
Paul Meyer and Frank Trejo, Dallas Morning News, 2/1/07
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-palfamily_01met.ART.North.Edition1.2988a96.html
Four years ago, members of the Ibrahim family sat in a Dallas immigration
courtroom and calmly cataloged the years of violence in their Palestinian
village: the deaths of children, the bombs and beatings. But now, denied
asylum and confined for a third consecutive month inside a pair of Texas
detention centers, they just want to go home.
Any home, in any country, will do. Even if it means returning to the land
they fled.
So far, however, Salaheddin Ibrahim, his pregnant wife, Hanan, and four
of their five children remain in a legal and geopolitical limbo. And
their plight has drawn sharp criticism from civil rights activists and
intensified debate about the decision to detain immigrant children in a
facility near Austin.
The Ibrahims were denied asylum and ordered deported in 2003 before being
apprehended at their Richardson apartment during a November immigration
raid.
But they have been unable to secure the right to cross into their
Palestinian homeland through Jordan or Israel, their attorneys say,
leaving them with no place to go. Lawyers have sent letters to 54
countries, including the Vatican, asking each to accept the family. They
have also planned a series of legal challenges, many to be filed this
week, to win their release. (MORE)
-----
NJ: FIRED FOR BEING A MUSLIM? -
TOP
N.J. Corrections Officer Claims Humiliation by Co-Workers
Brendan Keefe, CBS 2, 2/2/07
http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_033020516.html
A case of locker room ribbing and flat out abuse of power, that's what a
New Jersey corrections officer said is exactly what his colleagues did to
him -- all because of his Muslim faith.
One image shows the body of a camel with the head of a Passaic County
corrections officer and a turban taped over it.
Another shows that officer's face edited into a picture of Osama bin
Laden.
"(I was) portrayed as a terrorist or a camel, or just not good
enough," said fire corrections officer Tamir Kozrosh.
A five-year department veteran, Kozrosh said fellow corrections officers
posted the doctored photographs on the command center bulletin board
inside the Passaic County Jail.
He said after a year of abuse and discrimination against Muslims by the
Passaic County Sheriff's Office he decided to hire an attorney and file a
formal complaint.
Kozrosh got an immediate response from the sheriff's office, but not the
one he was hoping for. He said two lieutenants and two detectives from
Internal Affairs showed up on his doorstep demanding his shield and
identification, and told him he was being fired for not cooperating with
the investigation into the complaint he filed.
"I asked them directly, 'by whose order are you coming here on?' and
he told me from the sheriff," said Aslan Soobzokov, Kozrosh's
attorney.
Said Kozrosh: "I really kept my mouth shut in fear of retaliation,
in fear of being terminated at my job. And my worst fears came true being
that that day I was terminated."
Born and raised in Passaic, Kozrosh always dreamed of serving the county
as a patrol officer. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: POLICE OFFICERS
PUNISHED FOR ALLEGED HARASSMENT -
TOP
Sean Murphy, Associated Press, 2/1/07
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/02/01/news/020207okofficerspunished.txt
OKLAHOMA CITY -- A police officer in the small eastern Oklahoma town of
Webbers Falls was fired and another was demoted after a Muslim woman
claimed they harassed her about her religion during a traffic stop in
November, a town official confirmed Thursday.
The town's council members agreed to fire officer James Wagoner and
demote Capt. Joe Garrett after a complaint was filed against them by
Nadiah Yusuf, a kindergarten teacher from Little Rock.
The actions against the two officers were detailed in a letter council
members sent to Yusuf. A copy of the letter was obtained by The
Associated Press. Councilman Richard Cude confirmed the actions.
"That's what we agreed on at the last council meeting," Cude
said. "If they did wrong, I think they should be
punished."
Yusuf, a Muslim who was wearing a hijab, or head scarf, said she was
stopped for speeding along Interstate 40 on Nov. 4 while returning from a
teacher's conference in Tulsa, Okla. Five colleagues were in the car with
Yusuf.
She claimed Garrett and Wagoner repeatedly questioned her about her
religion and Garrett asked her if she had any connection to the "guy
who flew the plane into the building."
Yusuf, 36, said the officers also questioned her about whether there was
a Quran, Islam's holy book, in her car.
One of the officers shouted, "Look what I found," when he
discovered a book with Arabic script in the car, Yusuf said.
"I was very nervous, because I felt they were badgering me and
didn't know what to say," Yusuf said. "One had his hand on his
gun the whole time. We all thought they were going to take us to jail. It
was a very frightening, traumatic experience." . . .
Officials with the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, a
Washington-based Islamic civil liberties group, said they were
pleased with the town's actions.
"We thank city officials for taking appropriate actions to resolve
this disturbing incident," said
Khadija Athman, a CAIR civil
rights manager. "Police officers have a duty to protect the
public, but they do not have the right to go beyond their constitutional
authority in questioning a suspect."
In nearby Muskogee, Okla., in 2003, the school district suspended an
11-year-old Muslim girl for wearing a head scarf to school. A lawsuit was
filed on the girl's behalf, and the district agreed to pay an undisclosed
amount of money and change its dress code to allow students to wear
religious headgear. (MORE)
-----
NJ: MENTAL CARE PROVIDERS
LEARN HOW TO UNDERSTAND MUSLIM PATIENTS -
TOP
Samantha Henry, Herald News, 2/2/07
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2MTAmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcwNjk2MDUmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkz
PATERSON -- Ancient. Clannish. Observant. Diverse. Exotic. Rehan Seyam
wrote each answer down after asking her audience to free-associate on the
term Arab-American.
The exercise was part of an awareness training called "working with
the Arab-American community" at Barnert Hospital on Thursday,
conducted by Seyam, who works there part-time as a mental health
clinician.
"These are families often brought from cultures where it's taboo to
discuss mental health," Seyam told the audience of mostly mental
health professionals. "If it's taboo to discuss mental health or
divorce, you can imagine how hard it is to discuss
depression."
Seyam, 25, of Parsippany, grew up in New Jersey and became one of the few
Arab-American, Muslim mental health professionals in the state. Besides
her work as a therapist, she tries to improve understanding of
Arab-Americans among non-Arab practitioners, and to persuade
Arab-American and Muslim clients that seeking therapy for mental health
issues is not shameful.
Thursday's session began with Seyam clarifying some common
misconceptions: not all Arabs are Muslim, she reminded the audience, and
not all Muslims are Arab. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 2/5/07
*
Hadith:
Do Not Create Hatred
*
CAIR-St. Louis:
FBI,
ICE, CIS to Meet with Muslim Community
*
Video:
CAIR Rep on
Sunni-Shia Relations in U.S. (CNN)
-
Arabic Video:
CAIR Rep on NC Assault
(Al-Jazeera)
*
Muslim Culture Focus of
Law-Enforcement Video (Wash Times)
-
CAIR-CAN:
Arar Apology
an Opportunity (Jurist)
-
CA:
Juror's Anti-Muslim Comments
Downplayed (Sac Bee)
-
FL:
Torture at Issue in Terror
Case (Sun-Sentinel)
*
CAIR-NJ:
Death Threats to
Muslims Reported
-
CAIR-CA Congratulates New
Monterey County Bishop
-
CAIR-CA:
El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz
Scholarships
*
FL:
Muslim School at
'Dead End' in Code Fight (Orlando Sent)
-
GA:
Mayor's Conversion
to Islam Gets a Broad Response
-
TN:
Olive Tree Seeks to Inform
Public of Muslims, Islam
*
CA:
Silencing Critics Not Way
to Middle East Peace (SF Chron)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: DO NOT CREATE HATRED -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Make things easy and
convenient and don't make them harsh and difficult. Give cheer and glad
tidings and do not create hatred."
Riyadh us-Saleheen Volume 1:637
-----
CAIR-ST. LOUIS: FBI, ICE, CIS
TO MEET WITH MUSLIM COMMUNITY -
TOP
(MANCHESTER, MO, 2/5/07) - On February 9th, the St. Louis chapter of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-St. Louis) and the Adult
Education Committee of the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis will
host a town hall meeting with representatives of the FBI, U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE).
WHEN: Friday, February 9, 2007, 6:15 p.m. (After Maghreb prayers)
WHERE: Daar-ul-Islam Masjid, 517 Weidman Road, St. Louis, MO
CONTACT: CAIR-St. Louis President Kamal Yassin, E-Mail:
director@cair-stlouis.org,
636-207-8882 or 314-477-8407; Dr. Gulten Ilhan,
gilhan@stlcc.edu
-----
VIDEO: CAIR REP ON SUNNI-SHIA
RELATIONS IN U.S. (CNN) -
TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jgti1wvE5ac
SEE ALSO:
ARABIC VIDEO: CAIR REP DISCUSSES ASSAULT ON NC
PALESTINIAN STUDENTS -
TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsDp-Fx3ZKg
-----
ARAB, MUSLIM CULTURES FOCUS OF
LAW-ENFORCEMENT VIDEO -
TOP
Audrey Hudson, Washington Times, 2/5/07
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070204-112640-1726r.htm
An Arab man is being questioned by law-enforcement officers and suddenly
becomes uncooperative and refuses to make eye contact. Suspicious
behavior or a clash of cultures?
The latter, according to a new training DVD that will be distributed to
nearly 200,000 Homeland Security employees. A panel of Arab and Muslim
scholars shown in the training video said it's a misconception that the
action is evasive -- Arab culture considers it impolite to
stare.
"The times in which we live, I think it is very important that all
Americans understand Islam -- for law enforcement, it can be a matter of
life and death," said Akbar Ahmed, professor of international
relations at American University and one panelist in the video.
"Take the security aspects of 9/11. All 19 hijackers and terrorists:
Muslims. American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan: Muslim nations. The
most-wanted people on the terror list: Osama bin Laden and [Abu Musab]
Zarqawi: Muslims."
Mr. Ahmed said Muslims are also supporters and allies of the U.S., and
that "it is important at this stage in history to understand
Islam."
Daniel Sutherland, Homeland Security's officer for civil rights and civil
liberties, said in an interview that the DVD is intended to provide
instructions on protecting the nation, not political appeasement of any
one group. He said training is also offered for dealing with the
handicapped at airport security, and in dealing with the Amish
population, which does not use photo identification. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CAN: APOLOGIZING TO
MAHER ARAR: A BEGINNING, NOT AN END -
TOP
Faisal Kutty, Jurist, 2/5/07
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forumy/2007/02/apologizing-to-maher-arar-beginning-not.php
JURIST Special Guest Columnist Faisal Kutty, vice-chair and counsel to
the
Canadian Council on American Islamic Relations and a doctoral
candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School York University in Toronto where he
also practices law, says that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's
apology to Maher Arar provides a unique opportunity to address the
erosion of civil and human rights in Canada's own "War on
Terror"...
"My priority right now is to clear my name," said Maher Arar
during his first public appearance in 2003 upon his return after being
tortured for over a year in Syria. The Canadian Arar Commission findings
which cleared him and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's recent
apology - which came after months of negotiations -- go a long way in
helping Arar fulfill his first wish, even though some believe the apology
did not go far enough (Harper apologized "for any role Canadian
officials may have played", while the Commission squarely blamed
Canadian and American officials).
The Syrian-born Arar was detained by U.S. authorities on September 26,
2002, during a stopover in New York en route from Tunisia to Canada. The
Canadian citizen was subsequently sent to Syria for torture under the
controversial American practice of "extraordinary rendition"
even though he had repeatedly requested that he be sent to Canada. He was
eventually released and returned to Canada in October 2003 after Canada
put pressure on Syria.
According to the inquiry called after public outcry in Canada, U.S.
Immigration and Naturalization Service agents acted on false and
misleading information supplied by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP). The comprehensive inquiry which lasted more than two years was
headed by Ontario's Associate Chief Justice and cost the public purse
more than $16 million. The Commission findings paved the way for the
Prime Minister's formal apology to Arar on behalf of the Canadian
government and an offer of $10.5 million plus legal fees to a settle a
lawsuit launched by Arar.
Canada's top cop, RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli, resigned as a
result of the Maher Arar controversy.
Meanwhile, American authorities are refusing Canada's request to purge
Arar's name from U.S. watch lists. His inclusion on U.S. lists
effectively excludes Arar from at least one third of the world's nations,
according to his lawyers. U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate
Judiciary Committee Patrick Leahy has threatened to hold extensive
hearings into Arar's case, lambasting the US's removal of Arar to Syria
as absurd and outrageous and noting that instead of sending Arar a
"couple of hundred miles to Canada and turned over to the Canadian
authorities... he was sent thousands of miles away to Syria." He has
called for the U.S. to apologize to Arar as well.
Arar and his wife, Monia Mazig, are true champions and will push this
matter as far as they can - hopefully getting a
"terrorism-free" stamp from U.S. officials through the courts
eventually. In addition to the Canadian lawsuit which was just settled,
Arar has launched a separate lawsuit against American authorities. The
U.S. suit revolves around the practice of his deportation to certain
torture. (MORE)
---
CA: ATTORNEYS DOWNPLAY COMMENTS BY
JUROR -
TOP
Denny Walsh, Sacramento Bee, 2/4/07
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/118205.html
Federal prosecutors said Saturday there is little or no evidence to
support allegations of juror misconduct in a motion for a new trial of a
Lodi man convicted of terrorist activity.
Misconduct claims on behalf of Hamid Hayat are barred by rules of
evidence, cannot be substantiated, actually describe proper conduct, or
describe conduct not harmful to Hayat, prosecutors maintain in a 187-page
brief opposing a new trial.
In their October motion, defense attorneys cite a statement by juror
Alicia Lopez that jury foreman Joseph Cote made a "hangman
gesture" and once said "hang him" in discussions with
other jurors during the trial.
"These bare bone allegations, on their face, are vague and ambiguous
and do not constitute substantial evidence that (Cote) was actually
biased against the defendant," wrote prosecutors S. Robert
Tice-Raskin and Laura Ferris in the opposition brief.
Defense attorneys also cited statements by jurors Lopez and Theresa
Berkeley-Simmons that Cote used racial slurs during the trial, including
his opinion that Pakistanis or Muslims all "look alike" if
dressed the same.
Hayat is a U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent. (MORE)
---
FL: TORTURE AT ISSUE IN TERROR CASE -
TOP
Vanessa Blum, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 2/4/07
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-ctorture0feb04,0,6687355.story
For 1,307 days, the U.S. military held terror suspect Jose Padilla in a 9
foot by 7 foot cell in a South Carolina Navy brig.
His captors deprived him of sleep, Padilla's lawyers say. They chained
him in painful positions, injected him with mind-altering drugs, and left
him in maddening isolation.
So damaged is Padilla by his treatment, his lawyers contend, that he is
no longer mentally fit to stand trial. While prosecutors vigorously deny
the torture claims, his lawyers argue he should not be
prosecuted.
In many ways, the legal wrangling in Padilla's case echoes the larger
moral and political debate over interrogation techniques in the war on
terror that has played out nationwide since Sept. 11.
What is torture? What are the rights of individuals suspected of ties to
al Qaida? Is it acceptable to detain U.S. citizens, like Padilla, outside
the criminal justice system in the name of national security?
To many legal scholars and human rights advocates, what happens next in
Padilla's case matters far more than the jury's ultimate
verdict.
"If everything that Padilla alleges the government did to him is
true, it's hard to imagine a prosecution could go forward that is not
tainted," said Elisa Massimino, Washington, D.C. director of Human
Rights First.
Padilla, 36, a former Broward resident, was arrested in May 2002 at
Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. He was pronounced an "enemy
combatant" and imprisoned by the military for 31/2 years without
charges.
In the brig, the government created a universe of isolation and
deprivation designed to break the accused al Qaida "dirty
bomber," his lawyers say. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-NJ: DEATH THREATS TO MUSLIMS
REPORTED -
TOP
FBI asked to investigate hate letters
Jennifer H. Cunningham, Herald News, 2/2/07
http://www.northjersey.com/
Several prominent New Jersey Muslim leaders, including a Clifton attorney
and an imam from a Paterson mosque, have received letters threatening
their lives, according to the
Washington, D.C.-based Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
The three letters, one of which was sent to Imam Zaman at the Muslim
Center of Middlesex County in Piscataway stated, "You worship the
Devil Allah, who has brought death, destruction and hatred upon my
country. You must now DIE!! DEATH TO ALL OF YOU!!!," said
CAIR
communications director Afsheen Shamsi. The center also received
several threatening phone calls around the time the letter was
received.
"The FBI said because there were three similar letters, they believe
that it is from the same person," Shamsi said Thursday.
The names of the recipients in Paterson and Clifton were not available
Thursday.
"We call on the FBI and local law enforcement authorities to
classify these threats as hate crimes and to take every measure possible
to ensure the safety of those targeted," Shamsi said in a news
release.
The FBI did not return a call for comment Thursday. Rep. Bill Pascrell
Jr. called the threats "reprehensible" and added the letters
were intended to instill fear in the Muslim community.
"I join my friends in the Muslim community as we call for the
highest level of security for the victims of these dangerous
messages," he said in statement Thursday. "Together, we stand
in unity against the perpetrators of such awful crimes."
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CA CONGRATULATES RICHARD
GARCIA ON HIS APPOINTMENT AS BISHOP -
TOP
(SACRAMENTO, CA, 2/5/2007) - The California chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) today congratulated Richard Garcia
on his appointment as Bishop of the Diocese of Monterey, California. In a
multilingual ceremony this week, the Diocese of Monterey officially
installed the fourth bishop in its 40-year history.
"Bishop Richard Garcia is an advocate for justice and man of strong
faith," said CAIR-SV Executive Director Basim Elkarra. "Bishop
Garcia will be greatly missed in Sacramento and we will continue in
strengthening our relationship with the Diocese."
Garcia, the former auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Sacramento, is the
second Latino now serving as a bishop in California. Bishop Garcia is a
native of San Francisco and a graduate of Saint Joseph and Saint Patrick
grammar schools and seminaries.
CONTACT: CAIR-SV Executive Director Basim Elkarra, 916-441-6269, E-mail:
sacval@cair.com
---
CAIR SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR MALCOLM X
SCHOLARSHIPS -
TOP
(SACRAMENTO, CA, 2/5/07) - The Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council
on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SV) is seeking applicants for five
$1,000 "El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X)"
scholarships.
Eligibility:
* Currently enrolled high school seniors who are eligible to attend a two
or four-year college, university, or vocational/technical school.
* A resident of the Greater Sacramento Valley
Requirements:
Applicants must be submit a personal statement that provides information
about their community involvement, career goals and desire to contribute
to their community. Information about unique, personal or financial
circumstances may be added. Personal statements must not be more than two
pages in length.
The application deadline for the scholarship is February 15th,
2007.
To obtain an application form, e-mail:
sacval@cair.com, with the following
information: Name, School, City, Contact Number
CONTACT: CAIR-SV Executive Director Basim Elkarra, 916-441-6269, E-mail:
sacval@cair.com
-----
FL: MUSLIM SCHOOL AT 'DEAD
END' IN CODE FIGHT -
TOP
Orange closes portables, so children must stay home until new building is
ready
Babita Persaud, Orlando Sentinel, 2/4/07
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-muslimschool0407feb04,0,7789846.story
A hundred Muslim students are out of school as their administrators
squabble with Orange County code enforcement over staying in portables
until their $2.3 million building is finished.
"We have 100 kids here with nowhere to go," said Imam Tariq
Rasheed of the Islamic Center of Orlando.
Buena Vista Muslim Academy, on 7 acres owned by the Islamic Center, has
until Monday to remove five portables on its property at 11543 Ruby Lake
Road in the Lake Buena Vista area.
The elementary school has been operating out of portables for nearly
seven years -- its whole existence.
It is opening a two-story, 27,000-square-foot facility, which is being
renamed Muslim Academy of Greater Orlando. The building is nearly done,
administrators say.
"We need four to eight more weeks," said Abrahim Mamsa, Buena
Vista's director of administration.
But code-enforcement officials say they have given the school enough time
to remove the portables, which never received permits.
"Time has run out," said Mitch Gordon, Orange County zoning
manager.
Starting Monday, the school has to start paying $1,000 a day until the
portables are gone.
The dispute has been ongoing for years.
The Buena Vista Muslim Academy portables sit near the mosque on the
Islamic Center of Orlando's campus off Apopka-Vineland Road.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
GA: ELLIS' CONVERSION TO
ISLAM GETS A BROAD RESPONSE -
TOP
Matt Barnwell, Macon Telegraph, 2/4/07
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/16618376.htm
Macon Mayor Jack Ellis' chosen Islamic name, Hakim Mansour, means
"wise person ... who is helped by God's decree."
That translation was provided by Adam Fofana, an imam at the Macon
Islamic Center. Fofana, who is visiting from a university in Malaysia,
further expanded his translation, noting "Hakim" signifies a
person who is experienced in life and knows the difference between right
and wrong. "Mansour" is someone who moves by the guidance of
God and seeks his assistance.
"It's a very good combination there," said Fofana, whose
religious position is similar to that of a pastor in a Christian church.
Fofana spoke to The Telegraph in a telephone interview, just minutes, he
said, after Ellis had left from his Friday afternoon prayers at the
center.
Ellis, who was raised as a Christian, on Thursday said he had become a
Sunni Muslim during a December ceremony in Senegal, a country on the
western coast of Africa. He is working to legally change his name to
Hakim Mansour Ellis, keeping his last name at the request of two
daughters.
Through his spokesman, Ron Wildman, Ellis said as far as city property is
concerned, his name change would mean only an alteration to his portrait
in City Hall. "Not one red cent," the mayor said through
Wildman, would be spent to alter his name on signs welcoming people to
Macon, or on city letterhead. (MORE)
---
TN: OLIVE TREE SEEKS TO INFORM PUBLIC
OF MUSLIMS, ISLAM -
TOP
Dr. Awadh Binhazim, Tennessean, 2/3/07
http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070203/NEWS06/702030329/1023/NEWS
Olive Tree Education is a non-profit group that has been formed in
Nashville to address the issue of Islamic education and
outreach.
The importance of education of society has become a vital part of our
lives as, indeed, education removes one from a state for being unaware
and uninformed. Our world is alarmingly out of balance and polarized, and
lack of education has entrenched patterns of hostility and
mistrust.
In a post 9/11 era, Islam has come under intense scrutiny, and the
ability of Muslims to coexist with people of other faith has been
questioned. This can be attributed to lack of understanding of Islam and
Muslims and the legacy of the 1.5 billion followers of Islam.
Specifically, meaningful and structured programs for the public to learn
about this major world religion are not available in this part of the
world.
Over the last six years, I have visited many churches, civic clubs,
schools and colleges to talk about the truth with respect to Islam. I
continue to meet many Americans that are still poorly informed about
Muslims and their faith.
As a Nashvillian, I want to continue to make a difference in educating
the public and correcting the understanding of people about my faith and
about what is going on in the Muslim world.
The way forward would be to provide a forum of learning for everyone and
programs are warranted that will be geared towards building bridges which
will connect nations of people through intellectual and intercultural
understandings. Through learning, we can collectively counter the
stereotypes and misconceptions and remove this mistrust among
societies.
In this context, the need to build bridges between societies, to promote
dialogue and understanding and to forge the collective political will to
address the world's imbalances has never been greater.
Olive Tree Education was born out of this need and seeks to create a
cohesive environment by which the American public can learn about this
major world religion and its followers. Additionally, Olive Tree
Education recognizes the need to reduce widening rifts between societies
by reaffirming a paradigm of mutual respect among peoples of different
cultural and religious traditions and by helping to mobilize concerted
action toward this end. (MORE)
-----
CA: SILENCING CRITICS NOT WAY TO
MIDDLE EAST PEACE -
TOP
Joel Beinin, San Francisco Chronicle, 2/4/07
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/02/04/INGFLNSJQJ1.DTL
Last Sunday in San Francisco, the Anti-Defamation League sponsored
"Finding Our Voice," a conference designed to help Jews
recognize and confront the "new anti-Semitism." For me, it was
ironic. Ten days before, my own voice was silenced by fellow
Jews.
I was to give a talk about our Middle East policy to high school students
at the Harker School in San Jose. With one day to go, my contact there
called to say my appearance had been canceled. He was apologetic and
upset. He expected the talk would be intellectually stimulating and
intriguing for students. But, he said, "a certain community of
parents" complained to the headmaster. He added, without divulging
details, that the Jewish Community Relations Council of Silicon Valley
had played a role. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.co
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the
Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR LAUNCHES 'AMERICAN MUSLIM LEGACY' PHOTO
PROJECT
Call for digital images designed to document Islam in
America
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/6/07) - The Council on American-Islamic
Relations (
CAIR) today announced the
launch of the
"American Muslim Legacy Project," a
digital publishing initiative designed to collect and preserve images of
American Muslim life and history.
The Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group is seeking
photographs that depict the American Muslim experience and will
ultimately offer the images in an online database as an educational
resource. CAIR will collect images that depict Islam's long history in
America, the diversity of the American Muslim community, Muslim
contributions to society, and Islamic religious practices.
"The American Muslim community has a rich and multifaceted history
that needs to be documented and preserved,"
CAIR Communication
Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed.
Ahmed added that the initiative is also designed to identify and
recognize talented Muslim photographers.
The project is open to both amateur and professional photographers.
Photos must be sent to CAIR in an electronic format with descriptive
captions detailing the subject and time period of the pictures. Any
submission must be free of copyright restrictions and will become the
property of CAIR. (
See Below:
CAIR "American Muslim Legacy Project" Submission
Rules)
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
-----
CAIR
"AMERICAN MUSLIM LEGACY PROJECT" SUBMISSION RULES -
TOP
Submit a digital or scanned photograph in any of the categories
below:
1. American Muslim History
2. Diversity of the American Muslim Community
3. Muslims Making a Difference
4. Muslim Daily Life and Religious Practices
The project is open to both amateur and professional photographers. There
is no limit to how many images may be submitted. Photos must be sent to
CAIR in electronic format.
For all photo submissions:
1. Specify the category the pictures fall under in the e-mail subject
line.
2. Send only .JPG images less than 5 megabytes in size. Photos must be at
least at 300 dpi and at least 5" x 7" (12 cm x 18 cm).
3. Send photos as attachments to the e-mail rather than embedded within
the body. Only attach one (1) photo per e-mail submitted.
4. Include contact information (name, phone, fax, e-mail, address) and
detailed information about when and where the photo was taken.
5. Cut and paste the following disclaimer in the e-mail:
"I certify that I am the author or sole owner of the material I am
submitting to CAIR. I agree that the submitted photograph becomes the
property of CAIR. CAIR may reproduce, distribute, publish, display, edit,
modify, create derivative works and otherwise use the material for any
purpose in any form and on any media. I agree to indemnify CAIR for all
damages and expenses that may be incurred in connection with the
material."
6. A signature is required from a parent or legal guardian for those
under the age of 18.
Not all pictures will be used.
All submissions must be e-mailed to:
photos@cair.com
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS
BRIEFS - 2/6/07
*
Hadith:
Be Kind to Your Neighbor
*
FL:
Muslims, Christians, Hindus
Aid Storm Victims (Orlando Sent)
-
NJ:
U.S.-Born Muslim Is Born
Leader (Record)
*
LA:
Debunking Myths About Muslim
Women
-
MD:
Islamic Sorority Invites New
Members to Join
*
MN:
First Muslim in
Congress Speaks on Faith, Democracy
*
CAIR:
Muslims Fear Islam
is the Target on TV (Cox)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: BE KIND TO YOUR NEIGHBOR -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If you are kind to
your neighbor, you will be a believer. If you want others to have what
you want for yourself, you will be a Muslim."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1334
-----
FL: DIVERSE FAITHS HEED THE CALL -
TOP
Muslims, Christians and Hindus work shoulder to shoulder to aid storm
victims.
Mark I. Pinsky, Orlando Sentinel, 2/6/07
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-stormchurch0607feb06,0,2444652.story
DeLAND -- For a while Monday afternoon, the tornado-ravaged 500 block of
Beresford Road seemed like interfaith central.
A team of five members of the Islamic Society of Central Florida's
disaster relief had just pulled in from Orlando and unloaded their chain
saws and other equipment.
They started helping the Rev. Bruce Hedgepeth of First Presbyterian
Church of DeLand, who was on the roof of a damaged home with half a dozen
members of his congregation working nearby, the latest stop in the
church's marathon volunteer efforts since the storm hit Friday.
Within a few minutes, a group of women from Hannah's Circle, a women's
and children's mission support group at First United Methodist Church of
Winter Park, all dressed in bright yellow T-shirts, drove up with news of
a woman in the area who was in dire shape and hadn't yet been visited by
any volunteers. As the Muslims started their chain saws to clear trees
from the damaged house, Hedgepeth came down from the roof and headed off
to visit the woman in distress.
The outpouring of help was just one example of how diverse congregations
and denominations have joined in body and spirit to help victims of
Central Florida's devastating tornadoes.
First Baptist Church of DeLand has set up a command center for Southern
Baptist volunteers from across the country to help with cleanup as well
as prepare food for Salvation Army and Red Cross workers.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando delivered hundreds of meals to the
hard-hit Paisley/Lake Mack area. On Monday, the diocese was gathering
about 1,000 blankets, health/hygiene kits, baby supplies and cleanup
materials from a disaster distributor, most for use in Lake County. .
.
In the wake of natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods
and fires, Baptists with chain saws are a common sight in Sunbelt areas
like Central Florida, as are Presbyterians and Methodists. But since
Hurricane Katrina, the Islamic Society of Central Florida has joined this
tradition.
"We want to erase the stereotype of Muslims," said Bassem
Chaaban, the crew's leader.
"As people of faith, we believe that faith is more about serving
your neighbors," said Imam Muhammad Musri, president of the Islamic
Society. "The best expression of true faith is serving God through
serving your neighbors as in the commandment, `Love thy neighbor as
thyself.'" (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
NJ: U.S.-BORN MUSLIM IS BORN LEADER -
TOP
Michael Gartland,
Record, 2/6/07
When the older kids first saw Mohammad Modarres, they saw not only a
freshman but a Muslim. So they bullied him. They pushed him down. Got on
top of him. Smacked his head against the ground.
But Modarres never let it make him vengeful.
"You fall -- get back up," he says. "If you're not
optimistic in life, if you see the glass as half-empty, it's a bit
harder."
Modarres, who is now 19 and a senior at Paramus High School, has applied
that credo with gusto. He has initiated a school recycling program and a
senior-freshman mentoring program. Most recently, he founded a non-profit
group that will raise money for poor people in the Middle East, Africa
and Europe.
He's the class president who is bound for Johns Hopkins University in
Baltimore. He is also an American-born Muslim of Persian
descent.
After 9/11, vandals splattered blue paint on the Modarres's home. His
sister was forced to stop wearing a veil at school. His mother had to
leave her job as a pre-school teacher after a supervisor said her veil
scared the students.
Instead of becoming bitter, he asked himself how he could make a positive
change.
First, in 2004 he entered his satirical drawings in Newsweek's political
cartoon contest and took second prize. Since then he has furthered that
message with the Peace Project, the non-profit that he founded.
His goal for this year is fairly modest. He wants to raise $7,500 -
$5,000 for United Nations anti-poverty initiatives and $2,500 for a
Rotary Club program that provides health care to children whose families
can't afford it. (MORE)
-----
LA: DEBUNKING MYTHS ABOUT MUSLIM WOMEN
-
TOP
Shirien Elmasraya,
Daily Reveille, 2/6/07
Last week I conducted a survey about the basics of Islam. Some of the
questions were "Who do Muslims worship?" and "What do
Muslims think of Jesus?" The results of the survey were depressing
to say the least, especially the questions regarding women in
Islam.
I asked 200 people how they thought the religion of Islam viewed women.
Of 200 people 97 percent said that Islam viewed women as inferior or
subservient to men. And when asked if they thought that Muslim women were
oppressed, 98 percent - a rather shocking percentage of people - said
yes.
The statistics speak for themselves and further encourage the importance
of talking about this subject. You may be thinking, "Well if the
vast majority of the people said this, then it must be true." That
is the problem; it really couldn't be farther from the truth. And most of
these people who think this way are unaware they hold a double
standard.
First, Christianity, like Islam, reveres the Virgin Mary with high
respect. Both religions believe she was one of the best women to walk the
earth. So let us analyze the description of the physical appearance of
Mary according to Christians. Well usually you see statues of her
standing looking down, fully covered from head to toe wearing her
hijab.
Hijab is an Arabic word meaning screen, cover or partition. Otherwise
it's known as the traditional clothing Muslim women wear including the
head scarf.
And what about nuns? They dress almost exactly like Muslim women, but no
one would ever dare call them oppressed.
Perhaps you think what makes Muslim women oppressed rather than nuns is
that Muslim women are forced to wear it. Well, that's wrong. Our male
relatives don't force us to wear it. Rather, we wear it because it was a
commandment in the Qur'an, the book that Muslims try to follow to the
letter. Muslim women choose to wear the hijab because they choose to obey
the creator. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
MD: ISLAMIC SORORITY INVITES NEW
MEMBERS TO JOIN -
TOP
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Alpha Alpha Omega Sorority Incorporated invites all Muslim and non-Muslim
women to join an Islamic sorority focused on the empowerment of
women
CONTACT: RaSheita Turner
Company Name: Alpha Alpha Omega Sorority, Inc
Telephone Number: 240-788-1748
Fax Number: 301-238-4575
Email Address:
inquiry@alphaalphaomegainc.org
Web site address:
http://www.alphaalphaomegainc.org
CLINTON, MD, January 29, 2007 - The sorority was founded on July 11,
2006, from the vision of several women seeing the need for an
organization that will focus on empowering women. The sorority is
compromised of Muslim and non-Muslim women, students, and alumnae who are
attending or have graduated from a four (4) year university, and honorary
members from community organizations.
The sisters of Alpha Alpha Omega promote ideals and objectives that
InshAllah will foster further advancement of Muslimahs and females, while
at the same time developing bonds of life-long friendships. The
sisterhood creates a friendly, warm atmosphere where integrity,
character, and self-confidence can foster and bloom. The sorority hopes
to enlighten Muslims and non-Muslims on career opportunities available
through the sisterhood and organizations we will work with.
(MORE)
-----
FIRST MUSLIM IN U.S. CONGRESS
SPEAKS ON FAITH AND DEMOCRACY -
TOP
Representative Keith Ellison says his Muslim faith "opens
doors"
Lea Terhune, USINFO, 2/5/07
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=February&x=20070205144127mlenuhret0.7243769
Washington - Minnesota Representative Keith Ellison is surprised that his
Muslim faith became an issue during his successful campaign for a
congressional seat.
"I never bring it up," he told USINFO, although he discusses it
when asked. His first impulse was to downplay religion in favor of
discussing the issues, which are his priority. Now he freely discusses
Islam, "because it may have the effect of building understanding. I
hope it does."
Ellison, a Democrat and the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress,
says he was elected for his values. "I have to continue to elevate
the common good, the public interest, education, health, peace. These are
the things that they want me to work on," he said. By electing him,
he said, his constituents meant, "We don't really care what your
religion is. This is what we are into, if you can promote and execute and
advocate these things, you can represent us." (See related
article.)
His values derive from his Christian upbringing and Islam, which he has
practiced for nearly 25 years. "The values that underlie Islam are
not unique to Islam. They are shared by all faith traditions. Belief in
charity, in giving to others in need and facing adversity, the belief in
equality and justice -- there is no religion, including Islam, that has a
monopoly on these ideas," he said.
Ellison said true Islamic values harmonize with the democratic process.
"These are universal ideas. In fact, they're not just compatible
with democracy; they drive us toward a society in which there is
consultation, in which there is input and approval from the
populace." He asks, "How can you have a just society where one
person or only a limited set of people make the laws for their benefit
and yet other people who had no role in making the law have to abide by
it? That's fundamentally unjust."
He quoted from memory a Quranic verse, Surah 49:13: "Oh humanity, we
created you from a single pair, male and female, and fashioned you into
tribes and nations, so that you would know each other and get to know
each other and not hate and despise each other. Surely the most honored
among you is the one who is most righteous and just."
"Now that is an English translation of the Quran which essentially
affirms the equality of men and women," he said. Diversity often
brings conflict "as we engage in chauvinistic attitudes," he
said, but actually is meant to "spark our curiosity about the
difference so we would get to know each other. And the differences are
not so that we would find ways to oppress and degrade each other.
(MORE)
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs,
U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
-----
CAIR: EXPLOSIVE TELEVISION -
TOP
With so much terrorist carnage on the tube, Muslims fear their religion
is the target.
Jill Vejnoska, Cox News Service, 2/6/07
http://www.dailybreeze.com/today/articles/5569101.html
You can't be a devoted watcher of Fox TV's "24" and not have
questions about the suitcase nuke attack on Los Angeles, or the fatal
neck bite Jack Bauer puts on a terrorist, among other outrageous plot
twists.
Toqeer A. Chouhan, a 28-year-old Atlanta attorney and Muslim, is no
exception.
But his queries run deeper.
"Why is there not a Syrian bad guy or Lebanese bad guy being
mentioned?" asks Chouhan, who was born and raised here and who
describes himself as a "huge" fan of "24."
"Instead, they are just using the broad category of 'Islamic
terrorists' to talk about the events taking place. If many of these shows
were actually sensitive in trying to be fair in their depiction of
Muslims, there would be more of an effort made to try and disconnect the
terrorist actions from the actual religion of Islam."
For several years television shied away from story lines connected to
Sept. 11, 2001. Now, more than five years later, things have changed.
Scripted television programs no longer avoid terrorism-related story
lines. Muslim characters are increasingly commonplace, mostly in a
negative way.
From episodes of "The Unit" and "Without a Trace" to
the upcoming BBC America miniseries "The State Within," it
appears any Muslim who isn't a terrorist is suspected of being one. Or a
sympathizer.
"There really are no other images of Muslims in the media now,"
says
Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, which worked with Fox two years ago on a public service
announcement that aired during "24." But Ahmed says her group
was somewhat surprised by the intensity of this story line, featuring a
string of attacks on U.S. cities by Islamic militants.
"People frame it as a freedom of speech issue and we support that.
But these portrayals have real consequences on how people view
Muslims." (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 2/7/07
*
Hadith:
Put Love in the Hearts of
People
*
NY:
U Fires RAs Over
'Insensitive' Video (Newsday)
*
CAIR-CA:
Class-Action Lawsuit
for Citizenship Delays
-
CAIR-MI Seeks Applicants for
Rosa Parks Scholarships
-
CAIR-CA:
Self-Proclaimed
Ex-Terrorist Protested (Sac Bee)
*
NC:
New Bill to Allow
Courtroom Oaths on Koran (AP)
*
VA/FL:
Al-Arian
Speaks Out from Prison (Democracy Now)
*
CAIR:
Fear of
Bias Keeps US Muslims Out of Military (Reuters)
-
Intelligence Chief to Ease
Hiring of Arabs (Wash Post)
-
Arab-American Homeland Security Chief
in MA (CNN)
*
GA:
Al-Jazeera Interviews Mayor on
Conversion to Islam
*
Findley:
Carter Enters Lions'
Den on Israel (Chicago Tribune)
-
CA:
Carter Accuses Wiesenthal
Center of 'Slander'
*
Film:
'A Dream in Doubt' About
Post-9/11 Murder
*
KS:
Holy Books Have
Contrary Passages (KC Star)
-
FL:
No Muslim Holidays on School
Calendar (SP Times)
-
FL:
Muslim Chosen
to Lead Interfaith Alliance
-
MI:
Ellison Joins Jackson in
Detroit (Free Press)
-
MD:
Judeo-Islamic
Mysticism Meets Hope (Examiner)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: PUT LOVE IN THE HEARTS OF PEOPLE
-
TOP
When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) entered a new town, he
would say: "O God. . .put our love in the hearts of its people and
put the love of its righteous people in our hearts."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 4, Number 147
-----
NY: CW POST FIRES DORM
ADVISORS OVER 'HOSTAGE' MOVIE -
TOP
Herbert Lowe, Olivia Winslow and Jennifer Kelleher, Newsday, 2/7/07
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lipost0208,0,3675967.story
A two-minute video that administrators consider insensitive to Muslims
has cost five resident assistants and a residence hall advisor their jobs
at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University, according to the
editor of the campus newspaper.
The short film depicts a scene similar to one where Americans being held
hostage by Al-Qaeda terrorists are forced to shoot videos pleading for
their life, according to an account scheduled to be published on
Wednesday in the Pioneer newspaper.
Instead of a human victim, a white rubber duck named Pete is being held
"hostage." The film is called "A Duck Napping," and
the rubber duck is the mascot for a campus residence hall, Brookville
Hall, the Pioneer reported.
According to the Pioneer, in the video the five resident assistants are
disguised in ski masks and speaking broken English and using
stereotypical "Middle Eastern" accents. The description of the
video, which was posted on YouTube and Google Video and later taken down,
describes the chatter as farcical demands for the duck's safe
release.
Reaction to the C.W. Post administration's handling of the matter has
caused a "tremendous uproar" on the Brookville campus, said
Danny Schrafel, the Pioneer editor-in-chief.
"I've been working on the paper a little over three-and-a-half years
now and this is probably the biggest scandal I've seen on campus that
entire time," Schrafel said.
He described the campus as split into two camps: People who believe the
resident assistants were fired unjustly and people who were offended by
the video.
In a statement provided to Newsday Wednesday, C.W. Post Provost Joseph
Shenker defended the administration's response.
"At C.W. Post, we take seriously our obligation to create a campus
environment that is free of prejudice and intolerance," Shenker
said. "We do not condone any behaviors that demean the dignity of
individuals or groups of people. We don't find anything about terrorism
and hostage-taking to be humorous. We insist on a campus where respect
for others is demonstrated at all times." (MORE)
-----
CAIR-CA: CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT FOR
CITIZENSHIP DELAYS -
TOP
WHAT: Civil rights groups will file a class-action lawsuit against the
federal government for its practice of indefinitely delaying citizenship
applications in violation of immigration laws. The reported reason for
the excessive delays: FBI background checks that take up to several years
to clear an applicant. The lawsuit names, as defendants, the heads of the
FBI and Dept. of Homeland Security, among others.
WHEN: Thursday, February 8, 2007, 11 a.m.
WHO:
* Cecillia Wang, ACLU Immigrants Rights Project
* Sin Yen Ling, Asian Law Caucus
* Todd Gallinger, CAIR-SFBA Legal Counsel
* Plaintiffs
WHERE: ACLU-NC Offices (across from Hyatt Regency at Embarcadero), 39
Drumm Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA
WHY: The plaintiffs wish to pledge allegiance to the country they have
called home for years, and fully participate in civic society. They hope
to end the uncertainty of whether they will be denied re-entry when they
travel abroad and return. Many are waiting to sponsor a spouse or
children that have long been kept apart.
CONTACT: Abiya Ahmed, CAIR-SFBA Media Relations Coordinator,
aahmed@cair.com, 408-986-9874, or
Stella Richardson, ACLU-NC Media Relations Director,
srichardson@aclunc.org,
415-621-2493.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MI SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR ROSA
PARKS SCHOLARSHIPS -
TOP
(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 2/7/07) - The Michigan chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) is seeking applicants for two $500
"Rosa Parks" scholarships.
Eligibility:
* Currently enrolled high school seniors who are eligible to attend a two
or four-year college, university, or vocational/technical school
* Minimum 2.8 GPA
* A resident of Michigan
Requirements:
Applicants must submit a 750 word essay reflecting their personal
perspective regarding the importance of Rosa Parks' legacy in striving
against discrimination towards making America a more just
society.
The application deadline for the scholarship is March 7th, 2007. Awardees
will be recognized at CAIR-MI annual banquet on March 25th,
2007.
To obtain an application form, e-mail:
CairMichiganBanquet@yahoo.com , with the following information: Name,
School, City, Contact Number
CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, E-mail:
dwalid@cair.com
---
CAIR-CA: SPEECH BY
SELF-PROCLAIMED EX-TERRORIST PROTESTED AT UCD -
TOP
Stephen Magagnini, Sacramento Bee, 2/7/07
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/119795.html
The somewhat mysterious "former Islamic terrorist" Walid
Shoebat told an audience of about 1,800 on the University of California,
Davis, campus Tuesday night that Muslim extremists helped carry out
Hitler's "Final Solution."
He went on to claim that to this day the majority of Muslims in Pakistan,
Iran and Jordan support Muslim fundamentalism, as do most American
Muslims.
After his speech in Freeborn Hall, several dozen Muslim students, who had
taped their mouths, walked out.
They claimed that the questions for the following question-and-answer
session had been rigged.
Student organizers of the event denied that.
Before the speech, dozens of UC Davis students and other local Muslim
Americans called for the arrest of Shoebat.
Shoebat, whose latest book is titled "Why We Want to Kill You -- The
Jihadist Mindset and How to Defeat It," claims to have been an
Islamic terrorist in his youth.
In a telephone interview, Shoebat said he has since come to his senses
and now lectures to shed light on terrorists' thinking and to condemn
Islamic fundamentalism and anti-Semitism.
Shoebat's appearance Tuesday was sponsored by the UC Davis student
chapter of Foundation for Defense of Democracies and Shoebat's own
Pennsylvania-based foundation. . .
Although Shoebat insists his motives are pure, Muslim groups on and off
campus called for his arrest by federal law enforcement
officials.
The UC Davis Muslim Student Association asked the FBI and Department of
Homeland Security to investigate or deport him for past acts of
terrorism.
"We are concerned that a self-confessed 'ex-terrorist' is walking
free in this country, simply because he has converted to Christianity and
supports this country's policies toward Israel," said Shazeb Qadir,
president of the Muslim student group.
"We repudiate and unequivocally condemn terrorism as a grave and
serious crime that should be punished," Qadir said. "We also
condemn the intentionally Islamophobic and erroneous association of Islam
and violence that will result from the fear-mongering employed in
Shoebat's message."
The
Sacramento chapter of the Council on American Islamic
Relations -- a frequent target of Shoebat -- asked UC Davis Campus
Police to detain him.
"Walid Shoebat is either a self-admitted criminal or complete
fraud," said
Basim Elkarra, a Palestinian American and area
director of CAIR. (MORE)
-----
NC: NEW BILL TO ALLOW
COURTROOM OATHS ON KORAN -
TOP
Associated Press, 2/7/07
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1170359805473&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Courtroom oaths could be taken on the Koran and other sacred texts
besides the Bible in a bill filed in the state Senate on
Wednesday.
The issue drew national attention last month when the first Muslim
elected to US Congress took a ceremonial oath with a Koran once owned by
Thomas Jefferson.
In North Carolina, the issue appeared in 2003 when a Muslim woman sued
the state because she was not allowed to swear an oath on the Koran when
she was called as a witness in a court case.
State law allows witnesses to use only the Bible for oaths.
Three weeks ago, a state appeals court agreed to let her lawsuit
continue.
The new bill would allow an oath-taker to place a hand "upon the
Bible or any text sacred to the party's religious faith."
The court system would not be required to provide such texts, but it
could accept donations.
The bill also would make clear that oaths could be performed without the
words "so help me God" if appropriate to the person's
faith.
-----
HUNGER-STRIKING
PALESTINIAN PROFESSOR SAMI AL-ARIAN SPEAKS OUT IN FIRST BROADCAST
INTERVIEW OF HIS FOUR-YEAR IMPRISONMENT -
TOP
Democracy Now, 2/7/07
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/07/1546227
In a Democracy Now exclusive, Sami Al-Arian speaks to us from prison
where is on a hunger-strike. The Palestinian professor and activist was
found not guilty over a year ago of 17 charges against him yet he remains
in jail and the US government seems unwilling to release him. Al-Arian's
case has been one of the most closely watched - and controversial - post
9/11 prosecutions in the United States. In February 2003, he was arrested
and accused of being a leader of the militant group Palestinian Islamic
Jihad. The jury failed to return a single guilty verdict. Four months
after the verdict, he agreed to plead guilty to one of the remaining
charges in exchange for being released and deported. At his sentencing,
the judge gave Al-Arian as much prison time as possible under a plea deal
- 57 months. In the four years since his arrest, Sami Al-Arian has never
conducted a broadcast interview - until now.
Sami Al-Arian has been in prison for the past four years. The Palestinian
professor and activist was found not guilty over a year ago of 17 charges
against him yet he remains in jail and the US government seems unwilling
to release him. Al-Arian's case has been one of the most closely watched
- and controversial - post 9/11 prosecutions in the United States. A
respected computer science professor at the University of South Florida,
Al-Arian was a leading member of the Muslim community and one of the most
prominent Palestinian academics and activists in the US. In February
2003, he was arrested and accused of being a leader of the militant group
Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The Justice Department handed down a sweeping
50-count indictment against him and seven other men, charging them with
conspiracy to commit murder, giving material support to terrorists,
extortion, perjury, and other offenses. . .
In the four years since his arrest, Sami Al-Arian has never conducted a
broadcast interview - until now. In a Democracy Now exclusive, we spoke
with Sami Al-Arian from prison. He called us yesterday from the Northern
Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia. He began by describing where he
was being held.
LISTEN ONLINE: Sami Al-Arian, speaking from prison.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/07/1546227
-----
CAIR: FEAR OF BIAS
KEEPS U.S. MUSLIMS OUT OF MILITARY -
TOP
Bernd Debusmann, Reuters, 2/6/07
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=inDepthNews&storyID=2007-02-07T005726Z_01_N06463720_RTRUKOC_0_US-USA-MUSLIMS-MILITARY.xml
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Desperately short of soldiers who speak Arabic and
understand Islam, the U.S. military is quietly courting American Muslims.
But they show little enthusiasm for an institution many say is prejudiced
against them.
"The military have the same problem as civilian government agencies,
such as the FBI," said
Ibrahim Hooper of the Council of
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an advocacy group. "There is
a general reluctance to join because Muslims think there is bias against
them and career prospects are limited."
Pentagon statistics show there are more Jews and Buddhists than Muslims
serving in the 1.4 million strong, overwhelmingly Christian armed
forces.
In the Marine Corps, there are only slightly more Muslims than Wiccans,
who practice witchcraft. And in the Air Force, Wiccans outnumber Muslims
by more than two to one.
The Pentagon lists 3,386 Muslims in active service, compared with 1.22
million Christians of a wide array of denominations, including
little-known groups such as the International Church of the Foursquare
Gospel or the Pentecostal Holiness Church International.
The statistics are drawn from personnel records that include a
"religious faith code," a rubric soldiers are asked, but not
obliged, to complete. Some Muslims in the military say their real number
is higher, and estimates go up to 10,000.
Whatever the figures on religion, it is a lack of Arabic-speaking
officers and soldiers steeped in Islamic culture that is so striking, a
subject that comes up in most conversations with people returning from
duty in Iraq.
While there is no specific recruitment drive aimed at Arab and Muslim
communities in the United States, the Pentagon has made well publicized
moves to show that the military does not equate Islam with terrorism and
is making efforts to accommodate Muslim Americans who want to serve both
God and their country.
For example: Last July, the Marine Corps dedicated a new Muslim prayer
center at its base in Quantico, Virginia. A month later, the Air Force
Academy commissioned its first Muslim chaplain. And in September, the
U.S. military academy at West Point inaugurated its first Muslim prayer
room. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
INCOMING INTELLIGENCE CHIEF
PLANS TO EASE HIRING OF ARAB AMERICANS -
TOP
Walter Pincus, Washington Post, 2/7/07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/06/AR2007020601603.html
The incoming director of national intelligence, retired Navy Vice Adm.
John M. McConnell, plans to change security rules to make it easier for
intelligence agencies to hire first-generation Arab Americans for highly
sensitive jobs.
These rules, dating from World War II, limit intelligence agencies'
ability to employ first-generation Americans "who might have native
language capabilities from serving in some of these very sensitive
positions in the intelligence community" and hinder efforts to deal
with radical Islam, McConnell said during his confirmation hearing Friday
before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
The rules McConnell described are in a directive from the director of
central intelligence, or DCI. They require citizenship verification for
access to the most highly classified data, known as sensitive
compartmented information. For the foreign-born, there must be
verification of U.S. citizenship and legal status in this country of
immediate family members, including "spouse, cohabitant, father,
mother, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters," the directive
states.
Another element that must be considered when hiring is "foreign
influence," according to adjudication guidelines that the White
House adopted in December 2005. One section of the guidelines refers to
"contact with a foreign family member, business or professional
associate, friend, or other person who is a citizen of or resident in a
foreign country if that contact creates a heightened risk of foreign
exploitation, inducement, manipulation, pressure, or
coercion."
An intelligence agency chief can waive these criteria, but McConnell said
he wants to change them because they constitute "one of the areas
that needs probably the greatest deal of attention and improvement . . .
using people who speak the native language, understand the culture and
the tribal conditions." (MORE)
---
ARAB-AMERICAN HOMELAND SECURITY
CHIEF IN MASSACHUSETTS -
TOP
CNN, 2/6/07
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/06/pysk.kayyem/
BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- On the popular television show
"24," there always seems to be a mole at the Counter Terrorist
Unit. This season, fans are suspicious of a new female character with a
Middle Eastern background named Nadia Yassir.
Yassir complains to her co-worker that she is hamstrung in fighting
terrorists -- in this case Arabs who have detonated a suitcase nuke near
Los Angeles, California -- because of restrictions placed on
Arab-American employees. He lets her use his log-on to get around the
computer access issues.
In the past on the show, it has been unwise to stick out one's neck for a
co-worker. Viewers are left wondering if Yassir is one of the good or bad
guys.
The show is fiction.
In real life, Juliette Kayyem (pronounced KIGH-em) says she relates well
to Yassir's tricky position. On January 22, Kayyem, a 37-year-old
Lebanese-American, became the Homeland Security chief for Massachusetts.
She is the only American with Middle Eastern roots to head a state's
homeland branch.
"The truth is I've been in national security for over a decade now,
well before September 11," she told CNN recently. "I spent most
of my legal career in the [intelligence] field, and it's been a little
surprising the reaction."
She says many Arab-Americans are looking for people to help other
Americans understand that they love this country too.
"I want to be that bridge," Kayyem said. "Arab-Americans
are in all parts of our society helping to protect America, love America
and are part of America and America's security."
Many people were pleased by her selection, including Arab-American
groups. (MORE)
-----
GA: AL-JAZEERA INTERVIEWS ELLIS ABOUT
CONVERSION TO ISLAM -
TOP
Matt Barnwell, Macon Telegraph, 2/7/07
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/16639265.htm
The Middle Eastern television network Al-Jazeera was in Macon on Tuesday
for a lengthy interview with Mayor Jack Ellis, discussing his time in
office and recent conversion to Islam.
A Washington, D.C.-based crew from the network's recently launched
English-language channel sat for two hours with Ellis behind his closed
office doors. They later took a stroll down Poplar Street with the mayor
to capture his interaction with city residents.
"Al-Jazeera finds this a fascinating story because it celebrates the
diversity -- racial, religious, certainly cultural and ethnically -- that
the United States stands for," said Viviana Hurtado, the network's
North American correspondent who interviewed Ellis. "It is a story
about tolerance and about diversity in all of its
incarnations."
Ellis, who was raised as a Christian, late last week said he had become a
Sunni Muslim during a December ceremony in Senegal, a country on the
western coast of Africa. He is working to legally change his name to
Hakim Mansour Ellis, keeping his last name at the request of two
daughters.
Al-Jazeera English hit the airwaves in November as the first English
language news channel headquartered in the Middle East. It has broadcast
centers in Qatar, where its parent network is based, as well as Malaysia,
London and Washington, D.C. The network, whose content is delivered to
subscribers by satellite, claims 80 million viewers worldwide.
(MORE)
-----
FINDLEY: CARTER ENTERS LIONS' DEN -
TOP
Despite criticism, his book is work of a true patriot
Paul Findley, Chicago Tribune, 2/7/07
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0702070020feb07,0,5388645.story
At the age of 82, Jimmy Carter entered the lion's den. With the
publication of his latest book, "Palestine: Peace not
Apartheid," he did what a patriot would do: rally Americans to
vigorous debate of a critical issue that affects our future. He deserves
a hero's praise. Instead, he has been attacked and defamed.
I had the honor to serve as the senior Republican on the Middle East
Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee throughout
the Carter administration. Carter frequently invited me to huddles in the
White House; discussions that would ultimately lead to a lasting peace
between Israel and Egypt. I know Carter well and consider him a
friend.
I also experienced firsthand what Carter now faces. Toward the end of my
22-year tenure in Congress, I spoke in favor of Palestinian rights and
was critical of Israeli policies of Palestinian land confiscation and
Jewish-only settlements on Palestinian lands. These actions were counter
to American policy and values. They dimmed chances for peace.
As a result of my evenhanded position, the pro-Israel lobby poured money
into my opponent's campaign. I overcame their challenge in 1980 but lost
in 1982 by a narrow margin. Still, the message was heard loudly on
Capitol Hill: Criticize Israel and pay with your congressional
seat.
In my 1985 book, "They Dare to Speak Out," I detailed the
tactics used to silence criticism of Israeli policies. One of the groups
employing these tactics is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
On its Web site, AIPAC calls itself "America's pro-Israel
lobby" and boasts a New York Times description of it as "the
most important organization affecting America's relationship with
Israel."
All citizens have the right to band together and push for policies they
believe are right. But AIPAC and other pro-Israel lobby groups do not
plead the case for Israel on the stage of public opinion. Instead, they
often resort to smear campaigns and intimidation to clear the floor so
that only their side is heard.
Carter has dared to call a spade a spade. South African leaders, like
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and UN Envoy John Dugard, compare Israeli
policies to apartheid. The Israeli press uses the term, as do Israeli
politicians. Former Education Minister Shulamit Aloni said in a recent
commentary, "Indeed apartheid does exist here." Pro-Israel
lobby groups have not debated the credence of these claims. Instead, they
lob accusations and insults, even insinuating that Carter is
anti-Semitic. They do not prove him wrong with facts. They seek to
discredit him with innuendo. (MORE)
ACTION REQUESTED:
Please take a minute to thank the Chicago Tribune for publishing this.
They need to hear from us so they will continue to give voice to this
perspective.
Write to
ctc-TribLetter@Tribune.com
. Letters should be 200 words or less and include your name, address and
telephone (for identification purposes only).
SEE ALSO:
CARTER ACCUSES WIESENTHAL CENTER
OF 'SLANDER' -
TOP
IN RESPONSE TO 25,000 PETITIONS, FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER CRITICIZES
WIESENTHAL CENTER; RABBI HIER RESPONDS
http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=fwLYKnN8LzH&b=245494&ct=3525205
In reaction to your 25,000 signed petitions that were sent to former US
President Jimmy Carter protesting his book, "Palestine: Peace Not
Apartheid," Mr. Carter has responded.
In a hand-written letter to Rabbi Marvin Hier, the Center's dean and
founder, President Carter accused the Center of "falsehood and
slander."
Rabbi Hier responded, in part, "Let me say, Mr. President, that I am
not one who believes that Israel is infallible ... the only reason there
is no peace in the Middle East is because of Islamic extremists who
refuse to compromise, not because of the State of Israel."
Read the exchange of letters between President Carter and Rabbi
Hier:
-----
'A DREAM IN DOUBT' TO SHOW AT LINCOLN
CENTER -
TOP
When you look like America's enemy, is the Dream worth the
price?
A DREAM IN DOUBT is an immigrant story in a world in which patriotism has
morphed into murder. When Rana Singh Sodhi's brother is killed in
America's first post-9/11 revenge murder, he begins a journey to reclaim
his American dream and fight the hate that continues to threaten his
community.
A DREAM IN DOUBT will show on Thursday, Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m., Walter Reade
Theater; $10 tickets at
www.filmlinc.com
Also at San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival on
Tuesday, March 20 at 7:15 pm. Tickets will be available beginning Feb. 13
at
www.asianamericanfilfestival.org
MEDIA CONTACTS: Tami Yeager, TRY Productions, T: (917) 348-7115, E-mail:
tryproductions@gmail.com;
Preetmohan Singh, TRY Productions, T: (202) 841-7981, E-mail:
preetss@gmail.com
-----
KS: HOLY BOOKS HAVE CONTRARY
PASSAGES -
TOP
Vern Barnet, Kansas City Star, 2/7/07
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascitystar/16635789.htm
Almost every week someone contacts me to ask about troubling passages in
Islamic literature or to cite passages to prove Islam is an evil
religion.
Today I'll try to put such inquiries in perspective. A future column will
look at specific citations within the Islamic traditions. Here are three
examples from other faiths.
Suppose I tried to attract you to a faith with a beloved scripture based
on God's upbraiding a warrior who does not want to fight because he would
be killing his own kinsmen. You might not be very interested. But that is
exactly the scene of the great Hindu scripture, the
Bhagavad-Gita.
However, most Hindus understand the text as a metaphor. The battle is
within each of us to see clearly and to do our duty without attachment to
the outcome.
In this one, the greatest leader of the faith is angry with his army
because the soldiers spared women and boys, though he allowed saving the
virgins for the pleasure of the soldiers. Such stories appear in the
history of the Hebrew people, in passages such as Numbers 31, Deuteronomy
6, 7 and 20, Joshua 6 and Judges 21.
Would you call a religion a cult if its divine person asks his followers
to hate their parents, siblings and children, said he came not to bring
peace but a sword, and whose body and blood some of his followers believe
they consume each week?
Christians revere Scriptures that include Luke 14:26, Matthew 10:34 and
John 6:54, which are the basis for these characterizations.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
FL: ONLY GOOD FRIDAY MAKES THE CUT -
TOP
Letitia Stein, St. Petersburg Times, 2/7/07
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/02/07/Hillsborough/Only_Good_Friday_make.shtml
TAMPA - Good Friday is the only religious holiday recognized in the
latest version of Hillsborough's controversial school calendar.
But the idea of treating Christians differently from Jews and Muslims
divided the committee of teachers, parents and school administrators who
are making calendar recommendations.
"I think that opens a can of worms," said Leigh Crosson, a
teacher at Bevis Elementary in east Hillsborough, during the committee
meeting Tuesday.
It marked a reversal of the group's stance last fall, when members
proposed a calendar recognizing no religious holidays.
Last year, the School Board passed a similarly secular calendar - and
came under a firestorm of criticism for being antireligious. Under a
national spotlight, the board backpedaled and restored existing Christian
and Jewish holidays.
Once again, the School Board has final approval of the calendar for the
coming school year - and whether religion belongs in it.
After a narrow committee vote to make Good Friday a school holiday, a
Jewish parent made a final request that all major religions be treated
equally. His plea failed in a 9-7 vote.
Teachers and parents generally supported his proposal, while school
district administrators largely opposed it.
The proposal would have reopened the entire calendar to reconsideration,
raising problems for the short fall semester.
"I cannot believe that you have county employees voting not to treat
some of the religious holidays of major religions equally," said
Jonathan Ellis, a father of three students and chairman of a Jewish
community relations council. (MORE)
---
FL: MUSLIM CHOSEN TO
LEAD INTERFAITH ALLIANCE -
TOP
Stephanie Morris, Ocala Star-Banner, 2/7/07
http://www.ocala.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/NEWS/202070330/1001/NEWS01
OCALA - Larry Collins was installed recently as president of The
Interfaith Alliance of Marion County. He is the first Muslim to hold the
office.
Collins grew up an Army brat. He served in the Air Force and did a year
in Vietnam. He has undergraduate degrees, in history and English, and a
juris doctorate - all from the University of Florida. He worked on farms
in college, so he decided to take up equine law. Collins is a devout
Muslim and has been since 1966.
At a hefty 6 feet 3 inches, Collins is a formidable man, an intellectual
who studies the Quran in Arabic and Max Weber's essays on the Protestant
ethic in German.
His agenda is no secret.
"It's not just a question of tolerating people of other
beliefs," Collins said of the alliance's mission. "It's more of
an acceptance of people of different beliefs - and a recognition that if
they hold those beliefs, we just have to give them that right, because
they have a basis for what they believe, and I can't assume, being just a
guy, that their basis is wrong."
The Rev. Dale Stewart is a founding member and former president of the
Marion County chapter of the alliance. He believes Collins' dedication
will be an asset to the organization.
"I've seen him outside painting a sign at the Islamic Center,"
Stewart said. "He is very dedicated in his faith. He does whatever
is necessary."
According to Collins, five years ago, Riadh Fakhoury - a local
chiropractor who is the president of the Islamic Center of Ocala and an
Interfaith Alliance board member - approached him about getting involved.
Fakhoury wanted members of the Muslim community to have a stronger
presence within the organization.
Collins agreed and has been active in the organization since 2002. He was
installed as alliance president on Jan. 22. He is a regular speaker about
topics concerning Islam. (MORE)
---
MI: ELLISON JOINS JACKSON IN
DETROIT -
TOP
Detroit Free Press, 2/7/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/NEWS02/702070311/1008
U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, a native Detroiter, is returning to his roots to
discuss diversity in America.
Some conservative wags criticized Ellison, who became the first
African-American Muslim elected to Congress in November, for doing his
ceremonial swearing in using a Quran (and not a Bible).
Ellison, a Democrat who represents Minneapolis, will be honored as he
joins civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson for the Detroit
Association of Black Organizations' 28th Annual State of the Race Address
and Dinner on Feb. 18.
Jackson, chief executive of Rainbow Push, will be the keynote speaker.
The event begins at 4 p.m. at Second Ebenezer Banquet Facility, 2760 E.
Grand Blvd., Detroit. For tickets, call 313-491-0003.
---
MD: CONVERGENCES:
JUDEO-ISLAMIC MYSTICISM MEETS HOPE -
TOP
Robin Tierney, Examiner, 2/7/07
http://www.examiner.com/a-551457~Convergences__Judeo_Islamic_Mysticism_meets_hope.html
SILVER SPRING, Md. - Differences too often overshadow commonalities that
could bring people together. Believing that humanity trumps hostility,
two local artists seek to bridge the divide between Muslims and Jews
through visionary art and a series of community dialogues.
Having coexisted peacefully for centuries, Jews and Muslims traditionally
viewed their holy books, the Old Testament and the Quran, as scripts more
about limitations than enlightenment.
Yet within each religion, some believers took an alternate view, explains
Karim Chaibi, a Bethesda-based artist born into Islam. Muslim Sufis and
Jewish adherents to the Kabbalah rejected the notion of their holy books
as chains - instead, these mystics interpreting the scripture as
springboards to visionary thought. "These two schools sought to see
beyond the texts," says Chaibi.
Their goal to transcend texts in pursuit of freedom and a more spiritual
life infuses "Testament of Laden Bird" and "Spiritual
Flight," two of Chaibi's works in Convergences: Towards a
Jewish/Muslim Renewal, now on view at Heliport Gallery in Silver Spring.
The exhibition continues Heliport's emphasis on art that strengthens
community ties and cross-cultural awareness.
The well-traveled painter's 10 oil on linen works flicker with energy;
the timeless spaces entrance with Mediterranean color, protean figures
and geometric forms. They're joined by an equal number of acrylics by
Chaibi new brother-in-art, Tom Block of Silver Spring. Several months
back, when Chaibi, who is also an author, shared his plan to spark dialog
among the region's Muslims and Jews, Heliport director David Fogel
suggested Block as a kindred spirit. The chemistry worked.
"The search for similarities is usually an afterthought, an
intellectual exercise," notes Chaibi. He and Block put it in
practice in their lives and art. "Instead of brandishing guns, we
use our brushes to draw a modern Eden where Muslims and Jews can live
together."
IF YOU GO:
Convergences: Towards a Jewish/Muslim Renewal
Opening reception: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Through April 9.
Heliport Gallery, 8001 Kennett St., Suite 3, Silver Spring
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 2/8/07
*
Hadith:
Courtesy and Cordiality
*
CAIR-CA:
Rights Groups Sue
Over Citizenship Delay (AP)
-
Civil Rights Groups
File Class-Action
Suit (ACLU)
*
CAIR:
‘Insensitive’
Video No Joke to Muslims (Newsday)
*
CAIR-CA:
Distrust
Hinders FBI Muslim Outreach (Wash Post)
*
CAIR Aims to Open Minds
with Photo Project (SMC Times)
*
ISLAM-OPED:
Politics, Not Faith,
Behind Shia-Sunni Violence
*
ABC World News Tonight:
US
Muslims Serving in Military
*
MA:
Islamic Center to Hold Open
House (Burlington Union)
-
VA:
Symbol of Faith, Inclusion on U
Campus
*
Canada:
First Muslim
President of a Canadian U (Gazette)
-
Canadians Show Least Bias
Toward Muslims
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: COURTESY AND CORDIALITY -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "...you should show
courtesy and be cordial with each other, so that nobody should consider
himself superior to another, nor do him harm."
Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 602
-----
CAIR-CA: Civil
rights groups sue over delay in processing citizenship -
TOP
Juliana Barbassa, Associated Press, 2/8/07
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/02/08/state/n132150S14.DTL&type=politics
SAN FRANCISCO - Immigrants who waited years for their citizenship
applications to be processed because of lengthy security checks claimed
in a lawsuit Thursday that the delays violated their constitutional
rights.
The suit, filed in San Francisco federal court against the FBI and the
Department of Homeland Security, among others, seeks to enforce laws
saying the government should make a decision on a citizenship application
within 120 days of the applicant's interview.
The immigrants cleared traditional criminal background checks and other
requirements only to wait years for clearance through the FBI's
additional name-check process, adopted after the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks, the plaintiffs' attorneys said.
"The system is broken, and it's time to fix it," said Maya
Harris, executive director of ACLU of Northern California, which filed
the suit on behalf of eight immigrants, along with the Asian Law Caucus,
and the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area
Chapter.
Christopher Bentley, spokesman for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services, defended the rigorous background checks as vital to national
security.
"The American public expects that as an agency we won't grant a
benefit such as citizenship to someone who is not qualified," he
said. "We will not and do not grant any benefits until all
background security clearances have been resolved."
One plaintiff, Sana Jalili, is a Pakistani-born mother of two who has
been living in the United States since she was 16. She grew up in upstate
New York, married an American citizen, and settled in Fremont, where she
home schools her daughters.
She applied for citizenship in December 2003, gave her fingerprints,
passed a criminal background check, and completed the final interview in
September 2004. Although Jalili, 26, said she was told she'd be
naturalized in three months, at most, she's waited almost three years
with no conclusion.
"We are continuously told the same message, that my name has gone
for a background check," she said. "But how long does it take
to complete a simple background check?"
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CA: NORTHERN
CALIFORNIANS DEMAND END TO CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION DELAYS -
TOP
Civil Rights Groups File Class-Action Suit Against Government
American Civil Liberties Union, 2/8/07
http://www.aclu.org/immigrants/gen/28284prs20070208.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
media@aclu.org
SAN FRANCISCO - Civil rights groups filed a class-action lawsuit today
against the federal government for its practice of indefinitely delaying
citizenship applications in violation of the Constitution and federal
statutes and regulations.
“There is no point in calling our legal process a path to citizenship, if
the government puts up a roadblock to keep you from reaching the goal,”
said Cecillia D.Wang, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants’
Rights Project. “We are taking legal action today to reaffirm the
promises made to so many patient, hardworking immigrants who want to
become U.S. citizens and fully participate in our democracy.”
The first of its kind in Northern California, the lawsuit seeks to
enforce federal laws that expect the government to decide a citizenship
application within 120 days of the naturalization test. Many of the named
plaintiffs have been waiting for several years, a clear violation of the
law.
The plaintiffs, long-time legal permanent residents of Northern
California, have met all the legal requirements for citizenship,
including passing their immigration interview and clearing criminal
record checks, but have not been granted citizenship due to a so-called
“FBI name check,” a process that has taken years to complete.
“I was excited when I passed the interview and the immigration officer
told me that I would get a final response, at the latest, in three
months. It has been over two years and still no word,” said 25-year-old
Sana Jalili who has two American-born children. She immigrated to the
United States from Pakistan when she was 15.
The ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, the ACLU of Northern California, the
Asian Law Caucus and the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, San
Francisco Bay Area Chapter, all jointly filed the lawsuit in federal
district court in San Francisco today.
“This lawsuit deals with the government’s recent attempts to evade the
law: moving the unreasonable delay earlier to skirt the letter of law
while still violating people’s due process rights,” said Sin Yen Ling, a
staff attorney with the Asian Law Caucus. “Our lawsuit specifically
addresses the issue by arguing for a time limit within which the
government must complete the ‘name check,’ regardless of the stage at
which the check is conducted.”
Todd Gallinger, legal counsel with the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, added: “The Council on
American Islamic Relations’ Bay Area Chapter (CAIR-SFBA) alone has
received more than 65 cases, mostly from people of Middle Eastern or
South-Asian origin. Other civil rights groups are also reporting a
disproportionately high number of persons affected among the American
Muslim community. Regardless of whether these delays are due to
discrimination or incompetence, they are illegal and must be
corrected.”
“The government’s failure to process naturalization applications in a
timely manner creates terrible hardships for people like Abdul Ghafoor,
who has been unable to bring his wife and four young children to the
United States for the last several years,” said Julia Harumi Mass, staff
attorney for the ACLU of Northern California. “We are bringing this
lawsuit because of the impact on family integrity and civic participation
for important members of our community.”
Defendants named in the lawsuit include the heads of the Department of
Homeland Security and the FBI, among others.
The case is Zhang v. Gonzales.
For a copy of the complaint go to
www.aclu.org/immigrants/gen/28285lgl20070208.html
-----
CAIR: VIDEO NO JOKE TO
MUSLIMS -
TOP
Students using Mideast accents in mock hostage tape are disciplined, but
anger, debate linger Olivia Winslow, Herbert Lowe and Jennifer Kelleher,
Newsday, 2/8/07
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lipost0208,0,3675967.story?coll=sns-ap-music-headlines&track=mostemailedlink
A video by five students at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island
University depicting ski-masked "hostage-takers" speaking in
cartoonish Middle Eastern accents has drawn condemnations from local
Muslim leaders.
The university dismissed the students from their jobs as residence hall
assistants in Brookville Hall, saying they had engaged in activity that
violated their employment contract and that reflected
“insensitivity.”
In the video, which mocks those aired by real-life terrorists, five
figures speak in exaggerated accents as they threaten their captive, a
rubber duck dubbed "Pete," according to an account in the
student newspaper that knowledgeable campus sources agreed was accurate.
The subtext is understood to many on campus: The duck is the mascot for
Brookville Hall.
While friends of those who created the film emphasized it was made in
jest, Muslim leaders did not see the humor. They acknowledged students'
right to freedom of speech but said that right carries
responsibility.
"I think it's not a prank," said Ghazi Khankan of Long Beach, a
member of the board of the American Muslim Alliance, which he described
as a regional and national group that advocates for Muslim participation
in the political process. "Campuses are for enlightenment and for
teaching us to get along, to respect each other, to know how to live
together.”
News of the video quickly went national. The Council on American-Islamic
Relations, a Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group based in
Washington, D.C., sent out Newsday's Web article about the incident in an
e-mail blast. Said Ibrahim Hooper, council president: "It's
something that needs to be addressed.” (MORE)
-----
CAIR-CA: DISTRUST HINDERS FBI
IN OUTREACH TO MUSLIMS -
TOP
Effort Aimed at Homegrown Terrorism
Karen DeYoung, Washington Post, 2/8/07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/07/AR2007020702314.html
The FBI's worst fears that hidden homegrown terrorist groups could take
root in this country were fanned here in the summer of 2005, when four
young Muslim men were charged with conspiring "to levy war against
the United States" via deadly attacks on military installations and
synagogues in Southern California.
The men belonged to what Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales called a
"radical Islamic organization" named Jamiyyat Ul-Islam
Is-Saheeh (JIS), or Assembly of True Islam. They were discovered before
they could carry out their alleged plans.
Although Gonzales claimed an intelligence victory, the FBI had only
stumbled upon JIS. Numbers on a cellphone dropped during a gas-station
holdup led local police to an apartment and a computer with documents
that authorities said outlined a terrorism spree.
None of the four -- three U.S.-born citizens and one Pakistani immigrant
-- fit a terrorist profile. They had no ties to foreign extremists or
radical imams, and their public behavior had drawn no attention. JIS was
also news to officials at the California state prison where a man accused
of founding the group was serving a lengthy sentence for robbery and
allegedly was directing JIS operations from his cell.
The discovery was an ominous surprise to federal law enforcement, whose
senior officials now regularly refer to the case in speeches warning of
the homegrown threat.
But the high-profile indictments, announced at news conferences in Los
Angeles and Washington, were unsettling to Southern California's
half-million-strong Muslim community for a different reason.
"They're not Muslims," declared Shakeel Syed, head of the
75-mosque Islamic Shura Council of Southern California and a
government-approved chaplain who has visited the four men in jail, where
they await trial this year. "They don't know anything about
Islam."
Self-styled converts with the apple-pie surnames of Patterson, Washington
and James, the Americans are "gangbangers, basically," Syed
said dismissively, "petty criminals" incapable of responding
even to his standard Islamic greetings. The Pakistani, described by Syed
as a clueless 21-year-old, "I felt sorry for." . . .
When Muslims ask "What should we look for?" Mudd advises them
to "think of every 15-to-26-year-old ostracized from the
congregation," saying, "I need you to tell me when you see
this."
But
Hussam Ayloush, head of the Southern California branch of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, warned that Muslim youths
already feel singled out in this country. "I don't think the looks,
how many times a person prays, how strong their political views are
should indicate anything. The red line for me, when I start noticing, is
when someone starts justifying terrorism . . . when they say the West is
killing Muslims" and that's the only way they could
respond.
U.S. military involvement in the Middle East and what American Muslim
youths perceive as challenges at home to their religion and patriotism
have placed them, far more than their parents, in "a real identity
crisis," Ayloush said. Increased radicalization "is
possible," he added. "Now, it's not real, but I see it on the
horizon." (MORE)
-----
CAIR: ARTIST HOPES TO DISPEL
MUSLIM STEREOTYPES -
TOP
Organizers aim to open up minds with photo project
Christine Morente, San Mateo County Times, 2/8/07
http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/ci_5182914
Youssef Ismail's photographs of vibrant and sometimes ethereal landscapes
hold a deeper meaning. He says he uses his camera's shutter to reflect
his spirituality as a Muslim.
"I have hope that people will understand the spiritual side of the
religion of Islam," he said. "It has a deep, rich and spiritual
connection. It helps you look at the world, look at the sights that are
there to guide you and to make you understand where you came from, where
you're going and who you are.
"When you stop and reflect on it, it's eye-opening, and sometimes,
it's frightening," Ismail added.
The photographer, whose studio, Organic Light, is based in Campbell,
believes he has the ability to change some people's perceptions of
Islam.
"Some people get it 100 percent," he said. "People come to
my shows, see a photograph and literally start crying. It made me feel
wonderful. I don't like doing things without intention, without a
purpose. I know I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing."
Supporting Ismail's mission to share Muslim life with the world and
dispel stereotypes pertaining to American Muslims, the
Council on
American-Islamic Relations is collecting powerful photographs in its
American Muslim Legacy Photo Project. The initiative would finally prove
that Muslims are like everyone else, said Imam Abdurrahman Anwar of the
Muslim Community Association of the Peninsula in Belmont.
"It's important for people to know that Muslims have been living in
America for a long time," he said. "We are a part of the
country and a part of the American history and its legacy."
Based in Washington D.C., the council is the country's largest Islamic
civil liberties group. The nonprofit group decided to document the
American Muslim experience after it realized the lack of photographs that
accurately depicted Muslim life.
On Tuesday, the council began the call for professional and amateur
digital photographs that depict American Muslim history, the diversity of
the American Muslim community, Muslims making a difference and their
daily lives and religious practices.
After they're documented, the images will be showcased on the council's
Web site and other publications this summer, said
Rabiah Ahmed,
council spokeswoman.
"These creative initiatives are often the best way to change
public perception of Islam and Muslims, because it's non-confrontational
and non-political," she said. "Photos are visually stimulating
so we think by showcasing the diversity, positive contributions and the
history, people will be surprised with what they will see and what they
will learn." (MORE)
-----
ISLAM-OPED:
POLITICS, NOT FAITH, BEHIND SHIA-SUNNI DIVIDE IN IRAQ -
TOP
ISLAM-OPED is a national syndication service of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designed to offer an American Muslim
perspective on current political, social and religious issues. ISLAM-OPED
commentaries are offered free-of-charge to one media outlet in each
market area. Permission for publication will be granted on a
first-come-first-served basis.
CONTACT:
ihooper@cair.com, Tel:
Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726 (c)
Please consider the following commentary for publication.
-----
ISLAM-OPED: POLITICS, NOT FAITH, BEHIND SHIA-SUNNI DIVIDE IN IRAQ
By Parvez Ahmed
WORD COUNT: 747
[Parvez Ahmed is board chairman of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group.
He may be contacted at
pahmed@cair.com.]
Almost daily, we hear distressing stories of sectarian violence in Iraq.
This has caused many Americans to realize that Islam, like other
religions, is not a monolithic faith.
With more than 1.2 billion followers worldwide, Islam naturally
encompasses tremendous diversity in its followers. Islam guides its
faithful to seek peace, justice and unity, yet Muslims have periodically
failed to live up to these foundational teachings.
The current divisions in Iraq stem from an ancient feud, but are not
caused by any profound theological differences. The historical context
was always political and, despite severe disagreements in the past, the
conflict never assumed the characteristics it displays today in Iraq:
viciousness, indiscriminate killing, and complete disregard for human
life.
Understanding what is happening in today’s Iraq requires a journey into
the past.
On Prophet Muhammad's death in 632, his close companion Abu Bakr was
elected as the next head of the Islamic state.
Abu Bakr assumed the title "khalifa" meaning the
"successor to or representative of the messenger of God." The
English word is “caliph,” and thus historically the Islamic state has
also been described as a caliphate or "khilafa."
A minority felt that the caliphate should pass down only to Muhammad’s
direct descendants via Fatima, his daughter, and her husband Ali ibn Abi
Talib, who was also Muhammad’s cousin.
Ali did later become the fourth khalifa, but faced political opposition
almost immediately, sometimes from other relatives of Prophet Muhammad,
like the Prophet’s wife Aisha.
Tragically, Ali was assassinated by one of his own men who felt that he
was too lenient in dealing with Muawiya, the governor of Syria who had
refused Ali’s leadership. On Ali’s death, Muawiya assumed the title of
caliph.
Ali's younger son Hussein agreed not to oppose Caliph Muawiya. However,
when Muawiya died in 680, his son Yazid usurped the caliphate. Hussein
led an army against Yazid but was outnumbered. Hussein and his men were
slaughtered at the Battle of Karbala, in modern-day Iraq.
These events divided Islam politically between the party of Ali
(Shia-tul-Ali or “Shia”) and the majority who came to be known as “Sunni”
(from the Arabic sunnah, meaning the traditional way).
Despite this history of political differences, Sunni and Shia Muslims
agree on the fundamentals of Islam. Islamic scholars on both sides have
declared the legitimacy of each other’s traditions and systems of
jurisprudence.
For example, Al Azhar University, considered the most august seat of
learning in Islam and the oldest university in the world, issued a fatwa
(legal opinion) in 1959 recognizing the legitimacy of Shia jurisprudence.
Al Azhar University, though now Sunni, was founded by the Shia Fatimid
dynasty in 969.
Given all that is happening in Iraq and the distressing possibility of
this conflict widening to other regions, it is a duty of Muslim leaders
and scholars worldwide to call upon all Muslims to focus on the shared
values and beliefs of Shia and Sunni Muslims.
Muslims must unequivocally condemn this sectarian conflict and thwart
efforts by extremists to sow sectarian discord. Demonizing people of
other schools of thought, traditions, ethnicities, or faiths is strictly
prohibited in Islamic jurisprudence.
American Muslims leaders are keenly aware of the volatility of the
situation in Iraq and are resolved not to let the sectarian violence
spill over into the U.S. They are also making efforts towards reconciling
the warring factions in Iraq, which they hope will enable an expedited
and orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region.
Looking to an example in the past might also provide a solution to the
current divisions in Iraq. The Prophet Muhammad, like some other prophets
(David and Solomon), was not only a spiritual leader but also a head of
state. When establishing the Islamic state in Medina, he drafted a
constitution known as the Charter of Medina, whose many signatories
included several Jewish tribes.
The Charter of Medina has been described by contemporary legal scholars
as an early exercise in federalism: each tribe retained its own religious
and ethnic identity while joining to defend the state against external
aggression. The Charter also established protocols for peaceful
resolution of conflicts without prescribing assimilation into one
religion, language or culture.
Politics, not differences in faith, divide Iraq. Yet a political solution
grounded in Islamic traditions can help bring peace.
It is our fervent hope that the Bush Administration and the U.S. Congress
will reach out and enlist the help of American Muslims in developing a
political reality that achieves lasting peace in the region.
-----
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT: AMERICAN
MUSLIMS SERVING IN THE MILITARY -
TOP
ABC World News Tonight will air a segment on American Muslims serving in
the Military on Thursday, February 8th 2007. Check your local listings
for details.
-----
MA MOSQUE TO HOLD AN OPEN HOUSE -
TOP
Margaret Smith, Burlington Union, 2/8/07
http://www.townonline.com/burlington/homepage/8998946959607726079
The Islamic Center of Burlington is holding an open house in the hopes of
providing insight into Islamic prayer, and practice and beliefs.
The open house will be held noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, at the
mosque, 130 Lexington St. in Burlington. The open house is free to the
public. A snow date is set for Sunday, Feb. 18.
“It’s a way for us to invite the community in,” said Ali Rabbani of
Woburn, president of the board of directors of the mosque. “We are hoping
that, in a way, it will inspire others � the churches, the synagogues �
to do the same, so people will get to know all religions this
way.”
Scheduled activities include refreshments, followed by a tour at 12:30
p.m., a lecture at 1:30 p.m. and question-and-answer session at 2:30 p.m.
with a final tour at 3:45 p.m.
The open house will allow also non-Muslims to observe two of the five
prayers which Muslims observe each day. The prayers are held at 1 p.m.
and 3:30 p.m.
The lecture speaker is Johannah Segarich, a music instructor at Middlesex
Community College and a former professional classical singer. A convert
to Islam, she frequently lectures at interfaith events.
The event marks the first open house at the mosque, after the Islamic
Center of Burlington purchased a former Knights of Columbus building at
the Lexington Street location in 2004. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
VA: SYMBOL OF FAITH, SYMBOL OF
CONTROVERSY -
TOP
William and Mary's Board of Visitors should not override a decision to
remove the Wren cross.
Roanoke Times, 2/8/07
http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/wb/wb/xp-103573
The decision by the College of William and Mary's president to remove a
cross from the college's historic Wren Chapel sent an appropriate message
of inclusiveness to the campus community.
At a college with increasing religious diversity, Gene Nichol was correct
in his step to make the chapel more welcoming to students of all faiths.
The centuries-old chapel, which had no cross until the one removed was
put on display in the 1940s, is being used more for nonreligious
events.
Opponents have criticized Nichol's decision as overly politically
correct. His decision has been called "a dramatic erosion" of
the college's historic identity, signaling "a new tolerance for the
intolerant."
Who's intolerant here? It is difficult to lend serious credence to
arguments that fail to acknowledge diversity. Displaying a cross, as
Nichol said, "sends an unmistakable message that the chapel belongs
more fully to some of us than to others."
That same failure lies in arguments against using the Quran instead of
the Bible at an unofficial congressional swearing-in. It lies in the flap
over what to call trees decorated during the month of December.
Symbols -- including those of our faiths -- can be interpreted as
exclusionary. The problem is not that the symbols offend, but that they
shut out those who don't share the same beliefs. (MORE)
-----
CANADA: ENGINEER IS FIRST
MUSLIM TO BE NAMED PRESIDENT OF A CANADIAN UNIVERSITY -
TOP
Montreal Gazette, 2/8/07
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=4aba85e5-7b2a-477f-8ff3-d4240d438505&k=96365
TORONTO – When Mamdouh Shoukri takes over as president of York University
in the summer, he will become the first Muslim to head a Canadian
university.
The 59-year-old Egyptian-born engineer was named the seventh president of
Canada’s third-largest university earlier this month.
Shoukri, currently vice-president of research and international affairs
at McMaster University in Hamilton, had his appointment confirmed Tuesday
by York’s board of governors. He replaces Lorna Marsden, who is retiring
on June 30th after 10 years in the post.
Kamal Haseeb, president of York’s Muslim Association, says Shoukri’s
appointment is based on his credentials, but the fact he’s Muslim
“solidifies the acceptance of all groups and faiths.”
Adam Hummel of Hillel at York, known as the centre for Jewish life on
campus, called Shoukri’s selection “very Canadian” and a reflection of
York’s diverse population.
One senior York official says Shoukri was hired because of who he is – a
fantastic researcher, a fantastic educator and a great administrator –
not because of his ethnicity.
SEE ALSO:
CANADIANS SHOW LEAST BIAS TOWARD
MUSLIMS -
TOP
Survey looked at 23 Western countries
Randy Boswell, CanWest News Service, 2/8/07
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=bd5f2a21-b16e-401c-bd6c-efbade8ba32d
Canadians are least likely among citizens of 23 Western countries to be
bigoted toward Muslims, according to a new international study that
measured "Islamophobia" in each nation.
More than 32,000 respondents from 19 European countries, plus Canada, the
United States, Australia and New Zealand, were asked the question:
"Would you like to have a person from this group as your
neighbour?"
Of the nearly 2,000 people surveyed in Canada - which recently drew
international attention for the CBC's prejudice-piercing comedy Little
Mosque on the Prairie - only 6.5 per cent said they would not like to
live beside a Muslim. Respondents in Greece (20.9 per cent), Belgium
(19.8), Norway (19.3) and Finland (18.9) were most likely to answer
"No" to the question.
Results in Britain and the United States were 14.1 per cent and 10.9 per
cent respectively, and negative responses across all western countries
averaged 14.5 per cent.
Despite the West's "reputation for liberalism, there can be little
doubt that, in the past decade or so in western countries, there is an
increasing awareness of, and a hardening of attitudes toward, people who
are 'different,' " argue the study's co-authors, economists Vani
Borooah of the University of Ulster and John Mangan of the University of
Queensland in Australia.
Love Thy Neighbour: How Much Bigotry Is There in Western Countries? is to
be published in Kyklos, the International Review for Social
Sciences.
Salma Siddiqui, an official with the Toronto-based Muslim Canadian
Congress, said yesterday the survey results reflect the fact Canada is a
very tolerant nation. "We are lucky to be living in a country that
recognizes all human rights," she said. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
– 2/9/07
*
Hadith:
Prayers That Are Answered
*
FL:
More Hispanic Americans
Converting to Islam (VOA)
*
CAIR:
Scholar to
Speak on ‘Islam and Violence’
*
CAIR-CA:
U.S. Grants
Residency to Immigrants (SF Chron)
-
CAIR-Chicago:
Lawsuit to End
Citizenship Delays
*
TX:
Detained Palestinian Dad
May Be Freed (Dallas MN)
-
TX:
Detained Mother,
Children Released (AP)
*
NY:
Liaison Fosters
Understanding Between Muslims, Police
-
NY:
Brooklyn's Muslim Community
Impact
-
VA:
Interfaith Dialogue Aims to
Erase Barriers
-
MA:
Muslims Find Common Ground
on Campus
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: PRAYERS THAT ARE ANSWERED -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “There is no doubt that
three kinds of prayers will be answered: prayers of the oppressed,
prayers of travelers and the prayers of parents for their
children.”
Imam Bukhari’s Book of Muslim Morals and Manners, Hadith 32
-----
FL: MORE HISPANIC AMERICANS ARE
CONVERTING TO ISLAM -
TOP
Steve Mort, Voice of America, 2/9/07
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-02-09-voa33.cfm
The number of Hispanic Americans converting to Islam is growing rapidly
-- particularly in New York, California, Texas and Florida, which have
the greatest concentration of Hispanic residents. Muslim leaders say
interest in Islam has increased in the past few years, and they also note
that Muslims and Hispanics, many of whom are immigrants, share a number
of common concerns.
Steve Mort reports from a mosque in Florida that has seen a steady
increase in Latino worshippers.
The al-Rahman mosque in Orlando opened in 1975 and is the oldest Muslim
place of worship in the city.
But over the years its membership has changed, and now increasing numbers
of Hispanics, like Jesus Marti, are joining the congregation. "It's
the right way to be worshipping God, and I love the Islamic religion. It
really has given me a lot of knowledge, and I have learned so many things
from Islam."
Jesus, a Puerto Rican living in Florida, converted to Islam only a year
ago. He is one of tens of thousands of Hispanic Muslims in the United
States: estimates range from around 70,000 to 200,000.
He says that while he has faced criticism for converting to Islam, he has
found broad acceptance as a Muslim in America. "Islam is not a
country. Islam is a religion. Islam is definitely a way of life, for
discipline where you follow and you try to enhance yourself to get the
most positive things out of yourself for the benefit of your own self and
for the benefit of your own family and the society as a
whole."
Muslim leaders say Jesus Marti and other Hispanics choose Islam for a
variety of reasons. They say Muslims and Hispanics face common issues and
concerns, like finding their way in a new, unfamiliar country. The media
focus on Islam since September 11th has also been factor.
Imam Muhammad Musri is president of the Islamic Society of Central
Florida. The society has about 40,000 members. Iman Musri says Latinos
and Muslims find they have a lot in common. "There are so many
common denominators between immigrant Muslims and immigrant Hispanics who
see the issues common to both of them -- immigration issues, as it is a
big discussion in the United States, and there are other issues of trying
to find a job, keep a job, buy a home -- all the same struggles two
groups of people happen to be going through creates this bond between
them".
Hundreds of worshippers attend Imam Musri's mosque, and there is an
increasing demand for religious literature in Spanish. (MORE)
-----
CAIR: SCHOLAR TO SPEAK
ON THE VIEWS OF ‘ISLAM AND VIOLENCE’ -
TOP
Centre College, 2/8/07
http://www.centre.edu/web/news/2007/2/bagby.html
DANVILLE, KY�Centre College will host a public lecture by Ishan Bagby,
associate professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Kentucky. The
lecture, titled "Islam and Violence," will take place Feb. 15
at 7:30 p.m. in 101 Young Hall on campus.
Bagby's lecture will focus on the disparate interpretations and the
ramifications that arise in political and policy debates.
"In the popular imagination, Islam and violence are deeply
related," says Nayef Samhat, Frank B. and Virginia B. Hower
Associate Professor of Government and International Studies at Centre.
"Such misperceptions have a profound impact on foreign policy and
serve to reinforce the idea, a false one, that the war on terror is in
reality a clash of civilizations between Islam and the West. Professor
Bagby's work, and his talk, go far to dispel these notions and bring
clarity to the issues at hand."
A native of Cleveland, Bagby received a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies
from the University of Michigan. His research for the last 10 years has
focused on Muslims in America.
In 2001 Bagby published The Mosque in America: A National Portrait, the
results of the first comprehensive study of mosques in America. He has
published numerous articles based on the 2001 study, and he is presently
working on a book on African-American Muslims.
Bagby serves on the advisory board of Hartford Seminary's The Hartford
Institute for Religion Research and is active in other organizations
including Interfaith Alliance,
Council of American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA) and Islamic Society
of North America (ISNA).
-----
CAIR-CA: FACED WITH LAWSUIT,
U.S. FINALLY GRANTS RESIDENCY TO IMMIGRANTS -
TOP
Bob Egelko and Matthai Chakko Kuruvila, San Francisco Chronicle,
2/9/07
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/09/BAG7LO1QI11.DTL
Mohamed Aboushaban isn't bitter about the 16 years it took for the
government to process his application for legal residency. He's
bewildered.
"If my name was Boris or John, maybe it would have been a different
situation,'' said the 53-year-old Santa Rosa resident and auto salesman.
His lawyer says the Palestinian refugee probably still would be waiting
for legal residency, the gateway to citizenship, if he hadn't taken the
unusual step of suing the government a year ago. Exactly a month later,
the FBI approved his security clearance, which had been pending for at
least five years as part of a "name check" program the bureau
expanded after Sept. 11.
The FBI name checks are at the heart of a federal lawsuit filed Thursday
by the American Civil Liberties Union, San Francisco's Asian Law Caucus
and the
Council on American-Islamic Relations on behalf of eight
green-card holders. The eight have waited years to hear whether they
cleared the name check, despite passing all tests, interviews and
criminal checks.
"There are thousands of people in this situation waiting years and
years with no light at the end of the tunnel,'' said Aboushaban's
attorney, Kip Steinberg.
More than 82,000 immigration cases had been pending longer than a year as
of May, the ombudsman at U.S. Customs and Immigration Services, which
submits all applications it receives for permanent residency and
citizenship to the FBI for clearance, said in a report to
Congress.
The report said the immigration agency's policy of waiting to conduct
security reviews until after immigrants have applied for legal residency
"may increase the risk to national security by prolonging the time a
potential criminal or terrorist remains in the country.''
ACLU senior staff attorney Cecillia Wang said the cases
disproportionately affect people coming from China, former Soviet
republics and Muslim-majority countries. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CHICAGO: IMMIGRANTS SUE TO END DELAYS
IN GRANTING CITIZENSHIP -
TOP
Waits for FBI to finish 'name checks' can take years
Michele R. Marcucci, Daily Review, 2/9/07
http://origin.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_5192158
When Sana Jalili of Fremont first applied for U.S. citizenship in
December 2003, everything seemed to be going well.
Jalili, who came to the United States from Pakistan on her parents' work
visas at age 15 and became a legal permanent resident in 2001, aced her
citizenship test and interview and made it through criminal background
checks without a problem. In September 2004, an officer with U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services told her she would receive notice of
her oath ceremony within three months.
But more than two years later, the 26-year-old information technology
specialist and mother of two is still waiting, held up by a "name
check" requirement that has left perhaps thousands of would-be
citizens in limbo.
So Jalili and seven other Bay Area residents are suing the government in
federal court, seeking answers and their citizenship.
"America is the only home I know. There's no other place I would
want to live other than here. It is extremely important to me that I
become a full participating citizen of this country," she told a
room full of reporters on Thursday.
Jalili and the other plaintiffs, who live in Fremont, Richmond and San
Francisco, have each waited more than two years for that right, because
name checks conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on them are
not yet complete. The suit argues that Citizenship and Immigration
Services has just 120 days to do the work and that it should adhere to
that timeline. . .
The suit, filed by local chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union
and
Council on American-Islamic Relations and also the Asian Law
Caucus, is one of several such suits filed across the country. Attorneys
said Thursday they know of more than 100 people in the Bay Area facing
similar problems. They are seeking class-action status. . .
Some attorneys representing those caught in this system said they're
concerned it could be targeting Muslims and people from the Middle East
and Southeast Asian.
Heena Musabji, a staff attorney with the Council on American-Islamic
Relations in Chicago, which has also sued the government over the
delays, said her agency has heard about 203 delay cases in the Chicago
area so far; the majority of those waiting are Muslim, and the majority
are male. Her group asked the government for more information on those
facing delays. (MORE)
-----
TX: DETAINED PALESTINIAN DAD MAY
BE FREED -
TOP
Frank Trejo, Dallas Morning News, 2/8/07
http://www.khou.com/news/state/stories/khou070209_ac_detaineddad.674140a7.html
An immigration judge in Dallas set bail at $30,000 Thursday for a
Palestinian businessman from Richardson who, along with his wife and
children, was detained for three months.
The ruling means that Salaheddin Ibrahim, 37, could be released as early
as Friday from federal custody in Haskell, Texas. He then would await the
outcome of a yet-to-be scheduled asylum hearing for him and his
family.
A brother of Ibrahim said that friends, relatives and supporters
contributed enough money for his release and intended to post his bond
early today.
Initially after Thursday morning's bail hearing, there was confusion over
whether Ibrahim could be immediately released. His attorneys said that
the government could legally continue to hold him for 30 days or more if
they decided to appeal the bail ruling.
But according to Carl Rusnok, a Dallas spokesman for Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, the fact that both the government and Mr. Ibrahim's
attorney reserved the right to appeal the decision should not affect his
release.
"The way I understand it, is that he can be released after he posts
bond, assuming he posts bond," Rusnok said.
Dallas lawyer John Wheat Gibson maintained that Mr. Ibrahim should have
been released without bond. He said the government was trying to
"get even" with his client for the embarrassment generated last
week by news stories that Ibrahim's pregnant wife and children, ranging
in age from 5 to 15, had been held in a jail-like center near Austin
since their arrest Nov. 2.
Ibrahim's wife, Hanan, and the children were released Saturday and
returned to their Richardson apartment.
Gibson emphasized that he believes the continued detention of Ibrahim,
after his family's release, is an example of the "institutional
racism" that exists in U.S. immigration policy toward Arabs.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
TX: DETAINED PALESTINIAN
MOTHER AND CHILDREN BEING RELEASED IN TEXAS -
TOP
Associated Press, 2/3/07
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4524334.html
DALLAS � A Palestinian woman and four of her children were released
Saturday morning from the Texas immigration detention center where
they've been held for three months.
Immigration officers arrested Salaheddin Ibrahim, his wife, Hanan, and
four of their children in November at their Richardson home more than two
years after their petition for asylum was denied.
Hanan Ibrahim, 34, who is five months pregnant, has been incarcerated
since then at the T. Don Hutto Detention Center in Taylor, near Austin.
Four of her children, Hamzeh Ibrahim, 15; Rodaina, 14; Maryam, 8; and
Faten, 5, also were detained at the same center.
Meanwhile, her husband, 37, was being held at the Rolling Plains Regional
Jail in Haskell, near Abilene. Attorneys for the family expect him to be
released soon also.
Escalating violence in their homeland swayed a federal immigration panel
Friday to reconsider the family's asylum request, nullifying the order
for removal from the U.S.
"Clearly the public glare of how horrible it is for children being
detained and the family being split up caused this," Theodore Cox,
one of the family's attorney, said of the decision.
On Saturday, a black limo carried the Ibrahims' youngest child,
3-year-old Zahra, and her uncle, Ahmad Ibrahim, to pick up Hanan Ibrahim
and the four children. Real estate developer Ralph Isenberg, who has
become an advocate for the family, set up the limo trip.
"I can't imagine children in jail. Quite frankly, it's just not
acceptable," said Isenberg, whose Chinese-born wife was held for a
time at an immigration detention center. "What type of message do we
send to the rest of the world community when we lock up kids and throw
away the key?" (MORE)
-----
NY: ISLAM AND THE 70TH
POLICE PCT. - LIAISON HELPS FOSTER UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN COPS AND THE
COMMUNITY -
TOP
Stephen Witt, Kings Courier, 2/8/07
http://www.kingscourier.net/site/tab2.cfm?newsid=17829789&BRD=2384&PAG=461&dept_id=552848&rfi=6
Call him the middle man between the city’s growing Islamic community and
the NYPD.
Last week, Erhan Yildirim, the city’s top community coordinator between
cops and the Muslim community, came to the 70th Precinct Community
Council meeting to explain his role as a liaison.
There are between 300,000 and 350,000 people living in Brooklyn who are
Muslim, he said. They come from all over the world, with the largest
population from Pakistan and Bangladesh, Yildirim estimated.
Yildirim, a Bensonhurst resident by way of Turkey, was appointed about
eight months ago and works at police headquarters directly under
Commissioner Ray Kelly.
“They [Islamic community] don’t have the knowledge of how the police
department is working here,” said Yildirim.
“When you are in Turkey, for example, and are friends with the cops, they
[public] don’t look at you as a good guy. But here the police department
is almost like the civil service. They are here for you and there is a
lot of explaining to be done towards the community. Of course on the
other hand, we have to explain our faith and tradition to the cops,” he
added.
Yildirim said part of his job is explaining the Islamic faith and
religion to police.
“For example, when a Muslim woman doesn’t shake their hands, it is
because of our faith. Those little things, like when you enter the mosque
why you have to take off your shoes if it is not an emergency,” he
said.
On the flip side, Yildirim said it is up to his office to visit various
mosques to let congregants know that if there’s an emergency and police
have to respond to a mosque, they might not have time to take their shoes
off.
“Those little things make a difference,” he said.
Among the projects that Yildirim’s office is in the midst of completing
is a movie about Islam that will become part of the core curriculum at
the Police Academy as well as being shown throughout neighborhoods in the
city. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
BROOKLYN’S KOSHER, AND HALAL, TOO -
TOP
Growing Muslim community has impact on neighborhood culture
Melissa Castro, 2/9/07
http://www.baynewsbrooklyn.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=17830061&BRD=2384&PAG=461&dept_id=552847&rfi=6
Belligerent birds and rustling rabbits peer out from wire cages lining
the wall. Fattened fowl peck and squawk, waddling around each other in
their three-foot by three-foot cages.
The flock shrieks when a 17-pound turkey is plucked from their cage and
hung upside-down from the scale, wings spread wide. The bird cocks its
head from side to side as the Russian couple sizes it up. The husband
nods his approval to the Latino butcher, who hands the turkey to a
Moroccan waiting in the back room of the Sunset Park, Brooklyn, halal
butcher.
“Bismillah, allahu akbar,” Yousef el Gnaoui whispers. In the name of God,
God is great.
With a quick stroke of his right hand, the Moroccan slits the turkey’s
throat. The turkey is now considered “halal,” meaning an observant Muslim
may eat it.
Across town on Fulton Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, no fewer than 16
halal restaurants and grocery stores have sprung up to feed the
neighborhood’s burgeoning Muslim population.
American-style fried chicken, Chinese, West African, Middle Eastern and
American halal restaurants compete to serve the increasingly diverse –
and increasingly Muslim – population of the historically African-American
Bedford-Stuyvesant.
The demand for halal food has even pushed the state legislature to step
in as a referee, mandating a halal food certification process that
mirrors the state’s kosher regulations. (MORE)
---
VA: INTERFAITH DIALOGUE AIMS TO
ERASE BARRIERS BETWEEN ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY -
TOP
Many of the forum participants said it has given them a broader context
to news of religious clashes in Iraq, the Middle East and elsewhere.
Pamela J. Podger, Roanoke Times, 2/9/07
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/wb/xp-103733
Omar Rabb, a member of the Clarence Sabree Islamic Center in downtown
Roanoke, demonstrates the Muslim call to prayer. Along with Imam Ibrahim
Hamidullah, Rabb and others have visited several churches and temples in
the Roanoke Valley for discussions to help ease the barriers between
Christians and Muslims.
Omar Rabb stood Sunday morning in the parish hall at Christ Episcopal
Church and raised his hands to his ears before singing out in Arabic that
Allah is the greatest.
Ordinarily, the muezzin, or the man appointed to call the faithful to
prayer, would stand in the courtyard of the mosque or in a minaret, a
type of tower used in Islamic architecture.
Rabb's resonating voice was an unusual experience for about 40 people
listening inside the Christian hall. It's part of an interfaith dialogue
that seeks to erase barriers between Islam and Christianity.
Rabb and other members of the Clarence Sabree Islamic Center in Roanoke,
including Imam Ibrahim Hamidullah, have teamed up with the Rev. Jan
Fuller, the chaplain and religious studies professor at Hollins
University, to lead a six-week lecture series on the Muslim
faith.
Fuller, who attends Christ Episcopal Church, said she broached the
lecture series as a way of fostering mutual understanding, conversation
and respect.
Many of the forum participants said it has given them a broader context
to news of religious clashes in Iraq, the Middle East and
elsewhere.
Caroline Bloodworth of Roanoke said she has attended all of the lectures
so far and plans to show up at the remaining two sessions.
"I came here not knowing anything about Islam and wanted to be
better educated. My eyes have been opened," Bloodworth said.
"This series has given me a deeper respect for the Muslim
community." (MORE)
---
MA: MUSLIMS FIND COMMON GROUND ON
CAMPUS -
TOP
Shari Rabin, Daily Free Press, 2/9/07
http://media.www.dailyfreepress.com/media/storage/paper87/news/2007/02/09/News/Muslims.Find.Common.Ground.On.Campus-2709911.shtml?sourcedomain=www.dailyfreepress.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com
As the violence between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims in Iraq escalates into
what many have labeled a civil war, students from the different sects on
U.S. college campuses insist they are striving for unity, but admit
meeting the needs of both can be difficult.
Even as the conflict has raised the American public's awareness of the
subtle differences between Sunni and Shi'a Islam, Boston University
Islamic studies professor Kecia Ali said most Muslims in America do not
strongly advertise an affiliation with either sect.
"If anything, the conflict in Iraq has united American Muslims
across sectarian lines in opposition to American policy in the
region," she said.
Most U.S. colleges have a single Muslim students association that serves
both groups. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 2/11/07
*
Hadith:
Speak the Truth When You
Talk
*
CAIR-CA:
Boxer Accused of
Caving in to Anti-Muslim Fury (SF Chron)
-
CAIR:
Boxer Gives in to
Islamophobia (InFocus)
*
CAIR-OH:
Muslims Face
Hatred, Curiosity in U.S. (Reuters)
-
CAIR:
Critic of Islam Finds New
Home in U.S. (AP)
*
CAIR Seeking Photos of Muslim
Life (Staten Island Advance
*
CO:
Identity Search: To Be Muslim
in America (Denver Post)
-
PA:
Media Cannot Keep Ignoring
the Muslim Vote
-
NJ:
Muslims Unveil True Selves
(Herald News)
-
MA:
Bias Clouds Religious
Views
*
CAIR-CAN:
Urge MPs to Vote Against Extension
of Anti-Terror Act
*
Canada:
Muslim Women 'Dispel
Myths' in Quebec Town
*
Israeli Settlers Alter
Skyline of Jerusalem's Old City (Wash Post)
-
Israel Continues
Construction at Disputed Jerusalem Site (AP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: SPEAK THE TRUTH WHEN YOU TALK -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If you guarantee me
six things on your part, I shall guarantee you Paradise. Speak the truth
when you talk, keep a promise when you make it, when you are trusted with
something fulfill your trust, avoid sexual immorality, lower your gaze
(in modesty), and restrain your hands from injustice."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1260
VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD DOES NOT DO INJUSTICE
"God does not do injustice to mankind in any way: It is man that
wrongs his own soul."
The Holy Quran, 10:44
-----
CAIR-CA: BOXER ACCUSED OF CAVING IN
TO ANTI-MUSLIM FURY -
TOP
Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle, 2/11/07
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/02/11/INGQ6O1CFP1.DTL
He doesn't know exactly where the certificate is. It may be in a drawer,
or it may be in a cabinet or a closet. "It's locked up
somewhere," Basim Elkarra says.
Elkarra, 27, who heads the
Sacramento office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, lets
out a small laugh as he says this, aware of the irony that an award that
caused so much controversy and outrage is now hidden from public
view.
The story of Elkarra, the certificate and U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer is
about regrets, politics and official pronouncements that mask a cold
reality. It's also a story about American Muslims, their most prominent
civil rights organization and its most willful detractors, one of whom
wants nothing more than to shut it down. . .
Within weeks, a vocal opponent of the council, Joe Kaufman, condemned the
honor, saying that the council has "direct ties to Hamas," the
Palestinian organization that the United States and Israel consider a
terrorist organization. Days later, after reading Kaufman's pleas, Boxer
rescinded Elkarra's award, saying that the council had not adequately
condemned Hamas or Hezbollah. (Boxer never asked for the certificate's
return, which is why Elkarra still has it in his Sacramento
office.)
The council, which is sometimes called CAIR, rebutted Kaufman's claims,
but the war of words between the organization and the senator continued
until both sides met last month in Boxer's Washington office. Afterward,
they announced they were "moving forward."
But judging from interviews with council officials and Kaufman, the
imbroglio has simply entered a new phase: retrenchment. Kaufman is
keeping a close eye on Boxer to make sure she doesn't reach out again to
the council, but the senator is scheduled to continue her face-to-face
dialogue with the council in April, this time in California. In the
meantime, council officials still feel slighted from their last confab
with Boxer. No one, it seems, is happy.
"There was no attempt to give CAIR the courtesy of a fair
hearing," says Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the group's
Southern California office and one of several council officials who met
with Boxer in Washington last month to resolve the issue.
"The purpose of the meeting was for us to go there and really
present our response to the smears and distortions. Unfortunately, it
became apparent that neither the senator nor her senior staff reviewed
CAIR's responses. The focus was how to save face for the senator with the
civil rights community. We moved forward in the interest of keeping
(alive dialogue between) the community and Sen. Boxer."
Elkarra also has bad feelings about the series of events that culminated
in Boxer's decision to rescind his award, saying that "a prominent
Democrat is getting information from Islamophobes." Referring to the
conservative Web site FrontPageMagazine.com, to which Kaufman contributes
and which has called Boxer "the nation's dumbest Democrat,"
Elkarra says, "She's getting information from sites that attack her.
How could she do that?"
Boxer was not available for comment, but her spokeswoman, Natalie Ravitz,
said by e-mail that the senator "is now looking forward to working
with the civil rights community to promote better understanding of all
faiths.". . .
In Kaufman's connect-the-dots, guilt-by-association finger-pointing, the
council is a virtual mouthpiece for Hamas, even though the organization
has since its inception condemned suicide bombings in Israel, even though
council officials (including Awad) have met with President Bush following
the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and even though the FBI has itself praised
the council's work.
"Boxer shouldn't give this group any time at all," Kaufman
says. "Instead, she should work to shut down this organization
because of its direct ties to Hamas."
Ayloush calls Kaufman's charges "ludicrous and baseless," but
he credits Kaufman for indirectly helping the council: Because of the
brouhaha over Boxer's award to Elkarra, the council received an
outpouring of support from Jewish, Christian and other non-Muslim
Americans who believe Boxer caved in to Kaufman and other anti-council
hardliners. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: BOXER GIVES IN TO ISLAMOPHOBIA -
TOP
Mona Shadia, InFocus, February 2007
http://www.infocusnews.net/content/view/996/135/
A California senator's decision to rescind an award to a Muslim leader
after caving into pressure from Islamophobes has deeply disappointed
Muslim, civil rights, and interfaith communities.
In December, Senator Barbara Boxer withdrew the "Certificate of
Accomplishment" her office had awarded to Basim Elkarra, executive
director of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR)
Sacramento Valley chapter last November.
Boxer's office had given the certificate to 27-year-old Elkarra for his
dedication to building bridges and enhancing relations among Muslims and
non-Muslims.
In a curious twist of events, Boxer then rescinded the award because she
was concerned about past alleged statements and actions by CAIR that she
saw on right-wing websites.
Officials from CAIR, the largest Muslim civil liberties group in the
U.S., expressed surprise and concern at Boxer's hasty move and her
failure to consult CAIR about the charges which they say are
baseless.
"These allegations are smears and an attempt to marginalize the
American Muslim community," said Elkarra.
For more than two weeks now, Boxers's office has refused to speak with
Southern California InFocus, the largest American-Muslim newspaper in
California. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-OH: MUSLIMS FACE HATRED,
CURIOSITY IN U.S. HEARTLAND -
TOP
Andrea Hopkins, Reuters, 2/11/07
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/02/11/muslims_face_hatred_curiosity_in_us_heartland/
CINCINNATI (Reuters) - Tala Ali, 25, has seen the good and the bad of
being a Muslim in heartland America. People have leaned out car windows
to scream at her: "Terrorist go home." But strangers curious
about her headscarf have also approached her apologetically to ask about
Islam.
"I love it, actually, when people ask me questions," said the
pink-scarved Ali, who came to the United States with her Jordanian father
and Palestinian mother when she was five.
"Out here, I'm the only Muslim some people may meet," said Ali,
waiting for friends after Friday prayers at a Cincinnati mosque. "I
always keep in mind that I'm an ambassador of Islam."
For Ali and other Muslims who live far from America's immigrant-rich big
cities, everyday life is a test of tolerance and outreach to fellow
Americans who view Islam with suspicion five years after the September 11
attacks and amid bleak and bloody wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The negative perception gets bigger by the day, despite all we
do," said Inayat Malik, a doctor and board member of the Islamic
Center of Greater Cincinnati. . .
Karen Dabdoub fights constant brushfires in her work for the Council
on American-Islamic Relations in Ohio.
In 2005, a Cincinnati mosque was bombed. Fasting Muslim students were
criticized in 2006 when they were allowed to avoid the cafeteria during
Ramadan. Bomb threats and hate mail trickle in.
"We'll get there. It's not an easy road, but we'll get there,"
said Dabdoub, a native Cincinnatian who converted to Islam 16 years ago.
But she admits things have gotten worse instead of better in recent
years. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: CRITIC OF ISLAM FINDS NEW HOME
IN U.S. -
TOP
WILLIAM C. MANN, Associated Press, 2/10/07
http://www.onelocalnews.com/whiterockreviewer/ViewArticle.aspx?id=60517&source=2
WASHINGTON - As a child, Ayaan Hirsi Ali fled violence in Somalia with
her family. As an adult she fled Kenya to escape an arranged marriage.
She left her adopted Holland after she was caught up in political turmoil
and had her life threatened.
Hirsi Ali joined the American Enterprise Institute last September, after
a sometimes stormy 14 years in the Netherlands, where she was a member of
parliament and became a central figure in two events that jolted the
nation.
Next, a fight within Hirsi Ali's political party over her Dutch
citizenship brought down the government.
"I'm an apostate. That's why the book is called 'Infidel,'" she
said in a telephone interview from New York.
"We believe that she will bring an increase to the level of
anti-Muslim bias in this country that we saw her bring to the situation
in Europe," the council's communications director,
Ibrahim
Hooper, said in an interview Saturday. "Unfortunately her
message is one of bigotry, not one of mutual understanding." . .
.
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations‘ Hooper contends that
she exaggerates to further her agenda.
"She is just one more Muslim-basher on the lecture circuit," he
said.
-----
CAIR SEEKING PHOTOS OF MUSLIM LIFE -
TOP
Staten Island Advance, 2/10/07
http://www.silive.com/living/advance/index.ssf?/base/living/117110258870990.xml&coll=1
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The
Council on American Islamic Relations
(CAIR) has launched the "American Muslim Legacy Project" to
collect and preserve images of American Muslim life and history.
The Washington, D.C.,-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group is
seeking photographs that depict the American Muslim experience and will
ultimately offer the images in an online database.
Digital or scanned photographs may be submitted and should fall into one
of the following categories: American Muslim history; diversity of the
American Muslim community; Muslims making a difference, and Muslim daily
life and religious practices.
The project is open to both amateur and professional photographers and
there is no limit on how many images may be submitted.
All photos must be sent by e-mail to CAIR at
photos@cair.com and include
descriptive captions that identify the subjects and time periods when the
photos were taken.
"The American Muslim community has a rich and multifaceted history
that needs to be documented and preserved," said
Rabiah Ahmed,
CAIR communication coordinator.
He said the initiative also was designed to identify talented Muslim
photographers.
For detailed information on the project, visit
www.cair.com, or call
202-488-8787.
-----
CO: IDENTITY SEARCH: TO BE MUSLIM IN
AMERICA -
TOP
Eric Gorski, Denver Post, 2/11/07
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_5203373
The food pantry occupies a storefront between a beauty salon and auto
shop, a nondescript location off East Colfax Avenue that gives no
indication the people volunteering inside symbolize a faith community in
transition.
Shirley Anderson doesn't know who is helping her, doesn't notice the
framed Arabic calligraphy or the headscarf worn by one woman. She
certainly wouldn't know that the name of the pantry, Ansar, is taken from
an Arabic term for "helper."
Anderson, 53, is focused on getting groceries to her Section 8 apartment
and disabled husband.
What comes to mind when she thinks of Muslims?
"Suicide bombers in the name of Allah," she said. "As far
as I can tell, they are not very nice people."
A few minutes later, she is going over a menu with Dr. Dilsher Nawaz, an
Aurora cardiologist with a big laugh and a salt-and-pepper beard. Then
she is out the door with a box filled with Froot Loops, tomato sauce,
carrot cake and canned pears.
"These people, they are Islamic?" Anderson said. "It makes
me think that not all of them are the same. You run into someone, it can
open your heart and mind."
As Colorado's Muslim community grows and matures in a post-Sept. 11
world, scenes like this are becoming more commonplace. A new generation
of Muslims with feet firmly in the U.S. is pushing greater engagement
with the wider community through service projects and interfaith work.
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
PA: LOCAL MEDIA CANNOT KEEP IGNORING
THE MUSLIM VOTE -
TOP
Syeda Abbas, Student Operated Press, 2/11/07
http://www.thesop.org/index.php?id=4297
The word was out in mosques, community parties and Islamic schools,
Ramadan feasts all over Pittsburgh: get the vote out. Why would a
normally sleepy Muslim community thrust itself into the forefront of the
most crucial election in recent history? Would it matter? Apparently it
did.
The Muslim community of Pittsburgh, estimated at about 10,000, worships
in eight or nine mosques. The community is ethnically diverse. South
Asians are the biggest group, followed by African- Americans, and then
Arabs. The largest mosques are in Monroeville and in Oakland. The former
is called MCCGP Muslim Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and the
latter is named Islamic Center of Pittsburgh. South Asians and East
Europeans frequent the Monroeville mosque. This part of the community is
remarkably wealthy, its core support coming from professionals,
particularly physicians employed by the mammoth University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center and the smaller Allegheny General health system. Lexuses,
BMWs are parked in rows outside the Monroeville mosque that houses the
Sunday school. Many children attend private schools, and dinner
conversations frequently turn to investment options. . .
The Muslim community teetered last fall on a delicate line between voter
education and endorsing candidates. According to Saleh Waziruddin, of the
Al -Nur Islamic center and secretary to the Islamic council , there was a
conscious nationwide effort to mobilize the Muslim vote. He cited two
challenges: Mosques are non -profit organizations and are not allowed to
endorse any candidates, and mosques are casually organized. There are no
accurate member lists. Secondly, irregular mosque attendance does not
allow for actual head counts. Some members may attend two mosques.
Mainstream politics is still a distant reality. Elections tend to bypass
the community. Most immigrant members generally struggle to differentiate
between Democrat and Republican, or they puzzle over the term
gubernatorial.
National research shows that Muslim voters overwhelmingly went over to
the Democratic side, as the Iraq war progressed.
A Council of American
Islamic Relations survey of 2006 suggests that 55% of Muslims
surveyed felt the war on terror had turned into a war on Islam. Three Rs
galvanized Pittsburgh's Muslim community into action; Republicans, Rick
and Ramadan. The timing of the election proved providential. As if the
Iraq war was not nightmarish enough, the black smoke rising above Beirut
and the apathetic pace of the ceasefire was seared into Muslim
consciousness. The height of the election campaign and the Muslim holy
month of Ramadan, a month of fasting, coincided. Mosque attendance peak
during this month, emotions rise to fever pitch, and Muslims are more
likely to donate time and money. The faithful believe that good deeds
during Ramadan are rewarded greatly. A hawkish Republican agenda, which
Santorum seemed to personify to Muslims, fueled sentiment that Muslims
needed to help bring about a change. Omer Slater, former president of
Greater Pittsburgh's Islamic council, said, "Santorum's highly
transparent Islamaphobia made him a target for most Muslims."
(MORE)
---
NJ: MUSLIMS UNVEIL TRUE SELVES -
TOP
Karen Keller,
Herald News, 2/11/07
PATERSON -- Funny notions about Islam are a familiar topic for Jehad
Faleh, 15. His first name, for one, provokes jeers from
classmates.
"They say 'Yo, you got a gang over there in Palestine?' or 'What'd
you get for Christmas, a nuke?'" said Jehad, an Elmwood Park High
School student whose first name means "struggle" in Arabic. But
many people think jehad or jihad -- the English spelling varies -- means
holy war and therefore is associated with terrorism.
Misconceptions about Islam are rife, several area Muslims say. On Friday
night, the Islamic Center of Passaic County, a Paterson mosque, hosted a
lecture in part to help dispel one of the biggest misconceptions about
Islam -- that Muslims don't believe in Jesus or other prophets celebrated
in Christianity and Judaism.
The center's Web site encouraged Muslims to bring their non-Muslim family
members, neighbors and friends to the lecture. But not many non-Muslims
attended, said Mohamed El Filali, the center's outreach
director.
"We want to do a press release next time," he said.
In his lecture "Return of Jesus," Oktar Babuna, a medical
doctor visiting from Turkey, explained to a rapt audience of about 150
that humankind is nearing the end of time. Jesus' return from heaven to
Earth is imminent, said Babuna. When he returns, peace will prevail on
Earth, he said. Babuna supported his comments with verses from the Quran
shown on an overhead projector. (MORE)
---
MA: BIAS CLOUDS RELIGIOUS VIEWS -
TOP
Fatoumata Soumar�, Smith Sophian, 2/8/07
http://media.www.smithsophian.com/media/storage/paper587/news/2007/02/08/Opinions/Bias-Clouds.Religious.Views-2710352.shtml
Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Scientology and Hinduism are some of the
religions to which members of our globe belong. Through common knowledge
or rumors, each of us can make assumptions about every religion in the
world. Besides the assumptions we make, what do we really know about each
other's religions or even our own? I was inspired to write this article
from an event that took place during the second week of J-term when what
I thought would be an hour of enjoying dinner and friends' company turned
into something completely different: a six-hour debate about religion and
our attempts to show flaws in each other's religious faiths. Around the
table in Chase/Duckett dining hall sat five Smithies of Islamic or
Christian faith. I will take full credit for bringing up the subject of
religion because I was upset due to an overheated argument I had the
night before.
The conversation was a regular one for a bit and then it got a bit
difficult. The two students who are Christians - a Catholic and a Seventh
Day Adventist - had a hard time describing to the Muslim students what
Christianity meant to them. One was taught from her Catholic upbringing
that the Virgin Mary is a very important part of the Christian religion
and the other felt that Jesus was everything as far as she was
concerned.
Then, there came the question of the Quran and the Bible and which is
right. The Muslim students argued that the Quran has never changed,
unlike the Bible which has a few testaments - old and new. The Christian
students agreed that the Bible may have changed but argued that Islam
justifies the behavior of suicide bombers - the notion of Jihad - like
the ones we hear about everyday on the news. Then and there, I saw that
there was a problem. Once again arguments were being made to belittle one
religion or the other without much justification and based completely on
the bias of the American media.
A thought came to me at the end of our six-hour debate: we had no
business sitting there talking about each other's religion or even our
own because we weren't knowledgeable about them, and we were seriously
biased against any religion that was not ours. The most courageous of us
repeated this out loud and with shame each and every single one of us
agreed. We needed to tone down our bias and read the Bible, the Quran or
any other holy religious book we might have had a problem with.
Before we departed at midnight to our respective houses, we promised to
have another "spontaneous" debate, but this time as well-read
debaters. It was a kind of beautiful moment, and I wished that instead of
six students, that this would have been said by members of the American
society. What a beautiful thing that would have been.
-----
CAIR-CAN: URGE YOUR MP TO VOTE AGAINST EXTENSION
OF ANTI-TERROR ACT -
TOP
(Ottawa, Canada, Feb. 11, 2007) The Canadian Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-CAN) is asks all Canadians of conscience to contact their
local MP and urge them to vote against the Conservative government's
motion to extend certain provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
According to reports, on Friday, Feb. 16, two of the act's most
controversial and far-reaching provisions will be subject to a
parliamentary vote to determine if they will be extended for another
three years. The two provisions - preventative detention, which allow
authorities to hold individuals without charge for 72 hours, and
investigative hearings, which compel individuals to appear before secret
hearings for the purpose of investigation - were enacted in haste after
9/11.
The provisions are subject to a "sunset clause" thereby
expiring this month - unless parliament votes otherwise.
ACTION REQESTED (Be firm but polite)
1) CALL your local MP and ask them to vote against the motion to renew
these provisions in the Anti-Terrorism Act.
To call your MPs constituency office in Ottawa dial toll free at
1.866.599.4999.
Ask to be transferred to your MP by giving their name or riding. You can
find
out who your MP is by visiting:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/house/PostalCode.asp?Language=E&source=sm
2) EMAIL your MP and ask them to vote against the motion to renew the two
provisions of Anti-Terrorism Act.
You can find their email address by visiting:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/house/PostalCode.asp?Language=E&source=sm
3) Make duaa (pray).
SUGGESTED TALKING POINTS (Think out your position before you state
it)
1) The Anti-terrorism Act lowers the threshold of evidence required to
bring someone in for questioning.
2) The preventative arrests and investigative hearings are clear
departures from Canadian legal values and traditions.
3) Fundamental civil and human rights are threatened by the two
provisions.
4) The provisions are unnecessary to keep Canada safe.
5) The preventative arrests and investigative hearings are open to abuse
by authorities.
6) The role of judges in our legal system are eroded through these
provisions.
7) Feel free to add points of your own.
CAIR-CAN
Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations
P.O. Box 13219, Ottawa, ONT, K2K 1X4
(t) 1.866.524.0004
(f) 613.254.9810
www.caircan.ca
-----
CANADA: MUSLIM WOMEN HOPE TO 'DISPEL
MYTHS' IN QUEBEC TOWN -
TOP
Canadian Press, 2/11/07
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070211.wheroux0211/BNStory/National/home
HEROUXVILLE, Que. - A delegation of Muslim women is visiting a Quebec
town that passed a controversial code aimed at immigrants.
The women were clad in traditional Muslim headscarves as they met with
about 50 residents of Herouxville, where the town council passed the list
of societal norms that would-be immigrants would have to adhere
to.
Among the norms, a man cannot stone a woman to death and faces are not to
be covered except at Halloween. Herouxville also says children shouldn't
carry weapons, including Sikh kirpans, to school.
Najat Boughaba says she's in Herouxville to dispel myths about
Muslims.
Town councillor Andre Drouin says the town is eager to welcome its
visitors and show its residents are not racists.
The town council will discuss the norms at the next town meeting and will
make changes if warranted but Drouin says the list will remain in
place.
-----
JEWISH INROADS IN MUSLIM QUARTER -
TOP
Settlers' Project to Alter Skyline of Jerusalem's Old City
Scott Wilson, Washington Post, 2/11/07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/10/AR2007021001571.html
From the roof of his home just inside the Old City walls, Palestinian
landlord Nasser Karain has a view of the valleys and plateaus where
scriptures say Solomon built the first Temple, Jesus was betrayed and
Muhammad rose to heaven.
A new landmark may soon rise next to his family compound.
The Israeli government is funding the first construction of a Jewish
settlement in the Old City's Muslim Quarter since taking control of it
nearly four decades ago. The Flowers Gate development plan calls for more
than 20 apartments and a domed synagogue that would alter the skyline of
the Old City.
Karain's property is at the center of an accelerating campaign by Jewish
settler organizations to change the ethnic and physical character of this
city's oldest Arab neighborhoods. The Israeli government is financing
projects that dovetail with the settlers' goals, which they say are to
secure the Old City and an adjacent valley for Israel in any final peace
agreement with the Palestinians. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CABINET ORDERS CONSTRUCTION TO
CONTINUE NEAR DISPUTED JERUSALEM SITE -
TOP
Matti Friedman, Associated Press, 2/11/07
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070211-0827-israel-holysite.html
JERUSALEM - Israel's Cabinet voted to push ahead with construction work
on a ramp leading to a disputed holy site in Jerusalem, despite
objections from the Muslim world and violent Palestinian
protests.
Tensions in the city have been high since last week, when Israel began
work outside the compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to
Jews as the Temple Mount. The new walkway is meant to replace an ancient
earthen ramp that partially collapsed in a snowstorm three years
ago.
Arab leaders have accused Israel of trying to harm Muslim holy sites.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 2/12/07
*
Verse:
God Listens to Every Prayer
*
CAIR-Chicago's Sold-Out Dinner a
Success
-
CAIR-MD/VA Offers
Presentation at Jewish Center
-
CAIR-San Diego Meets with
Newspaper Editorial Board
*
CAIR-MI:
African Muslims
Add 'Different Perspective' (Detroit News)
*
CA:
Shoebat Omits
Instances of Muslim Kindness
-
Economist Slams New Hirsi Ali
Book
*
CA Radio Host:
Islam Is
Not the Enemy
*
UT Muslim Couples Recall Pilgrimage
to Mecca
*
CA Event:
'Muslim Women
in the Sciences and Engineering'
*
DC Event:
'Reconciliation of the
Sunni-Shi'a Communities'
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD LISTENS TO EVERY PRAYER -
TOP
"When My servants ask thee (O Muhammad) concerning Me, tell them I
am indeed close (to them). I listen to the prayer of every supplicant
when he calls on Me. Therefore, they should respond to Me and put their
trust in Me, so that they may be rightly guided."
The Holy Quran, 2:186
-----
CAIR-CHICAGO'S SOLD-OUT DINNER A SUCCESS -
TOP
(CHICAGO, IL, 2/12/07) - The Chicago chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) yesterday held its third annual
banquet, titled "Rising to the Challenge."
The sold-out event displayed tremendous diversity among the more than 900
attendees, which included members of Chicagoland's Muslim community,
mosque leaders, public officials, the FBI, law enforcement, members of
the media, and friends from other faith communities.
Speakers included CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, CAIR Board
Chairman Dr. Parvez Ahmed; Guest Speaker Congressman Danny Davis, and
Keynote Speaker Professor David Cole.
The event sought to promote constructive citizenship and community
empowerment via healthy civic engagement and youth leadership
development. At the conclusion of the event, more than 75 young people,
comprising CAIR-Chicago's staff, interns, and volunteers gathered on the
stage for a standing ovation.
CONTACT: Ahmed Rehab, Tel: 312-212-1520, Email:
director@cairchicago.org;
Sultan Muhammad, Tel: 773-540-6001, Email:
smuhammad@cair.com
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MD/VA OFFERS
PRESENTATION AT JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER -
TOP
(HERNDON, VA, 2/12/06) - The Maryland and Virginia chapter of the Council
on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MD/VA) was recently invited to give a
presentation on Islam to a seventh-grade class at the Jewish Community
Center of Greater Washington in Rockwell, MD.
The two-hour session included a presentation on the basic tenets of
Islam, the similarities between Judaism and Islam and women's rights in
Islam.
CONTACT: Khalid Iqbal, Tel: 202-439-5432
---
CAIR-SAN DIEGO MEETS WITH NEWSPAPER
EDITORIAL BOARD -
TOP
(SAN DIEGO 2/12/07) - The San Diego chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-San Diego) met recently with the
editorial board of the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper. The meeting was
designed to be the first of many to build positive relations with local
media.
The editorial board members who attended the meeting received a copy of
the Quran, Islam's revealed text, CAIR's annual report on the status of
Muslim civil rights in United States, and a DVD on the life of the
Prophet Muhammad.
CONTACT: Edgar Hopida, Public Relations Director, CAIR-San Diego, Tel:
858-278-4547 or 619-913-0719, E-mail:
ehopida@cair.com
-----
CAIR-MI: AFRICAN BRAIN DRAIN
IS GAIN FOR REGION -
TOP
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 2/12/07
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070212/METRO/702120349
Touray Kunda came to Detroit from Gambia for business opportunities. He
stayed because Touray Kunda Enterprises, his importing business,
boomed.
"If business is not good back home, you think, 'Let me go to
America, home of the immigrant,'?" Kunda said.
After she finished medical school in Nigeria, Kehinde Ayeni, came for
more post-graduate work. The psychiatrist stayed because economic and
social circumstances in Nigeria made it impossible to find work.
"Most professionals still can't find jobs there," Ayeni said.
"I believe many people migrate for the same reason."
African immigration to Metro Detroit is at a historically high level,
according to the U.S. Census Bureau, having grown by about 400 percent
since 1990. The African brain drain is a brain gain for the region,
observers say.
More highly educated than the general population or other communities of
recent immigrants, Africans are influencing Metro Detroit professions,
higher education, neighborhoods, religions and culture. . .
The immigrants are affecting spiritual lives in Christian and Muslim
congregations.
Two mosques opened recently to accommodate some of the new residents, the
Masjid as-Salaam, on West Seven Mile near Lahser, and the Detroit Muslim
Community Center, on Marlborough, blocks east of the Chandler Golf
Course.
"They add a different perspective to the Muslim community,"
said
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American
Islamic Relations of Michigan. Many of the immigrants from West
Africa, in particular, are devoted to the more mystical Sufi strain of
Islam.
"Their preaching or orientation is more geared towards a discussion
of not only a love of God, but the responsibility Muslims have to have a
healthy relationship with other human beings and being more considerate
of others." (MORE)
-----
CA: SHOEBAT
OMITS INSTANCES OF MUSLIM KINDNESS, TOLERANCE -
TOP
David Sforza, Daily Nexus, 2/12/07
http://www.dailynexus.com/article.php?a=13205
On Feb. 7, I was one of several hundred to go watch Walid Shoebat, a
former PLO terrorist and now Christian. In his hour and a half speech, he
warned that the Middle East has the potential to be that of several Nazi
Germanys.
I myself am a Jew. I have had many Muslim friends, including
Palestinians. When I walked out of the Corwin Pavilion, I felt disgusted
by what I had just heard. Shoebat painted a picture of Islam as a dirty
religion full of murderers. What he forgot to talk about is the fact that
there are good Muslims.
He told us about the yellow stars we had to wear in Spain during Muslim
rule and he told us of how Muslims helped Hitler massacre the Jews. What
he forgot to mention was the fact that the Muslims treated the Jews much
better than the Spanish did and that they gave us the opportunity to
practice our religion. After the Muslims fell in Spain, the Spanish
executed and exiled of many of the Jews in Spain. Shoebat also forgot to
tell us that Muslims let us live in Jerusalem during the crusades,
whereas the Europeans slaughtered the Jews after they took control of the
city. He forgot to tell us about the Muslims who lit candles in Iran for
the Americans who died on Sept. 11.
After the speech, members of the audience were given the opportunity to
ask Shoebat questions. Immediately, two Muslims spoke out against him,
offended by what he had said. What was the audience response? We booed
them and clapped at Shoebat's insults toward them. One of them asked what
he was supposed to do as he left the room. Shoebat did not understand
what he meant, but I did. He feared that the room would leave with a
greater hatred toward Islam. Now do not get me wrong. I love Israel and I
love my people, the Jewish people, but I cannot stand silently as someone
paints a single stroke brush of another group just as Hitler did of the
Jews.
David Sforza
SEE ALSO:
DARK SECRETS -
TOP
Economist, 2/8/07
Ayaan Hirsi Ali blames Islam for the miseries of the Muslim world. Her
new autobiography shows that life is too complex for that
http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8663231
Say what you will about Ayaan Hirsi Ali, she fascinates. The Dutch-Somali
politician, who has lived under armed guard ever since a fatwa was issued
against her in 2004, is a chameleon of a woman. Just 11 years after she
arrived in the Netherlands from Africa, she rode into parliament on a
wave of anti-immigrant sentiment, only to leave again last year, this
time for America, after an uproar over lies she had told to obtain
asylum.
Even the title of her new autobiography reflects her talent for
reinvention. In the Netherlands, where Ms Hirsi Ali got her start
campaigning against the oppression of Muslim women, the book has been
published under the title "My Freedom". But in Britain and in
America, where she now has a fellowship at the conservative American
Enterprise Institute, it is called "Infidel". In it, she
recounts how she and her family made the cultural odyssey from nomadic to
urban life in Africa and how she eventually made the jump to Europe and
international celebrity as the world's most famous critic of
Islam.
Read as a modern coming-of-age story set in Africa, the book has a
certain charm. Read as a key to the thinking of a woman who aspires to be
the Muslim Voltaire, it is more problematic. The facts as Ms Hirsi Ali
tells them here do not fit well either with some of the stories she has
told in the past or with her tendency in her political writing to ascribe
most of the troubles of the Muslim world to Islam. . .
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is not the first person to use false pretences to try to
find a better life in the West, nor will she be the last. But the muddy
account given in this book of her so-called forced marriage becomes more
troubling when one considers that Ms Hirsi Ali has built a career out of
portraying herself as the lifelong victim of fanatical Muslims.
Another, even more disturbing story concerns her sister Haweya's sojourn
in the Netherlands. In her earlier book, "The Caged Virgin",
which came out last year, Ms Hirsi Ali wrote that her sister came to the
Netherlands to avoid being "married off". In
"Infidel", however, she says Haweya came to recover from an
illicit affair with a married man that ended in abortion. Ms Hirsi Ali
helped Haweya make up another fabricated story that gained her refugee
status, but the Netherlands offered her little respite. After another
affair and a further abortion, Haweya was put into a psychiatric
hospital. Back in Nairobi, she died from a miscarriage brought on by an
episode of religious frenzy. "It was the worst news of my
life," Ms Hirsi Ali writes.
Mental illness, abortion, failed marriages, illicit affairs and differing
interpretations of religion: much as she tries, the kind of problems that
Ms Hirsi Ali describes in "Infidel" are all too human to be
blamed entirely on Islam. Her book shows that her life, like those of
other Muslims, is more complex than many people in the West may have
realised. But the West's tendency to seek simplistic explanations is a
weakness that Ms Hirsi Ali also shows she has been happy to exploit.
(MORE)
-----
CA: ISLAM IS NOT THE ENEMY! -
TOP
Frank Pastore, Townhall.com, 2/11/07
http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/FrankPastore/2007/02/11/islam_is_not_the_enemy!
Last Monday on the Fox hit "24", President Wayne Palmer made
the point that American Muslims are our best allies in this war against
Islamic terrorism. He's right, but you wouldn't know it listening to the
callers on my show last week. I'm still disturbed by the volume of
criticism I got-especially from Christians-for merely suggesting
something that seems so obvious to so many of us: that we are not at war
against the religion of Islam, we are at war against radical
Muslims.
Callers insisted I was wrong, repeating over and over again things like,
"there is no such thing as moderate Islam, there are only moderate
Muslims who don't really understand Islam," that "real Islam,
and therefore real Muslims, seek world domination, a 7th century
caliphate under universal sharia law," and finally, that "a
true Muslim believes all non-Muslims must either convert or
die."
Could they be right? What would counter-evidence look like to defeat
these claims? Let me offer a few suggestions.
1) There are tens of millions of Muslims and Christians (and Jews) who
have lived peaceably alongside one another for centuries, and who still
do today in many parts of the world. Is each Muslim secretly harboring
the desire to blow up the local caf�? Does every Christian believe their
Muslim neighbor is at war with him? Of course not. After all, it wasn't
Jews and Christians who were targeted on 911, or in London, Madrid, Bali,
or Jakarta. It was simply civilians. Further-more, even if you grant the
premise "we are at war with Islam," I must ask, "Who is
the 'we?'"
2) Who is in a better position to explain the "true" teachings
of Islam, a Muslim or a non-Muslim? Expecting a Mus-lim to defer to my
interpretation of his religion is as sensible as me deferring to his
interpretation of Christianity. Better to criticize the behavior of the
practitioners of a religion than the religion itself. The "my
religion is better than your relig-ion" contest can only lead to a
cemented stalemate. Better to ask things like, "How has your
religion made you a better person?" Or, "What are you willing
to do to win converts to your religion?" This elevates the discourse
to the realm of the natural moral law. Jesus taught you can always tell a
tree by its fruit. Better to judge actions than to divine motives.
(MORE)
The Frank Pastore Show is heard in Los Angeles weekday afternoons on 99.5
KKLA and on the web at kkla.com, and is the winner of the 2006 National
Religious Broadcasters Talk Show of the Year. Frank is a former major
league pitcher with graduate degrees in both philosophy of religion and
political philosophy.
-----
6 UTAHNS RECALL PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA -
TOP
Muslim couples say the journey was an experience of a lifetime
Rosalie Westenskow, Deseret Morning News
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660194794,00.html
Throngs choked every alleyway and sidewalk in the city while a sea of
white swirled 'round and 'round a cubical black building at its center.
The city's visitors came from every continent, and many will never
return.
Amid the crowds of ecstatic worshippers were six Utahns who traveled
halfway around the world to participate in the largest Islamic gathering
on Earth.
Every year, about 2 million Muslims flock to Mecca, Islam's holiest city,
for a pilgrimage called the hajj. The event takes place during the last
month of the Islamic lunar calendar, this year landing between Dec. 26
and Jan. 2.
"It's a great experience," said Akram Shaaban, who went on the
pilgrimage for the first time this December with his wife, Inji.
"It's hard to imagine (it), but when you're done, you want to go
again."
The Shaabans, who live in Salt Lake City, traveled to the holy city with
two other Utah couples after several years of planning.
Every financially and physically able Muslim must participate in the
pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, at least once in life.
Usama Baioumy, leader of the Muslim mosque in Orem, told a story to
illustrate the hajj's importance for Muslims. (MORE)
-----
'MUSLIM WOMEN IN THE SCIENCES
AND ENGINEERING' EVENT AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY -
TOP
ISLAM AWARENESS MONTH 2007
"Muslim Women in the Sciences and Engineering"
Despite obstacles, many Muslim women domestically and globally have opted
to challenge gender-based discrimination to enter male-dominated fields
in the Sciences and Engineering.
Join us for a panel featuring three dynamic Muslim women who have
excelled in their fields of civil engineering, science research and
medicine.
Panelists:
* Dina El-Nakhal- Senior Transportation Engineer CalTrans
* Dr. Arej Sawani- Cardiology, Ellis Hospital & St. Clares Hospital,
New York
* Ghofrane Benghanem- Biomedical Researcher Merck, 2006 Rensselaer Senior
Named One of Top 10 College Women by Glamour Magazine
WHEN: Sunday, February 18th, 6-8 p.m.
WHERE: Oak West, Tressider, 2nd Floor
Cultural dance presentation will follow.
Free dinner will be served.
Sponsored by Islamic Society at Stanford University (ISSU), Abbasi
Program in Islamic Studies, Muslim Students Awareness Network (MSAN) and
Women's Community Center (WCC). Cultural dance presentation co-sponsored
by Pilipino Association at Stanford University (PASU).
For more information:
atawasil@stanford.edu
916.271.0337
-----
'RECONCILIATION OF THE
SUNNI-SHI'A COMMUNITIES' -
TOP
Washington Daybook, 2/13/07
9 a.m. Foreign Affairs - Discussion
SPONSOR: The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced
International Studies (SAIS)
TOPIC/SUBJECT: holds a discussion on "Reconciliation of the
Sunni-Shi'a Communities: Health the Wounds of Yesterday and Today in
Iraq, the Gulf and the Fertile Crescent."
PARTICIPANTS: Jamal Barzinji of the International Institute of Islamic
Thought; Rend Sahim Francke of the U.S. Institute of Peace; and
independent analyst Manal Radwan
DATE: February 13, 2007
LOCATION: SAIS, Nitze Building, 1740 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington,
D.C.
CONTACT: Felisa Neuringer Klubes, 202-663-5626,
fklubes@jhu.edu;
http://www.sais-jhu.edu
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 2/13/07
*
Verse:
Glad Tidings to Those Who Do
Right
*
CAIR Joins New NPR Legal
Blog
*
CAIR:
Congress
Asked to Hear Both Sides of Mideast Conflict
-
Action:
Contact Congress
*
CAIR-CA:
Muslims
Struggle to Teach the Truth of Their Faith
-
CAIR-TX:
Woman
Fights Discrimination Against Muslims
-
CAIR-MI:
Michigan Muslims Feel
Sectarian Ripples (NPR)
*
NY:
School to
Teach Half of Classes in Arabic (NY Times)
-
CA:
Malcolm X's
Daughter Carries on His Message
-
MO:
Muslims Battle
Prejudice for Their Beliefs
-
FL:
Muslim Cemetery Blocked
(SP Times)
-
MD:
Speaking the Word of
God: Illuminated Korans
*
CAIR-CAN Welcomes Poll Showing
Muslims Well-Integrated
*
CAIR:
US Military
Tells '24' to Cut Out Torture (Independent)
*
Incitement:
Dutch
Populist Attacks Quran, Muhammad (Reuters)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: GLAD TIDINGS TO THOSE WHO DO RIGHT
-
TOP
"Before this (Quran) was the scripture of Moses, a guide and a (sign
of God's) mercy. And this book confirms (the previous revelation) in the
Arabic tongue, to admonish the unjust and as glad tidings to those who do
right."
The Holy Quran, 46:12
To obtain or sponsor a FREE Quran, go to:
http://cair.com/explorethequran/
-----
CAIR JOINS NEW NPR LEGAL BLOG -
TOP
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/13/07) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) has joined some of the nation's leading legal analysts and
commentators in a new online blog and discussion forum called Talking
Justice, at
www.justicetalking.org.
The new feature is a project of Justice Talking, the award-winning NPR
program that airs in almost 100 public radio markets and in 140 countries
around the globe via NPR Worldwide and Armed Forces Radio
Network.
Each day of the week, a new, timely commentary from a distinguished
contributor will be posted at Talking Justice. Bloggers from
organizations as diverse as the American Tort Reform Association, the
Natural Resources Defense Council, the Family Research Council, the
National Council of Churches, CAIR, the National District Attorney's
Association and the satirical group the Capitol Steps will offer up their
views about law and American life.
Some of the best legal blogs, websites and newspapers, including
SCOTUSBlog, FindLaw, the National Law Journal and Jurist will post
content as well. CAIR will be featured on the 29th day of each
month.
To read the first blog entry, go to:
http://communities.justicetalking.org/blogs/day29/archive/2007/02/13/let-s-call-it-racist-profiling.aspx
-----
CONGRESS ASKED TO HEAR
BOTH SIDES OF MIDEAST CONFLICT -
TOP
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/13/07) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and advocacy group today called on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to
invite experts from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to
speak at a subcommittee hearing Wednesday.
Speakers at the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia hearing,
"Next Steps in Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process," currently
represent only pro-Israel views.
SEE:
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=762
One of the speakers, Daniel Pipes, is best known for his position that
the only goal of the Israelis should be "getting the Palestinians to
give up." He also says Israel must convince the Palestinians
"that their quest for an independent homeland is futile."
(Pipes has also stated on his web site: "Yes, I do support the
internment of Japanese Americans in World War II."
12/28/04)
SEE: Israel's Existence is in Peril, Expert Tells Crowd at Temple (Miami
Herald)
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/16569176.htm
Both of the other listed speakers have a long history of pro-Israel
advocacy.
"If America is to play a credible role in Middle East peacemaking,
we must listen to representatives of all sides in the conflict, not just
to those who represent the Israeli Apartheid lobby," said CAIR
National Legislative Director Corey Saylor.
"We appeal to Americans of all faiths to call on Congress to
preserve our moral standing in the international arena by upholding
principles of justice and fairness," said CAIR Board Chairman Parvez
Ahmed. "This one-sided hearing will be viewed as upholding some
current U.S. policies that have lead to the lowest poll numbers about
America across the Muslim world."
Ahmed cited polls indicating that a just resolution of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a top priority for Muslims
worldwide.
Former President Jimmy Carter recently wrote: "The clear fact is
that Israel will never find peace until it is willing to withdraw from
its neighboring occupied territories and permit the Palestinians to
exercise their basic human and political rights."
SEE: A New Chance for Peace? (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/17/AR2007011701712.html
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
mutual understanding.
CONTACT: CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor, 571-278-4658,
E-Mail:
csaylor@cair.com; CAIR
National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed@cair.com; CAIR
Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail:
arubin@cair.com
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.)
-
TOP
CONTACT the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia to ask
that BOTH sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict be heard.
GO
TO:
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/members.asp?committee=mideast
-----
CAIR-CA: MUSLIMS
STRUGGLE TO TEACH THE TRUTH OF THEIR FAITH IN U.S. -
TOP
Munira Syeda, Desert Dispatch, 2/13/07
http://www.desertdispatch.com/2006/117137710964217.html
A recent article about a Yermo mosque being burned down reminded me about
my time in the High Desert, living and working as an American
Muslim.
According to news reports, the mosque was randomly set on fire along with
other structures. If the incident was determined to be not bias-related,
then it is a relief, and I hope that Muslims in Yermo can find the
strength and resolve to rebuild their house of worship, with the support
of the local community.
My stay in the High Desert was brief, yet I have fond memories of driving
around Barstow gathering news and reporting it for the Desert Dispatch.
How can I forget attending Barstow City Council meetings and watching the
drama unfold as five council members engaged in heated, and passionate
discussions, about the future of Barstow?
During my time in the High Desert, I also clearly remember meeting warm
and friendly people who helped me out with my stories and let me in on
happenings around town. Being a Muslim, I even got some inquiries about
my faith, Islam, and my hijab - the Islamic headscarf.
I like and encourage such questions, just like Yermo's Ali Mohammed,
because there seems to be so much misinformation out there about Muslims
and Islam. The
Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim
advocacy group I now work for, conducted a survey last year highlighting
how little Americans know about Islam.
The results were astounding. About 60 percent of respondents said they
were "not very knowledgeable" or "not at all
knowledgeable" about Islam, while a mere 2 percent said they were
"very knowledgeable" about Islam. About 10 percent also said
Muslims believe in a moon god.
For the record, Muslims don't believe in a moon god. I haven't the
slightest idea where that misperception came from. In reality, Muslims
have a lot in common with Christians and Jews, who are given a special
status in the Holy Book, the Quran, as "People of the Book."
Abraham is the patriarch of the three faiths, and Muslims follow the
teachings revealed to Abraham - belief in one God and doing of good,
charitable work. Islam also teaches that God sent down many messengers
following Abraham, like Moses, Jesus and Muhammad to instill in human
beings those moral values. It is a religion practiced by six to seven
million American Muslims and over a billion around the world.
(MORE)
[
Munira Syeda is the communications coordinator, Council on
American-Islamic Relations, Southern California office, and a former
reporter for the Desert Dispatch.]
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-TX: WOMAN FIGHTS
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MUSLIMS -
TOP
Lisa Marie Gomez, San Antonio Express-News, 2/13/07
http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2007/02/13/StateLocal/Woman.Fights.Discrimination.Against.Muslims-2715634.shtml
SAN ANTONIO - Before the Sept. 11 attacks, Sarwat Husain rarely wore a
hijab - the Muslim headscarf. But just as the attacks on the United
States changed the world, they transformed Husain.
Practically overnight, this product of a privileged upbringing in
Pakistan became an activist, determined to defend Muslims from
discrimination and to educate San Antonians about Islam and Middle
Eastern culture.
The most visible sign of her transformation was the hijab, now
ever-present since a group of Muslim women complained to her about the
ugly looks and threats they were getting on the street.
"At first I thought, 'No, that can't be happening in San Antonio,'
so I agreed to wear the hijab for a week to see how people would react to
me," said Husain, now in her mid-50s, who became a U.S. citizen in
1975 and moved to San Antonio with her family in 1989. "I wanted to
see if anything would change from before."
What happened next not only would open her eyes to the reality that
anti-Muslim sentiment was on the rise, it also would motivate her to
become the public face of the San Antonio Muslim community. Today, she's
the founder, president and sole woman on the board of the
San Antonio
chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington,
D.C.-based anti-discrimination group.
Last year, Husain was featured in a book, "The Face Behind the
Veil," which profiled 50 prominent Muslim women in America. The
book's author credited Husain with her patriotism and opposition to
terrorism. (MORE)
---
CAIR-MI: MICHIGAN
MUSLIMS FEEL SECTARIAN RIPPLES -
TOP
Cheryl Corley, National Public Radio, 2/12/07
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7371776
All Things Considered, February 12, 2007 - In Dearborn, Mich., the
nation's largest Arab-American community, Shia and Sunnis have long lived
together mostly peacefully. But it appears that some of Iraq's sectarian
violence is being mirrored in the Detroit area, particularly in recent
months. As the Muslim communities have grown and prospered, more mosques
have been built and some of the divides between these sects have been
brought into sharper focus.
-----
NY: A NEW SCHOOL PLANS
TO TEACH HALF OF CLASSES USING ARABIC -
TOP
Elissa Gootman, New York Times, 2/13/07
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/13/nyregion/13schools.html
The New York City school system will open its first public school
dedicated to teaching the Arabic language and culture in September, with
half of its classes eventually taught in Arabic, officials said
yesterday.
The school, the Khalil Gibran International Academy, is one of 40 new
schools that the Department of Education is opening for the 2007-8 school
year. It will serve grades 6 to 12 and will be in Brooklyn, although a
specific location has not been determined.
Debbie Almontaser, a 15-year veteran of the school system who is the
driving force behind the school and will be its principal, said that
ideally, the school would serve an equal mix of students with backgrounds
in Arabic language and culture and those without such
backgrounds.
''We are wholeheartedly looking to attract as many diverse students as
possible, because we really want to give them the opportunity to expand
their horizons and be global citizens,'' said Ms. Almontaser, who
emigrated from Yemen when she was 3 and is fluent in Arabic.
''I see students who are excited about engaging in international careers,
international affairs, wanting to come to our school. And I also see
Arab-American students who would want the opportunity to learn Arabic, to
read it and write it and have a better understanding of where their
ancestors have come from.''
Next year, Ms. Almontaser said, the school, which is named after a
Lebanese poet and philosopher, will have only sixth graders. It will grow
year by year, and will eventually serve 500 to 600 students; by the third
year, she said, she hoped that half of the school's classes would be
taught in Arabic and half in English. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CA: MALCOLM X'S DAUGHTER
CARRIES ON HIS MESSAGE -
TOP
Brad A. Greenberg,
Pasadena
Star-News, 2/13/07
NORTHRIDGE - On Feb. 21, 1965, Malcolm X walked onto a stage in New
York's Audubon Ballroom to preach his message of African-American freedom
by any means necessary.
It was a message he had delivered hundreds of times. But within moments,
three members of the Nation of Islam rushed the stage. He was shot 15
times.
"This was not somebody on a grassy knoll," his eldest daughter,
Attallah Shabazz, told an audience Monday in Cal State Northridge.
"This was in a room like this."
Shabazz spoke to about 250 students and faculty - black and white, Muslim
and non-Muslim - about her father's legacy as an African-American and
Muslim leader.
"He didn't leave this Earth knowing he would matter 42 years
later," she said. "That is a conversation I have with God: That
if you live right, you will be remembered."
Shabazz was invited by the Muslim Student Association to highlight Cal
State Northridge's events for Black History Month. The event,
co-sponsored by the Black Student Union and the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People, included a screening of the Malcolm X
PBS documentary "Make It Plain," followed by a half-hour
Q&A with Shabazz.
"A lot of us wonder why a Muslim organization \ doing an event for
Black History Month," association President Zabie Mansoory said in a
brief introduction. "An interesting piece of information: 40 percent
of Muslims in America are African American." (MORE)
---
MO: METRO MUSLIMS BATTLE
PREJUDICE FOR THEIR BELIEFS -
TOP
Tess Koppelman, FOX 4 News, 2/12/07
http://www.myfoxkc.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=2357502&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1
Tensions between Christianity and Islam have never been higher in the
United State. Still, in this primarily Judeo-Christian nation, some
statistics suggest Islam is the fastest growing religion in the country
and the world.
Hard and fast numbers are hard to come by but some statistics suggest
34,000 Americans are converting to Islam every year. No one really tracks
these numbers in an official way, because there is no
"evangelism" per se in Islam. They say they're not actively
trying to make people Muslims, they can only tell you the message,
whether or not you embrace it is between you and God.
Here in Kansas City, Muslim leaders said 9/11 exposed a lot of people to
Islam and its message, and as some learn about the faith, they're called
to follow it.
On Fridays, Muslims are required to attend a weekly prayer. The room
upstairs is overflowing with men, as the women pray separately in a room
downstairs. Susann Bashir is among them. She converted to Islam two years
ago. She says adjusting to wearing the scarf, the hijab, was not a
problem for her.
"You could say it's like a billboard to say I don't drink, I don't
smoke, I don't cuss, I don't touch men, I don't eat pork," Bashir
said, "I am Muslim and my life is centered around doing good, what
God wants us to do."
Bashir said what was hard for her was some of the angry reactions she got
when she converted. "I've had people tell me to go back where I'm
from," she said. "What, Nebraska?" Bashir grew up on a
farm in Nebraska and she said Christianity was never clear to her. One
day she got an audio tape about Islam and it was like someone lifted the
fog. "I was really happy because I understood things and I was also
like why did no one tell me this before," she said.
The Islamic Center in Kansas City said before 9/11 one person would
embrace Islam maybe every three or four months, but now it's more like
once a week. (MORE)
---
FL: GREEN BURIALS VOTED DOWN -
TOP
Bosnian group says land would look same
Dan Dewitt, St. Petersburg Times, 2/13/07
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/02/13/Hernando/Green_burials_voted_d.shtml
BROOKSVILLE - In a cemetery planned for a 5-acre tract near Istachatta,
the markers would have been wooden slabs or crosses.
The bodies would have been buried without embalming; the caskets were to
be wooden boxes meant to decompose quickly.
That is Bosnian tradition, said Vedad Sakovic, president of the Bosnian
Member Association. It also almost exactly matches the practices of the
fast-growing green burial movement.
"It's totally natural," said Sue Hughes, a Brooksville Realtor
who represented the Bosnian group before the Hernando County Planning and
Zoning Commission on Monday. "This is a really big thing right
now."
But residents of Deerhaven Estates, near the planned cemetery site, were
not convinced.
Neither were members of the Planning and Zoning Commission, who voted
unanimously against the cemetery, though the county Planning Department
had recommended approval.
The residents had a long list of concerns.
Though the land - east of U.S. 41 and north of Lake Lindsey Road - is
zoned as agricultural, it is divided into large residential
lots.
If it were developed as a traditional cemetery, it would change the look
of the rustic neighborhood; if it were too natural, it might not be
properly maintained.
One neighbor said that because the cemetery was for Muslims, he would not
be allowed to be buried in a cemetery just down the street from his
house. (MORE)
---
MD: SPEAKING THE WORD OF GOD:
ILLUMINATED KORANS -
TOP
http://www.artdaily.com/section/news/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=19224
BALTIMORE, MD - The Walters Art Museum presents Speaking the Word of
God: Illuminated Korans from the Walters Art Museum, on view through
April 29, 2007. The Koran is considered by Muslims to be an exact record
of the words that God spoke to the prophet Muhammad (ca. 570-632). For
this reason, the Koran can only be written in Arabic. In Islamic culture,
the creation of a finely written copy of the Koran was considered the
highest form of religious devotion. Showcasing a stunning array of 22
manuscripts from the collection of the Walters Art Museum, this
exhibition will present Korans from different regions of the Muslim
world, following the development of calligraphy from the ninth to the
19th century.
-----
CAIR-CAN WELCOMES POLL SHOWING
MUSLIMS WELL INTEGRATED -
TOP
Muslim group says survey raises concerns about religious
accommodation
(OTTAWA, CANADA, 2/13/2007) - The Canadian Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-CAN) today welcomed results the Environics survey
indicating that the vast majority (81 percent) of Muslims are satisfied
with their lives and that only a small minority (17 percent) sense
hostility to their faith from other citizens.
CAIR-CAN said that while the results of the survey of 500 Canadian
Muslims and 2,045 members of the general population were generally
positive, the poll did raise concerns about the need for religious
accommodation.
For example, while 73 per cent of Canadian Muslims said they are
"very proud" to be called Canadians, 36 percent of Canadians of
other faiths said they would ban Islamic headscarves in public places.
Almost half (49 percent) of the general population said new immigrants
should blend in with the rest of the society.
SEE: Glad to be Canadian, Muslims Say (CBC)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/02/12/muslim-poll.html
"This survey clearly indicates that Canadian Muslims are
well-integrated and happy with their lives in this nation," said
CAIR-CAN Executive Director Karl Nickner. "Some of the survey
results do however demonstrate a need for more public education on the
issue of religious rights and accommodation."
Nickner added that the Canada's Muslim community has a history that
stretches back more than 150 years. He said that viewing Canadian Muslims
solely from the perspective of new immigrants serves to negate that
history.
CAIR-CAN is an Ottawa-based, non-profit organization that aims to educate
Canadians and empower Canadian Muslims in the fields of the media, human
rights, and political activism.
CONTACT: CAIR-CAN Communications and Human Rights Coordinator Sameer
Zuberi at 613-795-2012, or CAIR-CAN Executive Director Karl Nickner at
613-254-9704 or 613-853-4111
-----
CAIR: US MILITARY TELLS
JACK BAUER: CUT OUT THE TORTURE SCENES ... OR ELSE! -
TOP
Andrew Buncombe, Independent, 2/13/07
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2264632.ece
In the hugely popular television series 24, federal agent Jack Bauer
always gets his man, even if he has to play a little rough. Suffocating,
electrocuting or drugging a suspect are all in a day's work. As Bauer -
played by the Emmy Award winner Kiefer Sutherland - tells one baddie:
" You are going to tell me what I want to know - it's just a matter
of how much you want it to hurt."
But while 24 draws millions of viewers, it appears some people are
becoming a little squeamish. The US military has appealed to the
producers of 24 to tone down the torture scenes because of the impact
they are having both on troops in the field and America's reputation
abroad. Forget about Abu Ghraib, forget about Guantanamo Bay, forget even
that the White House has authorised interrogation techniques that some
classify as torture, that damned Jack Bauer is giving us a bad
name.
The United States Military Academy at West Point yesterday confirmed that
Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan recently travelled to California to
meet producers of the show, broadcast on the Fox channel. He told them
that promoting illegal behaviour in the series - apparently hugely
popular among the US military - was having a damaging effect on young
troops.
According to the New Yorker magazine, Gen Finnegan, who teaches a course
on the laws of war, said of the producers: "I'd like them to stop.
They should do a show where torture backfires... The kids see it and say,
'If torture is wrong, what about 24'?
"The disturbing thing is that although torture may cause Jack Bauer
some angst, it is always the patriotic thing to do."
The meeting in November was arranged by Human Rights First, a non-profit
organisation that has launched a campaign against torture both in the
real world and on television. It says that since the terror attacks of
September 11, the incidence of torture in television shows has soared. In
2000 there were 42 scenes of torture on prime-time US television while in
2003 there were 228. . .
But during the fourth series of the show, broadcaster Fox was forced to
air a series of public service announcements, following criticism about
the series' portrayal of Muslims by the Council on American-Islamic
Relations. (MORE)
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: DUTCH
POPULIST ATTACKS KORAN, PROPHET MOHAMMAD -
TOP
Reuters, 2/13/07
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070213-0715-dutch-islam-.html
AMSTERDAM - Dutch anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders was quoted on
Tuesday as urging Muslims to dump half the Koran and saying he would
chase the Prophet Mohammad out of the country if he was alive
today.
'Islam is a violent religion. If Mohammad lived here today I could
imagine chasing him out of the country tarred and feathered as an
extremist,' Wilders told De Pers daily in an interview.
Wilders, who is seen as an heir to murdered populist Pim Fortuyn and
whose new party won nine seats out of the 150 in parliament in November
elections, has warned of a 'tsunami of Islamisation' in a country home to
1 million Muslims.
'I know that we're not going to have a Muslim majority in the next couple
of decades, but it is growing,' he said.
'You no longer feel that you're living in your own country. There is a
battle under way and we must defend ourselves. There will soon be more
mosques than churches here.'
Wilders, who has lived under heavy guard since 2004 when a Dutch-Moroccan
killed filmmaker and Islam critic Theo van Gogh, has campaigned to ban
the Muslim burqa veil, wants to freeze immigration and ban new mosques
and religious schools.
'If Muslims want to stay here they must tear out half of the Koran and
throw it away. They shouldn't listen to the imam. I've read the Koran ...
and I know that there are enough awful things in it,' he said.
(MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 2/14/07
*
Hadith:
Seeking Knowledge Leads to
Paradise
*
CAIR-MI Rep
Discusses Malcolm X at
Black History Event
*
CAIR:
Politics Cause Divisions
in Iraq (Times-Union)
*
TX:
School Open to
Muslim Cultural Program (Houston Chron)
-
TX:
Young Muslims Look to New
Careers
*
FL:
Muslim Chaplain Tells
of Gitmo Duty and Ordeal (Sun)
-
Tariq Ramadan:
What the West Can Learn
from Islam
*
Bill Would Give
Detainees Some Legal Rights (Miami Herald)
*
NY Univ Group Meets with Muslims
Over Video (Newsday)
*
NPR Series Guides Listeners
Through Shia-Sunni Split
*
U.S. Agrees to Iraqi
Refugee Program (AP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: SEEKING KNOWLEDGE LEADS TO
PARADISE -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If anyone travels on
a road in search of knowledge, God will cause that person to travel on
one of the roads of Paradise."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 1631
To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to:
www.cair.com/Muhammad
-----
CAIR-MI REP
DISCUSSES LIFE OF MALCOLM X AT BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROGRAM -
TOP
(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 2/14/07) - A representative of the Michigan chapter of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) yesterday gave a
presentation about the life of American Muslim civil rights leader
Malcolm X (Al-Hajj Malik El’Shabazz) at the University of Detroit-Mercy
in Detroit.
The hour-long presentation included Malcolm X’s evolution in regards to
race relations, his views concerning media perpetuation of negative
images about Muslims and his opposition to the Vietnam War.
University of Detroit-Mercy faculty, professors and students took part in
the event.
“We welcome opportunities to participate in Black History Month programs
that recognize the contributions of great Americans such as Malcolm X,”
said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid.
CONTACT: Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, E-mail:
dwalid@cair.com
-----
CAIR: POLITICS CAUSE DIVISIONS IN IRAQ
-
TOP
Parvez Ahmed, Florida Times-Union, 2/14/07
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/021407/opl_7888276.shtml
Almost daily, we hear distressing stories of sectarian violence in Iraq.
This has caused many Americans to realize that Islam, like other
religions, is not a monolithic faith.
With more than 1.2 billion followers worldwide, Islam naturally
encompasses tremendous diversity in its followers. Islam guides its
faithful to seek peace, justice and unity, yet Muslims have periodically
failed to live up to these foundational teachings.
The current divisions in Iraq stem from an ancient feud, but are not
caused by any profound theological differences. The historical context
was always political and, despite severe disagreements in the past, the
conflict never assumed the characteristics it displays today in Iraq:
viciousness, indiscriminate killing, and complete disregard for human
life. Understanding what is happening in today's Iraq requires a journey
into the past.
On Prophet Muhammad's death in 632, his close companion Abu Bakr was
elected as the next head of the Islamic state. Abu Bakr assumed the title
"khalifa" meaning the "successor to or representative of
the messenger of God." The English word is "caliph," and
thus historically the Islamic state has also been described as a
caliphate or "khilafa."
A minority felt that the caliphate should pass down only to Muhammad's
direct descendants via Fatima, his daughter, and her husband Ali ibn Abi
Talib, who was also Muhammad's cousin.
Ali did later become the fourth khalifa, but faced political opposition
almost immediately, sometimes from other relatives of Prophet Muhammad,
like the Prophet's wife Aisha.
Tragically, Ali was killed by an assassin who felt that he was too
lenient in dealing with Muawiya, the governor of Syria who had refused
Ali's leadership. On Ali's death, Muawiya assumed the title of caliph.
Ali's younger son Hussein agreed not to oppose Caliph Muawiya.
However, when Muawiya died in 680, his son Yazid usurped the caliphate.
Hussein challenged Yazid's leadership. This lead to a battle at Karbala,
in modern-day Iraq. Hussein and his men were outnumbered and brutally
slaughtered.
These events divided Islam between the party of Ali (Shiat Ali or
"Shia") and the majority who came to be known as
"Sunni" (from the Arabic sunnah, meaning the traditional
way).
Despite this history of political differences, Sunni and Shia Muslims
agree on the fundamentals of Islam. Islamic scholars on both sides have
declared the legitimacy of each other's traditions and systems of
jurisprudence.
For example, Al Azhar University, considered the most august seat of
learning in Islam and the oldest university in the world, issued a fatwa
(legal opinion) in 1959 recognizing the legitimacy of Shia jurisprudence.
Al Azhar University, though now Sunni, was founded by the Shia Fatimid
dynasty in 969.
Given all that is happening in Iraq and the distressing possibility of
this conflict widening to other regions, it is a duty of Muslim leaders
and scholars worldwide to call upon all Muslims to focus on the shared
values and beliefs of Shia and Sunni Muslims. (MORE)
Parvez Ahmed is board chairman of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations. E-mail:
pahmed@cair.com
SEE ALSO:
http://drparvezahmed.blogspot.com/2007/02/politics-not-faith-behind-shia-sunni.html
-----
TX: PRINCIPAL OPEN TO MUSLIM
GROUP'S IDEA -
TOP
Proposal is for cultural program at Dulles High
Ashley Harris, Houston Chronicle, 2/15/07
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/fortbend/news/4550281.html
Dulles High School's principal says he is receptive to a local Muslim
organization's proposal to start a program to promote cultural
understanding at the campus.
Principal Lance Hindt said Dulles would embrace beginning a program with
the Islamic Society of Houston South Zone to supplement what is already
being taught.
He said the school must be sure that the conversations are culturally
based and not focused on religion.
"We cannot (let anyone) come in and preach any one religion,"
Hindt said. "But we can have different organizations come in and
highlight what the students are being taught in the curriculum, and give
more information on what their organization is about."
For example, students are being taught about Middle Eastern countries in
world geography courses, Hindt said. The dialogue would be used to answer
questions and "help us understand each other better," he
said.
Conducting programs related to religious beliefs in public schools has
been a touchy subject for decades. The 1963 Murray v. Curlett decision
abolished prayer recitation in public schools.
ISH's South Zone branch proposed the idea of starting a discussion
program at Dulles, and possibly other schools later, during a Jan. 31
forum of community leaders in Missouri City organized by the Honey Brown
Hope Foundation and Suburban Sugar Land Women. The event was organized to
address diversity issues after the Nov. 2 vandalism of a Stafford mosque
for which three Dulles students were charged.
Jawaid Iqbal, director of the South Zone mosque in Stafford, extended an
invitation to Hindt to begin a program to broaden students' knowledge of
Islamic cultures. He believes that explaining the concept, and not the
religion, to students might help ease cultural tensions. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
TX: YOUNG MUSLIMS LOOK TO NEW
CAREERS TO GAIN GROUND IN PUBLIC DEBATES -
TOP
Eileen E. Flynn, Austin American-Statesman, 2/13/07
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/13/13muslimlaw.html
Ali Jafri made some changes when he enrolled at the University of Texas
School of Law last year. First, he let his beard grow. Then, he helped
create a Middle East Law Students Association. In class, he regularly
sports T-shirts with Arabic script and a keffiyeh, the checkered scarf
often associated with Palestinian militants.
Jafri has ventured far from the Detroit suburbs, a bastion of Islam, and
off the well-worn career paths he says many of his Muslims peers tend to
pursue, such as engineering and medicine. Jafri's father is a
doctor.
As one of only a few Muslims at the law school, he feels a responsibility
to make an impression on his classmates, to "get into people's
subconscious that this is a normal guy who likes watching basketball, but
he still looks like that."
"I have an opportunity here even without saying a word to change
even one person and how they think about (Muslims)," he
said.
Jafri, 23, reflects what some observers believe is a post-Sept. 11, 2001,
trend: Muslim college students are eschewing the career paths of their
parents in favor of professions such as law, politics, journalism and the
arts, which give them a greater role in the public square and in the
shaping of popular opinion.
Eager to repair the negative public perception of Muslims, some Muslim
leaders are encouraging college students to take courses in the
humanities and political science.
Though there's no way to quantify how many Muslims have changed career
plans since the Sept. 11 attacks, community leaders across the country
say they've seen a rise of Muslim law student and bar associations and
journalism organizations, even comedy troupes. (MORE)
-----
FL: AT UF, MUSLIM CHAPLAIN TELLS
OF GITMO DUTY AND ORDEAL -
TOP
Jessica Palombo, Gainesville Sun, 2/14/07
http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070214/LOCAL/702140336/-1/news
James "Yusuf" Yee is optimistic about the Muslim community's
progress in America, despite what he calls the widespread erosion of
civil liberties in the nation.
Yee spoke to an audience of about 250 Tuesday night at the University of
Florida. He told the story of his service in the U.S. Army as a Muslim
chaplain at Guantanamo Bay, his 76-day detainment and eventual honorable
discharge from the service.
"What happened to me was a gross miscarriage of justice," he
said.
Yee, a third-generation Chinese American and graduate of West Point
Military Academy, rejoined the Army in January 2001 as a Muslim
chaplain.
After the attacks of Sept. 11, he said, Army leaders asked him to field
soldiers' questions about the little-understood religion of
Islam.
"I received an extraordinary amount of recognition," he said.
"Perhaps it was this recognition that got me hand-picked, selected,
to be the Muslim chaplain in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."
When he arrived in 2002, he said there were about 660 prisoners, all of
whom were Muslims. He ministered not only to the detainees, but also to
American Muslim servicemen, many of whom were translators.
Because he had unlimited access to the prisoners, he said he learned the
methods of interrogation used against them.
"Gitmo's secret weapon was the use of religion against these
prisoners," he said. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
TARIQ RAMADAN: WHAT THE WEST CAN LEARN FROM
ISLAM -
TOP
Tariq Ramadan, Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/16/07
http://chronicle.com/errors.dir/noauthorization.php3?page=/weekly/v53/i24/24b00601.htm
In late September, I finally received a response to the question I had
been asking the Bush administration for more than two years: Why was my
work visa revoked in late July 2004, just days before I was to take up a
position as a professor of Islamic studies and the Henry Luce chair of
religion, conflict, and peace building at the University of Notre Dame?
Initially neither I nor the university was told why; officials only made
a vague reference to a provision of the U.S. Patriot Act that allows the
government to exclude foreign citizens who have "endorsed or
espoused terrorism." Though the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
eventually cleared me of all charges of links with terrorist groups,
today it points to another reason to keep me out of the country:
donations I made totaling approximately $900 to a Swiss
Palestinian-support group that is now on the American blacklist. A letter
I received from the American Embassy in Switzerland, where I hold
citizenship, asserts that I "should reasonably have known" that
the group had ties with Hamas.
What American officials do not say is that I myself had brought those
donations to their attention, and that the organization in question
continues to be officially recognized by the Swiss authorities (my
donations were duly registered on my income-tax declaration). More
important still is the fact that I contributed to the organization
between 1998 and 2002, more than a year before it was blacklisted by the
United States. It seems, according to American officials, that I
"should reasonably have known" about the organization's alleged
activities before the Homeland Security Department itself knew!
I believe the administration refuses me entry into the United States
because of my criticism of its Middle East policy and America's
unconditional support for Israel, which has led it to acquiesce in
flouting Palestinian rights. And undeniably, some American groups that
strongly support Israel and will allow no criticism of American foreign
policy toward it have been highly critical of me. But academics,
intellectuals, and organizations that have supported me -- like the
American Civil Liberties Union, the American Academy of Religion (I
presented a keynote address to its annual meeting late last year by
videoconference, since the administration would not let me enter the
country to speak in person), the American Association of University
Professors, and the PEN American Center -- have understood that the real
issue is my freedom of speech, and they have continued to lend their
weight to my legal appeal of the decision.
I am not the only person concerned. The "fear of ideas" that
has taken root in the United States since September 11, 2001, with the
refusal to grant visas to a number of academics and intellectuals, most
of whom are Muslims, strikes at the very heart of American democracy. The
muffling of critical opinion should be of immediate concern to all
freethinking individuals. To accept such a state of affairs is to accept
that the United States, in the name of the "global war on
terror" and national security, requires all citizens to think the
same way.
There are some subjects, so it seems, about which an American citizen or
permanent resident must now maintain silence. A "moderate"
Muslim, in particular, should never discuss the Middle East, the
suffering of the Palestinians, or the arrogance of longstanding Israeli
policy. To force people to accept such limitations is not only
counterproductive, but, more important, it impoverishes the open debate
American society so desperately needs. In an atmosphere of perpetual
fear, tongues remain tied, while those who do encourage a thoroughgoing
debate are simply expelled.
We must recognize that American society, like all Western societies, has
changed. The diversity of its population has produced a diversity of
political views with which we must come to terms, particularly with
regard to the Middle East and to our relations with the countries that
have an Islamic majority. Millions of Western citizens of the Muslim
faith have brought a new outlook toward the world and toward Western
policy. Their presence in our midst is a source of strength.
We in the West have entered a phase of transition, fraught with tension.
Just as it is true that our societies must make major adjustments, it is
equally essential that Muslims, who have been residing in the West for
several generations, respond clearly to the challenges of the modern,
secularized societies in which they have chosen to make their homes. For
the last 20 years, I have been focusing my efforts on the ways that
Muslims can live their lives in the West, becoming Western Muslims:
Muslims by religion; American, British, French, German by
culture.
To promote that view, I have found it necessary to revisit the Islamic
scriptural sources. Some of what we highlight today as core principles of
Islam derive from the specific cultures of the Middle East, Africa, and
Asia; we read our texts mainly against the backdrop of a period, since
the 13th century, when Muslims in those areas were struggling against
Western aggression. They emphasized withdrawing from the taint of the
West and drew a border between two different worlds: "the abode of
Islam" and "the abode of war." That polarized
understanding of the world, which relies on a specific reading of only
some verses of the Quran and of Prophetic traditions, is outdated.
(MORE)
Tariq Ramadan, formerly a professor of Islamic studies at the University
of Fribourg, in Switzerland, is a research fellow at the University of
Oxford's St. Antony's College and at the Lokahi Foundation for interfaith
research and education in London, as well as a visiting professor at
Erasmus University Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. He is president of the
European Muslim Network, in Brussels. His most recent book is In the
Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons From the Life of Muhammad, published
this month by Oxford University Press.
-----
DEMOCRATS' BILL WOULD
GIVE DETAINEES SOME LEGAL RIGHTS -
TOP
A law that takes away suspected terrorists' legal rights should be
changed because it's damaging U.S. credibility, Senate Democrats
said.
Lesley Clark, Miami Herald, 2/14/07
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/16692702.htm
Senate Democrats Tuesday unveiled proposed legislation to restore some
legal rights to suspected terrorists, but distanced themselves from calls
to close the detention camp at Guant?namo Bay, Cuba.
Sens. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., a contender for the Democratic presidential
nomination, and Bob Menendez, D-N.J., filed a bill that would restore the
right of detainees to challenge their detention, bar evidence gained
through torture and allow detainees to invoke the Geneva
Convention.
The filing comes four months after the GOP-led Congress passed and
President Bush signed into law the Military Commissions Act of 2006,
described by supporters as a critical weapon against terrorism.
The law denies detainees traditional habeas corpus review in civilian
courts and permits the use of evidence obtained through torture.
Civil rights groups have assailed the legislation, and Dodd called its
passage “one of the saddest days” of his political life, saying it
compromises the country's “moral compass.”
“It has dishonored our nation's proud history,” said Dodd, who
acknowledged that he doesn't yet have the votes for his bill,
particularly among Republicans reluctant to revisit the issue, but plans
to make it a top legislative priority. (MORE)
-----
NY: POST GROUP MEETS WITH MUSLIMS -
TOP
Olivia Winslow, Newsday, 2/14/07
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lipost0214,0,3544892.story?coll=ny-top-headlines
For one of the students from the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island
University involved in the mock hostage video that some Muslims found
offensive, visiting the Islamic Center of Long Island on Sunday opened
his eyes to a culture he knew little about.
And members of the Islamic Center in Westbury said they welcomed the
opportunity to start a conversation.
"I hope for continued dialogue," said Omar Chaudhry, a
Huntington lawyer who was one of the center members who met with the
students. "The more we talk, the better America
becomes."
Center president Habeeb Ahmed called the students' appearance "a
good start." Chaudhry added, "I really think they're likeable
guys. I think they were very brave for coming. It also shows that, no
matter what happens, we can all come together."
Dustin Frye, 22, of San Antonio, Texas, said yesterday that the students
met with four members of the center, after hearing a center member extend
the invitation on a news program last week. Frye is one of the "C.W.
Post Five," along with Robert Bennett, William McDermott, Bert
Estrada and Jordan Marmara.
Bennett couldn't attend because he had to work, said the students'
lawyer, Frederick K. Brewington, of Hempstead.
Campus administrators fired the students from their jobs as resident
assistants Feb. 2 over the video. It showed the masked students holding
hostage a rubber duck, which is a campus dorm mascot. The students said
the video was made as a team-building exercise. A State Supreme Court
justice rescinded the firing temporarily, pending a hearing scheduled for
today; it has been postponed to Feb. 28, Brewington said.
Frye said the Post students talked with Islamic center members about the
video and found a "very welcoming" reception. "I really
knew nothing about Islamic culture."
He said he and his fellow students also apologized, particularly for
using background music and a chant in the video they have recently
learned was the Muslim call to prayer.
"If I were to go back and do it over again, I definitely would not
use the prayer song," Frye said.
-----
NPR SERIES ON ISLAM GUIDES LISTENERS
THROUGH PRIMER ON SHIA-SUNNI SPLIT -
TOP
Tim Cuprisin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2/13/07
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=565615
If you want proof that NPR is a rare outpost of real news outlet on
broadcast radio, check out the series running this week on the split
between the Shias and the Sunnis.
The five-part "Partisans of Ali," airing on "Morning
Edition," which airs here on WUWM-FM (89.7) from 5 to 9 a.m., offers
a primer on the confusing conflict that's crucial to understanding Iraq,
Iran and the wider clash between Islam and the West.
Correspondent Mike Shuster lays out the history of the schism in Islam
and the historical role of the two competing branches of the faith. The
first two parts go on more than 8 minutes each, an astounding running
time for a news story in modern broadcast journalism that doesn't focus
on Anna Nicole Smith or a diaper-wearing astronaut.
And the series deals with history, and its meaning in the current
conflict of cultures, both within the Islamic world and without. In most
American journalism, "history" is something stretching back
only a couple years.
Today's installment looks at the Iran-Iraq war, which began in 1980, and
the Israeli invasion of Lebanon two years later. Thursday's tells the
story of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq and its impact on the
divide in Islam.
Shuster, NPR's diplomatic correspondent, narrates the story in a
straightforward style, letting those who've studied the intricacies of
the topic explain it. It's not commentary; it's simple reporting, using
history to guide listeners through the current situation by tracing it
back to its roots in the 7th century.
If you can't listen to "The Partisans of Ali" in the
traditional way, the previously aired segments are available at npr.org,
along with a wealth of supporting material. (MORE)
-----
UNDER PRESSURE FROM
UNITED NATIONS, U.S. AGREES TO IRAQI REFUGEE PROGRAM -
TOP
Associated Press, 2/14/07
http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?articleid=182962
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration plans to allow about 7,000 Iraqi
refugees to settle in the United States over the next year, a huge
expansion at a time of mounting international pressure to help those who
have fled in the nearly four-year-old war.
The United States has allowed only 463 Iraq refugees into the country
since the war began, even though some 3.8 million have left. A senior
State Department official described the expanded program on condition of
anonymity ahead of a formal announcement later Wednesday.
The administration also plans to pledge $18 million (euro13.82 million)
for a worldwide resettlement and relief program. The United Nations has
asked for $60 million (euro46.08 million) from nations around the
world.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Wednesday with U.N. High
Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres to outline the expanded U.S.
program. The 7,000 would be resettled from nations outside Iraq where
they have fled. The U.S. proposal also includes plans to offer special
treatment for Iraqis still in the country whose cooperation with the U.S.
government puts them at risk from sectarian reprisal.
Most refugees have fled to Syria and Jordan, both of which have recently
tried to restrict the influx. The U.N. estimates that 40,000 to 50,000
people flee Iraq each month and have dwindling options of where to go.
Other Iraqis relocate inside the country, with some leaving neighborhoods
that were once mixed among Sunnis and Shiites and resettling where their
sect is more concentrated. (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
CAIR ACTION ALERT #507
WRITE LETTERS IN SUPPORT OF DR. AL-ARIAN
Imprisoned Florida professor collapses on 23rd day of
hunger strike
(WASHINGTON D.C., 2/15/07) - The Council on American-Islamic
Relations (
CAIR) is calling on American
Muslims and other people of conscience to write letters in support of Dr.
Sami Al-Arian, a former Florida professor currently on a hunger strike in
federal detention to protest his treatment by U.S. authorities.
Family members report that Al-Arian collapsed on the 23rd day of his fast
and has been moved from Virginia to a medical facility in North
Carolina.
Al-Arian began his hunger strike more than three weeks ago after being
given a sentence of up to 18 months for refusing to testify before a
grand jury in Virginia. His attorneys say an earlier plea agreement freed
him from further cooperation with the government. Supporters say the
government's actions amount to a form of harassment.
SEE:
Al-Arian Goes on Hunger Strike (Arab American News)
In 2005, a Florida jury rejected federal charges that Al-Arian operated a
cell for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Al-Arian later pleaded guilty to
a lesser charge and was scheduled for release and deportation in
April.
SEE: No Guilty
Verdicts in Al-Arian Trial (Tampa Tribune)
The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), a
national coalition of major American Muslim organizations, recently said
the new prison sentence given to Al-Arian amounted to unconstitutional
"double jeopardy."
The AMT statement said in part:
"It is becoming increasingly clear that the government is
seeking to impose legal and physical penalties on Dr. Al-Arian that it
could not obtain through the judicial process. . .We call on all
fair-minded Americans who care about the preservation of the integrity of
our nation's legal system to speak out about this apparent abuse of
prosecutorial power. We also call on federal authorities to cease their
harassment of Dr. Al-Arian and to release him as scheduled so that he and
his family can resume their lives in another country."
SEE:
U.S. Muslims Call Al-Arian Imprisonment 'Double Jeopardy'
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be firm, but
POLITE.)
1. CONTACT the following officials to request that Dr. Sami
Al-Arian be released from detention and allowed to leave the country with
his family. (Make sure to include your name, address and ZIP Code in the
letter)
The Honorable Judge Gerald Lee
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
401 Courthouse Square
Alexandria, VA 22314
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
Department of Justice
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
Fax: (202) 307-6777
E-Mail: AskDOJ@usdoj.gov
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Fax: 202-456-2461
E-Mail:
comments@whitehouse.gov
Sample Letter:
Dr. Sami Al-Arian is currently on a hunger strike in federal
detention to protest his treatment by U.S. authorities. Family members
report that Al-Arian collapsed on the 23rd day of his fast and has been
moved from Virginia to a medical facility in North Carolina. He began his
hunger strike more than three weeks ago after being given a sentence of
up to 18 months for refusing to testify before a grand jury in Virginia.
His attorneys say an earlier plea agreement freed him from further
cooperation and that the government's actions amount to a form of
harassment. I therefore respectfully request that you support the
immediate release of Dr. Al-Arian so that he and his family may resume
their lives in another country.
2. CONTACT your own elected representatives through:
http://capwiz.com/cair/dbq/officials/
3. SEND COPIES of all correspondence to CAIR at:
info@cair.com or fax:
202-488-0833
4. COPY TO Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), chairman of the House
Judiciary Committee. E-Mail:
john.conyers@mail.house.gov or fax: (202) 225-0072
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from CAIR-NET, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 2/15/07
*
Hadith:
Help Prevent Oppression
*
Video:
VA Rep Warns of
'In Muhammad We Trust'
*
CA:
FBI Probes Vandalism of
Muslim Website (LA Times)
*
CAIR:
Vitriolic E-Mails Zero
in on 'Muslim' (Deseret Morn News)
-
UT:
Shooter 'Not Motivated by
Islamic Belief' (AP)
-
UT:
Anti-Bosnian Backlash Feared (NY
Times)
*
Incitement:
Islam is 'a Developing
Threat to Our Country'
*
CAIR-OH Lecture:
'Forgiveness
Teachings, Practices in Islam'
-
CAIR-CA:
Neocons Try to
Stifle Dissent (Sac Bee)
-
CAIR-TX:
Halt to
Immigration Raids Sought (Dallas MN)
*
IL:
Muslim Cabbie Does the Right
Thing (Chicago Trib)
*
Ex-Aide Says Rice Misled Congress
on Iran (Reuters)
*
Iraq's Death Toll Far
Worse than Leaders Admit (Independent)
*
Alleged Canadian Israeli Spy
Confessed (AFP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: HELP PREVENT OPPRESSION -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Help your brother
whether he is an oppressor or the oppressed." A man then said:
"I will help him if he is oppressed, but if he is an oppressor, how
shall I help him?" The Prophet replied: "By preventing him from
oppressing (others)."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Hadith 84
VERSE OF THE DAY: THE OPPRESSED SHOULD DEFEND THEMSELVES
"Whatever you are given is nothing but a provision for the
transitory life of this world, better and ever lasting 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, answer the
call of their Lord, establish regular prayer, conduct their affairs with
mutual consultation, spend (in charity) out of the sustenance which We
have given them, and when they are oppressed, help and defend
themselves."
The Holy Quran, 42:36-39
-----
VIDEO: VA REP WARNS OF 'IN
MUHAMMAD WE TRUST' -
TOP
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/15/goode-iraq/
Goode: Iraq Critics Are Helping 'Jihadists Who Want The Crescent And
Star To Wave Over The Capitol'
During today's House debate on Iraq, virulently anti-Muslim Rep. Virgil
Goode (R-VA) said supporting the anti-escalation resolution would
"aid and assist the Islamic jihadists who want the crescent and star
to wave over the Capitol of the United States and over the White House of
this country." Moreover, he said, "I fear that radical Muslims
who want to control the Middle East and ultimately the world would love
to see 'In God We Trust' stricken from our money and replaced with 'In
Muhammad We Trust.'" (MORE)
-----
CA: FBI LAUNCHES PROBE OF ONLINE
VANDALISM -
TOP
A hacker broke into an Islamic group's website and posted a message
against Muslims.
H.G. Reza, Los Angeles Times, 2/15/07
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-me-muslim15feb15,1,6051208.story
The FBI launched an investigation Wednesday after a hacker broke into the
website of a Southern California organization of Islamic religious
leaders, leaving an expletive-laced message against Muslims.
The person attacked the website of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern
California late Tuesday, said the group's executive director, Shakeel
Syed. The Anaheim-based group is a coalition of imams and religious
leaders from 75 mosques. Syed said the site was shut down but is expected
to be in operation today.
"It was very nasty graffiti. It's another incident and proof that
Islamophobia is alive and healthy," Syed said.
The FBI was notified and an investigation was opened, said spokeswoman
Laura Eimiller, who declined further comment.
Syed said he had received dozens of e-mails denouncing the
vandalism.
"I'm praying that the hacker's heart becomes filled with love,"
wrote one supporter. Said another: "We stand with our Muslim sisters
and brothers and with all who are committed to ending violence and
bigotry." Both writers described themselves as Christians.
Syed said that area mosques have been receiving a steady number of hate
messages in recent months in phone calls and e-mails. (MORE)
-----
CAIR: VITRIOLIC E-MAILS ZERO IN ON
'MUSLIM' -
TOP
Elaine Jarvik and Deborah Bulkeley, Deseret Morning News, 2/15/07
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660195692,00.html
On ultraconservative Web sites like littlegreenfootballs.com, the story
of Monday's shooting rampage at Trolley Square has been reduced to one
fact: "Salt Lake City Killer Was a Muslim."
"The media did everything they could to avoid mentioning it, but
it's confirmed today that the mass murderer who terrorized a mall in Salt
Lake City was a Bosnian Muslim," reads the intro at
littlegreenfootballs.com.
At MichaelSavage.com, the Muslim connection is a running-banner
headline.
At jihadwatch.org, the story begins "Sudden Jihad syndrome?
Maybe."
The online stories, as well as Tuesday's and Wednesday's stories in the
Deseret Morning News, have resulted in a barrage of vitriolic e-mails to
the News from people either angry at the paper for not mentioning the
religion of shooter Sulejman Talovic in Wednesday's Web edition, or
certain that because Talovic is Muslim that he must be a
terrorist.
There is no record that Talovic attended any of the mosques in the Salt
Lake area, according to both Tarek Mosseir, a spokesman for the Islamic
Society of Greater Salt Lake, or Bobby Ravish of Muslim Forum. Mosseir
noted that many Bosnian Muslims are more secular than religious.
"Having lived under Soviet Union rules for decades, where religious
freedom was not an option, a majority of these people" are not
practicing Muslims, he added. "What I hear is that he came a couple
of times at most, to Eid prayers, but I can't confirm that he
came."
Although Salt Lake City police have not yet established a motive for the
shootings, a handful of Bosnian refugees were verbally harassed at their
workplaces on Wednesday, according to the Utah Consortium of
Multicultural Groups. Local police report no incidents of violence
against Bosnian or other refugees.
"Why dont (sic) you guys just come out and say this was a terrorist
attack because he was MUSLIM," wrote one e-mailer to the Deseret
Morning News. "There is no doubt in my mind that this young man was
carrying out Islamic jihad," wrote another. And another: "Why
is it that when I heard about a mall shotting (sic) I thought - Muslim?
Sure enough. Are you people in Utah that clueless?"
"He was a Muslim terrorist and you know it you deceitful, cowardly
liar," wrote a man with "MD, PhD" after his name.
"Welcome to my world," said
Ibrahim Hooper, communications
director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington,
D.C., about the angry e-mails. "I get tons of it every
day." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
UT: SEARCH STILL ON FOR
ANSWERS TO SHOOTER'S MOTIVES -
TOP
Paul Foy, Associated Press, 2/15/07
http://www.myfoxutah.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=2385222&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
The profile of the Bosnian immigrant who gunned down five people at a
shopping mall is filled with uncertainty. Neighbors say they rarely saw
the lanky teenager, whose mother removed him from school at 16 to
work.
But authorities and family members agree on what Sulejman Talovic, 18,
was not: He was not motivated by Islamic belief or an act of terrorism
when he shot nine people, five fatally, before he was stopped by police.
(MORE)
---
UT: ANTI-BOSNIAN BACKLASH IS
FEARED IN UTAH -
TOP
Kirk Johnson, New York Times, 2/14/07
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/15/us/15mall.html
Most of the thousands of Bosnians living in the Salt Lake City area are
refugees of war, and all of them are toughened by the experience of
making new lives in a new country.
Now, state and local officials say that the rage and grief after the
multiple killings here in a shopping mall Monday by an 18-year-old
Bosnian immigrant threaten a backlash, and they announced plans on
Wednesday for outreach meetings and candlelight vigils to head off
trouble and help the city heal.
''We're concerned, and we're trying to take proactive steps to keep this
from becoming an issue,'' said Patrick Thronson, a spokesman for Mayor
Rocky Anderson.
Ljubica Roth, the president of the Utah Consortium of Multicultural
Groups, an organization that works with refugees and immigrants, said,
''We are all stressed.''
Ms. Roth said she received six reports on Wednesday of Bosnians in Salt
Lake City being accosted verbally, mostly about how they got into the
country, she said, or whether they intended to commit violence.
''Many people didn't go to work today because they were worried about
it,'' Ms. Roth said.
The number of Bosnian refugees in the Salt Lake City area has been
estimated to be 3,000 to 7,000, most of them Muslims fleeing violence by
Serbs in the early 1990s.
Police investigators said they still did not know what made the killer,
Sulejmen Talovic, drive to the Trolley Square mall just before 7 p.m. and
open fire. Mr. Talovic worked a regular day's shift until 5 p.m. at a
company that supplies uniforms to businesses, his boss said. Then he
drove to the mall, strapped on a bandoleer of shotgun shells and a
backpack full of handgun ammunition and killed five people before being
shot dead by police officers. Four people were seriously wounded and
remain hospitalized.
In a state where the mainstream culture is white, politically
conservative and Mormon, the mystery of Mr. Talovic's motive has been
compounded by questions of ethnicity, assimilation and psychology. His
traumatic experiences as a child in Europe -- his family arrived in the
United States from Croatia in 1998 when he was 9 or 10, a spokeswoman for
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said -- might have had much to do
with what happened at the mall, or nothing at all. And with no apparent
motive for the rampage, tensions are running high. (MORE)
-----
IA: INCITEMENT: 'A DEVELOPING THREAT TO OUR
COUNTRY'-
TOP
Tom Thomas, Kalona News, 2/15/07
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17852306&BRD=1140&PAG=461&dept_id=151347&rfi=6
There is a developing threat to our country that we need to understand.
People are planning to take over the United States and our way of life
from the inside out.
That threat is the Muslim religion. Their goal-stated over and over
again-for centuries-is to take over the world, and they believe the
United States is the #1 obstacle to achieving that goal.
England is the 2nd most important obstacle. They believe after those two
fall, all other will have no chance of stopping them.
They are building mosques (their churches), in the U.S. Christians are
not permitted to build churches in their countries. Non-believers, (you
and I), must pay a special tax to them in their countries.
If you join the Muslim religion, the punishment for getting out is
DEATH-this according to the Quran-their equivalent of our Bible.
Their oppression of women is almost unbelievable-again-according to the
Quran and how they interpret it. Women cannot go outside the home without
being accompanied by a male member of the household. They are basically
slaves to their husbands-everywhere in the household-including the
bedroom. She must cater to his every wish anytime he desires. She can
only eat after he has finished. He is permitted to beat her anytime he
chooses, and she has no say in that-or anything else.
They can pretend to be your friend, lie to you, and do anything else-all
perfectly OK according to the Quran.
If this sounds radical to you, read three books. "Because they
Hate" by Bridgitte Gabriel, "Honor Lost" by Norma Khouri,
and "Islam and Terrorism" by Mark A. Gabriel. These are written
by people who have lived their oppression, and we cannot argue with their
experiences. If you question anything in this letter, those books will
answer your questions.
We read and hear about "Muslim extremists." We are led to
believe a small percentage are extremists. Read those books, and you will
realize MOST are extremists. So few are NOT extremists that they are
afraid to speak out for fear of retribution.
This is the religion behind Al Quaeda. It has been very violent for
hundreds of years, and shows no signs of changing. Please, just read the
books.
Tom Thomas,
West Chester
ACTION REQUESTED:
SEND POLITE COMMENTS TO:
news@kalonanews.com
COPY TO:
info@cair.com
-----
CAIR-OH LECTURE:
'FORGIVENESS TEACHINGS AND PRACTICES IN ISLAM' -
TOP
Amish to discuss forgiveness in wake of horrific shootings
Mansfield News Journal, 2/15/07
http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070215/NEWS01/702150310
ASHLAND -- The Ashland Center for Nonviolence will host a discussion of
the Amish response of forgiveness to the murder of five young girls last
fall in West Nickle Mines, Pa.
The free program will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Myers Convocation Center at
Ashland University. Reservations are not necessary.
A group of Amish and Mennonites from central Ohio will discuss God's call
to forgiveness. The program is unusual, according to event organizer John
Stratton of the Center for Nonviolence, because the Amish seldom speak
out publicly.
The presentation is the lead event in a series called "The Practices
of Forgiveness."
The killing of the young Amish girls in rural Pennsylvania in October
outraged the nation, but the Amish response has puzzled many. That
response was to forgive the murderer, who also died at the scene, and to
embrace the murderer's family, acknowledging them as victims as
well.
According to Stratton, the Amish response to the school shootings
challenges people to consider how our culture responds to violence and
the results of violent responses.
The Amish accepted an outside offer to tear down the school where the
shooting occurred, but all other offers of money and services have been
directed to helping the victims of the shootings, including the shooter's
family.
The series continues with a presentation on forgiveness in Islam at 7
p.m. March 1, also in Myers Convocation Center. Isam Zaiem, chairman of
the Cleveland branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, will
speak on "Forgiveness Teachings and Practices in Islam."
(MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CA: LETTERS: THE
GATHERING MIDEAST STORM -
TOP
Sacramento Bee, 2/14/07
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/123029.html
Stop the Muslim Bashing
Kathryn Jean Lopez's outrageous column ("Women's rights for
Muslims," Feb. 9) blames Islam for the worldwide abuse of women's
rights. Islam holds women in high regard and gave them rights 1,400 years
ago that were not won by women in the West until the 19th century.
Cultural and ethnic customs should not be confused with
religion.
Rape is never condoned in Islam. Genital mutilation is cultural, not
religious, and is practiced mainly in primitive and illiterate societies
regardless of religion.
Tousson Toppozada, Sacramento
Neocons Still Try to Stifle Dissent
Re "Speech by self-proclaimed ex-terrorist protested at UCD,"
Feb. 7: I want to thank The Bee for a savvy and level-headed article. I'm
amused by the number of folks who fell for the Islamophobic message of
Walid Shoebat that implicitly meant that if you convert from Islam, then
terrorism ends. Real pluralistic there! How can a peace activist be
pro-war? And how can dissent be equated to advocating terrorism? That is
some serious spin.
Dissent is patriotic. Shoebat exercised his right to free (hate) speech,
and the
Council on American Islamic Relations and the UC Davis
Muslim Student Association exercised their right to expose the bigot for
what he was, a fraud. I guess if Osama bin Laden converts tomorrow, the
neocons can invite him to go on the lecture circuit, too.
Hamza EL-Nakhal, Davis
---
CAIR-TX: HALT TO IMMIGRATION
RAIDS SOUGHT -
TOP
Advocates favor waiting for congressional action before deportations
Dianne Sol�s, Dallas Morning News, 2/15/07
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-raids_15tex.ART.State.Edition1.210d2db.html
Immigrant-rights activists in the Dallas area called for a halt on
Wednesday to raids that have served to round up illegal immigrants in
Texas and across the country, saying the status of those unlawfully in
the U.S. could change if Congress overhauls immigration laws this
year.
Raids have increased across the nation in the last year. In Texas, more
than 3,100 people have been apprehended since December through such
efforts as Operations Wagon Train, Wrangler and Return-to-Sender. .
.
The Dallas-area activists also joined other groups in calling for closure
of the T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility in the central Texas town
of Taylor. The facility is a converted maximum-security prison where
non-Mexican families with children have been detained since the U.S.
government changed certain immigration policies last year.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the University of Texas law
school's immigration clinic are exploring possible legal action to block
the detention of children at Hutto.
A Richardson mother - 34-year-old Palestinian Hanan Ibrahim - and her
four children were recently released from the facility, and, effectively,
became the face for many detainees.
"How can we let this happen?" asked Asam Salam, a naturalized
U.S. citizen from Pakistan who works with the Dallas Peace Center and the
Council on American-Islamic Relations. "We are a highly
cultured and civilized society." (MORE)
-----
IL: DECENCY DRIVES CABBIE TO DO RIGHT
THING -
TOP
John Kass, Chicago Tribune, 2/15/07
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-0702150112feb15,1,129822.column
Dave and Marge--they asked that I not use their last names in this
column--are usually suspicious of strangers, with good reason.
They live out in the sticks, in the country, just on the far edge of
suburban sprawl. And, though they visit Chicago often, Marge always keeps
an eye on her purse and Dave taps his wallet to make sure it's
there.
Dave's brothers had been victims of pickpockets in the past. And Dave's
sisters were victimized by identity thieves and had their credit ruined.
All this has naturally made Dave and Marge wary of strangers.
But they weren't wary in the cab driven by Ziarat Khan, who recently
drove Dave and Marge to the train station after a wine tasting at the
Drake Hotel.
After the cab ride, Marge's wallet was missing, with more than $200 in
cash. And later, Dave contacted me.
"The fare was only $8," Dave said. "I gave him a $10 and
told him to keep it. My wife pulled her wallet out of her purse and took
some singles out, and I said, `I don't need it, Marge.'"
They were running late, Marge stuffed the singles back into her coat
pocket, and they rushed out of Khan's cab, hurrying to buy train tickets.
At the ticket counter, Marge reached for her wallet.
"But she didn't have her wallet. `Check your coat pockets!' I said.
It wasn't there. So we ran out in front of the train station. We thought
maybe it fell out on the curb."
There was no wallet at the curb, and Khan was gone. They had enough for
train tickets, and on the ride home they must have thought about the
cabbie counting Marge's cash, smiling at the find.
Just then Dave's cell phone rang. It was the credit card
company.
"They said, `We just got a call from a taxi driver, saying they
found your wallet in the cab." I said, 'Ahhh, good.'"
(MORE)
-----
EX-AIDE SAYS RICE MISLED U.S. CONGRESS ON
IRAN -
TOP
Reuters, 2/14/07
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070214/pl_nm/iran_usa_dc
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice misled the
U.S. Congress when she said last week that she had not seen a 2003
Iranian proposal for talks with the United States, a former senior
government official said on Wednesday.
Flynt Leverett, who worked on the National Security Council when it was
headed by Rice, likened the proposal to the 1972 U.S. opening to China.
He said he was confident it was seen by Rice and then-Secretary of State
Colin Powell but "the administration rejected the overture."
(MORE)
-----
IRAQ'S DEATH TOLL IS FAR
WORSE THAN OUR LEADERS ADMIT -
TOP
The US and Britain have triggered an episode more deadly than the Rwandan
genocide
Independent, 2/14/07
http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article2268067.ece
On both sides of the Atlantic, a process of spinning science is
preventing a serious discussion about the state of affairs in
Iraq.
The government in Iraq claimed last month that since the 2003 invasion
between 40,000 and 50,000 violent deaths have occurred. Few have pointed
out the absurdity of this statement.
There are three ways we know it is a gross underestimate. First, if it
were true, including suicides, South Africa, Colombia, Estonia,
Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia have experienced higher violent
death rates than Iraq over the past four years. If true, many North and
South American cities and Sub-Saharan Africa have had a similar murder
rate to that claimed in Iraq. For those of us who have been in Iraq, the
suggestion that New Orleans is more violent seems simply ridiculous.
(MORE)
-----
ALLEGED EGYPTIAN-CANADIAN SPY
CONFESSED: MEDIA AMC -
TOP
Agence France Presse, 2/15/07
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=e1365e1e-15e7-4a88-aa1a-c5017b935c94&k=60235
An alleged Egyptian-Canadian spy told Egyptian interrogators he recruited
several gay or financially strapped Arabs while living in Canada to work
for Israel's intelligence agency, media said Thursday.
A transcript of Mohamed Essam Ghoneim El-Attar's interrogation, viewed by
The Globe and Mail newspaper, alleged he is a gay Zionist who turned his
back on Islam and worked with Mossad to undermine the security of his
homeland.
The interrogation session took place last month at an unknown location in
Egypt, the Toronto-based newspaper said.
El-Attar's dossier says he admitted to using his position as a Canadian
Imperial Bank of Commerce teller in Toronto to identify potential
recruits, and that he had married and divorced at least four times while
living here.
The file further alleges El-Attar, 31, was under surveillance by Egypt's
intelligence service since early 2002 when he left Cairo for Turkey after
a family spat, and later moved to Canada.
El-Attar confessed he went to the Israeli embassy in Ankara in search of
work, was put through a series of tests, was advised to convert to
Christianity and was later schooled by Roman Catholics in
Turkey.
He cited his new religion and homosexuality in applying for United
Nations refugee status, which eventually landed him in Canada.
El-Attar was arrested in Cairo on January 1, during a visit with his
family, on charges of bribery, espionage and conspiring to "harm
Egypt's national interests."
Israeli Security Minister Avi Dichter said the allegations were
"nonsense" during a recent visit to Canada.
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail:
info@cair.com
URL:
http://www.cair.com
-----
To reach the list moderator, send a message to:
info@cair.com
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS
- 2/16/07
*
Hadith:
Kindness and Simplicity
*
IA Rep Says Terror Started with
Quran
*
VA:
Goode Speaking Out Again About
Muslims (AP)
-
CAIR:
Muslims Don't
Worship Muhammad
*
CA:
Teacher
Accused of Anti-Muslim Statements (Fresno Bee)
*
VA:
Al-Arian Collapses at Jail (SP
Times)
*
UT:
Authorities Head Off
Backlash Against Bosnians (AP)
*
GA:
FBI Honors Mosque's Chairman
(Journal-Constitution)
-
Arab-American Soldiers
Stress Patriotism
(VOA)
*
Paula Zahn:
American Courts and the
Koran (CNN)
*
NY:
Islamic Call to Prayer
Irks Many
-
MA:
The Faith Behind the
Mosque
-
MO:
Understanding
Islam
-
IL:
Islamic Art at the
Smart Museum (Sun-Times)
*
Australian Jews Upset at
Israeli's Muslim Comments (Age)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: KINDNESS AND SIMPLICITY -
TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Be kind, for
whenever kindness becomes part of something, it beautifies it. Whenever
it is taken from something, it leaves it tarnished."
He also said: "Make things simple and do not complicate them. Calm
people and do not drive them away."
Imam Bukhari's Book of Muslim Manners
-----
IA REP: MUSLIMS THINK IT IS 'THEIR RIGHT
AND DUTY TO MAKE WAR' -
TOP
Steve King's statement
Des Moines Register, 2/16/07
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070216/NEWS/70215035/1001
Following is the complete statement from a member of the Iowa delegation
in the U.S. House during debate on a resolution disapproving of the
decision of the president announced on Jan. 10 to deploy more than 20,000
additional United States combat troops to Iraq, and also stating that
Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the
members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have
served bravely and honorably in Iraq:
Rep. Steve King, R-IA"
I thank the gentlelady for yielding this time, and I appreciate very much
the privilege to address you, Mr. Speaker, and the message that is
coming, at least from our side of the aisle.
Mr. Speaker, I take us back to how do we identify this enemy that we are
fighting? So I looked back through some of the history. In 1783, we made
peace with Great Britain. The Revolutionary War, for combat purposes, was
over. 1784, American merchant marines were being attacked in the
Mediterranean by Barbary pirates.
In 1786, two diplomats, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, went over there
to meet with them, and their idea was, we will be able to talk them into
peace.
Well, they talked to them all right, and the representative of the
Barbary pirates, Mr. Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja, responded to them, and
this is in the Congressional Record from Thomas Jefferson's
report.
He asked him, why do you fight us, why do you attack us, why do you kill
us?
We have done nothing hostile towards you. His answer was,
It is
founded on the laws of our Prophet. It was written in the Koran. All
nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners,
that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they
could be found and to make slaves of all they could not take as
prisoners, and that every Muslim who should be slain in battle was sure
to go to Paradise.
I take you back to today. We call our Marines leathernecks. The
reason for that is they wore a heavy leather collar to diminish the odds
that they would be beheaded by this enemy who has, to this day, at least
fairly recently, is still beheading Marines.
That is how this started.
(MORE)
-----
VA: GOODE SPEAKING OUT AGAIN ABOUT
MUSLIMS -
TOP
Associated Press, 2/16/07
http://www.wtvr.com/Global/story.asp?S=6097464
CAPITOL HILL (AP) - Virginia Congressman Virgil Goode is speaking out
again about Muslims. The Republican says a nonbinding measure opposing
President Bush's plan to boost troop strength in Iraq would ... quote ...
"comfort and encourage the radical Muslims who want to destroy our
country." Goode told his colleagues that Islamic jihadists would
want U.S. currency to say "in Muhammad we trust," with an
Islamic flag flying over the White House and U.S. Capitol. Goode angered
Muslims in December when he questioned Minnesota Congressman Keith
Ellison's decision to be sworn in on the Quran instead of the Bible and
warned that more Muslims would be elected to office unless immigration
was limited. Ellison was born in Detroit and converted to Islam in
college.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: 'IN MUHAMMAD WE TRUST'
ON U.S. MONEY? MUSLIMS SAY 'NO,' TOO -
TOP
Eric Kleefeld, Election Central, 2/16/07
http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/feb/15/in_muhammad_we_trust_on_us_money_muslims_say_no_too
A top official at a leading Muslim group has just told us that GOP Rep.
Virgil Goode's fear that U.S. money may soon be stamped with "In
Muhammad We Trust" is rather at odds with the actual history and
theology of the Muslim religion. As this expert points out - and as some
TPM Readers have noted, too - Muslims don't worship Muhammad. They are
monotheists worshiping a single God, called Allah in Arabic - not the
individual Muhammad.
"There are many Islamic traditions that reinforce that the Prophet
Muhammad, peace be upon him, was a human being, and he should not be
worshipped,"
Ibrahim Hooper, the national communications director
of the Council on American Islamic Relations, tells us. So the notion
that any Muslim would want "In Muhammad We Trust" written on
U.S. money is, to put it charitably, nonsense.
-----
CA: TEACHER ACCUSED OF
ANTI-MUSLIM STATEMENTS -
TOP
Anne Dudley Ellis, Fresno Bee, 2/16/07
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/30204.html
The director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno has accused an
elementary teacher of making anti-Muslim statements to his sixth-grade
students at Riverview Elementary School.
Center Director Kamal Abu-Shamsieh on Thursday called for the Clovis
Unified School District to investigate and make sure teachers stick to
state-sanctioned classroom lessons.
"I don't believe schools are a place to debate political views on
international affairs or any other affairs that are not related to
teaching our children," Abu-Shamsieh said.
He said it was his obligation to "expose such hate-filled
statements."
District officials learned of the center's concerns Thursday and are
investigating, said Kelly Avants, director of communications for Clovis
Unified.
"We take any allegation extremely seriously," Avants
said.
She urged those with concerns about "racially insensitive"
students or staff to let district officials know. The district listed
several events and programs aimed at helping students understand various
cultures.
The teacher, whom Abu-Shamsieh named as Randy Ingram, did not return a
phone call Thursday. Avants would not confirm who the teacher was.
Riverview Principal Kristie Wiens referred calls to Avants.
Abu-Shamsieh said a Muslim boy of Iranian descent was in the teacher's
class when the teacher expressed anti-Muslim and anti-Iranian views. The
boy's mother contacted the Islamic Cultural Center; she said it was not
the first time the teacher had made such comments, Abu-Shamsieh
said.
Abu-Shamsieh said the teacher told students that Iranians are enemies of
Americans and that they want to destroy Israel. The teacher also said
that extreme Muslims and Iranians want to take over the United States,
kill teachers and hire their own teachers for schools, Abu-Shamsieh
said.
Avants said in a news release that the teacher's comments allegedly were
made during a lesson about ancient cultures, which the state requires
sixth-graders to learn. (MORE)
-----
VA: AL-ARIAN COLLAPSES AT JAIL -
TOP
He was on the 23rd day of a hunger strike.
Meg Laughlin, St. Petersburg Times, 2/16/07
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/02/16/State/Al_Arian_collapses_at.shtml
Sami Al-Arian, who has been on a hunger strike since mid January,
collapsed this week in a Virginia jail.
At daybreak Tuesday, guards discovered him lying unconscious on the
concrete floor of a shower room in the Northern Neck Regional Jail in
Warsaw, Va., and called for medical help, according to Nahla Al-Arian,
his wife.
It was the 23rd day of a hunger strike during which he had consumed water
only.
Al-Arian was transported Tuesday to a federal corrections medical
facility in Butner, N.C. Officials there would not comment on his
condition.
Al-Arian is on a hunger strike to protest being held in jail beyond his
sentence for refusing to testify before a grand jury in Virginia. In May,
as part of a plea agreement, he was convicted of aiding associates of a
terrorist group in nonviolent ways.
ACTION:
Write Letters in Support of Dr. Al-Arian
-----
UT: AUTHORITIES TRY TO HEAD OFF
ANY BACKLASH AGAINST BOSNIANS -
TOP
Paul Foy, Associated Press, 2/15/07
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/021607dnnatutah.900d28.html
The mayor and police chief sought to head off any potential backlash
against Bosnian immigrants Thursday, three days after a Bosnian teenager
shot five people to death in a crowded shopping mall and then died in a
shootout with police.
Mayor Rocky Anderson blasted vitriolic Internet postings and e-mails sent
to newspapers that suggested the shooter was an Islamic terrorist,
calling such criticism from "fact-free people" unjustified and
outrageous.
Sulejman Talovic, 18, shot nine people, five fatally, at the Trolley
Square mall Monday before he was stopped by police. He and his family
emigrated to Utah as war refugees in 1998.
Investigators have not determined a motive but have no reason to believe
Talovic was driven by religious extremism, Police Chief Chris Burbank
said.
Several thousand people from the Balkans have settled in the Salt Lake
City area, many of them after fleeing ethnic violence in their
homeland.
The mayor and police chief assured dozens of Bosnian immigrants that
authorities would not stand for any threats against their
community.
Bosnia's ambassador to the United States, Bisera Turkovic, met with local
leaders and said her country was shocked by the teenager's
actions.
"Something bad like this was my main reason for coming,"
Turkovic said during a two-day visit from Washington. D.C., that included
a stop at a Bosnian restaurant.
"We owe this country much for our freedom, our prosperity," she
said. "So for this to happen to people who are welcoming to us is
shocking." (MORE)
-----
GA: FBI HONORS MOSQUE'S CHAIRMAN -
TOP
Tomeh gets award for leadership
Anna Varela, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2/16/07
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/02/16/0216metaward.html
One of the leaders of Atlanta's biggest mosque was honored Thursday by
the FBI for helping to build a relationship between the bureau and the
Muslim community.
Dr. Mohammad O. Tomeh, chairman of the board of the al-Farooq Masjid,
accepted the etched glass award Thursday morning as his wife, Fadia, took
pictures and half a dozen TV cameras recorded the moment.
It was the first time the Atlanta FBI office honored a Muslim with its
annual Director's Community Leadership Award.
After the ceremony, Tomeh reflected on the moment.
"It's really a very honorable award and very important award for the
Muslim-American community," he said. "We are first U.S.
citizens and then Muslim."
The Community Leadership Award was created in 1990 to honor people for
efforts to fight drugs and gangs. Recently, it has been broadened to also
recognize people who help in the fight against terrorism.
Gregory Jones, the special agent in charge of the Atlanta office, which
includes all of Georgia, said he has observed Tomeh represent area
Muslims at numerous community meetings and has started meeting with him
personally.
"I gained the respect and understanding of him as he voiced some
concerns ... that enabled me and my staff to be culturally
sensitive," Jones said.
Tomeh moved to the U.S. from Syria in 1967 after earning a medical
degree. He spent most of his career studying infectious diseases in
children.
As chairman of the board of al-Farooq, Tomeh helped raise millions to
expand the mosque, which will become the largest in the Southeast. Work
on the building, on 14th Street in Midtown Atlanta, is about six months
from completion. The new space is expected to serve 1,500
worshippers.
Tomeh said in an interview that he meets with FBI officials once every
month or two. He said he explains Muslim customs and, at times, has
reassured the FBI his mosque is a religious institution that is not
involved in politics. (MORE)
-----
ARAB-AMERICAN
SOLDIERS STRESS LOYALTY, PATRIOTISM -
TOP
Mohamed Elshinnawi, Voice of America, 2/16/07
http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLife/2007-02-15-voa46.cfm
As American troops battle Islamic extremists in Iraq and Afghanistan and
try to bring stability to the region, here at home the Pentagon is
reaching out to Arab and Muslim Americans, trying to interest them in
joining the U.S. military. At least 15,000 Muslims, including about 3,500
Arab-Americans, are already in uniform. In fact, Arab-Americans have been
fighting, and dying, for this country since 1776.
-----
AMERICAN COURTS AND THE KORAN -
TOP
CNN: Paula Zahn Now, 2/15/07
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0702/15/pzn.01.html
We're talking about religious intolerance and whether Muslims here in the
U.S. should be allowed to take an oath using the Koran instead of a
bible. Let's hear what our "Out in the Open" panel thinks about
that.
Amy Holmes, Keith Boykin, Miguel Perez, welcome back.
Let's quickly review what the North Carolina statute says. Right now it
says, "Judges and other persons who may be empowered to administer
oaths shall require the party to be sworn to lay his hands upon the holy
scriptures..."
But nowhere in the statute does it say anything about taking their oath
on the bible. Who's to say what a holy scripture is?
HOLMES: Certainly not a judge. And we do have separation of church and
state. And it's not appropriate for the judge to be making that
assessment.
However, I do think it is a little aggressive. She is presumably not the
first non-Christian ever to swear in that court. And then to be going
through the process of a lawsuit in order to get the Koran in there, I
can understand why people have kind of got their back up on
this.
BOYKIN: I don't get so aggressive. Was Rosa Parks being too aggressive
because she had the nerve to want to have a seat on the bus?
HOLMES: No, I believe that this woman absolutely has the
right...
BOYKIN: What's so aggressive? She's just one person who wanted to
exercise her rights. This is America.
HOLMES: I do. But the ACLU, who I think is being very disingenuous in
backing this case...
BOYKIN: The ACLU has the right to defend the Constitution
because...
ZAHN: One at a time here. Finish your though.
HOLMES: This is the same organization that is trying to take Christianity
out of the public square, taking nativity scenes out of the public
square.
BOYKIN: No.
HOLMES: So, for the ACLU to be backing this, I do think is
disingenuous.
BOYKIN: And then you had people who were trying to put the Ten
Commandments into schools, public prayer in schools, trying to do all
this other stuff that's trying to put Christianity as the -- as the one
religion of our country. We have a country where we have different
religions, not just one religion.
HOLMES: Certainly. And I think she has every right to swear on the Koran.
But, however, for this to be getting to the case of a lawsuit I think is
going too far.
ZAHN: You say she has every right to swear on the Koran, but that doesn't
appear to be the case right now.
PEREZ: In this case, in order for her to be able to do this, a lawsuit is
necessary. That's the bottom line here.
But look, don't you want people to swear on something they really believe
in? If this woman is a Muslim and you give her the bible, she can lie.
She can just put her hand on the holy bible and say, OK, I'm going to
tell the truth and be lying. I want this person to really believe in the
book she's placing her hand on. So it's only logical that we would give
her the book that she believes in.
ZAHN: What length can this go to? Then that means a Jewish person says I
don't want to swear on a bible that has the New Testament in it? I'm only
going with the old book not the new one?
PEREZ: Why not?
BOYKIN: Why have religion involvement in the first place? People should
have the right not to swear on the bible at all, which is part of the
North Carolina law.
But why do we have -- why do we have a separation of church and state?
Because we don't want the government telling people how to practice their
religion. And we don't want religion telling people how to run our
government. They're supposed to be separate.
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: You already checked on the ACLU tonight. So I want to put up on the
screen now what a conservative radio talk show host -- his name is Frank
Pastore -- had to say about this.
"The ACLU is revealing their contempt for the bible, and their lack
of appreciation to the set of Judeo-Christian values that gave birth to
western civilization in general and America specifically."
Are you telling me tonight you see this as Muslims and liberals waging a
war on Christianity?
HOLMES: No, I certainly don't. And frankly...
ZAHN: Do you see it going too far?
HOLMES: ... I think if she wanted to swear on her grandmother's recipe
book she should be able to do that. However, for conservatives looking at
this and seeing who is backing her in this case, it is an extreme secular
organization that doesn't want Christmas break in schools to be called
"Christmas break". It's now called "winter break".
And so from that organization, yes, there has been an assault on religion
in the public square. And it's appropriate to have religion...
PEREZ: Whoever is threatened by this is suffering from paranoid
schizophrenia. What is so threatening about this woman wanting to use the
Koran?
BOYKIN: Because the ACLU is the typical conservative bogeyman. Every time
the ACLU gets involved in something, the conservatives want to jump up
and scream -- scream bloody murder about it. And so there's something
wrong with defending the Constitution...
HOLMES: Well, it's because we know the cases that they have -- that they
have pursued.
BOYKIN: Well, at least the president -- the president doesn't defend the
Constitution. So at least the ACLU should.
HOLMES: Well, the president of the United States I think certainly
defends the Constitution. That's sort of a bizarre remark to be
making.
BOYKIN: Well, after everything that's been going, it's clear that he
hasn't been defending the Constitution. And the people who are -- who
you're defending aren't really interested in defending the
Constitution.
So let's talk about who's going to do that. If not the ACLU, who is going
to do it?
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: In fact, conservatives want to put strict constructions on the
Supreme Court to defend the Constitution.
(CROSSTALK)
BOYKIN: I know that there are differences of interpretation, but I also
know...
HOLMES: Well, as a lawyer, I think you would understand that being a
conservative doesn't mean...
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: All right. A quick final thought?
BOYKIN: Well, I think this is a whole -- this is just a scapegoating
issue on the part of the right wing to try to vilify the ACLU. And she
has the right -- this woman has a right to worship as she
pleases.
ZAHN: Amy Holmes, Keith Boykin, Miguel Perez, stay right there. We're
bringing you back.
-----
NY: ISLAMIC CALL TO PRAYER IRKS
MANY -
TOP
Lesley Grimm, Flatbush Life, 2/15/07
http://www.courierlife.net/site/tab4.cfm?newsid=17857841&BRD=2384&PAG=461&dept_id=552850&rfi=6
It is precisely 2:45 p.m. Friday afternoon, and an evocative male voice
penetrates the cold winter air.
"Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar," the man sings in simple and
repetitive musical notes. The message is in Arabic, and translates to,
"God is the greatest."
The Islamic call to prayer, or Adhan, summons Muslims for ritual prayers
five times each day.
In Kensington, the call to prayer is amplified by a loud speaker perched
atop the Masjid Nur Al-Islam mosque at 21 Church Avenue.
The broadcast continues for about two minutes, resonating through a
part-commercial, part-residential section of the neighborhood.
The Adhan can be heard from blocks away, and that is no accident. Imam
Abuismail Tahoor Ahmed explains this is an important aspect of the
tradition.
"It reaches out to the masses," said Ahmed. "It reminds
them of their obligation."
But this tradition is the focus of a delicate community controversy. The
debate weighs two "rights" citizens cherish: religious freedom
and good ol' fashioned peace and quiet.
At a recent Dahill Neighborhood Association meeting, Captain Peter
DeBlasio was met with a chorus of complaints.
DeBlasio, commanding officer of the 66th Precinct, was invited to the
forum to update community members on local policing initiatives, but much
of the conversation focused on noise emanating from the Church Avenue
facility. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
MA: THE FAITH BEHIND THE MOSQUE -
TOP
Margaret Smith, Woburn Advocate, 2/15/07
http://www.townonline.com/woburn/homepage/8998931241822584831
Visitors streamed into the main hall Sunday at the Islamic Center of
Burlington, taking in a buffet-style lunch with pizza and submarine
sandwiches, reading laminated wall posters explaining the tenets of
Islam.
They chatted with mosque volunteers and watched snippets of a PBS video,
"Mohammed: Legacy of a Prophet."
For organizers, the open house event, "Discover Islam," was a
way to invite residents of area towns, especially those of other faiths,
to gain a basic understanding of Islamic beliefs and practices.
The open house activities included two tours, and two of the five prayer
sessions Muslims observe daily.
Visitors removed their shoes to enter the two prayer rooms, one for men
and one for women. Gathering in the men's prayer room, they listened to
an explanation of prayer as a daily duty, but also as a respite from the
petty cares of life and a chance to focus on a relationship with
God.
The call to prayer begins with the words "Allahu Akbar,"
meaning, "God is most great" in Arabic, the universal language
of prayer in Islam.
"Allahu Akbar - the prayer itself, it's for our creator," said
Ali Rabbani of Woburn, president of the mosque's board of directors.
"It will prevent us from thinking about other things - your grocery
list, your job, your wife, whatever."
Rabbani pointed to the ornate prayer rugs, lined in rows at a slight
angle, to orient them toward the direction of the Kaaba, a sacred site in
Islam's holiest city, Mecca, in present-day Saudi Arabia.
"The mosque, or masjid, it's not just a place for prayers,"
Rabbani said, adding that the mosque is a center of learning and
community. (MORE)
---
MO: UNDERSTANDING ISLAM -
TOP
Jeff Cunningham, KFVS 12, 2/16/07
http://www.kfvs12.com/global/story.asp?s=6097349
One fifth of the world's population is Muslim. That's more than a billion
people. Islam is the dominate religion in the Middle East, an area that
has a daily affect on the United States.
But Islam is still a religion vastly misunderstood by most Americans. And
hear in the Heartland there are Muslims who say they believe in Jesus,
helping their fellow man and say terrorism is not Islamic.
The Adan is what Muslims know as the call to prayer. It's the beginning
of this meeting at the Islamic Center in Cape Girardeau. Every Friday,
these Muslims meet to pray together and listen to a short talk. The
lesson on the day we visited was about the excess of every day life and
how it can lead to obesity.
This is a glimpse into a religion that is the second most popular in the
world behind Christianity. Muslims pray five times a day, they believe in
one God, in Arabic Allah, and follow the five pillars of Islam. But what
may surprise you is they also believe in the prophet Adam, the prophet
Noah, Moses, Abraham and Jesus. They believe Jesus is a prophet just like
Mohammad. Muslims consider Mohammad to be the last prophet and he is who
they say brought them the Qur'an, the rule book of Islam.
When praying, Muslims face east toward Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It's their
holiest city and every Muslim is required to take a pilgrimage to Mecca
if they are physically and financially able. In Islam, women are
considered equal to men and in some cases superior to them.
Tahsin Khalid, a Southeast Missouri State University professor and
practicing Muslim, says Muslims like the Taliban who look at women as
inferior have let local beliefs cloud their religion. Khalid came to the
U.S. from Pakistan in 1992. He's been teaching at Southeast Missouri
State for six years. He's an example of the Muslim community we have in
the Heartland. A far cry from some of the Muslims we see on TV. It
bothers Tahsin that some people think all Muslims believe in terrorism,
he says for anyone to kill innocent people, like a suicide bombing, is
not Islam. It's against Islam. (MORE)
---
IL: 'COSMOPHILIA' BRINGS
ISLAMIC ART TO THE SMART MUSEUM -
TOP
Chicago
Sun-Times, 2/16/07
An exhibit of secular and religious Islamic art has opened at the Smart
Museum of Art at the University of Chicago on the South Side.
Cosmophilia: Islamic Art from the David Collection, Copenhagen, running
through May 20, illustrates a millennium of Islamic history in regions
extending from Spain to India. The exhibit has more than 100 objects
grouped into five sections -- figures, writing, geometry, vegetation and
the arabesque and hybrids. Each section traces how artisans used these
decorations, and how the themes developed in different times and places.
Here's a look at the sections:
Figures: This section disproves a common misconception -- that Islam
prohibits figural representation. The Koran bans the worship of images,
so pictures are not found in mosques and other religious settings.
However, throughout history Muslims in many parts of the world have
created pictures of people and animals in their everyday lives and
secular art. Sometimes figures are portrayed realistically, others are
more abstract.
Writing: The section focuses on the Koran, which Muslims believe was
revealed in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad in the early 7th century in
Arabia. Reverence for the word therefore became a primary theme of
religious art, and artists followed with beautiful calligraphy, which
developed into many styles for different media and contexts. Also, many
objects of daily life were decorated with non-Koranic poetry
verses.
Geometry: Artisans exploited geometric ornament in a wide range of
designs. Using simple dots, lines, chevrons, polygons and circles, they
developed a virtually infinite variety of patterns.
Vegetation and the Arabesque: Artisans in Islamic lands inherited a rich
tradition of decoration with vines, stems, leaves and flowers from the
Mediterranean world and Sasanian Persia. Vegetal ornament was used
regularly and consistently in all the arts throughout the regions where
Islam was the dominant religion, thus making this the largest section of
the exhibit.
Hybrids: Many artworks combine elements of the various themes.
The Smart Museum of Art is at 5550 S. Greenwood.
Admission is free. Call (773) 702-0200 or visit the Web site
smartmuseum.uchicago.edu
-----
JEWS UPSET AT ACADEMIC'S MUSLIM
COMMENTS -
TOP
The Age, 2/16/07
http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Jews-upset-at-academics-Muslim-comments/2007/02/16/1171405399698.html
The Jewish Board of Deputies has distanced itself from comments by an
Israeli academic who says Australia should limit its number of Muslim
immigrants.
Professor Raphael Israeli is quoted in the Australian Jewish News as
saying that without such a migration cap Australia risks being swamped by
Indonesians.
But Prof Israeli told Fairfax newspapers his comments had been
misunderstood.
"When the Muslim population gets to a critical mass you have
problems," he told Fairfax.
"That is the general rule - so if it applies everywhere, it applies
in Australia." (MORE)
-----
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